Sortie — Sunday, 25 March 1945

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Date: 25th MARCH, 1945

APPENDIX "V"124From : 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 Operation Records)H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( SCORU)REF. : 21S/976DATE : 25th MARCH, 1945OPREP NO. 976 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HRS ON THE 24th MARCH, 1945.REF. MAP ITALY 1:100,000 SHEET 39 - PORDENONE.OPERATION NO. 178/21S/M.A : 11 A/C briefed to attack Pontebba M/Yards, but due to un-favourable weather, the Squadron was diverted to CasarsaM/Yards. One A/C returned early due to engine trouble. Es-corted by 8 Spitfires from Porto Corsini, formation attacked inthree boxxs (4-3-3) at 1323 hrs., bombing on respective boxleaders. Leader of the first box experienced bombdoor troubleover the target, and only one A/C bombed on Verey, stickfalling beyond the M/Yards. Remaining three A/C jettisonedin sea en return. Second and thrid boxes also overshot -no hits claimed in the target area, but numerous direct hitson buildings immediately north of M/Yards. 3x 500 and 2 x 250lbs. bombs hungup - jettisoned. Formation airbornebetween 1145 - 1446 hrs; slight inaccurate H/A/A from targetarea; weather - target clear of cloud and visibility good.Two A/C briefed for anti flak duties in support of 21 and30 Squadrons. Both missed briefed [XXXX] pinpoints, but patternof 20 lbs bombs were sufficiently close to achieve the desiredobject. .B. : (1) 13 Marauders III (ii) NilC : (1) & (ii) NilD : (1) 37.10 Hrs. (11) NilE : (1) 44,200 x .50 (ii) NilF : (1) 66 x 500 /Fused (ii) 39 x 500 (iii) 21 x 500 (iv) Nil44 x 250 / 30-51 Tail 26 x 250 14 x 250384 x 20 Frag. 364 x 20540 Lbs Window24 pkts Pamphlets.G to V : NilW : (1) 1 Marauder III (ii) NilX : (1) 2.00 Hrs (11) NilY to Z : NilS. L. Boschoff [Signed]Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps:

Folio Number: 124 (Handwritten, Top Right).

Reference Stamp:The National Archives' reference AIR 27/271/3

Transcriber's Notes

S.I.O: Squadron Intelligence Officer. Captain S. L. Boschoff compiled the OPREP data after aircrew debriefings.
Casarsa M/Yards: The Casarsa della Delizia Marshalling Yards, a critical rail junction in northeast Italy.
Window: Chaff; aluminum foil strips (540 lbs dispensed) used to saturate and confuse German radar-directed defenses. Operational Context Target File 271-3_45 chronicles Operation No. 178/21S/M, a tactical strike launched on March 24, 1945, which was diverted to the Casarsa Marshalling Yards due to weather. By March 1945, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were conducting Operation Bingo, a theater-wide interdiction campaign designed to achieve the total logistical paralysis of German Heeresgruppe C in Northern Italy. Casarsa served as a vital rail bottleneck for Axis materiel moving between the Austrian border and the Po Valley. This methodology represents the strategic maturation of principles established during the 1943 battles for the Bernhardt and Gustav Lines. In November 1943, 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. utilized high-intensity strikes on localized bottlenecks, such as location H055630, to paralyze German reserves attempting to reinforce the winter lines. By 1945, the tactical sophistication included dedicated "Anti-Flak" aircraft from 21 and 30 Squadrons dropping fragmentation clusters to suppress defensive batteries. Despite mechanical failures—specifically "bombdoor trouble" in the lead aircraft and ordnance "hungups"—the formation successfully integrated kinetic destruction with non-kinetic psychological warfare (24 packets of pamphlets) and electronic warfare (540 lbs of Window) to maintain pressure on the crumbling Axis logistical network. 46

MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard high-explosive ordnance, typically 500 lb and 250 lb variants, carried by SAAF crews to destroy physical industrial infrastructure and rolling stock.