Operation

BA: GUNS, TROOPS & MET - STAZ DI PALENA (H087682) BB: 1107 A Hrs BC: Medium level bombing; 14500'/240º 28000 Pamphlets 6 x 250 G.P. 52 Det 37 Pistol (12 Hour Delay) 6 x 250 do do do (6 Hour Delay) 59 x 250 do do do (Rods) 1 x 250 do do do do hang up. BD: Bomb bursts between H082675, H090684 and H084681 with overshoot in ploughed field and slope of high ground. 3/4 bombs hit station buildings 2 bombs hit RR. in station area near platform BE: NIL BF: NIL BG: Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts BH: Odd MET on main Rd SOUTH of target stationary 10 dispersed MET in area H0758 2 yellow smoke explosions ALFEDENA Target appeared empty AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST. 356Z MAJOR STUART LT PAWSON W/O FREESTONE LT HALL 181T Lts BENNETT & HARLE 2/LT STRYDOM P/O GILDON 240O CAPT DUGMORE LT MASTERS 2/LT MAASDORP F/SGT ROGERS 167S CAPT SMIT LT KAY LT PURDON SGT SCHOOMBIE 445U CAPT V. BREDA LT NAUDE F/SGT GRATTON SGT ROBERTSON 387R Lts RICHARDS & ROSE. A. F/SGT ROBBERTSE SGT MCCRINDLE 181Y MAJOR COULL LT MCARAVEY 2/Lts PERKINS & VAN ROOYEN 467D Lts HEWITT & HORWITZ F/SGT KIDNEY SGT BOWEN 545A Lts MURMAN & WALTERS F/SGT ODENDAAL SGT STEWART 341L Lts WILLMOTT & BORCHERDS 2/LT LOOTS F/SGT WALBRIDGE 441F Lts WITTE & RUSHFORTH F/SGT EATON SGT MARAIS 426J CAPT JOB LT OWEN-HUGHES F/SGT JARVIS LT SHAW

1943-11-12

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes * Expanded Abbreviations: * MET: Motor Enemy Transport. * STAZ DI: Stazione di (Station of). * G.P.: General Purpose (bomb type). * Det / Pistol: Detonator and the mechanical firing mechanism. * RR: Railroad. * Rd: Road. * MAJ / CAPT / LT / 2/LT / P/O / W/O: Major / Captain / Lieutenant / Second Lieutenant / Pilot Officer / Warrant Officer. * F/SGT / SGT: Flight Sergeant / Sergeant. * Observations on Individuals: * Major Charles Stuart: Acting as the Formation Leader in aircraft 356Z. Stuart had taken operational command of the squadron following the death of Lt. Col. Britz on November 3, 1943. * Major Coull: Leading a sub-formation (Box Leader) in aircraft 181Y. Coull was a senior pilot who often coordinated one of the three-aircraft boxes within the larger strike. * Lt. Longmore: Notably absent from this mission's crew list, despite appearing on most previous sorties. This likely correlates with the Dental Parade he was ordered to attend on November 8th. * Location Information: * Stazione di Palena: A high-altitude railway station (1,257 meters) on the Sulmona-Isernia line. * Modern Name: Today, the station is a major stop on the "Trans-Siberiana d'Italia," a historic tourist railway running through the Majella National Park. * Alfedena: Mentioned in the general observations (BH). Alfedena was a strategic mountain road junction and the site of the tragic collision that killed the squadron's previous commander. * Historical Context: * The Sangro Offensive: On November 12, 1943, the Allied Eighth Army was preparing for the major assault on the German Bernhardt Line. * Delay Fuzing: This mission utilized a mix of "6 Hour" and "12 Hour" delay fuzes on the 250lb G.P. bombs. This was a tactical choice intended to disrupt German repair efforts and keep the railway station unusable long after the bombers had departed. * Interdiction Tactics: The "Rods" mentioned for the majority of the bombs were nose extensions designed to trigger the bomb just above the ground. This maximized fragmentation and blast effects against soft targets like troops and motor transport parked in the station area. * Psychological Operations: The drop of 28,000 pamphlets alongside the ordnance shows the dual-track approach of the Desert Air Force—physical destruction of infrastructure combined with propaganda to weaken enemy resolve. 54 The date written in the 'Date' column to verify the document is 12 Nov 43.