Operation

List of Aircraft and Aircrews attached to Sortie Report No. 208 dated Night 24/25 February 1943. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. -----------------------------------------------------

* 176 YY Lt.Col. C.S. Coppen D.F.C., Lt. Farrant, F/St. Bradfield and F/Sgt. Lyne * 930 K Lt. Chisholm, Lt. Campbell, F/Sgt. Hodgkinson and F/Sgt. de Villiers * 942 G. Lt. Carlisle, Lt. Simon, F/Sgt. Schuman and F/Sgt. ~~Raeburn~~ Sgt. Forth (R.A.F.) Waldek. * 885 FF. Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. van der Meulen, F/Sgt. ~~Harrison~~ and F/Sgt. ~~Pickup.~~ * 179 K. Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgt. Harrison and F/Sgt. Pickup * 104 S. Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgt. Purdon and F/Sgt. Groenewald. * 108 B. Major Barnby D.F.C., Lt. Evans, F/Sgt. Lotter and Lt. Sendilands * 924 L. Lt. Meredith, Lt. Sass, F/Sgt. Smith S.C. F/Sgt. O'Regan. * 126 U. Lt. Carr, Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgt. Toms and F/Sgt. Wright. * 853 P~~L~~ Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Webber, F/Sgt. Forrest and F/Sgt. Oliff.

1943-02-25

List of Aircraft and Aircrews attached to Sortie Report No. 208 dated Night 24/25 February 1943. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. ----------------------------------------------------- * 176 YY Lt.Col. C.S. Coppen D.F.C., Lt. Farrant, F/St. Bradfield and F/Sgt. Lyne * 930 K Lt. Chisholm, Lt. Campbell, F/Sgt. Hodgkinson and F/Sgt. de Villiers * 942 G. Lt. Carlisle, Lt. Simon, F/S…

__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. * Sortie Report No. 208: The formal operational summary detailing the mission objectives and results for the specified night. * Lt.Col. / Major / Lt. / 2Lt.: Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant, respectively. * D.F.C.: Distinguished Flying Cross, an operational gallantry award for officers. * F/Sgt. / F/St. / Sgt.: Flight Sergeant and Sergeant, respectively. * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * 176 YY / 930 K / etc.: Individual aircraft identification serials and code letters for the Martin Baltimore Mark III bombers utilized for this mission. Operational Context: The aircrew list for Sortie Report No. 208 documents the human echelon of a 10-aircraft nocturnal strike conducted on the night of 24/25 February 1943. This operation represents the sustained tactical pressure exerted by No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. against the Mareth Line in southern Tunisia. Strategically, the Allied forces were engaged in the continuous attrition of the Afrika Korps as it withdrew into these formidable defensive positions, anchored by the natural barrier of the Wadi Zigzaou. The mission was led personally by the Officer Commanding, Lieutenant Colonel C.S. Coppen, D.F.C.. It involved individual medium-level bombing attacks targeting enemy Mechanical Transport (M.T.) and fortifications in the sector between Mareth and Zaret. The presence of R.A.F. personnel (Sgt. Forth) within the S.A.A.F. crews illustrates the integrated nature of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) during the Tunisian Campaign. The document contains significant handwritten marginalia and strike-throughs, particularly in entries 3 and 4, which reflect last-minute adjustments to the crew rosters. For instance, Flight Sergeant Raeburn was replaced by Sergeant Forth (R.A.F.) in Lieutenant Carlisle's crew, while the crew of Lieutenant Clutterbuck was modified due to the reassignment of Harrison and Pickup to Lieutenant A'Bear's aircraft (179 K). This level of administrative fluidity was characteristic of the Desert Air Force (D.A.F.) as it managed personnel attrition and fatigue during the high-intensity drive toward the Tunisian frontier. This archival entry, recorded as Folio 112, provides primary evidence of the squadron's operational readiness and leadership during the definitive Allied assault on Axis North Africa. 137 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 25/26/2/43.