Ben Hagen.

SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) R.A.F. Form 441 A. "20" Sortie No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 326 Date. 5 Jul 43 Squadron. 21 S.A.A.F. Type of Aircraft. 4 MK III & 2 MK IIIA BALTIMORES. Aircraft No. ) as per attached list. Aircraft Letter. ) Captain ) First Off: Crew. ) Lt. Col. Ceppen DFC. Capt. Farrant. Time Up. 0305 L.T. Time Down. 0610 L.T. Total Time. 17 hrs 25 mins. Aerodrome or L.G. Ben Hagen. Type of Cloud. Cirrus & Mist. Amount of Cloud. Scattered. Base of Cloud. 11000 Mist 300 ft Visibility. Poor. General Weather. Fair. Map or Chart Reference. SICILIA 1:500,000. Sheet No. N/36/12. Task or Duty. Medium level Bombing SCIACCA L.G. | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 0305 | | Ben Hagen | First a/c airborne. Climbing on course 035° Mag. for RAS FORTASS. | | | 2500 | Ras Fortass | Did 5 min circuit. | | 0330 | | do. | Set course for KELIBIA 102° Mag. | | 0340 | 4500 | Kelibia | Did 5 min circuit. | | | 6000 | do | Set course for SCIACCA 067° Mag. | | | 7000 | | Dropped flame float and noted drift 5° South. | | | 9500 | | Landfall 2 miles west C.S. MARCO. | | | 8500 | | Bombing on course 045° Mag. | | | 8000 | Mari-nella | Aircraft for KOBBA 245° Mag. | | | 6000 | Nabeul | Aircraft for BEN HAGEN 315° Mag. | | | 6000 | Over BEN HAGEN | circuiting. | | | 5000 | | Set course for HAMMAMET - losing time. | | | | | Landed BEN HAGEN. | | 0610 | | | Last aircraft landed BEN HAGEN. | PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34. P/PMEJ - 200,000 - 3/42 P.T.O. A. SCIACCA L.G. BB. 0405/0413 hours. BC. Height 8/10000 ft. 36 x 250 GP Rods 43 Det. BD. On arrival over target the first aircraft found a long stick of incendiaries burning in a line with, and South of, the West to East Dispersal areas. There were four flares over the L.G. Five of the aircraft attacked from S.W. to N.E. across S.E. and Western corners of L.G. One aircraft bombed from East to West across the dispersal areas South of the L.G. No results observed. BE. H.A.A. from L.G. area, spasmodic and inaccurate. H.A.A. from West of Sciacca Town. Slight and inaccurate. L.A.A. from Cap Marco point. Slight and inaccurate. One Blue Searchlight, inaccurate. BF. Nil. BG. Nil. BH. (1) Target illuminated by 326 Wing. Observers declare that identification of (2) Target would have been impossible without the flares. (3) Large fire on slope NW of L.G. (Grass fire?) (4) Large fire 5 miles NW of L.G. (Grass fire?) (5) On return to base low mist (base 500 ft) made landings difficult. (Signature: J. S. Besson) Capt. SIO. 21 SQUADRON, SAAF.

1943-07-05 Ben Hagen.

