S/Ls came on — a/c picked up

BA. SHIPPING. BB. From 2302 to 2304 hrs LT. BC. Medium Level 9000'. Course 275°M. 3 x 250 lbs GP 43 Det. 2 x 90 (4lb) Incendiaries. 3 Flares Recce 4.5 No. 10. BD. Mole seen on turn on to target. S/Ls came on — a/c picked up and evasive action taken to sea. Returned to target and again picked up by 1 S/L — approx 20 seen. Fairly intense HAA accurate — aircraft holed. Bombs dropped in stick Western portion of town and flares thereafter on Course 275° from 9000'. Violent evasive action resumed and set course for base. a/c in rough circle around town. NO results observed. All bombs exploded. BE. Fairly intense HAA and approx 20 S/Ls in rough circle around town. BF. Aircraft holed in several places — minor damage. Personnel NIL. BG. NIL. BH. Large fires over PALERMO, S/Ls and HAA. 2 HAA SCIACCA LG area. Small fire seen SOUTH of CASTEL VETRANO. 4 Flares seen 1/2 mile to sea SE LICATA at 2325.

1943-07-13

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded: * LT: Local Time. * M: Magnetic (referring to compass heading). * lbs GP: pounds General Purpose (bombs). * Det: Detonator. * Recce: Reconnaissance (flares). * S/Ls: Searchlights. * a/c: aircraft. * HAA: Heavy Anti-Aircraft artillery. * LG: Landing Ground. * SE: South-East. * Route and Tactical Analysis: * The Strike Window: The target was engaged between 23:02 and 23:04 hrs LT on the night of July 12/13. * Intense Opposition: This crew faced severe resistance while attempting to bomb shipping at Termini Imerese. The report describes a harrowing sequence where the aircraft was "picked up" twice by searchlights, forcing "violent evasive action" both out to sea and in a "rough circle around town". * Battle Damage: Unlike many of the relatively unopposed raids earlier in the campaign, this aircraft was "holed in several places" by "accurate" Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire. Per OPREP 337, this resulted in Category I damage (repairable at the unit base). * Navigational Hazards: The report mentions that the bombs were ultimately dropped over the "Western portion of town" rather than the intended dock area due to the intense defensive pressure. * Ordnance and Strike Observations: * Mixed Payload: The Baltimore carried 3 x 250 lb GP bombs and 2 containers of incendiaries (approximately 180 individual 4 lb bombs). * Illumination: 3 reconnaissance flares were dropped to assist with target verification, though the crew was unable to observe specific strike results while maneuvering to avoid the searchlights. * Surrounding Theatre Activity: From their altitude of 9,000 feet, the crew witnessed the massive scale of the Sicilian campaign, noting "Large fires over Palermo," anti-aircraft fire from Sciacca, and flares off the coast of Licata. * Observations about Individuals: * Lieutenant Blieden: The pilot of aircraft 290 G who executed these "violent evasive" maneuvers to save the aircraft and crew from intense searchlight and flak concentrations. * Lieutenant Rose: The Observer (Navigator/Bomb Aimer) who had to maintain target orientation despite the aircraft being repeatedly "coned" by approximately 20 searchlights. * Historical and Location Context: * Termini Imerese, Sicily: A significant port town on the north coast. This raid aimed to disrupt the "harbour installations" being used to funnel Axis supplies toward the central fronts. * Modern Name: Still known as Termini Imerese in the Province of Palermo. The "Western portion of town" noted in the report remains the older residential and historical center of the municipality. * Operation HUSKY Momentum: Flown on July 12/13, 1943 (D+3), this mission illustrates the increasing Axis desperation to protect their northern supply ports as Allied ground forces began their drive into the Sicilian interior. * The Martin Baltimore: The Baltimore's superior speed and high-altitude performance were the primary reasons Blieden was able to evade such a concentrated defensive belt (20 searchlights and intense HAA) with only "minor damage" to the airframe. 65 The date written in the 'Date' column of the sortie report is 12/13 Jul 43.