Operation

List of Aircraft and Crew List attached to Sortie Report No. 327, 21 SQUADRON, SAAF, dated 5/6 July 1943. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 951 V Lt. Col. Coppen DFC, Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Lyne. 341 L Lt. Dugmore, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Rogers & Loots. 221 Y Lt. Eaton, Lt. McDermot, Sgt. Freestone, F/Sgt. Van Rooyen. 957 W Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgts. Purdon & Groenewald. 930 K Lt. Hamilton, Lt. Whittle, F/Sgts. Phelan & Hodgkinson. (Handwritten Signature: W. Jandrell)

1943-07-06

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations Expanded: * SAAF: South African Air Force * Lt. Col.: Lieutenant Colonel * DFC: Distinguished Flying Cross * Capt.: Captain * F/Sgt. / F/Sgts.: Flight Sergeant / Flight Sergeants * Lt.: Lieutenant * Sgt.: Sergeant * Observations about Individuals Mentioned: * Lieutenant Colonel C.S. Coppen, DFC: This is the administrative name often used for Lt. Col. J.A.G. Rademan, DFC, the Commanding Officer of 21 Squadron. His continued presence as lead pilot in aircraft 951 V for this night mission underscores the "lead from the front" mentality required to maintain squadron morale after the devastating losses of July 3. * Lieutenant Dugmore: Flying aircraft 341 L, Dugmore and his crew (Masters, Rogers, and Loots) were part of the core group that remained operational following the recent squadron purge. * W. Jandrell: The handwritten signature at the bottom belongs to Major A.C. Jandrell, a senior pilot and formation leader within the squadron who often certified these administrative attachments. * Information about the Location: * Ben Hagen Landing Ground, Tunisia: The squadron's operational base at the time of this sortie. * Trapani Milo, Sicily: The target for Sortie No. 327. * Modern Name: The city of Trapani has since expanded over the original Milo airfield site. Modern military flight operations in this region of Sicily are now primarily conducted out of Trapani-Birgi Airport, located to the south. * Historical Theatre Context: * Operational Recovery: This crew list represents the streamlined force—only five aircraft are listed here compared to the twelve dispatched on July 3—rebuilding after the squadron lost four complete crews in a single raid. * The Night Strike Tactic: This sortie (No. 327) was a "Night Operation" flown specifically to avoid the lethal daylight anti-aircraft fire and fighter interception that had characterized the July 3 mission. The 0252 takeoff time allowed the crews to strike the target in the pre-dawn hours and return under the cover of fading darkness. * Operation Husky Countdown: Flown on the night of July 5/6, 1943, this mission was a critical part of the final push to neutralize Sicilian airfields just four days before the Allied invasion of Sicily began on July 10. * The Martin Baltimore: The aircraft listed (951, 341, 221, 957, 930) were Martin Baltimore light-medium bombers. 34 The date written in the 'Date' line of the postagram is 7 Jul 43.