Operation

BA: S.E. PORTION COSENZA - RR & RD BRIDGES. BB: 0855 Hrs LT. BC: Medium Level Bombing Attack 10,000/11,000 feet. Course 0300 24 x 500 G.P. 47 Dets. 28 Pistols. 24 x 500 M.C. " " " " " " BD: Target area well hit. Near misses or hits on both bridges, and some bombs dropped across RR Stn and RR M/Yds. BE: 20/30 bursts H.A.A. inaccurate - location NOT accurately identified. BF: Nil. BG: Obliques and Verticals. 030º, 10600 feet and 10900 feet respectively. 220 m.p.h. I.A.S. BH: 2 trains with engines and 13 plus trucks in Stn. NORTH of SAVUTO RIVER. 15/20 plus trucks each at FIUMEFREDDO, PAOLA and FUSCALDO. 20 M.E.T. stationary RD PAOLA - RENDE. Buildings marked as "Barracks" N.E. town have Red Crosses on the roof. AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST. 226H CAPT. ORD. LT. HODGES. F/S. WALKER. F/S. DEVENISH. 271F LT. GUARD. LT. WEBBER. F/S. FINBERG. 2/LT DE VILLIERS. 179A LT. ASKEW. LT. LAMBERT. F/S. GELDENHUYS. SGT. CRAWHALL. 341L LT. WILLMOTT. LT. BORCHARDS. F/S. LOOTS. F/S. WALBRIDGE. 290C LT. LONGMORE. LT. KENDALL. F/S. THEUISSEN. SGT. MACKAY. 916K LT. FROST. LT. WHITE. F/S. CARTER. SGT. ALLEN. 256S CAPT. SMIT. LT. KAY. 2/LTs PURDEN & WRIGHT. 181T LT. BENNETT. LT. HARLE. F/S. STRYDOM. P/O GILDEN. 951V LT. GREDER. LT. OWEN-HUGHES. F/S. GREYLING. 2/LT. GROENEWALD. 387R LT. RICHARDS. LT. DECONNICK. F/S. ROBERTSE. SGT. MCGRINDLE. 206J LT. WOOD. LT. NEL. F/S. JAMES. SGT. ROBERTSON. 221Y CAPT. DIEU. P/O EDMEADES. F/S. OSWALD. 2/LT. SHAW.

1943-09-03

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * S.E.: South-East * RR & RD: Railroad and Road * Hrs LT: Hours, Local Time * G.P.: General Purpose (explosive bombs) * M.C.: Medium Capacity (explosive bombs) * Dets: Detonators * RR Stn / RR M/Yds: Railroad Station / Railroad Marshalling Yards * H.A.A.: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire * m.p.h. I.A.S.: Miles per hour, Indicated Air Speed * M.E.T.: Mechanical Enemy Transport * N.E.: North-East * CAPT / LT / 2/LT / P/O: Captain / Lieutenant / Second Lieutenant / Pilot Officer * F/S / SGT: Flight Sergeant / Sergeant Personnel and Operational Observations * Lead Crew (226H): Captain Ord and Lieutenant Hodges led a twelve-aircraft "box" formation on this high-priority strike. Their tactical leadership was essential for the successful delivery of 48 x 500 lb bombs onto a strategic bottleneck. * Participation of Sergeant Crawhall (179A): Sergeant Crawhall, a regular wireless operator/air gunner, participated in this mission over mainland Italy. * Tactical Precision: Despite intense but inaccurate Heavy Anti-Aircraft (H.A.A.) fire, the squadron achieved "hits on both bridges" and across the rail station and marshalling yards. This level of precision from 11,000 feet reflects the high skill level of the observers and the stable platform provided by the Martin Baltimore. Location and Intelligence Analysis * Cosenza (Target): A major administrative and logistical city in Calabria, Italy. The bridges in the S.E. portion of the city were critical for controlling the flow of Axis troops and supplies into the southern "toe" of the Italian peninsula. Modern name remains Cosenza. * Savuto River and Fiumefreddo: Navigational landmarks north of the target area. The sighting of trains and heavy concentrations of trucks (M.E.T.) confirmed that the Axis forces were actively using these rail lines to shift units or evacuate toward the interior. * Potential Red Cross Misuse (Section BH): The report notes that buildings marked as "Barracks" in the N.E. of Cosenza had Red Crosses on the roof. This was a realistic observation frequently reported by Allied pilots, suggesting either the conversion of civilian facilities into hospitals or the intentional "protection" of military targets through the misuse of international symbols. Historical Context: D-Day Italy (Operation BAYTOWN) * September 3, 1943: This mission took place on the first day of the Allied invasion of the Italian mainland. * Logistical Strangulation: While British and Canadian forces were crossing the Strait of Messina at dawn, No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. was part of a larger air effort to isolate the beachhead by destroying the infrastructure—like the Cosenza bridges—needed for an Axis counter-attack. * The Martin Baltimore: Launching 12 aircraft from Cuticchi, Sicily, the squadron utilized a heavy payload of G.P. and M.C. bombs. The presence of trains in the yards (Section BH) identifies Cosenza as a "target-rich" environment at this stage of the campaign, where the Allies aimed to paralyze the German 14th Panzer Corps as it attempted to redeploy in response to the landings. 191 The date written in the 'Date' column of target file 276-1__191.jpg is 3 Sept 43.