Operation

APPENDIX "CC" 225 FROM : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. TO : W.I.O. 3 WING S.A.A.F. H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( ATTENTION OPERATIONS RECORDS) H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU) REF. : 21S/1015 DATE : 24th APRIL, 1945 OPREP NO. 1014 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HRS. ON THE 23rd APRIL, 1945 <u>RAID ON FERRY PONTOON APPROACHES - GUARDA VENETO G.263001</u> REF. MAP ITALY 1:100,000 SHEET 76 - FERRARA.

<u>OPERATION NO. 211/21S/M.</u>

A : 12 Marauders (4-4-4) airborne from Jesi L/G between 0640-0905hrs to attack Pontoon and Ferry approaches at G.263001. Formation bombed at 0750 on a course of 340º from 12000'. The first and third second boxes had a good percentage of bombs in target area. The Third Box due to the leaders bombsight gyro being toppled on bombing run, bombs overshot and fell into open country. H/A/A moderate very accurate encountered in target area. Six A/C were holed - three Cat I and three Cat II. Two personnel were slightly wounded. One A/C had to make an emergency landing at base. Weather; target area clear, Visibility, good. B : (1) 12 Marauders III (ii) Nil C : (1) & (ii) Nil D : (1) 26.00 hrs (ii) Nil E : (1) 40,800 x .50 (11) & (111) Nil F : (1) 72 x 500 demo (ii) as in (1) (iii) & (iv) Nil 48 x 250 fused G : Nil (ii) 3 Marauders III - Cat I 3 Marauders III - Cat II Lt. Zinn PJS 103367 - Observer - Wounded in hand. remained Lt. Trivett F 212715 - W/OP AG - Wounded in Buttocks. on duty

W : Nil X : (1) 1 Marauder III (11) Nil Y : (1) 0.25 Hrs (11) Nil Z : Nil S.L. Boshoff [handwritten signature] ___-------------------- Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. 1833 SA21/845 23 APR 45 F14 || HH G2700 10000 0748 BIIT (214)

1945-04-24

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms * 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.: No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force, a medium bomber unit. * 3 WING S.A.A.F.: The administrative and tactical higher command for the squadron during the spring 1945 offensive. * AIR 27/271/4: The UK National Archives reference for the Operations Record Book of No. 21 Squadron SAAF covering early 1945. * BA-BH (Martin Baltimore): The twin-engine medium bomber utilized as the predecessor aircraft to the unit's current equipment. By April 1945, the unit was fully equipped with the Martin Marauder III (B-26). * CAT I / CAT II: Damage classifications. Category I indicates minor damage repairable by the unit; Category II indicates significant damage requiring more extensive repair or specialized mobile repair units. * DEMO / FUSED: High-explosive General Purpose (GP) demolition bombs with active fuzing. * H/A/A: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire (Flak). The marginalia indicates these defenses were "very accurate" during the engagement. * JESI L/G: Jesi Landing Ground, the primary base for 21 Squadron during the final campaign. * MC/GP: Medium Capacity / General Purpose. Standard Allied demolition bombs utilized for structural targets like ferry slips. * MET: Meteorological data. The target area was clear with good visibility. * OPREP NO. 1014: Operational Report number 1014, documenting results for the period ending 21:00 hrs on 23rd April 1945. * S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer, Capt. S.L. Boshoff. * W/OP AG: Wireless Operator Air Gunner. Operational Context Target File 271-4_64 documents Operation No. 211/21S/M, a tactical interdiction strike executed on 23rd April 1945 against the Ferry Pontoon Approaches at Guarda Veneto (Map Ref: Sheet 76 - FERRARA, G.263001). This mission occurred during the terminal stage of Operation Grapeshot, as the German Heeresgruppe C began a disorganized retreat across the Po River following the fall of Bologna and the breakthrough at the Argenta Gap. The strategic importance of Guarda Veneto lay in its utility as an emergency crossing point for German personnel and heavy equipment attempting to escape encirclement by the British Eighth Army. Because primary bridges had been systematically destroyed, ferry sites became high-priority targets for Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) medium bombers. The mission was heavily contested. Despite 12 Marauder III aircraft bombing from 12,000 feet, the formation encountered "moderate very accurate" heavy flak. Six aircraft sustained damage—three holed to Category II—and two crew members, Lt. Zinn and Lt. Trivett, were wounded in action, though both remained on duty. Precision was further compromised in the third box when the leader's bombsight gyro "toppled," causing the stick to overshoot into open country. However, the first and second boxes achieved a "good percentage" of hits in the target area, continuing the air pressure that forced the German 10th and 14th Armies to abandon vast quantities of matériel south of the river. 65 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 23 APR 45. Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms * 21 S.A.A.F. / SA21: No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force, a medium bomber unit operating under No. 3 Wing SAAF. * AIR 27 / 271 / 4: United Kingdom National Archives classification for the Air Ministry: Operations Record Books (ORBs); Volume 4 (AIR 27/271/4) catalogs the 1945 War Diaries and associated strike photography for 21 Squadron. * BIIT (214): Box II, Top. This technical suffix identifies the photographic record from the second four-plane formation (Box II) and indicates this is the 214th frame in the strike film sequence. * BA-BH (Martin Baltimore): The twin-engine medium bomber utilized by the unit prior to their late 1943 conversion to current equipment. By April 1945, the squadron was fully equipped with the Martin B-26 Marauder III. * F14: Focal length of the camera lens (14 inches) utilized for high-altitude vertical strike photography. * HH G2700: Map reference G. 2700 (specifically identifying coordinates near G.263001), identifying the target area for Ferry Pontoon Approaches at Guarda Veneto on the Ferrara 1:100,000 Sheet 76. * MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied high-explosive ordnance classifications. For this mission, the unit utilized 500 lb and 250 lb General Purpose (GP) demolition bombs (Demo) to destroy structural ferry infrastructure. * MET (Meteorological Report): Meteorological intelligence. Conditions for this morning sortie were reported as "Target area clear" with "Visibility, good," providing the sharp contrast of the Po River shoreline visible in this frame. * 10000 0748: Operational data indicating a bombing altitude of 10,000 feet and a strike time of 07:48 hours (recorded as 07:50 hrs from 12,000' in the narrative summary). Operational Context Target File 271-4_65 is a vertical aerial strike photograph documenting Operation No. 211/21S/M on 23rd April 1945. The image captures the kinetic results of Box II as 12 Martin Marauder III aircraft targeted Ferry Pontoon Approaches at Guarda Veneto. This mission was a vital tactical interdiction strike conducted during the terminal phase of Operation Grapeshot. By April 23, the German 10th and 14th Armies were in full retreat across the Po River following the collapse of the Argenta Gap and Bologna defensive sectors. With permanent bridges systematically destroyed by Allied air power, ferry sites like the one at Guarda Veneto (Map Ref: G.263001) became high-priority targets to prevent Axis personnel and heavy equipment from escaping the Eighth Army's encirclement. The photograph confirms the OPREP narrative that the first and second boxes achieved a "good percentage of bombs in target area". Massive white smoke plumes and water spouts are visible concentrated along the river's edge, indicating the detonation of 500 lb and 250 lb demolition bombs across the ferry slip and approaches. Despite encountering "moderate very accurate" heavy anti-aircraft fire (HAA) that holed six aircraft (three Cat I, three Cat II) and wounded two crew members, the formation successfully delivered its ordnance to disrupt the crossing. This mission directly contributed to the "bottlenecking" of retreating German forces, forcing the abandonment of vast quantities of matériel south of the river and facilitating the final total collapse of Heeresgruppe C. 66 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 24th APRIL, 1945.