BEN HAGEN LG.

R.A.F. Form 441 A. 37 SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 332 Date. 9/10 JUL 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF Type of Aircraft. 2 BALTIMORES Mk III. Aircraft No. ) Aircraft Letter. ) As per List. Captain Lt. WOOD, Lt. GOULD. Crew. Other aircraft followed similar course. Time Up. 0310 LT Time Down. 0611 LT Total Time. 6 hrs 40 mins. Aerodrome or L.G. BEN HAGEN LG. Type of Cloud. Slight ground mist. Amount of Cloud. Base of Cloud. Visibility. Good General Weather. Good Map or Chart Reference. SICILIA. 1:500,000 NE 36/12. Task or Duty. MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBING ATTACK TRAPANI/MILO A/D. | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 0310 | | Ben Hagen | Airborne, climbed to 2000' circling to RAS EL FORTASS. | | 0318 | 2000 | Ras el Fortass | Set course KELIBIA, 100°Mag. | | 0328 | 6000 | Kelibia | Set course between AEGADEAN ISLANDS. | | 0401 | 10000 | Islands | Kept on TR 112°Mag for further 5 mins to Position 315 TRAPANI 13. | | 0406 | 12000 | Position | Set course for CAP ST. VITO TR 034°Mag. | | 0413 | 12000 | C.S.Vito | Set course for TARGET TR 217°Mag. | | 0418 | 10000 | Target | Bombed, set course ST VITO. Set course ISLANDS. | | 0435 | 7000 | Islands | Set course KELIBIA TR 220°Mag. | | 0500 | 6000 | Kelibia | Flew down coast SOUTH, circled out to sea and returned to KORBA. | | 0534 | 5000 | Korba | Set course BASE TR 290°Mag and arrived over flare path 0542. | | 0611 | | Ben Hagen | Last aircraft landed. | (Signature: J. S. Bester) Capt. SIO. 21 SQUADRON, SAAF.

1943-07-10 BEN HAGEN LG.

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded: * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * Oprep: Operational Report. * SAAF: South African Air Force. * Mk: Mark (designating version). * Lt.: Lieutenant. * LT: Local Time. * L.G. / LG: Landing Ground. * A/D: Aerodrome. * Mag. / °Mag.: Magnetic (referring to compass headings). * TR: Track. * C.S.Vito / CAP ST. VITO: Capo San Vito. * SIO: Squadron Intelligence Officer. * Observations about Individuals Mentioned: * Captain J. S. Bester: The Squadron Intelligence Officer (SIO) for 21 Squadron. Bester was responsible for debriefing aircrews upon their return and synthesizing their observations into these formal reports. His signature is a fixture on the unit's Opreps throughout the critical July 1943 period. * Lieutenant Wood and Lieutenant Gould: The lead pilots for this two-aircraft strike. Their flight, conducted in the pre-dawn hours of the most significant day of the campaign, required exceptional navigational skill to hit a specific track (TR 217°Mag) over a blackout target. * Information about the Location: * Trapani/Milo A/D, Sicily: One of the most heavily defended Axis airfields in Western Sicily. * Modern Name: The airfield site has been largely overtaken by the urban sprawl of modern Trapani, Italy. Regional military aviation is now centered at Trapani-Birgi Airport to the south. * Ben Hagen LG, Tunisia: The temporary desert landing ground used by 21 Squadron as their primary strike base during the Sicilian interdiction phase. * Aegadean Islands: Now the Egadi Islands (Isole Egadi), including Favignana, which served as a primary landfall and navigational "gate" for Allied bombers. * Historical Theatre Context: * Invasion Day (Operation HUSKY): This sortie was flown on the morning of July 10, 1943. While Wood and Gould were bombing the runways at Milo at 0418 LT, the first waves of Allied troops were actively landing on the southern beaches of Sicily. * Suppression Mission: The objective was to "ground" the remaining Axis fighters at Milo to prevent them from strafing the Allied beachheads or the massive invasion fleet at sea. * Navigational Complexity: The narrative shows the aircraft circling to gain height at Ras el Fortass before crossing the Mediterranean. The return leg included a deceptive "flight down coast" before turning into the flare path at Ben Hagen at 0542 LT, likely a precaution against "intruder" Axis night fighters following them back to base. * The Martin Baltimore: The aircraft used were Martin Baltimore Mk III medium bombers. These American-built aircraft were the workhorses of the SAAF's 3 Wing, prized for their speed which allowed them to outrun many contemporary Axis interceptors. Would you like me to transcribe the corresponding crew list for this specific mission? 49 The target file 276-1_49.jpg is a continuation sheet and crew list associated with Sortie Report No. 332; while it does not contain a standard 'Date' column, the header of the crew list establishes the date as 9/10 JUL 43.