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Operation No. 956

Thursday, 8 March 1945

Aircraft: E Pilot: S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. Time: 21:00 hrs

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Date
- 8th MARCH 1945
APPENDIX "E"CONFIDENTIAL. 107FROM :- S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.TO :- H.Q. M.A.A.F. (ATTENTION OPERATIONS RECORDS)H.Q. M.A.T.A.F.(S.C.O.R.U.)S.A.O.A. ADV. S.A.A.F. H.Q. C.M.F.REF :- 21S/956.DATE :- 8th MARCH 1945.OPREP NO. 956 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HOURS ON THE 7th MARCH 1945.REF. MAP ITALY 1,100,000 SHEET 76. pp M 378793. MIGLIARINA.OPERATION NO. 161/21/M.A : 11 Marauders III airborne from JESI L/G at 1528 Hrs. tobomb a factory containing stores at M 378793, each A/Ccarrying demolition load of 6 x 500 and 4 x 250 Lb. G.P.Formation S/C for target and bombed from 10,000' at 1636Hrs. All bombs overshot the target by 50 to 200 Yards.There was no fighter escort and no enemy opposition.Weather over the target was fair to good and visibilityfair in slight haze. One A/C took off late and failed tolocate the formation, returning to base with full bombload. Another A/C, shortly after take off, had smokecoming through bomb-bay; jettisoned all bombs over the seaand returned to base.All A/C down by 1722 Hours.B : (1) 11 Marauders III (11) Nil.C : (11) Nil (11) Nil.D : (1) 17.45 Hrs. (11) Nil.E : (1) 37,400 x .50 (11) Nil. (111) Nil.F : (1) 66 x 500 (11) 54 x 500 (111) 6 x 500 (1v) Nil44 x 250 36 x 250 4 x 250216 lb Window12 Pkts. Pamphlets Fused Tail only 30 - 51 (Demo.)
G : (1) Nil (11) Nil.H - V : NilW : (1) 3 Marauders III (11) Nil.X : (1) 4.35 Hrs. (11) Nil.16 x 10 lb.Nil. S.F. Wiggill [Signed] --------------------- LT. CAPTAIN. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.
Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps: * Folio Number: 107 (Handwritten, Top Right). * Reference Stamp:The National Archives' reference AIR 27/271/3

Transcriber's Notes

S.I.O
Squadron Intelligence Officer. Lieutenant Captain S.F. Wiggill was tasked with mission debriefing and OPREP compilation.
S.C.O.R.U
Section for Operational Research and Underlining (or Unit), responsible for analyzing strike accuracy.
JESI L/G
Jesi Landing Ground, Italy; the operational base for 21 Squadron in March 1945.
Window
Chaff; strips of aluminum foil (216 lb dispensed) dropped to saturate German radar-directed defenses. Operational Context Target File 271-3_13 chronicles Operation 161/21/M, an 11-aircraft strike launched on March 7, 1945, against a factory stores area at Migliarina, near La Spezia. By March 1945, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were executing Operation Bingo, a comprehensive interdiction campaign intended to isolate German Heeresgruppe C by systematically severing the logistical network in Northern Italy. The Migliarina site was a strategic industrial node supporting Axis logistics in the northwestern sector of the front. This methodology represents the strategic maturation of principles established during the 1943 battles for the Bernhardt and Gustav Lines. In November 1943, 21 Squadron SAAF executed high-intensity strikes on localized bottlenecks, such as location H055630, to paralyze German reserves attempting to reach the front. By March 1945, the emphasis had shifted to comprehensive theater-wide isolation. The report notes that all bombs overshot the target by 50 to 200 yards, illustrating the inherent difficulties of precision visual bombing from 10,000 feet, even in "fair to good" weather. The mission further reflects the logistical strain on the squadron, with one aircraft failing to join due to a late takeoff and another jettisoning its load into the sea due to an onboard smoke emergency. 14

MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard high-explosive ordnance, typically 500 lb and 250 lb variants, carried by SAAF crews to destroy physical industrial structures and stores.