Operation APPENDIX "DD"
226
FROM : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.
TO : W.I.O. 3 WING S.A.A.F.
H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( ATTENTION OPERATION RECORDS)
H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU)
REF. : 21S/1016
DATE : 24th APRIL, 1945.
OPREP NO. 1016 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 1200 HRS. ON THE 24th APRIL, 1945.
REF. MAPS YUGOSLAVIA 1:100,000 SHEET Y 10 ( BLED. & ITALY
--- 1:100,000 SHEET 40A - GORIZIA. - - - - - - - - -
<u>OPERATION NO. 212/21S/M.</u>
A : 12 Marauders (4-4-4) airborne from Jesi landing ground between
0757 - 1114 hrs to bomb PONTESBA JESENICE M/Yards (D.035605).
Formation set course from PORTO CORSINI with an escort of 8
Spitfires at 0855 hrs. The formation bombed at 0945 hrs. on a
course of 320º from 10500'. Patterns of the 1st and 2nd boxes
fell with a slight overshoot. Beginning of patterns scored
direct hits on buildings on the eastern edge of the yards with
hits or near misses on tracks. The third had a slight under-
shoot. End of pattern finished in the yards with direct hits
on railway trucks. No enemy opposition encountered. Weather;
target clear with a good visibility.
One Marauder airborne at 0740 hrs. on windfinding mission for the
wing, afterwards to bomb Gorizia M/Yards. Wind of 004/25 was found
and passed to the wing formations. A/C bombed at 0940 hrs. on a
course of 192º from 12000'. Pattern fell with an undershoot
in open country. No enemy opposition. Weather; target clear
visibility good.
B : (1) 13 Marauders III (ii) Nil
C : (1) & (11) Nil
D : (1) 41.10 Hrs (11) Nil
E : (1) 44,200 x .50 (11) & (111) Nil
F : (1) 78 x 500 demo (11) 75 x 500 (iii) 3 x 500 (iv) Nil
52 x 250 fused 50 x 250 2 x 250
20 Pkts Pamphlets dispensed
G to Z : Nil
S.L. Boshoff [handwritten signature]
___-------------------- Capt.
S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.
2010
SA21/852 24 APR 45 F14 || HH G0360 10400 0946 BI4K
APPENDIX "DD"
226
FROM : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.
TO : W.I.O. 3 WING S.A.A.F.
H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( ATTENTION OPERATION RECORDS)
H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU)
REF. : 21S/1016
DATE : 24th APRIL, 1945.
OPREP NO. 1016 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 1200 HRS. ON THE 24th APRIL, 1945.
REF. MAPS YUGOSLAVIA 1:100,000 SHEET Y 10 ( BLED. & ITALY
--- 1:100,000 SHEET 40A - GORIZIA. - - - - - - - - -
<u>OPERATION …
__o_O_o__
Form 541 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. By April 1945, this medium bomber unit was part of No. 3 Wing SAAF within the Desert Air Force (DAF).
* 3 WING S.A.A.F.: No. 3 (SAAF) Wing, the administrative and operational command for the squadron during the final spring offensive.
* AIR 27/271/4: The United Kingdom National Archives reference for the Operations Record Book (ORB) of No. 21 Squadron SAAF for the 1945 period.
* BA-BH (Martin Baltimore): The twin-engine medium bomber utilized by the squadron until late 1943, when the unit converted to the Martin Marauder III (B-26).
* DEMO / FUSED: High-explosive General Purpose (GP) demolition bombs (78 x 500 lb and 52 x 250 lb) with active fuzing.
* JESI L/G: Jesi Landing Ground, the primary base of operations for No. 3 Wing SAAF during the final campaign.
* M/YARDS: Marshalling Yards (railway sidings used for sorting and making up trains).
* MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied demolition bombs. This mission utilized demolition ordnance (Demo) to destroy railway infrastructure and rolling stock.
* MET (Meteorological Report): Meteorological data for the mission indicated target-clear conditions with good visibility.
* OPREP NO. 1016: Operational Report number 1016, documenting combat results for the period ending 12:00 hours on 24th April 1945.
* PAMPHLETS: Propagandistic material dispensed from the aircraft to degrade enemy morale.
* S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer, Capt. S.L. Boshoff.
* SPITFIRES: Allied fighter escort (8 aircraft) that rendezvoused with the formation over Porto Corsini.
