Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Medium level bombing attack on PANTELLERIA L.G. (Dispersed A/C) Time. Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A.SORTIE REPORT 94 "I"(Part A.)Sheet No. 1Oprep. Ref. No. 290Date. 9 MAY 43Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 18 Baltimores.Aircraft No. See reverse.Aircraft Letter. "Leader of Formation:Captain Capt. CormackCrew. Lt. Mulholland (Observer)See reverse.Time Up. 0604 hrs. (1st. A/C)Time Down. 0900 hrs. (Last A/C)Total Time. 49 hrs. 30 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. EL DJEM MAIN.Type of Cloud. Cu.Amount of Cloud. 8/10Base of Cloud. 15,000 ft.Visibility. Good.General Weather. Fine.Map or Chart Reference. TUNISIA 1:500,000 Sheet NJ.32.SE TUNIS.Target Maps P/6 &Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on PANTELLERIA L.G.(Dispersed A/C)Time. Height. Place. Narrative.0604 EL DJEM Airborne. Orbiting.500 " S/C MELITA (KERKENNA IS.)500 MELITA S/C EL DJEM. 324 deg.1200 EL DJEM S/C SOUSSE. 003 deg.800 SOUSSE Rendezvous with fighter escort 1 mile EAST of SOUSSE.(Close cover 12 Warhawks 239 Wing: Med. & Top coverSpitfires) S/C PANTELLERIA. 054 deg.1000 Started battle climb.9000 PANT. LG Bombed on course of 045 deg. IAS 210 mph.8000 " S/C MONASTIR 233 deg.MONASTIR S/C EL DJEM 205 deg.EL DJEM Last A/C landed.PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34./PMEJ-200.000-3/42 P.T.O.PART "B"BA Dispersed A/C on PANTELLERIA L.G.BB 0758 hrs. L.T.BC Medium level bombing attack from 8500/9000 ft.108 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods).BD Bombs fell in three sticks as follows: from underground sheltersand across NE boundary: from pp. 7 (SOUTH) along EASTERN edge ofL.G.: from pp. 13 towards NE. One building at pp. 13 received adirect hit. Heavy explosions accompanied bomb-bursts in squaresQ 21 & Q 23, and one column of smoke rose to 4000 ft. Some nearmisses on A/C were observed. Not more than 20 small and large A/Cwere seen.BE A box of intense HAA, bursting between 6000 and 12,000 ft. wasput up over the L.G. The barrage was behind the formation. Some HAAbursts gave off very large black smoke puffs.BF Nil.BG Obliques and Verticals of bomb-bursts taken.BH Two MTE's on a course of 210 deg. seen at VP 8795 at 0735 hrs.Four small vessels (possibly barges) seen in the harbour.At VP 8060 at 0750 hrs. a large oil patch was seen.List of A/C and Crews:F/L 903 O Capt. Cormack, Lt. Mulholland, F/Sgts. Finberg & McGee.221 Y Lt. Pocock, Sgt. Edmeades (RAF), X Sgt. Jensen (RCAF) & F/SGT. Carbarns.916 SS Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. V.d.Meulen, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser.V/L 108 B Lt. Chisholm, Lt. Campbell, F/Sgts. Hodgkinson & de Villiers.179 A Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup.290 C Lt. Elieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelsohn.B/L 291 U Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.181 T Lt. Eaton, Lt. Floor, F/Sgt. le Roux & F/Sgt. Gildon (RAF).957 W Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgts. Purdon & Groenewald.V/L 176 YY Maj. Schravesande, Lt. Herring, F/Sgts. Meyer & Stopforth.951 V Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff.930 K Lt. Hargrave, Lt. Rees, X Sgt. McQueen (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Bedford.B/L 352 D Lt. Hotchkiss, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Maasdorp & Rogers C.L.877 J Lt. Dugmore, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Maasdorp & Rogers C.L.142 P Lt. Simpson, Lt. Hocknell, F/Sgts. Roberts V.P. & Shepperson.V/L 226 H Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, F/Sgt. Walker & A/Sgt. Devenish.271 F Lt. Guard, Lt. Forsman, F/Sgt. Steven & F/Sgt. Prout (RAF).977 L Lt. Willmot, Lt. Borcherds, F/Sgt. Loots & F/Sgt. Walbridge (RAF).F/L Formation Leader. B/L Box Leader. V/L Vic Leader.