BEN HAGEN LG.

SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) R.A.F. Form 441 A. W. Diary 28 NIGHT OPERATION Sortie No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 328 Date 6/7 Jul 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF Type of Aircraft. 1 MK III and 1 MKIIIA BALTIMORE. Aircraft No. ) see Back. Aircraft Letter. ) Captain Major Jandrell. Crew. Lt. Christie. Other aircraft followed same course. Time Up. 0315 LT Time Down. 0625 LT Total Time. 5 hrs 45 mins. Aerodrome or L.G. BEN HAGEN LG. Type of Cloud. Cirro Cumulus. Amount of Cloud. 5/10 - 6/10. Base of Cloud. 15000’ base. Visibility. Bad General Weather. Dense haze. Map or Chart Reference. SICILIA. 1:500,000. Sheet NE 36/12. Task or Duty. MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBING ATTACK SCIACCA LG. | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 0315 | | Ben Hagen | Airborne. | | 0329 | 2000 | Ras el Fortass | Set course KELIBIA. | | 0330 | 3500 | Kelibia | Set course TARGET. | | 0407 | 11000 | Target | Bombed. | | 0411 | 10500 | do | Set course KELIBIA. | | 0459 | 3000 | Kelibia | Followed coast down to BOU FICHA, wasting time. | | 0610 | 3000 | Ben Hagen | Over Base. | | 0625 | | do | Landed. | (Signature: G.W. Thompson) Captain. SIO. 21 SQUADRON. SAAF.

1943-07-07 BEN HAGEN LG.

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES * Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded: * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * Oprep: Operational Report. * SAAF: South African Air Force. * MK: Mark (referring to aircraft version). * LT: Local Time. * L.G. / LG: Landing Ground. * do: ditto (referring to the previous entry). * SIO: Squadron Intelligence Officer. * Observations about Individuals Mentioned: * Major A.C. Jandrell: The mission Captain and a senior pilot within 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.. Having previously led the formation during the high-casualty raid of July 3, his leadership of this small two-aircraft night strike demonstrates the squadron's transition to more cautious, tactical operations as they rebuilt their strength. * Lieutenant Christie: Served as the Observer (navigator) for Major Jandrell. Navigation was particularly difficult on this sortie due to the "Bad" visibility and "Dense haze" reported over the Mediterranean. * G.W. Thompson: A Captain who signed on behalf of the SIO. Thompson appears as the signatory for multiple administrative and intelligence documents during this intense operational period. * Information about the Location: * Ben Hagen LG (Landing Ground), Tunisia: The squadron’s temporary forward base in North Africa. * Sciacca LG, Sicily: An Axis satellite airfield on the southwestern coast of Sicily targeted to suppress enemy air activity. * Modern Name: The area is now part of the modern city of Sciacca in the Province of Agrigento, Italy. * Kelibia, Ras el Fortass, and Bou Ficha: These were coastal landmarks on the Cap Bon peninsula of Tunisia. Navigators used these points to "set course" and verify their position when crossing the sea between North Africa and Sicily. * Historical Context and Theatre Events: * The Approach of Operation HUSKY: Flown on the night of July 6/7, 1943, this mission occurred just 72 hours before the massive Allied invasion of Sicily began. The S.A.A.F. was tasked with neutralizing "satellite" landing grounds like Sciacca to ensure Axis fighters could not scramble to intercept the incoming invasion fleet. * Tactical Shift to Night Strikes: Following the "Trapani Disaster" on July 3, where the unit lost 33% of its formation in daylight, the squadron shifted toward pre-dawn and night missions (taking off at 0315 LT). This reduced exposure to the lethal Axis daytime flak and fighters. * Ordnance and Impact: Although this report lists "Bombed" in the narrative, the corresponding OPREP 328 notes that the crews could not identify the landing ground itself due to haze, leading to a "Jettison" salvo over the estimated target area. * The Martin Baltimore: The aircraft used were Martin Baltimore Mark III and Mark IIIA bombers. 36 The document in target file 276-1_36.jpg is a continuation of a Sortie Report; while it does not contain a dedicated 'Date' column on this page, the header of the crew list at the bottom and the preceding page (276-1_35) establish the mission date as 6/7 July 1943.