Sortie Report (Form 541)
BA: Railway Junction at Z9538BB: 1136 Hrs LTBC: Medium Level Bombing Attack 11/11500 ft. Course approximately 150°4 x 500 G.P. 47 Dets. 28 Pistol20 x 500 M.C. " " "(4 x 500 hung up and brought back to base)BD: Target visible for good distance. Both boxes of 6, bombing on box leaders straddled the tracks in tight sticks and obtained three direct hits. One or two bombs fell in the marshalling area beyond the target.BE: Fairly intense and accurate H.A.A. 1 position at point 1 mile N.W. of LAMEZIA STATIONBF: 2 Aircraft minor damaged H.A.A. A/Sgt Buchler, top gunner aircraft No. 206J seriously wounded H.A.A.BG: Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts Height 11500 I.A.S. 210 Course 150 degreesBH: Single engine fighter (ME 109)? shot down by escort, crashed at X9034 in flames. Pilot baled and landed in sea.AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST.903YY MAJ. JANDRELL. LT CHRISTIE 2/LT LE ROUX 2/LT VILJOEN (FL)341L LT WILLMOTT LT BORCHARDS F/S LOOTS F/S WALBRIDGE179A LT ASKEW LT LAMBERT F/S GELDENHUYS SGT CRAWHALL195G LT BLEIDEN LT ROSE F/S JARVIS F/S PERKINS (VL)916K LT FROST LT WHITE F/S CARTER SGT ALLEN206J LT WOOD LT NEL F/S JAMES SGT BUCHLER221Y LT EATON LT MODERMOTT SGT FREESTONE F/S VAN ROOYEN (BL)387R LT RICHARDS LT DECONNICK F/S ROBERTSE SGT MCCRINDLE240D LT DUGMORE LT MASTERS F/S ROGERS F/S MAASDORP291U LT HARGRAVE LT REES F/S JENSON F/S BEDFORD (VL)280P LT GREDER LT GOULD F/S GREYLING 2/LT GROENEWALD181T LT BENNETT LT HARLE F/S STRYDOM P/OGILBEN
Transcriber's Notes
- LT
- Local Time.
- G.P
- General Purpose (bombs).
- M.C
- Medium Capacity (bombs, often containing a higher explosive-to-weight ratio than GP).
- H.A.A
- Heavy Anti-Aircraft artillery (likely German 8.8cm or Italian 90mm batteries).
- N.W
- North-West.
- A/Sgt
- Acting Sergeant.
- I.A.S
- Indicated Air Speed.
- ME 109
- Messerschmitt Bf 109 (German fighter aircraft).
Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded
ft: feet.
(FL): Formation Leader.
(VL): Vic Leader (leader of a 3-aircraft "Vic" sub-formation).
(BL): Box Leader (leader of the second 6-aircraft box). Personnel and Operational Observations
Railway Junction at Z9538: The target was a critical logistical node in Calabria, Italy.