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Operation No. 287

GUN POSITIONS IN ST. CYPRIEN AREA

Thursday, 6 May 1943

Over target: 1510 hrs Landed: 1622 hrs Time: 13:54 hrs

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Duty
Medium level bombing attack on enemy positions in area St. CYPRIEN. Time. Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A.SORTIE REPORT 88 'F'(Part A.)Sheet No. 1Oprep. Ref. No. 287Date. 6 MAY 43Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 18 Baltimores.,Aircraft No. See reverse.Aircraft Letter. "Leader of Formation:Captain Lt.Col.Coppen D.F.C.Crew. Capt. Farrant (Observer)See reverse.Time Up. 1354 hrs. L.T. 1st. A/CTime Down. 1622 hrs. L.T. Last A/CTotal Time. 39 hrs. 00 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. EL DJEM MAIN.Type of Cloud. St.Cu.Amount of Cloud. 9/10 - 10/10 SE of TUNISBase of Cloud. ---Visibility. Fair. Haze over battle area.General Weather. Good.Map or Chart Reference. TUNISIA 1:500,000 Sheet NJ.32.SE. TUNIS.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on enemy positions in area St. CYPRIEN.Time. Height. Place. Narrative.1354 EL DJEM Airborne.1410 500 " S/C KAIROUAN 305 M.1434 500 KAIROUAN Picked up fighter escort (79th. P. Group USAAF.)A/C 337 M for MEDJEZ EL BAB.1502 10000 M.EL.BAB A/C 052 M. Over bomb line & turned right, then left and finally right on to target.1511 9000 TARGET Bombed on course of 150 M. pp. TJ 9153. Right hand turn off target. A/C 265 M.1518 7000 GOUBELLAT. A/C for KAIROUAN.1547 500 KAIROUAN Dropped fighter escort. A/C 130 M for EL DJEM.1622 EL DJEM Last A/C landed.PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34./PMEJ-200.000-3/42 P.T.O.PART "B"BA Gun positions in St. CYPRIEN area.BB 1510 hrs. - 1511 hrs. L.T.BC Medium level bombing from 8/9000 ft.102 x 250 lb. Gp 43 Det. (Rods)BD The formation bombed in three boxes of six, and bombs fell inarea bounded by pp. (approx) J 900500, 934495, 930505 & 915513.Direct hits scored on main roads and buildings. Bursts observednear Ack/Ack guns firing from P 9252. No other results observed.BE Intense and accurate A/A for No. 3 Box only, from TEBOURBA area.3 HAA guns at J 8545.4 " " " J 8317.3 " " " J 8657.2 " " " J 9252.Some flashes from J 9020.BF A/C FA 115 Missing. Hit by A/A and seen to go down in steep divewith port engine in flames, over J 8650 at 1509½ hrs. Shellburst between engine and main plane. Crew missing.Crew: Capt. A.G.M. Budd (Pilot)Lt. J. Sadler (Observer)F/O W.W.H. Cornelius (RCAF) Wireless Operator.F/Sgt. C.R. Woods (Air Gunner)Major A.T.A. Wallace (Bedfordshire - Hertfordshire Regt.)(Special army observer)BG Obliques and Verticals of bomb-bursts.BH Fires burning at J 8645 & J 8254.List of A/C and Crews:F/L 951 V Lt.Col.Coppen, Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Lyne.226 H Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, F/Sgt. Walker & A/Sgt. Devenish.877 J Lt. Dugmore, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Maasdorp & Rogers C.L.V/L 126 U Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.176 YY Maj. Schravesande, Lt. Herring, F/Sgts. Meyer & Stopforth.181 T Lt. Hargrave, Lt. Rees, Sgt. McQueen (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Bedford.B/L 903 O Capt. Cormack, Lt. Mulholland, F/Sgts. Finberg & McGee.221 Y Lt. Pocock, Sgt. Edmeades (RAF), F/Sgts. B.-Thomas & Clark.982 N Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. V.d. Meulen, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser.V/L 183 S Capt. Smit, Lt. Kay, F/Sgts. Perkins & van Rooyen.142 P Lt. Demmer, Lt. Manning, F/Sgts. van Coller & Koff.916 SS Lt. Simpson, Lt. Hocknell, F/Sgts. Roberts V.P & Shepperson.B/L 115 M Capt. Budd, Lt. Sadler, F/O Cornelius (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Woods.290 C Lt. Elieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelsohn.352 D Lt. Oakes, Lt. Sachs, Sgts. Morrison & Cleland (RCAF).V/L 179 A Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup.271 F Lt. Guard, Lt. Forseman, F/Sgt. Steven & F/Sgt. Prout (RAF).930 K Lt. Willmot, Lt. Borcherds, F/Sgt. Loots & F/Sgt. Walbridge.F/L Formation Leader. B/L Box Leader. V/L Vic Leader.[Handwritten Signature]........................Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

R.A.F
Royal Air Force.
Oprep. Ref. No
Operational Report Reference Number.
SAAF
South African Air Force.
Baltimores
Martin Baltimore light bombers, utilized by 21 Squadron for medium-level tactical bombardment.
D.F.C
Distinguished Flying Cross.
L.T
Local Time.
L.T
Local Time.
A/C
Aircraft (or "Altered Course" depending on narrative context; in the narrative section, it denotes "Altered Course").
A/C
Aircraft.
L.G
Landing Ground.

79th P. Group USAAF: 79th Fighter Group, United States Army Air Forces.

pp. TJ 9153: Pinpoint TJ 9153, a specific map coordinate.

Gp 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose 250 lb bombs utilizing the 1943 Detonator (Rods) configuration. These fuzes extended from the nose of the bomb to ensure an instantaneous burst upon ground contact, maximizing fragmentation effect against surface targets.

pp. (approx): Pinpoints (approximate), referring to map coordinates.