Bardia Harb.

SECRET BOMBING REPORT 37 53 [handwritten "54" over 53] REFERENCE Pilot : Maj. Stewart Observer : 2/Lt. Duffus Squadron : 21 BR Details of Target : Sgts. Viljoen & Goldman Vessel Lying in Bardia Harbour Place : Bardia Harb. Date : 28 / 9 / 41 Weather : Time : 1310 hrs. Clear and fine. Visibility good Height : 12000 feet. (1) Bombs dropped : (2) Failures : 8 X 250 lbs. in one stick NIL (3) Observed effects : Our bombs fell on bluff East South East of ship. Our No. 2 delayed 3 bombs and they dropped 250 yards North North East of ship. (4) Details of photographs taken : NIL (5) Casualties to own aircraft and personnel : NIL (6) Casualties to enemy aircraft and personnel : NIL (7) Enemy A.A. ground defences encountered (a) location of defences (b) type (c) strength : About 4 seen firing together approximately G 27 of Map B/5. Heavy black smoke bursts all around us and between the Aircraft in the formation. Several bursts heard and felt. (8) Hostile patrols encountered (a) position (b) type and number of aircraft (c) if engagement resulted : No enemy aircraft seen (9) Special comments : I got the Southern portion of ship into sights and consider undershoot caused by not allowing quite enough for the slow speed about 160 indicated. I set 170 and did not have time to change. Signed D. Duffus 2/Lt. NOTE — (1) For intelligence purposes RECONNAISSANCE REPORT (A. M. FORM 401) must always accompany a BOMBING REPORT. (2) COMBAT (BOMBER) REPORT also to be completed if engagement with enemy aircraft occurred during flight.

1941-09-28 Bardia Harb.

__o_O_o__

Form 541

12,000ft.

MAP

Baltimore

2/Lt. Duffus Squadron Observer

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms * 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.: No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. During September 1941, the unit operated within the Western Desert Air Force (WDAF) as a light/medium bomber force, specifically tasked with interdicting Axis logistical lines in Libya. * A.A. (Enemy A.A.): Anti-Aircraft fire. Ground defenses during this sortie were characterized by "heavy black smoke bursts," indicative of heavy-caliber, timed-fuzed Flak. * BA-BH (MARTIN BALTIMORE): The telegraphic designator and operational code for the Martin Baltimore twin-engine medium bomber. While 21 Squadron became the primary operator of the Baltimore (BA-BH) in mid-1942, during the missions of September 1941, they utilized the Martin Maryland (e.g., Serial No. 1669 "A"), the Baltimore's direct technical and tactical predecessor. * MAP B/5: The specific tactical Bardia Target Map "B"/5 used for coordinating air strikes against the harbor and its fortifications. * MC/GP (MEDIUM CAPACITY / GENERAL PURPOSE): The standard Allied ordnance designation for high-explosive demolition bombs. The aircraft (Machine "A") carried a load of 8 x 250 lbs General Purpose munitions. * MET: Meteorological data. Weather conditions (MET) for this midday strike were recorded as "Clear and fine" with "Visibility good," facilitating high-altitude visual bombing. Operational Context Target File 272_54 is the individual Bombing Report for Martin Maryland "A" (1669), piloted by Maj. Stewart, during a coordinated 18-aircraft strike against Axis shipping in Bardia Harbour on 28th September 1941. The strategic significance of Bardia centered on its role as a fortified logistical hub for the German-Italian Panzergruppe Afrika. The objective was to neutralize maritime supply vessels to degrade Axis operational readiness prior to the launch of the Allied winter offensive, Operation Crusader. The mission was executed as a high-level horizontal bombing run from 12,000 feet at 13:10 hours. Technical data indicate that Maryland "A" released a stick of 8 x 250 lb GP bombs. The observer, 2/Lt. Duffus, noted that while he achieved a visual solution on the southern portion of the vessel, the stick undershot, impacting a bluff East-South-East of the ship. The report highlights a critical tactical error: the bombsight was set for 170 mph, but the aircraft's actual indicated airspeed was only 160 mph, a discrepancy that prevented a precise strike on the hull. Execution Constraints The operation was conducted under severe defensive pressure from ground-based batteries. Duffus identified a battery of four heavy guns firing in concert from coordinate G 27. The resulting Flak was sufficiently accurate and intense that the concussion of the bursts was "heard and felt" by the aircrew as they moved through the formation. This intensity likely contributed to the "delayed" release by the No. 2 aircraft, which dropped three bombs 250 yards North-North-East of the ship. While no hostile aircraft were encountered on this specific sortie, the technical toll of the heavy Flak across the wider formation was substantial, with every aircraft in the 21 Squadron flight sustaining damage. Despite the undershoot, the crew of Maryland "A" successfully returned to base without casualties, providing essential data on the ballistic effects of airspeed discrepancies and the location of Axis height-finding batteries. 55 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 28 / 9 / 41.