Sortie Report (Form 541)
SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)R.A.F. Form 441 A."20"Sortie No. 1Oprep. Ref. No. 326Date. 5 Jul 43Squadron. 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 ftVisibility. 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 ofincendiaries burning in a line with, and South of, the West toEast Dispersal areas. There were four flares over the L.G. Fiveof the aircraft attacked from S.W. to N.E. across S.E. andWestern corners of L.G. One aircraft bombed from East to Westacross the dispersal areas South of the L.G. No resultsobserved.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 thatidentification 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 landingsdifficult.(Signature: J. S. Besson) Capt.SIO. 21 SQUADRON, SAAF.
Transcriber's Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- L.T
- Local Time.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- L.G
- Landing Ground
- C.S. MARCO
- Capo San Marco.
Abbreviations and Terms Expanded:
a/c: aircraft.
Observations about Individuals Mentioned:
Information about the Location:
Historical Context and Theatre Events:
Abbreviations Expanded:
ft.: feet
Observations about Individuals Mentioned:
Information about the Location:
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: