Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Medium level bombing attack on gun positions and MT in BOU FICHA Village. Time. Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A."H1" 52SORTIE REPORT(Part A.) SECOND OPERATION OF DAY.Sheet No. 1Oprep. Ref. No. 277Date. 26 APR 43Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 18 Baltimores (6 Mk.IIIA & 12 Mk.III)Aircraft No. See reverse.Aircraft Letter. "FORMATION LEADER:Captain Maj. M.Barnby D.F.C.Crew. Lt. G. Evans (Observer)See reverse.Time Up. 1420 hrs. (1st. A/C)Time Down. 1600 hrs. (Last A/C)Total Time. 28 hrs. 30 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. EL DJEM MAIN.Type of Cloud. ---Amount of Cloud. Nil.Base of Cloud. ---Visibility. Hazy.General Weather. Fair.Map or Chart Reference. TUNISIA 1:500,000 Sheet NJ.32. SE. TUNIS.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on gun positions and MT in BOU FICHA Village.Time. Height. Place. Narrative.1420 EL DJEM Airborne.1452 500 " S/C 309 deg. for rendezvous.1459 500 REND. S/C 319 deg. KAIROUAN (Picked up fighter escort: 7 SAAF Wing.)1505 2500 AKOUDA S/C ENFIDAVILLE.1522 10000 ENFIDAVILLE Turn on to Target1524 8500 BOU FICHA Bombed 030 deg. 210 I.A.S.S/C 180 deg. for EL DJEM1600 EL DJEM Last aircraft 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 Gun positions and MT at BOU FICHA Village.BB 1524 hrs.BC Medium level bombing from 8500 ft.108 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods)BD The formation was briefed to attack guns and positions in areabounded by pp. P 3399, 3395, 3699, 3695, but if the leaderconsidered the target poor, the formation had to attack MT onthe road to BOU FICHA or the village itself. Formation flewacross P 3193 towards BOU FICHA. As only moderate HAA was en-countered in the area, the road SOUTH of the village, the villageitself and the road to REYVILLE were bombed. Two large buildingsin the NE corner of the village were hit and two MT parkednearby were covered in bomb bursts. Direct hits were scored onthe roads.BE Moderate HAA, fairly accurate, started on crossing the bomb lineand increased in intensity near BOU FICHA and after formation hadturned out to sea.4 HAA positions at K 38032 HAA " at K 38043 HAA " at K 37033 HAA " at K 299050 (at solitary(white house.BF 2 A/C holed. Minor damage.BG Obliques and Verticals of bomb-bursts.BH Nil.List of A/C and Crews:F/L 108 B Maj. Barnby, Lt. Evans, Lt. Sandilands &, F/Sgt. Lotter.977 L Lt. Chisholm, Lt. Campbell, F/Sgts. Hodgkinson & de Villiers.221 H Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, F/Sgt. Walker & A/Sgt. Devenish.V/L 916 SS Lt. Smith, Lt. Arnold, Sgt. Freestone (RNZAF), F/Sgt. Viljoen.982 N Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. v.d.Meulen, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser.221 Y Lt. Pocock, Sgt. Edmeades (RAF), F/Sgts. B.-Thomas & Clark.B/L 259 X Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.142 P Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff.957 W Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgts. Roberts & Groenewald.V/L 176 YY Maj. Schrave sande, Lt. Herring, F/Sgts. Meyer & Stepforth.183 S Lt. Simpson, Lt. Hocknell, F/Sgts. Roberts & Shepperson.994 T Lt. Hargrave, Lt. Rees, Sgt. McQueen & F/Sgt. Bedford.B/L 290 C Lt. Blieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelsohn.352 D Lt. Oakes, Lt. Sachs, Sgts. Morrison & Cleland (RCAF).903 O Lt. Meredith, Sgt. Smallman (RAF), F/Sgts. Smith S.C. & O'Reilly.V/L 179 A Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup.271 F Lt. Guard, Lt. Forssman, F/Sgt. Steven & F/Sgt. Prout (RAF).930 K Lt. Willmot, Lt. Borcherds, F/Sgt. Loots & F/Sgt. Walbridge.F/L Formation Leader. B/L Box Leader. V/L Vic Leader.[Handwritten Signature]........................ Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.
Transcriber's Notes
- R.A.F
- Royal Air Force.
- Oprep
- Operational Report.
- SAAF
- South African Air Force.
- D.F.C
- Distinguished Flying Cross (held by the formation leader, Maj. M. Barnby).
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- MT
- Motor Transport.
- MT
- Motor Transport (enemy vehicles).
- S/C
- Set Course.
deg.: Degrees.
pp.: Pinpoints (specific map coordinates).
Det. (Rods): Detonators, specifically rod fuzing. These fuzes extended from the nose of the bomb to ensure an instantaneous burst upon ground contact, maximizing fragmentation against soft targets like roads or vehicles.