SOLIMAN NORTH L.G.

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 155 'J' (Part A.) FIRST OPERATION OF DAY No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 311 Date. 10 JUN 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF. Type of Aircraft. 3 Baltimores (1 Mk. 111 & 2 Mk. 111A) See reverse. Captain Formation Leader Maj. Cormack Aircraft No. Crew. Lt. Lombaard (Observer) See reverse. Aircraft Letter. Time Up. 1117 hrs. L.T. Time Down. 1300 hrs. L.T. Aerodrome or L.G. SOLIMAN NORTH L.G. Total Time. 4 hrs. 00 mins. Type of Cloud. Cirrus. Map or Chart Amount of Cloud. 1 to 2/10 Reference. Base of Cloud. 10,000 ft. FRENCH NORTH AFRICA Visibility. Hazy. 1:500000 Sheet NJ.32.SE. General Weather. Good. TUNIS. PANTELLERIA 1:25,000 Task or Duty. Drop pamphlets on PANTELLERIA PORT. Time Height. Place. Narrative. Base Airborne. 750 " S/C EL AQUINA L.G. AQUINA Landed to pick up pamphlets. " Airborne. 1000 CARTHAGE S/C RAS EL FORTASS. 2000 FORTASS Rendezvous with fighter escort. (6 P40's close cover and Spitfire 9's top) S/C PANTELLERIA 095 deg. M. 7000 TARGET Dropped pamphlets on port, continuing inland, on course of 155 deg. losing height to 6000 ft. 5000 " S/C RAS EL FORTASS. 275 deg. M. 1000 FORTASS Followed coast to base. Base 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 PANTELLERIA PORT and environs. BB 1230/3 hrs. L.T. BC Dropping pamphlets from 6/7000 ft. Course 155 deg. 500 lb. weight of pamphlets in bundles of 4,000. BD The bottom gunner in each of the three A/C started to drop bundles of pamphlets as the formation passed over the harbour. The bundles broke their string fasteners soon after leaving the A/C. There was a slight cross wind [strike-through: XXX] and the pamphlets appeared to reach the port and island. BE No A/A. BF Nil. BG Nil. BH Three S/E aircraft parked at F 185041. List of A/C and Crews: F/L 903 B Maj. Cormack, Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgts. Finberg & Viljoen. 221 Y Lt. Eaton, Lt. Sachs, Sgt. Freestone (RNZAF) & F/Sgt. Gilder (RAF) 271 F Lt. Guard, Lt. Forssman, F/Sgts. van Rooyen & Shepperson. [Signature] ....................Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

1943-06-10 SOLIMAN NORTH L.G.

