(i) N.M.S. N6669 short stick 4 bombs - bursts near rd RR junction N.R.O. - 4 bombs another aircraft 2106 Hrs. N5575

BA: ARMED RECCE RDS:- (i) CASALNUOVA-CASERTA-BENEVENTO-AVELLINO (ii) AVELLINO-GROTTAMINARDA-VALLATA-O.1049 (iii) EBOLI-O.1049-POTENZA-BRIENZA (iv) EBOLI-SAPRI-AULETTA (v) Pamphlets on LAURIA - Bomb roads NORTH of LAURIA BB: From 2040 Hrs LT to 2146 Hrs LT BC: Medium level bombing on various courses from 8000/10500 feet pamphlet dropping and ground strafing 32 x 500 G.P. 47 Bets. 27 Pistols (1 dropped on Jettison) BD: Target: (i) N.M.S. N6669 short stick 4 bombs - bursts near rd RR junction N.R.O. - 4 bombs another aircraft 2106 Hrs. N5575 (ii) O.1055 - stick 4 bombs on MET light at Rd and RR junction Light out - burst near road. (iii) O.5622 1 bomb near fire, O.5329 2 bombs across Rd & RR O.4833 1 bomb on jettison. M.E.T. ground strafed from 5000’ (iv) T5556 1 bomb. Between T5556 and T5878 3 bombs singly on road (v) Pamphlets over LAURIA T4665, 2 bombs on Rd. T4264 2 bombs on Rd near road. O.3108 4 bombs quick stick - last bomb hit Rd junction and 2 bombs close to Rd. T.4090 - O.3108 4 bombs singly on road. T4266 2 bombs on road. Many MET seen along roads N.E. SAPRI BE: T4464 - approximately 20 bursts H.A.A. and some L.A.A. T5066 " " " " " " LAURIA 15 " " " " " " 60 bursts H.A.A. spasmodic EAST of C.SCALEA at aircraft bombing coastal rd. S/Ls and E/A NIL. All A/A inaccurate. BF: 1 aircraft holed. Battle Cat.1 BG: NIL. BH: MET situated 150 plus, 15/30 yds apart on rds LAURIA-SAPRI and LAURIA-AULETTA. Moving fast Northwards with lights. Switched off when bombed. Area POTENZA 14 MET lights seen and other MET until lights switched on again after bombing and ground strafing. Fires - T1797 at 2038 Hrs. with explosions. T2023 at 2110 Hrs. 3 fires. T3090 6 fires on road in L shape. O.5622 followed by large shooting flame, North portion POTENZA as of warehouse. Lights: 30 in cluster, area T2885, series 6 pairs and 3 in triangle. EBOLI-BATTIPAGLIA area - bright steady red lights at PAOLA and PRAIA-A-MARE AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST. 181T LT. DUGMORE LT MASTERS F/S MAASDORP F/S ROGERS 221Y LT EATON LT GOULD F/S FREESTONE F/S VAN ROOYAN 226H CAPT ORD LT HODGES F/S WALKER F/S DEVENISH 586B CAPT SAUNDERS LT BOOYSE F/S MOORE SGT EARP-JONES 290C LT/COL. BRITZ. D.F.C. P/O SMALLMAN 2/LTs HARRISON & PICKUP 256S CAPT SMIT LT KAY 2/LTs PURDON & WRIGHT 356Z CAPT STUART LT PAWSON F/S MORLEY 2/LT SCHUMANN 291U LT HARGRAVES LT REES SGT JENSON F/S VALENTINE

1943-09-10

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * RECCE RDS: Reconnaissance of Roads. * Hrs LT: Hours Local Time. * G.P.: General Purpose (bombs). * Bets.: Likely "Dets." (Detonators). * N.M.S.: No Movement Seen. * RR: Railroad. * N.R.O.: No Results Observed. * MET / M.E.T.: Mechanical Enemy Transport (Motorized vehicles). * H.A.A. / L.A.A. / A/A: Heavy Anti-Aircraft / Light Anti-Aircraft / Anti-Aircraft fire. * C. SCALEA: Capo Scalea. * S/Ls: Searchlights. * E/A: Enemy Aircraft. * Battle Cat.1: Battle Damage Category 1 (Minor damage, repairable on site). * LT/COL: Lieutenant Colonel. * D.F.C.: Distinguished Flying Cross. Personnel and Command Observations * Lieutenant Colonel J.F. Britz, D.F.C.: The Commanding Officer (C.O.) of 21 Squadron personally participated in this multi-task mission in Baltimore 290C. His personal engagement in the dangerous work of low-level strafing and psychological warfare (pamphlet dropping) during the first 48 hours of the Salerno landings demonstrates the "all-out" effort required of the squadron. * Captain Smit: Flying in aircraft 256S, Smit was involved in the aggressive ground-strafing of enemy motorized transport from 5,000 feet, a highly dangerous maneuver given the density of light anti-aircraft fire (L.A.A.) reported around Lauria. * Casualties and Damage: One aircraft was "holed" by anti-aircraft fire, though the damage was classified as Category 1, meaning it returned to base and could be repaired by squadron ground crews at Cuticchi. Location and Tactical Intelligence * Lauria (Target Area v): A key mountain town in Basilicata, Italy. Modern name: Lauria. The squadron was tasked with both bombing the roads and dropping psychological warfare pamphlets here. The observation of "150 plus" MET vehicles "moving fast Northwards with lights" confirms Lauria as a massive retreat or reinforcement artery for the German 10th Army. * Potenza: A major inland city targeted in Section BD. Modern name: Potenza. The report of a "large shooting flame" in a warehouse in the north portion of the city suggests a successful hit on a fuel or ammunition dump. * Sapri and Scalea: Coastal points on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Modern names: Sapri and Scalea. The reporting of "bright steady red lights" at Paola and Praia-a-Mare indicates Axis use of coastal beacons, possibly for their own maritime or air traffic. Historical Context: The Battle for the Salerno Beachhead * September 9/10, 1943: This night sortie was flown during the critical first 48 hours of Operation AVALANCHE (the Allied landings at Salerno). * Strategic Harassment: The mission was a realistic effort to isolate the beachhead. By combining bombing, strafing, and pamphlet dropping, the S.A.A.F. aimed to maximize chaos among retreating or reinforcing Axis units. The sighting of over 150 vehicles near Lauria moving Northwards suggests the German 26th Panzer Division or 29th Panzergrenadier Division were actively repositioning in the wake of the Allied landing. * The Martin Baltimore as a Multi-Role Platform: This mission demonstrates the Baltimore's versatility in the Mediterranean theater. Within a single sortie, crews conducted medium-level bombing from 10,500 feet, low-level ground strafing from 5,000 feet, and propaganda drops, all while navigating the rugged interior of southern Italy at night. 203 The date written in the 'Date' column of target file 276-1__203.jpg is 10/11 Sep 43.