TORTORELLA

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) 218 Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 459 Date. 26 Nov 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF No. of Aircraft. 12 Baltimores Type of Aircraft. (7 Mk.4, 3 Mk.3A, 2 Mk.3) Aircraft No. ) Aircraft Letter. ) See over Captain CAPT DUGMORE Crew. LT MASTERS Time Up. 1240 A Hrs 1st Aircraft Time Down. 1408 A Hrs Last Aircraft Total Time. 16.00 Hours Aerodrome or L.G. TORTORELLA Type of Cloud. Cu Amount of Cloud. 1/10 over mountains inland areas only Base of Cloud. Visibility. Very good General Weather. Good Map or Chart Reference. 1:500,000 NE/42/14 1:100,000 LANCIANO Sheet 147 Task or Duty. MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBING - GUNS AND TROOPS AT C353009 Time. Height. Place. Narrative. 1240 — BASE A/B 1252 3000 BASE S/c TERMOLI 1312 9000 TERMOLI 1325 11000 PENNA PT Circuit executed to enable formation to reach target at 1330 Hrs L.T. 1330 13000 FOSSACESIA 7 miles 1335 11700 C353009 Turning onto target Bombed 210º Approximately 1342 9000 PAGLIETA S/c BASE Losing height 1405 2000 BASE Landed Last aircraft landed (Sgd) [unclear signature] Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F. PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34. /PMEJ-200.000-3/42 P.T.O.

1943-11-26 TORTORELLA

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes Glossary of Terms * R.A.F. Form 441 A: The standard Royal Air Force pro-forma utilized for unit sortie reporting within the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations. * Mk. 3, 3A, 4: Specific operational Marks (variants) of the Martin Baltimore light bomber. * Oprep. Ref. No.: Operational Report Reference Number. * A Hrs / L.T.: Army Hours / Local Time (Standardized military time synchronization for Allied forces in the Mediterranean). * L.G.: Landing Ground. * Cu: Cumulus (cloud classification). * S/c: Set course. * A/B: Airborne. * SIO: Senior Intelligence Officer. * BA-BH: Standardized intelligence blocks (Target, Time, Armament, Narrative, Opposition, Losses, Photos, and Observations). Biographical Analysis * Captain Dugmore: Serving as the Formation Leader for this strike. Dugmore was a veteran tactical lead for 21 Squadron, having participated in numerous interdiction missions during the autumn transition following the death of Lt. Col. Jack Britz. * Lieutenant Masters: Acting as the lead Observer (Navigator/Bomb Aimer) for Captain Dugmore. His precision in coordinating the "Circuit executed" at Penna Point was vital to ensure the formation achieved the exact time-on-target (TOT) of 1330 Hrs mandated by the Desert Air Force (DAF). Operational Context: Mozzagrogna (C353009) On 26 November 1943, Mozzagrogna was a primary defensive anchor of the German Bernhardt Line (Reinhard Line). Situated on the high ridge overlooking the Sangro River valley, the town served as a vital artillery hub protecting the German 10th Army’s retreat. This mission, following an earlier morning strike by the same squadron, focused on suppressing "Guns and Troops" to facilitate the British Eighth Army’s final rupture of the river defenses. Tactical Execution The narrative record details a highly disciplined approach to the target. * Time-on-Target (TOT): The execution of a "Circuit" at Penna Point (Vasto) to delay the final run demonstrates the rigid tactical coordination required during multi-unit strikes on the Sangro front. * Flight Profile: The formation climbed to 13,000 feet near Fossacesia before descending to 11,700 feet for the actual bomb run at 1335 Hrs. * Meteorological Conditions: Weather was "Good," with "Very good" visibility. The presence of only 1/10 cumulus cloud inland allowed the crews to visually identify the German gun pits and infantry positions at C353009 without the mountain obscuration that had plagued prior sorties. * Efficiency: The mission was completed in just 1 hour and 28 minutes, returning to the home base at Tortorella by 1408 Hrs. Marginalia and Strike-throughs There are no significant strike-throughs or handwritten marginalia beyond the standard signatures on the front of this report. The document remains a clean record of a successfully coordinated tactical interdiction sortie. 134 The verification date for the document 276-2__134.jpg, cross-referenced from its corresponding Part A (Image 133), is 26 Nov 43.