Operation

P O S T A G R A M "U" To : H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. From : S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F. Serial No. : 21 Sqdn/264 Date : Night 13/14 APR 43. <u>OPREP No. 264 for period ending 0600 hrs. 14 APR 43.</u> A Dispersed A/C and MT around Ste. MARIE du ZIT WEST L.G. K 2311 (Ref. Map: TUNISIA 1:500,000 TUNIS) B 15 Baltimores. C (1) Individual medium level bombing attack. (11) 8/9,000 ft. (111) 2224 hrs. to 2250 hrs. D (1) 90 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods) (11) Nil. (111) Owing to very bad visibility the bombs were dropped on ETA. Bombs fell in and around the target area. One small fire was started but was quickly extinguished. One medium fire was seen burning and giving off sparks ten minutes after leaving the target at 2240 hrs. E One A/C, 187 G, Cat. 11. F Pilot (A/C 187 G) killed: Lt. J.P. Carlisle: baled out when A/C ran out of fuel. Parachute opened but pilot believed to have baled from too low. Observer: Lt. E.G. Webber & Gunner: F/Sgt. Waldek V. slightly injured in fall. W.Op. Gunner F/Sgt. Schumann M uninjured. G Nil. H (1) 2040 hrs. (11) 43 hrs. 03 mins. J General weather poor. Visibility bad (Ground haze) K Five searchlights seen around the coast for 8 miles at HAMMAMET (from K 4312 to K 5318). 4 HAA & 3 LAA guns in same area. Four searchlights operating over target with spasmodic HAA over the L.G. Comm. Nil. T.O.O. 0600 hrs. 14 APR 43. [Handwritten Signature] ..................Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F. In reply please quote Geliewe in u antwoord te verwys na .................................................................. No................................... UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA—UNIE VAN SUID-AFRIKA. OFFICE OF THE—KANTOOR VAN DIE [Seal: Coat of Arms of the Union of South Africa] [The remainder of the page is blank]

1943-04-14

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Lt. E.G. Webber Observer

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms * H.Q. R.A.F. M.E.: Headquarters Royal Air Force Middle East. The theater-level command structure responsible for strategic oversight of Allied air operations. * S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.: Squadron Intelligence Officer for No. 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. * OPREP No. 264: Operational Report number 264, providing a tactical summary of the results for the mission ending 0600 hours on 14 April 1943. * A/C: Aircraft. Refers both to the enemy aircraft targeted on the ground and the 15 Martin Baltimores of the S.A.A.F. formation. * MT: Motor Transport. Refers to Axis wheeled or tracked logistical vehicles. * Ste. MARIE du ZIT WEST L.G. (K 2311): Sainte Marie du Zit West Landing Ground, an Axis airfield located in northeastern Tunisia. * Baltimores: Martin Baltimore Mk. III light bombers utilized for medium-level tactical bombardment. * GP 43 Det. (Rods): 250 lb General Purpose bombs fitted with No. 43 detonators and extension rods ("daisy cutters"). These rods trigger detonation just above the ground surface to maximize fragmentation against unarmored targets like dispersed aircraft. * ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival. * Cat. 11: Category 11 (often recorded as Category II or B). A damage classification indicating an aircraft is damaged beyond local repair but is repairable at a specialized maintenance unit or depot. * W.Op. Gunner: Wireless Operator / Gunner. * HAMMAMET: A coastal town on the southeastern side of the Cape Bon peninsula. * HAA & LAA: Heavy Anti-Aircraft and Light Anti-Aircraft fire. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * T.O.O.: Time of Origin. Operational Context The mission conducted on the night of 13/14 April 1943 targeted the Axis air bridgehead at Sainte Marie du Zit West Landing Ground. Strategically, this strike occurred during the final Allied compression of the Axis forces into northern Tunisia following the liberation of Sfax. By striking airfields on the Cape Bon peninsula, the Desert Air Force (D.A.F.) sought to eliminate the Luftwaffe's ability to provide air cover for retreating columns or maintain supply links with Sicily. Tactical execution was severely compromised by "poor" weather and "bad" visibility due to ground haze. These conditions forced the 15 Martin Baltimores to drop their 90 General Purpose bombs equipped with extension rods based on Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA). While aircrews observed one medium fire burning ten minutes after the strike, the mission resulted in a significant operational loss. Baltimore 187 G was lost after running out of fuel. The pilot, Lt. J.P. Carlisle, was killed after baling out from too low an altitude. The surviving crew members, Lt. E.G. Webber and F/Sgt. Waldek V., sustained slight injuries during the descent. This sortie underscores the high risks associated with nocturnal medium-level bombardment in the Tunisian theater, where environmental friction often proved as lethal as the "spasmodic" heavy anti-aircraft fire and searchlight defenses encountered over the target and near Hammamet. 46 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: No date is present in the document. Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms * UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA—UNIE VAN SUID-AFRIKA: The dual-language (English and Afrikaans) official designation of the sovereign state within the British Commonwealth, which provided the personnel and administrative framework for the South African Air Force (SAAF) during the Mediterranean campaigns. * OFFICE OF THE—KANTOOR VAN DIE: Standardized letterhead preamble utilized by various administrative departments of the Union Defence Forces (UDF) for official correspondence. Operational Context The provided document is an unpopulated, standardized official letterhead of the Union of South Africa. While the sheet itself contains no specific tactical or operational data, its inclusion within the AIR 27/275 file for No. 21 Squadron SAAF is significant from an archival perspective. It represents the administrative conduit through which the squadron interacted with Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Pretoria regarding personnel matters, such as the Casualty Returns and Routine Orders seen elsewhere in the record for April 1943. During the period of April 1943, as the squadron's Martin Baltimores were engaged in high-intensity "air blitz" operations from Landing Ground Senem to collapse the Axis bridgehead in Tunisia, the administrative echelons utilized such forms to formalize the reporting of combat losses, leave entitlements, and disciplinary actions. This blank form serves as a physical artifact of the bureaucratic infrastructure required to sustain a SAAF unit in a forward operational theater, ensuring that the legal and administrative requirements of the South African government were maintained amidst the fluid conditions of the North African campaign. 47 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 13/14.4.43.