Operation

List of Aircraft and Aircrew attached to Sortie Report No. 177 dated the 23rd January, 1943. 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F. * 940 V Lt-Col. Coppen, Lt. Farrant, F/Sgt. Herbst, F/Sgt. Bradfield. * 176 YY Major. Jendrell, Capt. Hatswell, F/Sgt. Morley, Lt. te Water Pohl. * 949 AA Lt. Klette, Lt. Davies, F/Sgt. Carr, F/Sgt. Wisenberg. * 930 K Lt. Golding, Lt. Mulholland, F/Sgt. Pearce, F/Sgt. Green. * 944 R Lt. Rich, Sgt. Smallman (R.A.F.), F/Sgt. Roberts, F/Sgt. Lovell-Wright. * 942 O Lt. Hotchkiss, Lt. Morrell, F/Sgt. Mamet, F/Sgt. Mills. * 104 S Lt. Metcalf, Lt. Floor, F/Sgt. Forrest A., F/Sgt. Perkins. * 904 BB Lt. Gardener, Lt. Kerr, F/Sgt. Lane, F/Sgt. Brown. * 920 O Capt. Cormack, Lt. Moore, F/Sgt. Finberg, F/Sgt. McGee.

1943-01-23

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * Sortie Report No. 177: The official administrative record documenting the results of the 177th operational mission conducted by the unit. * 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.: No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force, a light bomber unit operating under the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF). * V, YY, AA, K, R, O, S, BB, O: Tactical aircraft letters assigned to individual Martin Baltimore light bombers within the squadron. * Lt-Col. Coppen: Lieutenant Colonel Coppen, the Officer Commanding 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.. * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. Sergeant Smallman is noted as an R.A.F. member integrated into the S.A.A.F. crew of aircraft 944 R. Operational Context: The date of this manifest, 23 January 1943, marks a pivotal moment in the North African Campaign: the fall of Tripoli to the British Eighth Army. Strategically, the capture of Tripoli secured the primary Axis supply port in Libya, effectively ending Italian colonial rule and forcing the Afrika Korps to retreat into Tunisia toward the Mareth Line. The tactical objective for Sortie No. 177, as established by the high-density crew list, involved a maximum-effort formation of nine Martin Baltimore light bombers. During this phase, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) focused on "road purification"—the systematic interdiction of Axis Mechanical Transport (MT) attempting to escape westward. The inclusion of the Squadron Commander, Lt-Col. Coppen, and senior leadership like Major Jendrell underscores the operational significance of the mission during the definitive Axis collapse in Libya. By maintaining relentless pressure on the retreating columns, the Desert Air Force (DAF) ensured the Axis forces could not establish a stable defensive anchor between Tripoli and the Tunisian border. This document, archived as Folio 40 of the AIR 27/274 series, provides the personnel data necessary to account for unit distribution during the final hours of the Libyan campaign. 50 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 18th January 1943.