TORTORELLA

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 429 Date. 1 Nov 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF No. of Aircraft. 12 Baltimores 1 Mk.3; 3 Mk.3A; 8 Mk.4 Aircraft No. ) Aircraft Letter. ) See over Captain. MAJOR ORD Crew. LT HODGES Formation leader Time Up. 1010 A Hrs First A/C Time Down. 1255 A Hrs Last A/C Total Time. 31.00 Hrs Aerodrome or L.G. TORTORELLA Type of Cloud. St.Cu (NORTH of Mtns, & SOUTH of TERAMO) Amount of Cloud. 10/10 (B7549 - Clear over target) Base of Cloud. Tops 7000' Visibility. Good General Weather. Good Map or Chart Reference. ITALY 1:250,000 Sheets 28/29/30/36/37 Target or Duty. CREATE ROAD BLOCK B250235 - 252232 (ANTRODOCO) | Height. | Place. | Narrative. | |---|---|---| | - | BASE | A/B | | 5500 | FOGGIA | s/c TERMOLI with 4 Warhawks as escort | | 10000 | TERMOLI | s/c TORTORELLA STAZ | | 13500 | TORTORELLA STAZ | s/c ANTRODOCO | | 13500 | ANTRODOCO | On bombing run Co 330º | | 12500 | ANTRODOCO | s/c PINETO | | 8500 | PINETO | s/c TERMOLI | | 2500 | TERMOLI | s/c FOGGIA | | 2000 | BASE | Over Base | | | BASE | Landed | | | | Last A/C Landed | (Sgd) [unclear] for Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, SAAF

1943-11-01 TORTORELLA

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes * Expanded Abbreviations: * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * SAAF: South African Air Force. * Oprep. Ref. No.: Operational Report Reference Number. * Mk.: Mark (designating the version of the aircraft). * LT: Lieutenant. * A/C: Aircraft. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * St.Cu: Stratocumulus (cloud type). * Mtns: Mountains. * A/B: Airborne. * s/c: Steered course. * STAZ: Stazione (Italian for Station). * Co: Course. * SIO: Senior Intelligence Officer. * Sgd: Signed. * Observations on Individuals: * Major Ord: Served as the Formation Leader for this 12-aircraft strike. Ord was a senior and highly experienced pilot within 21 Squadron who frequently led the "Box" in multi-flight operations. * Lieutenant Hodges: Acted as the observer/navigator for Major Ord. He is consistently paired with Ord in crew manifests during this high-tempo period of the Italian campaign. * Location Information and Modern Context: * Antrodoco: The target town is located in the province of Rieti, Lazio. In 1943, it was a strategic bottleneck where several major roads met in the Apennine Mountains. * Tortorella Landing Ground: The squadron's base near Foggia. Today, the site has largely reverted to agricultural use near the modern Foggia "Gino Lisa" Airport. * Termoli and Pineto: Coastal towns on the Adriatic used as navigational waypoints to avoid high mountain peaks and enemy anti-aircraft concentrations. * Historical Context: * Tactical Interdiction: On November 1, 1943, the Allied advance in Italy was beginning to stall against the Gustav Line. The mission's goal to "Create Road Block" at Antrodoco was intended to sever German supply lines moving from central Italy toward the front. * Fighter Escort: The report notes a rendezvous with 4 Warhawks (likely P-40s from the Desert Air Force) over Foggia. Escort was critical, as the Martin Baltimore was vulnerable to Luftwaffe interceptors while maintaining steady bomb runs at medium altitudes (13,500 feet). * Meteorological Challenges: The narrative indicates 10/10 (total) cloud cover north of the mountains, which was common during the onset of the wet Italian autumn. Fortunately, the target itself (grid B7549) was clear, allowing the formation to proceed with the attack. 33 The target file 276-2__33.jpg is the reverse side (Part B) of the Sortie Report initiated on the previous page. To verify the correct image is being analyzed, the date written in the 'Date' column on the corresponding front side (Part A) of this report is 1 Nov 43.