Operational Context
Target File 271-4_66 documents Operation No. 212/21S/M, a strategic interdiction strike executed on the morning of 24th April 1945. The primary target was the Pontesba Jesenice Marshalling Yards in northwestern Yugoslavia (Map Ref: Sheet Y 10 - BLED, pp D.035605). This mission reflects the broadening of MAAF objectives during the terminal phase of the Italian Campaign and the start of the final Axis collapse in Southeast Europe.
The strategic importance of Jesenice lay in its function as a critical rail hub for the Ljubljana Gap, the primary logistical corridor used by German forces retreating from the Balkans and Northeastern Italy toward the Austrian border. By striking this facility, 21 Squadron sought to "cork" the escape route and prevent Axis personnel and equipment from reaching the Reich.
The 12 Marauder III aircraft achieved significant structural damage despite minor errors in pattern placement. Boxes 1 and 2 overshot slightly but destroyed buildings on the eastern edge of the yards and damaged tracks. Box 3 undershot, but successfully placed its ordnance among the rail sidings, scoring direct hits on railway trucks. A thirteenth Marauder performed a specialized windfinding role before bombing the Gorizia Marshalling Yards separately. Furthermore, 20 packets of pamphlets were dispensed to facilitate psychological warfare against Axis troops and local populations. The total lack of enemy opposition (Nil flak/fighters) allowed the formation to conduct a precision strike that further crippled the terminal mobility of Heeresgruppe E and Heeresgruppe C.
67
Phase 1: Verification & Extraction
Identity Check: 24 APR 45.
Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes")
Glossary of Terms
* 21 S.A.A.F. / SA21: No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force, a medium bomber unit operating under No. 3 Wing SAAF.
* AIR 27 / 271 / 4: United Kingdom National Archives classification for the Air Ministry: Operations Record Books (ORBs); Volume 4 catalogs the 1945 War Diaries and associated strike photography for 21 Squadron.
* BI4K: Box I, 4th aircraft, Kinematograph. This technical suffix identifies the photographic record from the fourth aircraft in the first four-plane formation (Box I).
* BA-BH (Martin Baltimore): The twin-engine medium bomber utilized by the unit prior to its late 1943 conversion to current equipment. By April 1945, the squadron was fully equipped with the Martin B-26 Marauder III.
* F14: Focal length of the camera lens (14 inches) utilized for high-altitude vertical strike photography.
* HH G0360: Map reference G. 0360 (specifically identifying coordinates near D.035605), identifying the target area for the Pontesba Jesenice Marshalling Yards on the Yugoslavia 1:100,000 Sheet Y 10.
* MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied high-explosive ordnance classifications. For this mission, the unit utilized 500 lb and 250 lb General Purpose (GP) demolition bombs (Demo) to destroy railway infrastructure.
* MET (Meteorological Report): Meteorological intelligence. Conditions for this morning sortie were reported as "Target clear with a good visibility," providing the sharp structural detail of the railway yards visible in this frame.
* 10400 0946: Operational data indicating a bombing altitude of 10,400 feet and a strike time of 09:46 hours (recorded as 09:45 hrs from 10,500' in the narrative summary).
Operational Context
Target File 271-4_67 is a vertical aerial strike photograph documenting Operation No. 212/21S/M on 24th April 1945. The image captures the kinetic results of Box I as 12 Martin Marauder III aircraft targeted the Pontesba Jesenice Marshalling Yards in northwestern Yugoslavia.
This mission represents the expansion of Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) strategic interdiction as the Italian Campaign reached its terminal phase. By April 24, Allied ground forces had crossed the Po River, and Axis resistance in Italy was entering a state of total collapse. Jesenice was a vital rail hub for the Ljubljana Gap, the primary logistical corridor for German forces (Heeresgruppe E) attempting to retreat from the Balkans and Northeastern Italy toward the Austrian border.
The photograph confirms the OPREP narrative that patterns of the first and second boxes "fell with a slight overshoot". Visible smoke plumes indicate detonations impacting the "eastern edge of the yards," scoring direct hits on buildings and near misses on the rail tracks. While the main rail sidings are not fully engulfed in the primary strike pattern of this box, the cumulative effect of the formation's 500 lb and 250 lb demolition bombs—including hits on railway trucks by the third box—further "corked" this critical escape route. Conducted with an escort of eight Spitfires and encountering no enemy opposition, this mission contributed to the final logistical strangulation of German forces in the sector.
68
Phase 1: Verification & Extraction
Identity Check: 25th APRIL, 1945
