123456789101112

Operation No. 240

ENEMY STRONG POSITION IN SQUARE TY 91 (IN SUPPORT OF NEW ZEALAND DIVISION)

Friday, 26 March 1943

Over target: 0310 hrs Landed: 0507 hrs Time: 02:05 hrs

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Duty
Individual medium level bombing attack on enemy strong position (in support of NEW ZEALAND DIVISION) Time Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 180 ( Part A. ) "E 2" NIGHT OPERATION
Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 240 Date. 25.26/3/43 Squadron. 21 SAAF. 15 Baltimores Mk. 111 Captain Lt.Col. Coppen D.F.C.
Type of Aircraft ( Crew. Capt. Farrant. Aircraft No. ( See attached list. (See attached list.) Aircraft Letter ( (Time Up 0205 hrs. (1st. A/C) Time Down 0507 hrs. (Last A/C) Aerodrome or L.G. ZUARA. Total Time 33 hrs. 45 mins.Type of Cloud. Cirrus Map or Chart Amount of Cloud. 2/10 Reference. Base of Cloud. 15,000 ft. (Approx) TUNISIA Visibility. Poor. 1 : 500,000 General Weather. Poor. GABES.Task or Duty. Individual medium level bombing attack on enemy strong position (in support of NEW ZEALAND DIVISION)Time Height. Place. Narrative.0205 ZUARA Airborne.1500 " " S/C PISIDA 301 M.3000 PISIDA S/C for RAS TAGUERNESS.7000 RAS TAG. S/C for KETTA NA. 245 M.9000 Landfall KETTANA. S/C for target. 245 M.7500 TARGET Bombing. Course 045 M.7000 Off target on course 160 M.4000 A/C 105 M. for BEN GARDANE.2000 GARDANE A/C 120 M. for ZUARA. 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 strong position in Square TY 91 (In support of NEWZEALAND DIVISION)BB From 0310 to 0348 hrs.BC Individual medium level bombing attack, from 6000 to 11,000 ft.90 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods)BD A/C were over the target at three-minute intervals and bombedon courses from 340 deg.-040 deg. All bombs dropped in the targetarea, in wadi's and on either side of Main Road running NE toEL HAMMA. Three small fires seen at one time in the target area.BE Very slight, spasmodic L.A.A. and H.A.A. over the target area.H.A.A. opened up from SOUTH of GABES on one A/C off course.15 Flashes seen.BF Nil.BG One A/C fitted for night photography but flare failed toexplode.BH Enemy beacon at YE 3690 flashing a series of 'dots'.Heavy artillery fire seen from TZ 5010, and TZ 4119. Also inMARETH - ZARAT area.Fire seen from YE 38 at 0345 hrs. (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.
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 Tripolitania supporting the Tunisian offensive.
NEW ZEALAND DIVISION
The 2nd New Zealand Division, executing the "left hook" outflanking maneuver around the Mareth Line.
NEW ZEALAND DIVISION
The 2nd New Zealand Division, executing the "left hook" outflanking maneuver around the Mareth Line.
S/C
Set Course.

R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Form 441 A, the standardized document utilized for Part A (Operational Narrative) of a Sortie Report.

Oprep. Ref. No. 240: Operational Report Reference Number 240, the standardized daily summary of mission results for the period ending 0600 hours on 26 March 1943.

PISIDA / RAS TAGUERNESS / KETTANA / BEN GARDANE: Coastal and inland navigational waypoints used to guide the individual aircraft to and from the target area.

GP 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose bombs fitted with No. 43 Detonators and extended 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.

'dots': Morse code notation for short signals, indicating an enemy navigational or identification beacon at grid YE 3690.