Sortie Report (Form 541)
21 SQUADRON 1st RAID 3rd MARCH, 1945. 155RAID ON CONEGLIANO M/YARDS. pp B631008 SHEET 38 - CONEGLIANO.T/O 1000 HRS OPREP No. 951 OPERATION NO. 157/21S/M.557 U : Maj. Dieu Parsonson van de Putte Durrant Mitchell Peckitt.537 YY : Lt. Qaill Louwrens Kres Douglas Wilson Solomon.566 S : Lt. Becke Meyer Harle Heale Gidlow McCausland.561 B : Lt. Muir Dale Lister Sgt Foster Jones E. Rourke.513 Hv : Capt. Musgrove Goble Jordaan Rabie Capt. Jones Cook.519 G : Lt. Ryneke Cordehl Teague Hennesey Cleete Tennant/ Callaghan /550 C : Lt. Fraser Miskis du Plessis Jenner Barrow Richardson477 W : Lt. Anderson Stuart P/O Webber Steyn McHugh Dodson583 V : Lt. Francis van Heldt Smit Andrews Laird Rennie474 D : P/O Markham Kriel Gildenhuys Dinn Richardson T.O. Sandelands.TIME:-REMARKS :-Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps: * Folio Number: 155 (Handwritten, Top Right) * Tick Marks: Small handwritten check marks (✓) appear above various crew names and aircraft designations throughout the list, indicating administrative verification of attendance or mission completion. * Reference Stamp:21 SQUADRON 1st RAID 4th March 1945.RAID ON Monzanaana M/Yards . PP.C.718675 SHEET 40 "A".T/O. 08.55 Hrs. OQprep No. 952. Operation 158/21S/M. / Lt Stubbs /
513 Hv : Maj. Smith Watermeyer Hatswell Arthur wilson wilding.✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓519 G : F/O Hanna P/OGoble Dickenson Oldfield V.D.Berg Ras.✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓550 C : Lt. Stuart Ramsey O-Hughes Fraser Howden du Plessis.✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓477 N : Lt. Hussey Quaile wells Boast Watkinson Kennedy. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
477 W : Lt. Batley Long Adams Gillbank Butler Eave./ Meyer /✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓566 S : Lt. Becke Harle Johnstone Heale Gidlow McCausland. X✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓575 P : Lt. Granger Richardson Bailey Adams Kriger wood. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
561 B : Lt Muir Dale Lister Foster Jones Rouke./ Blackford /✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓583 V : Lt. Cloete Lt. Naude /---/ Paxton Venter Greijbe. X✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓537 YY : Lt. Collender Gillam Deane Benson Banfield Suter.2.30.Time:- 25.50Remarks:-Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps: * Folio Number: 154 (Visible on the underlying page edge) and 156 (Top right of current document). * Marginalia: "Lt Stubbs" handwritten above the crew of 513 Hv. * Marginalia: "Meyer" handwritten above the crew of 566 S. * Marginalia: "Blackford" handwritten above the crew of 583 V. * Marginalia: "X" mark appearing to the right of aircraft 566 S and 583 V. * Marginalia: "2.30." handwritten below the crew list for 537 YY. * Reference Stamp:
Transcriber's Notes
- M/YARDS
- Marshalling Yards. These were critical rail hubs used for the sorting of rolling stock and logistics.
- T/O
- Time of Take-off. For this mission, T/O was recorded as 1000 HRS. Operational Context This crew list for March 3, 1945, documents a tactical strike against the marshalling yards at Conegliano, located on the critical rail line connecting Venice to the Austrian border. By 1945, 21 Squadron SAAF was a key component of Operation Bingo, the strategic aerial campaign to isolate German Heeresgruppe C in Northern Italy by severing its remaining lines of communication (LOC). The strategic importance of interdicting rail hubs like Conegliano mirrors the squadron's 1943 efforts against the Bernhardt and Gustav Lines. During November 1943, the squadron conducted high-intensity sorties against tactical bottlenecks, such as location H055630, to prevent the movement of German reserves toward the front. By March 1945, the tactical focus had shifted to the Po Valley and the Alpine approaches, where strikes on marshalling yards aimed to cause total logistical paralysis. The presence of senior leadership on this mission, including Major Dieu (acting as lead pilot for aircraft 557), underscores the raid's importance. By systematically pulverizing the transport infrastructure at Conegliano, the MAAF placed unsustainable pressure on the German defenders, who were simultaneously being demoralized by "Nickel" propaganda sorties and the rapid disintegration of the Reich’s home front. 106
- OPREP
- Operational Report. OPREP No. 951 refers to the specific mission report filed following this raid.
- OQprep
- Operational Report (often rendered as OPREP). This indicates the specific mission report following Operation 158/21S/M.
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): The standard high-explosive ordnance (typically 250lb or 500lb) carried by 21 Squadron Baltimores for the interdiction of rail infrastructure.
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard high-explosive ordnance (typically 250lb or 500lb) carried by 21 Squadron Baltimores for the interdiction of logistical infrastructure.