Operation

BA: Troop Concentration Area N.9715, 9909, 0.0310, N.9917. BB: 1646 Hrs LT. BC: Medium Level. Height 11500 feet, Course 335º 72 x 250 G.P. 43 Dets. 27 Pistols (Rods) BD: Formation attacked in two boxes of six on leader. Target was identified and hit, all bombs falling in a good pattern in the between the following pin-points:- 0.005102, 0.022107, N.998150 and N.985140. Bombs burst among farm buildings and camouflaged M.T. NO results observed. BE: NIL. BF: NIL. BG: Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts; 11500 feet. Course 335º I.A.S. 210 m.p.h. BH: Two bomb bursts gun flashes seen from N.960105. Some M.T. movement on ROCCADASPIDE — CONTRONE RD. (Leaders bombs hung up temporarily over target, but the pre-arranged plan, to fire a Green verey light in such an emergency saved the situation.) AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST. 226H CAPT ORD LT HODGES F/S WALKER F/S DEVENISH 271F LT LONGMORE LT KENDALL F/S THEUNISSEN SGT MACKAY 195G LT MURMAN LTROBE.J.F.M. F/S ODENDAAL SGT STEWART 290C LT BLIEDEN LT ROSE.A. F/S JARVIS F/S PERKINS 206J LT WOOD LT NEL F/S JAMES SGT ROBERTSON 179A LT ASKEW LT LAMBERT F/S GELDENHUYS SGT CRAWHALL 240D LT DUGMORE LT MASTERS F/S MAASDORP F/S ROGERS 387R LT RICHARDS LT DECONNICK F/S ROBERTSE SGT McGRINDLE 167P CAPT DIEU P/O EDMEADES F/S OSWALD 2/LT SHAW 291U LT HARGRAVE LT REES SGT JENSEN F/S VALENTINE 181T LT BENNETT LT HARLE F/S STRYDOM P/O GILDEN SGT JENKINSON 383W LT GREDER LT McARAVY F/S GREYLING 2/LT GROENEWALD

1943-09-15

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * Hrs LT: Hours Local Time. * G.P.: General Purpose (bombs). * Dets.: Detonators. * M.T.: Mechanical Transport (motorized military vehicles). * I.A.S.: Indicated Air Speed. * m.p.h.: miles per hour. * RD.: Road. * CAPT / LT / 2/LT: Captain / Lieutenant / Second Lieutenant. * P/O / F/S / SGT: Pilot Officer / Flight Sergeant / Sergeant. Personnel and Tactical Observations * Captain Ord: Leading the twelve-aircraft formation (two "boxes" of six) in Baltimore 226H, Ord demonstrated exceptional composure when his bombs "hung up" (failed to release immediately) over the target. * Tactical Contingency: The report highlights a critical piece of operational planning. Because the formation dropped bombs on the leader's signal, Ord's mechanical failure could have aborted the mission. By firing a Green Verey light (signal flare), he signaled the rest of the formation to release their loads, "saving the situation" and ensuring the target was saturated. * Sergeant Crawhall: Flying in aircraft 179A with Lt. Askew, Crawhall participated in this successful saturation strike. His crew was one of several veterans of the Sicilian and early Italian campaigns mentioned in this list, alongside notable leads like Capt. Dieu and Lt. Dugmore. Location and Historical Context * The Target Corridor: The "Troop Concentration Area" targeted was in the rugged terrain near Campagna, Italy. Modern name: Campagna. The specific road mentioned, Roccadaspide — Controne Rd., was a vital secondary artery for German forces moving between the interior and the Salerno coast. Modern names: Roccadaspide and Controne. * Battle for Salerno (Operation AVALANCHE): This mission occurred on September 15, 1943, a pivotal day in the invasion of Italy. While the Allied beachhead at Salerno was finally stabilizing, German forces (primarily elements of the 10th Army) were still dug into the high ground. * Air-to-Ground Support: By striking "farm buildings and camouflaged M.T.," No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. was providing direct support to Allied ground troops. These "farm buildings" were frequently used by Axis troops as tactical headquarters or ammunition caches to hide from aerial observation. * Indicated Air Speed (I.A.S.): The recorded speed of 210 m.p.h. at 11,500 feet was the standard cruising and bombing speed for the Martin Baltimore, providing a stable platform for the "good pattern" of hits reported. 215 The date written in the 'Date' column of the Sortie Report (Part A) in target file 276-1__215.jpg is 15/16 Sep.