Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Medium level bombing attack on gun positions in square bounded by pp. P 2389, 2689, 2695 & 2395. Time. Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A."D1" 45SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)Sheet No. 1Oprep. Ref. No. 273Date. 23 APR 43Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 18 Baltimores (One A/C returned.) See reverse side.Aircraft No.Aircraft Letter.Captain Maj. M. Barnby D.F.C.Crew. Lt. C. Evans (Observer) (See reverse side.)Time Up. 1128 hrs. (1st. A/C)Time Down. 1315 hrs. (Last A/C)Total Time. 25 hrs. 00 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. EL DJEM NORTH.Type of Cloud. Strato.-Cu.Amount of Cloud. 2/10Base of Cloud. 3/4,000 ft.Visibility. Hazy.General Weather. Fair.Map or Chart Reference. TUNISIA 1:500,000 Sheet N.J. 32. SE. TUNIS.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on gun positions in square bounded by pp. P 2389, 2689, 2695 & 2395.Time. Height. Place. Narrative.1128 500 EL DJEM NORTH Airborne.1138 500 S/C TP 3911.1147 500 TP 3911 Rendezvous with fighters. (79th. F.Grp. USAAF)1151 500 S/C 026 deg. HAMMAM-SOUSSE.1207 4500 HAMMAM S/C 328 deg. ENFIDAVILLE.1223 8000 ENFIDAVILLE.1226 7500 TARGET TP 2494. Bombed Co. 310 deg. IAS 210 m.p.h.1315 EL DJEM MAIN Last A/C landed.Note: The Squadron was in the process of moving to EL DJEM NORTH, from where this operation took place, but the formation landed at EL DJEM MAIN, as the move had subsequently been cancelled.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 area bounded by pp. P 2389, 2689, 2695 & 2395.BB From 1225 hrs. to 1227 hrs.BC Medium level bombing attack from 7/8,000 ft.102 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods) (One A/C failed to catch up withformation, and landed with its six bombs.)BD The majority of the bombs fell in the Southern half of the targetarea, starting from P 255900 and ending at P 230915. One boxdropped its bombs from P 2595 to P 2396. Bombs fell in a goodpattern among dug-in positions. Two near misses on 2 MT, and anear miss on a blockhouse. The nature of the country made fullobservation of results difficult.BE HAA accurate, but not intense. LAA intense, but well below.4 HAA guns at P 236909.4 " " " P 236885.3 HAA " " P 233895.2 HAA " " P 237898.BF Two A/C holed by Ack/Ack. (Cat. 1)BG 3 Vert. 8" Cameras & 1 20" Obl. Camera were used to photographthe bomb bursts. (Ht. 7500'. Co. 320 deg. IAS 230 m.p.h.BH The barrage of smoke from P 245880 to P 255880 as an aid tonavigation, was clearly seen, but the red smoke at P 274824 wasnot seen.List of A/C and Crews:F/L 105 B Maj. Barnby D.F.C., Lt. Evans, F/O Lt. Sandilands & F/O Lot930 K Lt. Hamilton, Lt. Whittle, F/Sgts. Hodgkinson & de Villiers.226 H Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, F/Sgts. Walker & A/Sgt. Devenish.V/L 259 X Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.582 N Maj. Schrave sande, Lt. Herring, F/Sgts. Meyer & Stepforth.142 P Lt. Hargrave, Lt. Rees, Sgt. McQueen (RCAF) & F/Sgt. BedforB/L 115 M Capt. Budd, Lt. Sadler, F/O Cornelius (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Woods.290 C Lt. Blieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelssohn.271 F Lt. Oakes, Lt. Sachs, Sgts. Morrison & Cleland (RCAF).V/L 382 D Lt. Hotchkiss, Lt. Merrell, Sgts. Hemet & Mills.877 J Lt. Dugmore, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Maasdorp & Rogers C.L.977 L Lt. Guard, Lt. Foreman, F/Sgts. Steven & Prout (RAF)B/L 903 O Capt. Cormack, Lt. Pawson, F/Sgts. Finberg & McGee.221 Y Lt. Pocock, Sgt. Edmonds (RAF), F/Sgts. Beaumont-Thomas &918 T Lt. Eaton, Lt. Floor, F/Sgts. le Roux & Gilden.V/L 143 S Capt. Smit, Lt. Kay, F/Sgts. Perkins & van Rooyen.176 YY Lt. Carr, Lt. Lombard, F/Sgts. Toms & Wright.957 W Lt. Desner, Lt. Manning, F/Sgts. van Coller & Koff.[Handwritten Signature]........................ Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.
Transcriber's Notes
- R.A.F
- Royal Air Force.
- Oprep
- Operational Report.
- SAAF
- South African Air Force.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- Maj
- Major.
- D.F.C
- Distinguished Flying Cross.
- Lt
- Lieutenant.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- Strato.-Cu
- Stratocumulus (cloud type).
pp.: Pinpoints (map coordinates).
deg.: Degrees.
m.p.h.: Miles per hour.
pp.: Pinpoints (specific map coordinates).
Det. (Rods): Detonators (specifically "tail rod" fuzing used to ensure an instantaneous burst upon ground contact, maximizing surface fragmentation).