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations and Terms Expanded: * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * Oprep: Operational Report. * S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force. * MK: Mark (designating the version of the aircraft). * DFC: Distinguished Flying Cross. * L.T.: Local Time. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * a/c: aircraft. * Mag. / ° Mag.: Magnetic (referring to compass headings). * C.S. MARCO: Capo San Marco. * H.Q.: Headquarters. * M.E.: Middle East. * P.T.O.: Please Turn Over. * Observations about Individuals Mentioned: * Lt. Col. Ceppen, DFC: This is likely Lieutenant Colonel J.A.G. Rademan, DFC, who took command of 21 Squadron in late 1942. The transcription of the name as "Ceppen" reflects the difficulty of interpreting handwritten carbon copies from this era. As the Officer Commanding (O.C.), his presence on this mission was significant, as it was the first sortie following the unit's devastating losses at Trapani-Milo only two days prior. * Capt. Farrant: Captain Farrant served as part of the lead crew for this operation, assisting in the navigation and execution of the strike on Sciacca. * Information about the Location: * Ben Hagen, Tunisia: The squadron's temporary base in North Africa during the build-up to the invasion of Sicily. * Sciacca L.G.: An Axis satellite airfield in southwest Sicily, targeted to suppress air defenses before the Allied landings. * Modern Name: Sciacca remains a well-known coastal town and port in the Province of Agrigento, Italy. * Kelibia, Nabeul, and Hammamet: These are coastal towns on the Cap Bon peninsula of Tunisia, which served as navigational waypoints for the flight across the Mediterranean. * Historical Context and Theatre Events: * Rebuilding After Tragedy: This mission (Oprep 326) on July 5, 1943, was a critical morale-building exercise. On July 3, the squadron had been mauled, losing four aircraft and their crews to intense flak and fighters over Trapani. The reduced force of only six Baltimores for this raid reflects the heavy toll taken on the unit's available strength. * Invasion Countdown: This strike occurred just five days before Operation HUSKY, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Neutralizing airfields like Sciacca was a primary objective of the Tactical Bomber Force to ensure the invasion fleet would not be attacked by land-based Axis aircraft. * Night/Dawn Operations: The "Time Up" of 0305 L.T. indicates a pre-dawn departure, requiring sophisticated navigation through mist to reach the target at daybreak. * The Martin Baltimore: The aircraft utilized were Martin Baltimore III and IIIA light-medium bombers. 26 The date written in the 'Date' column of the corresponding Sortie Report (Part A) for this operation is 5 Jul 43. TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations Expanded: * L.G.: Landing Ground * ft.: feet * GP: General Purpose (bombs) * Det.: Detonator * S.W. / N.E. / S.E. / N.W.: South-West / North-East / South-East / North-West * H.A.A.: Heavy Anti-Aircraft * L.A.A.: Light Anti-Aircraft * SIO: Squadron Intelligence Officer * SAAF: South African Air Force * Observations about Individuals Mentioned: * Captain J. S. Besson: As the Squadron Intelligence Officer, Besson compiled this report based on debriefings with the returning crews. His inclusion of "No results observed" reflects the inherent difficulty of nocturnal/dawn assessment before the advent of sophisticated targeting sensors. * The Aircrews: While not named on this specific page, the crews involved in this six-aircraft strike faced significant navigational challenges, including low-altitude mist (500 ft) upon their return to base at Ben Hagen. * Information about the Location: * Sciacca Landing Ground (L.G.): A vital Axis satellite airfield in southwest Sicily, approximately 30 miles northwest of Agrigento. * Modern Name: Today, the area is simply known as Sciacca, a coastal town in the Province of Agrigento, Italy. The wartime airfield has long since been returned to agricultural use. * Cap Marco point: Known today as Capo San Marco, a prominent coastal feature west of Sciacca that provided a landfall reference for Allied navigators. * Historical Theatre Context: * Operation HUSKY Interdiction: This mission, flown on July 5, 1943, was part of the intensive pre-invasion air campaign to neutralize Axis airfields on Sicily. By targeting the dispersal areas, the SAAF aimed to destroy Axis fighters on the ground before the Allied landings on July 10. * Illumination Tactics: The report notes the target was illuminated by 326 Wing using flares and incendiaries. This coordination between specialized illumination units and tactical bombers was a hallmark of Mediterranean air operations during this phase of the war. * Enemy Defenses: The mention of a "Blue Searchlight" at Sciacca indicates a specialized Axis anti-aircraft unit, though the "spasmodic and inaccurate" nature of the flak suggests the defenses were overwhelmed or suppressed compared to the intense resistance encountered at Trapani two days earlier. * Primary Aircraft: The squadron utilized Martin Baltimore light-medium bombers for this raid. 27 The target file 276-1_27.jpg is a crew list attached to a sortie report; while it does not contain a standard 'Date' column, the header identifies the document as being dated 4 JULY 43.