Operation

BA: RADIO LOCATION STATION AT CAPE SPARTIVENTO. BB: 1145 Hrs LT. BC: Medium Level Bombing Attack. 9500/10000 feet. Courses 310º/320º 44 x 500 50% G.P. 50% M.C. 49 Dets. 28 Pistols. (4 x 500 G.P. & M.C. Jettisoned at D5000. Engine Trouble. BD: Formation attacked in Two boxes of six. Bombs started in the sea and on the beach. Direct hits on main road and rail track. Bursts among railway buildings and into target area, where an explosion took place among buildings immediately S.E. of tall Radio Tower. BE: Nil. BF: Nil. BG: Obliques and Verticals. BH: Nil. AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST. 903YY MAJOR JANDRELL. LT. CHRISTIE. 2/LTs VILJOEN & LE ROUX 387R LT. RICHARDS. LT DECONNICK. F/S. ROBERTSE. SGT. MCGRINDLE 356Z LT. GREDER. LT GOULD. F/S. GREYLING. 2/LT. GROENEWALD 291U LT. HARGRAVES. LT REES. SGT. JANSEN. F/S. BEDFORD 221Y LT. EATON. LT. MCDERMOTT. SGT. FREESTONE. F/S. VAN ROOYEN 181T LT. BENNETT. LT. HARLE. F/S. STRYDOM. P/O GILDEN 271F LT. GUARD. LT. WEBBER. F/S. FINBERG. 2/LT. DE VILLIERS 206J LT. WOOD. LT. NEL. F/S. JAMES. SGT. ROBERTSON. 195G LT MURMAN. LT. WALTERS. F/S. ODENDAAL. SGT. STEWART 586B LT/COL. BRITS. P/O SMALLMAN. 2/LTs HARRISON & PICKUP 341L LT. WILLMOTT. LT. BORCHARDS. F/S. LOOTS. F/S. WALBRIDGE 916K LT. FROST. LT. WHITE. F/S. CARTER. SGT. ALLEN.

1943-09-02

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * G.P.: General Purpose bombs. * M.C.: Medium Capacity bombs. * Dets: Detonators. * Hrs LT: Hours Local Time. * LT/COL.: Lieutenant Colonel. * F/S: Flight Sergeant. * P/O: Pilot Officer. * S.E.: South East. Personnel and Command Observations * Lieutenant Colonel J.F. Britz (as "BRITS"): The Commanding Officer (C.O.) of No. 21 Squadron personally participated in this mission, flying Baltimore 586B. His presence as a "tail-end Charlie" or part of the secondary box reflects the importance of this specific strike. * Major A.C. Jandrell: Again led the 12-aircraft formation in Baltimore 903YY. His tactical report (Section BD) provides a highly detailed account of the "two boxes of six" attack pattern used to saturate the target area. * Technical Failure: One aircraft (unspecified in the crew list but noted in Section BC) suffered engine trouble and had to jettison its 2,000 lb bomb load over the sea at grid D5000. Location and Intelligence Analysis * Cape Spartivento (CAPE SPARTIVENTO): Located at the absolute southern tip of the Italian mainland in Calabria. The "tall Radio Tower" mentioned in Section BD was the primary aim point. Modern name: Capo Spartivento. * Tactical Success: The bombing was highly effective despite starting in the sea. The report confirms direct hits on the main road and rail track, as well as an explosion southeast of the radio tower, which likely indicates the destruction of the radar station's technical buildings or power source. Historical Context: Blinding the Coastal Defense * September 2, 1943: This mission took place on the eve of Operation BAYTOWN, the Allied invasion of the Italian mainland. * Radar Suppression: Neutralizing the Radio Location Station (radar) at Cape Spartivento was a critical realistic objective. By destroying this facility, the SAAF helped "blind" the German and Italian coastal batteries, preventing them from detecting the amphibious assault craft of the British 8th Army as they crossed the Strait of Messina the following day. * Interdiction: The hits on the rail and road links further paralyzed the Axis ability to shift reinforcements into the southern tip of Calabria during the first few hours of the invasion. 187 The date written in the 'Date' column of target file 276-1__187.jpg is 2nd Sept. 43.