Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Attack M.T. on road between CASTEL VERDE and TRIPOLI Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 49 (Part A.) NIGHT OPERATION.
No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 173 Date. 19.1.43 Squadron. 21 S.A.A.F.Type of Aircraft. 7 Baltimores Captain Major Jendrell,Aircraft No. As per attached list. Crew. Capt. Hatswell,Aircraft Letter. do. Lt. te Water Pohl,F/Sgt. Morley.Up. 2230 L.T. 1st Aircraft- otherDown. a/c followed same route at 3/5 minutes interval.Time. 0230 (20/1/43) Aerodrome or L.G. GZINA22 hours.Type of Cloud. Strato Cu. Map or ChartAmount of Cloud. 6/10 - ~~10/10ths~~ 10/10ths over sea and Reference. Sheet 3/9coast at SIRTE and MISURATA 1:500,000 MISURATABase of Cloud. 3000 ft. 1:500,000 TRIPOLIVisibility. Poor. Sheet 2.General Weather. PoorTask or Duty. Attack M.T. on road between CASTEL VERDE and TRIPOLIHeight. Place. Narrative.-- Base 1st Aircraft Airborne.3500 SIRTE Cloud on coast.9000 R.S. 5178 Coast still observed, altered course 299 M.9200 Coast observed through clearing in cloud.Cloud decreased 6/10ths3000 Below 8/10ths cloud, base 3,500 ft.4000 Road at Bombed M.T. on road, sharp turn out to sea. FollowedRL9349 coast at distance of 5 miles.2000 MISURATA A/C 150MARINA2000 RS5178 a/c 140 to skirt bad weather observed at sea. Sea mist,rain storms and 10/10ths cloud.2000 SIRTE a/c 136 for GZINA-- GZINA 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" (A 1189)
BA M.T. on road between CASTEL VERDE - TRIPOLI.BB 0000 hours - 0026 hoursBC Medium level. 2/5000ft.42 x 250 lbs 43 Det (Rods) 2500 rounds .300BD Entire force bombed road between GASR GARABULLI tocross-roads East of TRIPOLI. Bombs were well dispersed.Certain crews saw M.T. parked mostly off roads. Oneaircraft (Capt. Mouton) straffed road making two runs from300 ft. Ten fires were started by the bombing, seven ofwhich were still burning when last aircraft left target.BE Coloured light Ack Ack from GASR GARABULLI L.G. - SpasmodicIntense light from CORRADINI, Accurate.BF Aircraft 900 F Cat. 2 (Tyre burst on landing and A/A damageLt. Cooper A (A/C 900 F) Observer slightly wounded inbuttocks.BG NILBH NIL Oxygen : None available.
(Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) S.I.O. Capt.
Transcriber's Notes
- 21 S.A.A.F
- No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
- L.T
- Local Time.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- Strato Cu
- Stratocumulus cloud formation.
- M.T
- Mechanical Transport. Refers specifically to German and Italian supply and troop vehicle convoys targeted along the coastal road network.
- M.T
- Mechanical Transport. Refers specifically to German and Italian supply and troop vehicle concentrations retreating toward the Tunisian border.
- Cat. 2
- Category Two damage classification, indicating an aircraft that is seriously damaged but repairable at a specialized Repair and Salvage Unit (R.S.U.).
- S.I.O
- Senior Intelligence Officer. The staff officer responsible for synthesizing mission data and filing official tactical reports. Operational Context: This Sortie Report (Part B) details the results of a high-tempo nocturnal interdiction mission conducted by No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. on the night of 19–20 January 1943. Strategically, this marks the final 72 hours of the Western Desert Campaign before the fall of Tripoli to the British Eighth Army. The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were focused on "road purification"—the systematic destruction of Mechanical Transport (M.T.) to prevent the Afrika Korps from reorganizing defensive lines at the Tunisian border. Tactically, the seven Martin Baltimores identified "M.T. parked mostly off roads" to avoid daytime detection. Utilizing 250lb bombs equipped with "daisy cutter" rods to maximize the blast radius, the squadron initiated ten fires along the road between Gasr Garabulli and Tripoli. The report highlights an aggressive "straffed" attack by Captain Mouton in aircraft 900 (F), who descended to 300 feet to expend 2,500 rounds of .300 ammunition. This low-level approach was met with "intense" and "accurate" light anti-aircraft fire from Corradini, resulting in Category 2 damage to the airframe and the wounding of the observer, Lieutenant Cooper. Despite the localized damage and the absence of oxygen—a result of missions being undertaken at "short notice"—the mission successfully maintained the relentless 24-hour tactical pressure required to ensure the definitive Axis collapse in Libya. This document, archived as Folio 49, serves as primary evidence of the S.A.A.F.'s specialized nocturnal capabilities during the liberation of Tripoli. 62 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 19th January, 1943.
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Form 441 A, the standardized document utilized for recording narrative and technical data for individual aircraft sorties.
Oprep. Ref. No. 173: Operational Report Reference Number 173, the administrative serial for the mission conducted on the night of 19–20 January 1943.
ft.: Feet, the unit of measurement for altitude, such as the 3,000-foot cloud base.
ft.: Feet, the unit of measurement for altitude, such as the 300-foot low-level strafing runs.
250 lbs 43 Det (Rods): 250-pound General Purpose high-explosive bombs utilizing No. 43 tail pistols and nose extension rods. Known colloquially as "daisy cutters," these rods triggered detonation just above the desert floor to maximize the lateral fragmentation blast against soft targets such as trucks and personnel.
.300: The caliber for the Martin Baltimore’s offensive machine guns, used here in a high-volume expenditure of 2,500 rounds.