Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Medium level bombing attack on MT at refuelling point at U 1417 and along track NE to SFAX. | Time. | Height. | Place. |
R.A.F. Form 441 A."M" 22SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)SECOND OPERATION OF DAYSheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 258 Date. 8 APR 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 15 BaltimoresAircraft No. See reverse side.Aircraft Letter. "Formation Leader:Captain FORMATION LEADER:Crew. Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C.Capt. Farrant (Observer).See reverse side.Time Up. 1207 hrs. (1st. A/C)Time Down. 1410 hrs. (Last A/C)Total Time. 27 hrs. 30 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. SENEMType of Cloud. Strato.-Cu.Amount of Cloud. 5/10 to 6/10.Base of Cloud. 7000 ft.Visibility. Good below cloud.General Weather. Cloud rapidly building up.Map or Chart Reference.TUNISIA1:500,000Sheet N1/32/NESFAX.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on MT at refuelling point at U 1417 and along track NE to SFAX.| Time. | Height. | Place. | Narrative. ||---|---|---|---|| 1207 | | SENEM | Airborne. Circling drome. || 1215 | 500 | " | S/C ZARAT 336 M. || 1233 | 500 | ZARAT | S/C with fighter escort (57th. F. Group, USAAF) 343 M || 1235 | 500 | | Started climbing on course. || 1315 | 6000 | CEKHIRA | Landfall. || 1322 | 8000 | | Cloud ahead: losing height to 7000 ft. || 1325 | 6500 | | Over refuelling point TU 1417. || 6500 | | Doing right hand turn on to alternative target: track NE to SFAX. Continued along this track to TU 5028. Nothing on road and nothing seen ahead. (Could see almost into SFAX) | || 6500 | | TU 5028. A/C for MAHARES. | || 6500 | | 10 to 15 MT seen on road at TU 5725. Left hand turn. | || 6500 | | Bombing on course of 160 M. | || 4000 | | Landfall SOUTH of MAHARES. | || 1410 | | SENEM | Last Baltimore landed. |PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34.PMEJ-200.000-3/42 P.T.O.PART "B"BA MT at refuelling point U 1417 or MT along track NE to SFAX.BB 1325 hrs. L.T.BC Medium level bombing attack.6/6500 ft.90 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods).BD Leader of formation found no target at refuelling point andfollowed track running NE to SFAX? Visibility was good and when nosuitable target and no movement was seen in a wide area betweenU 1417 and U 5028, leader decided to bomb a small concentrationof approx. 12 MT at U 5824. Bombs burst among some MT and alongthe road. No results observed.BE Nil.BF Nil.BG Obliques and Verticals taken of the bomb bursts.BH S/E A/C on mudbank at TU 5804.Two large trucks running along railway line at TU 5006.Fair number of well dispersed MT moving NW on track MAHARES –AGAREB.List of A/C and Crews:F/L 940 V Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C., Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Tyne.877 J Lt. Gardener, Lt. Kerr, F/Sgts. Pearce & Green.930 K Lt. Oakes, Lt. Sachs, Sgts. Morrison (RCAF) & Cleland (RCAF)V/L 916 SS Lt. Smith, Lt. Arnold, Sgt. Freestone (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Viljoen.982 N Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. Campbell, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser.142 P Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff.B/L 176 YY Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.104 S Lt. Demmer, Lt. Henning, F/Sgts. van Coller & Koff.957 W Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgts. Purdon & Groenewald.903 O Capt. Smit, Lt. Kay, F/Sgts. Perkins & van Rooyen.B/L 108 B Maj. Barnby D.F.C., Lt. Evans, ~~XXX~~ Lt. Sandilands & F/Sgt. Lotter.179 A Lt. A’Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup.942 G Lt. Blieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelsohn.V/L 904 BB Capt. Mouton, Lt. Simon, F/Sgts. Carr & Wisenberg.226 FA Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, Sgt. Walker & Sgt. Devenish.F/L Formation Leader. B/L Box Leader. V/L Vic Leader.[Handwritten Signature] 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
- Martin Baltimore Mk. III light bombers, Twin-Engine aircraft utilized for tactical medium-level bombardment.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- L.G. SENEM
- Landing Ground Senem, Tunisia. This was the squadron's forward operating base during the April 1943 offensive.
- Strato.-Cu
- Stratocumulus cloud formations.
- MT
- Motor Transport. Refers to Axis wheeled or tracked supply and troop-carrying vehicles.
- S/C
- Set Course.
- ZARAT
- A navigational waypoint in southern Tunisia used for coordinating with escort units.
- CEKHIRA
- La Cekhira, a coastal town in the Gulf of Gabès used as a landfall point for the formation.
- MAHARES
- A coastal town in Tunisia situated between Gabes and Sfax.
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force standardized Sortie Report form used to record tactical mission data, including flight paths, times, and tasking.
Oprep. Ref. No. 258: Operational Report reference number, cataloging this specific afternoon strike within the squadron's chronological mission records.
Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C.: Lieutenant Colonel C.E. Coppen, Distinguished Flying Cross. He was the Officer Commanding No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. and served as the formation leader for this mission.
57th. F. Group, USAAF: 57th Fighter Group, United States Army Air Forces, which provided fighter protection for the mission.
U 1417 / U 5028 / U 5824 / TU 5804 / TU 5006 (Fields BA, BD, BH): Navigational grid coordinates based on the 1:500,000 Tunisia map series used for tactical targeting.