[Handwritten Signature]........................Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.21 Squadron S.A.A.F."J"Middle East CommandDAILY CASUALTY RETURNDate.. 9th May 1943 .. 95S.A.A.F. PERSONNEL| | On Strength. | Casualties | Total on Duty || Officers. | 73 | 1 | 72 || W.O's & F/Sgts | 8 | - | 8 || Sgts. | 60 | 2 | 58 || Cpls. | 28 | - | 28 || L/Cpls. | 60 | 1 | 59 || P.A.M's | 6 | - | 6 || Airmen | 142 | 4 | 138 || TOTALS. | 377 | 8 | 369 |ATTACHED PERSONNEL. i. S.A.| | On Strength | Casualties | Total on Duty || Officers. | 2 | - | 2 || W.O's. | 4 | - | 4 || Other Ranks. | 5 | - | 5 || TOTALS | 11 | - | 11 |ii. R.A.F. : R.A.A.F. ETC.| | On Strength | Casualties | Total on Duty || Officers | - | - | - || W.O's. | 11 | - | 11 || Other Ranks. | 3 | - | 3 || TOTALS | 14 | - | 14 |ATTACHED CAPE CORPS| | On Strength. | Casualties | Total on Duty || Officers. | 9 | - | 9 || S/Sgts. & L/Cpls | 31 | 1 | 30 || Airmen | 111 | 1 | 110 || TOTALS | 151 | 2 | 149 |MESSING STRENGTH| Officers' Mess. | Sergeants' Mess. | Mechanics' Mess. | N.E.A.S. Mess. || Strength.........| Strength.........| Strength.........| Strength......... || S.A..............| Att.S.A..........| Att.S.A..........| || Att.S.A..........| Ors..............| Ors..............| || TOTALS. 74 | 119 | 211 | 149 |Totals: 553 Cas: 10. 553 [Note: Marginalia indicates adjustment from 563 to 553]HOSPITAL104050 F/Sgt Beaumont-Thomas R.H. To Cairo for Specialist 7/4/43279930 A/Cpl Fourie L.P. 25 M.R.S. 6/5/43[Note: Handwritten strike-through of an entire entry line below Fourie]97394 A/M Petrowski B.M. do 4/5/43211934 " Tait W.D. do 27/4/43579608 " Venter P.J. do 3/5/433 C.C.S. 3287417 Cpl Alemat R. do 20/3/43301264 Pte Blankenberg W. 25 M.R.S. 5/5/43LEAVE103850V Lieut. Webber E.C. Tripoli (20) 19/4/43206842V F/Sgt Schumann N. do 28/3/43181557 A/M Smith D.P. Cairo (28)
Transcriber's Notes
- Oprep. Ref. No
- Operational Report Reference Number.
- SAAF
- South African Air Force.
- Baltimores
- Martin Baltimore twin-engine light bombers used for medium-level tactical interdiction.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- Cu
- Cumulus (cloud type).
- S/C
- Set Course.
- KERKENNA IS
- Kerkennah Islands, a navigation point off the Tunisian coast.
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force standard form for reporting narrative and technical details of an air sortie.
deg.: Degrees (navigation heading).
mph: Miles per hour.
GP 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose 250 lb bombs utilizing 1943 Rod-type detonators. These fuzes extended from the nose of the bomb to ensure an instantaneous burst upon ground contact, maximizing fragmentation against surface targets like parked aircraft.
deg.: Degrees (compass heading).
W.O's & F/Sgts: Warrant Officers and Flight Sergeants.
i. S.A.: Attached personnel from the South African Army.
ii. R.A.F. : R.A.A.F. ETC.: Personnel attached from the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.