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms The documentation utilizes several standardized military and aviation abbreviations pertinent to the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. The form itself is an R.A.F., or Royal Air Force, Form 441 A., the primary medium-level bombing Sortie Report template. The handwritten annotation "155 'J'" and the underlined stamp "FIRST OPERATION OF DAY" identify the specific mission's sequence within the unit's archival record. The acronym Oprep. Ref. No. signifies the Operational Report Reference Number, used to index the unit's tactical activity. The squadron is identified as 21 SAAF, representing the South African Air Force. The aircraft employed, Baltimores, refers to the Martin Baltimore medium bomber, with the clerical typing Mk. 111 and Mk. 111A designating the Mark III and Mark IIIA variants . Military ranks are abbreviated as Maj. for Major and Lt. for Lieutenant. The abbreviation L.T. indicates Local Time, while L.G. expands to Landing Ground, specifically SOLIMAN NORTH L.G. on the Cap Bon peninsula. Navigational shorthand includes S/C for Set Course and M. for Magnetic heading. The fighter escort screen is recorded as P40's, denoting the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft, and Spitfire 9's, referring to the Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX . Finally, the footer references H.Q. R.A.F. M.E., expanding to Headquarters Royal Air Force Middle East, and P.T.O., an instruction to Please Turn Over to complete Part B. Operational Context This Sortie Report, executed on June 10, 1943, chronicles a specialized psychological warfare mission undertaken by 21 Squadron SAAF during the final, decisive hours of Operation Corkscrew. The strategic objective was the absolute neutralization of the fortified Italian island of Pantelleria, a critical necessity for ensuring secure maritime lines of communication through the Strait of Sicily prior to Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily . By this date, the island had been subjected to weeks of relentless aerial and naval bombardment, designed to compel its surrender without an amphibious assault. The mission assigned to three Martin Baltimore bombers, under the command of Major Cormack, was a non-kinetic pamphlet drop over the port and inland areas. The mission narrative highlights a complex logistical coordination: the bombers first flew from Soliman North to the El Aouina Landing Ground (recorded as El Aquina) to secure the pamphlet payload. Following this, they linked up at Ras El Fortass with a robust, multi-layered fighter escort consisting of six P-40 Warhawks for close cover and Spitfire Mark IXs providing top cover, illustrating the continued high regard for potential Axis aerial interception even as Italian defenses crumbled. The drop was executed at an altitude of 7,000 feet on a 155-degree course. This psychological pressure proved ultimately successful, as the garrison of Pantelleria surrendered the following day, June 11, 1943, marking the first time in military history that a major fortress was captured solely through the application of air power. 203 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check There is no explicitly printed date in a dedicated 'Date' column on this specific sheet. However, entry BB records the time as "1230/3 hrs. L.T." on a "Part B" continuation sheet that contextually and chronologically follows the primary Sortie Report for June 10, 1943. Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms The technical notations within this report utilize standard Commonwealth military abbreviations to categorize the non-kinetic operation. The abbreviation L.T. refers to Local Time, establishing the mission window between 1230 and 1233 hours. The term A/C serves as the standard nomenclature for Aircraft, specifically referring to the three Martin Baltimore medium bombers utilized for this sortie. The observation A/A signifies Anti-Aircraft artillery fire. Under the intelligence section, S/E indicates Single-Engined aircraft, identifying the mechanical configuration of grounded Axis air assets. The crew manifest formally documents the integration of multinational personnel within 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F. (South African Air Force), utilizing RNZAF for the Royal New Zealand Air Force and RAF for the Royal Air Force. Military ranks are abbreviated as Maj. for Major, Lt. for Lieutenant, F/Sgts. for Flight Sergeants, and Sgt. for Sergeant. The tactical flight leadership role is identified by F/L, denoting the Formation Leader. Finally, the document is authenticated by the S.I.O., or Squadron Intelligence Officer. Operational Context This archival document provides the tactical narrative for a specialized psychological warfare mission conducted on June 10, 1943, marking the final operational effort of 21 Squadron SAAF during Operation Corkscrew. The strategic objective of the broader Allied campaign was the total neutralization of the fortified Italian island of Pantelleria to secure maritime lines of communication for the impending invasion of Sicily. Following weeks of high-intensity kinetic bombardment that had largely suppressed the island's defensive batteries—as evidenced by the report of "No A/A" (No anti-aircraft fire)—Allied command utilized air power to deliver 500 pounds of propaganda and surrender ultimatums directly to the garrison. The mission narrative details a coordinated dispersal executed at 6,000 to 7,000 feet. The bottom gunners in each Martin Baltimore aircraft manually deployed bundles of 4,000 pamphlets as the formation transited the harbour on a 155-degree course. The procedural intent was for the string fasteners to fail immediately upon release, allowing the slipstream and a reported crosswind to saturate the port and inland areas with the documents. In addition to the dispersal, aircrews conducted visual reconnaissance, identifying three single-engined Axis aircraft parked at grid coordinate F 185041. This combination of physical destruction and psychological pressure achieved its ultimate strategic aim; the garrison of Pantelleria surrendered the following day, June 11, 1943, without the necessity of an Allied amphibious assault. 204 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check The exact date found in the 'Date' column of the image is 10 JUN 43.