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Operation No. 238

ENEMY STRONGPOINTS IN SUPPORT OF NEW ZEALAND DIVISION IN SQUARE TY 91 (REF.MAP : TUNISIA 1 :…

Thursday, 25 March 1943

Over target: 0207 hrs Landed: 0330 hrs Time: 01:04 hrs

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Duty
Medium level bombing attack on enemy strong points in ~~support of NEW ZEALAND DIVISION.~~ (In Square TY 91) Time Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 171 ( Part A. ) "Z 1" NIGHT OPERATION.
Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 238 Date. 24-25/3/43 Squadron. 21 SAAF 7 Baltimores Mk. 111
Type of Aircraft 940 W Captain Lt.Col. COPPEN D.F.C. Aircraft No. V Crew. Capt. Farrant. Aircraft Letter (See attached list) (A/C took off at 3-minute intervalsTime Up 0104 hrs. (1st. A/C) Time Down 0330 hrs. (Last A/C) Aerodrome or L.G. ZUARA. Total Time 16 hrs. 20 mins.Type of Cloud. --- Map or Chart Amount of Cloud. Nil. Reference. Base of Cloud. --- TUNISIA. Visibility. Good. 1 : 500,000 General Weather. Good. GABES.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on enemy strong points in ~~support of NEW ZEALAND DIVISION.~~ (In Square TY 91)Time Height. Place. Narrative.0104 ZUARA Airborne.1500 " " S/C BEN GARDANE. 288 M.4000 GARDANE S/C RAS EL DJERF. 324 M.6000 Flak from both AKARA and BOU GRARA.7000 RAS EL DJERF. A/C 277 M.9000 KETTANA Made landfall and A/C 260 M.9000 Army flare.8000 TARGET Bombing on course 045 M. Stick along right of roadto HAMMA.7000 Turning off target on course of 170 M.6000 A/C for BEN GARDANE 098 M.2500 BEN GARDANE to port. A/C 120 M. ZUARA Landed.
PART B ( on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma inH.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34.P.T.O. PART "B"
BA Enemy strongpoints in support of NEW ZEALAND DIVISION inSquare TY 91 (Ref. Map : TUNISIA 1 : 500,000 GABES)BB From 0207 hrs. to 0219 hrs.BC Medium level bombing attack from 7200/9500 ft.36 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods) One A/C returned with bombs.BD Bombs dropped either side of road (running through NE to ELHAMMA) and in the wadis crossing road. Two explosions resultedONEone fire started (~~over five~~ fires seen on arrival at target)BE Isolated H.A.A. inaccurate over target.BF Nil.BG Nil.BH Enemy beacon flashing a series of white "Dits" from YE 3690. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) for Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F. P O S T A G R A M "Z 2" -----------------
To : H.Q. R.A.F. M.E.From : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.Serial No. : 21 Sqdn/238 A.Date : NIGHT 24.25 MAR 43. A OPREP No. 238 for period ending 0700 hrs. 25 MAR 43. ----------------------------------------------------
A Enemy strongpoints in Square TY 91 (Ref. Map :TUNISIA 1 : 500,000 GABES.) In support of NEWZEALAND DIVISION.B 8 Baltimores Mk. 111.C (1) Medium level bombing.(11) 8000/11000 ft.(111) From 0510 to 0538 hrs.D (1) 48 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods).(11) Nil.(111) All bombs fell in Square TY 91, across road (runningNE to EL HAMMA) and wadis. A quick stick of sixbombs dropped among artillery guns firing. One firestarted NE of a fire already burning at TY 9515, onreaching target.E Nil.F Nil.G Nil.H (1) 0410 hrs.(11) 18 hrs. 40 mins.J Weather and visibility good. No cloud.K Very slight inaccurate H.A.A. over target.3 H.A.A. guns from TZ 4524.3 H.A.A. guns from TZ 3417.COMM. : Nil. T.O.O. 0700 hrs. 25 MAR 43.
(Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) for Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

21 SAAF
No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
Baltimores Mk. 111
The Martin Baltimore Mark III, an American-built twin-engine light attack bomber.
Baltimores Mk. 111
The Martin Baltimore Mark III, an American-built twin-engine light attack bomber.
Lt.Col. COPPEN D.F.C
Lieutenant Colonel C.D. Coppen, Distinguished Flying Cross, the Officer Commanding (O.C.) of No. 21 Squadron.
Capt. Farrant
Captain R.R. Farrant, the lead crew member for the squadron commander's aircraft.
A/C
Aircraft.
A/C
Aircraft.
L.G. ZUARA
Landing Ground Zuara, a forward operational airfield in Western Tripolitania to which the squadron relocated to support the Tunisian offensive.
NEW ZEALAND DIVISION
The 2nd New Zealand Division, executing the "left hook" outflanking maneuver.
NEW ZEALAND DIVISION
The 2nd New Zealand Division, under Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg, executing the "left hook" outflanking maneuver around the Mareth Line.

R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Form 441 A, the standardized document utilized for formal Sortie Reports, specifically Part A, the operational narrative.

Oprep. Ref. No. 238: Operational Report Reference Number 238, the standardized daily summary of mission results for the period ending 03:30 hours on 25 March 1943.

GP 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose bombs fitted with No. 43 Detonators and extended 6-inch nose fuzes ("rods" or "daisy cutters"). These were utilized to trigger detonation upon surface contact to maximize lateral fragmentation against unarmored targets like personnel and soft-skinned vehicles in the desert.

S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.: Senior Intelligence Officer of No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. Operational Context: This Sortie Report for the night of 24–25 March 1943 documents a rare night-bombing engagement conducted by No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. during Operation Supercharge II. Strategically, the mission was of paramount importance as it provided direct tactical support to the 2nd New Zealand Division. While the British Eighth Army's frontal assault on the Mareth Line at Wadi Zigzaou faced a stalemate, the New Zealanders were executing a deep outflanking maneuver through the Tebaga Gap to collapse the Axis flank. Operating between 7,200 and 9,500 feet, the Baltimores targeted strongpoints in Square TY 91, specifically along the road running northeast toward El Hamma. The intelligence results highlight the precision of the strike, with 36 General Purpose bombs impacting both sides of the road and crossing wadis, triggering two secondary explosions and one fire. The handwritten correction from "over five" to "ONE" fire seen on arrival emphasizes the rigorous verification required for night mission assessments. The observation in Section BH of an enemy beacon flashing white "Dits" provided critical electronic intelligence (ELINT) for the Desert Air Force (D.A.F.) command. This archival entry, recorded as Folio 171, provides primary evidence of the squadron's versatility in transitioning to 24-hour operations to facilitate the breakthrough that would ultimately lead to the Axis retreat from southern Tunisia. 209

S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.: Senior Intelligence Officer of No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force.

GP 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose bombs fitted with No. 43 Detonators and extended nose fuzes ("rods" or "daisy cutters"). These were designed to trigger detonation upon surface contact to maximize lateral fragmentation against unarmored targets like personnel and soft-skinned vehicles in the desert.

stick: A linear release sequence of multiple bombs dropped in rapid succession.