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Operation No. 356

GUN POSITIONS H708820. (LATITUDE : **37° 31' 54'' N **LONGITUDE : **14° 48' 05'' E**)

Over target: 1218 hrs Time: 12:15 hrs

Sortie Report (Form 541)

BA. GUN POSITIONS M708820BB. 1215 hrs LTBC. Medium level bombing 10000 ft Course 030°72 x 250 GP 47 Det 27 Pistols Nose Fused.BD. The pinpoint was straddled by one box of six aircraft in good pattern. One box bombed a short distance SE of pinpoint. NO results observed due to cloud over target.BE. NIL.BF. NIL.BG. Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts. Height 10000 ftIAS 210 Course 030°BH. (i) Army smoke shells to indicate target (white-grey) bursting above ground to starboard of formation ± 1000 ft above ground level.(ii) 15 MT in river bed and alongside in target area.LIST OF AIRCRAFT AND CREW.226H Capt. ORD, Lt. HODGES, F/Sgts WALKER & DEVENISH.136M Lts. DUGMORE & MASTERS, F/Sgt.s MAASDORP & ROGERS.290U Lts. WILLMOTT & BORCHERDS, F/Sgt.s LOOTS & WALBRIDGE (RAF)271F Lts. GUARD & WEBBER, F/Sgt. GREEN & 2/Lt. DE VILLIERS.195G Lts. MURMAN & WALTERS, F/Sgt. ODENDAAL, Sgt. STEWART.916K Lts. FROST & WHITE, F/Sgt. CARTER, Sgt. ALLAN.176YY Capt. STUART, Lt. PAWSON, F/Sgt. MORLEY, 2/Lt. SCHUMANN173P Capt. SAUNDERS, Lt. BOOYSE, F/Sgt. MOORE, Sgt. EARP-JONES.179A Major COULL, F/Sgt. SMALLMAN (Rhod) 2/Lt. SHAW, F/Sgt. STRYDOM.157S Lts. EATON & MCDERMOTT, F/Sgt. FREEBORN (NZAF) Sgt. MCKAY356Z Lts. SMYTH & MANNING, F/Sgt. de PIESANIE, Sgt. LEISCHING.291U Lts. RICHARDS & de CONNICK, F/Sgt. ROBERTSE, Sgt. McGRINDLE.

Transcriber's Notes

LT
Local Time.
GP
General Purpose (bombs).
Det
Detonator.
SE
South-East.
IAS
Indicated Air Speed.
MT
Motor Transport.

Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded

ft: feet.

(RAF): Royal Air Force.

(Rhod): Rhodesian (referring to the Southern Rhodesian Air Force).

(NZAF): New Zealand Air Force (properly RNZAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force). Personnel and Tactical Coordination