Operation

BA: RR. and M/YARDS BENEVENTO N6362. BB: From 2108 Hrs LT to 2123 Hrs LT. BC: Medium Level Bombing. Courses 040º/170º Height 8200/10500 ft. 24 x 500 G.P. 47 Dets. 27 Pistols BD: Target well identified — fire started at 2102 Hrs and 6 flares dropped, by other aircraft. 11 bombs dropped directly on M/Y, 4 in town SOUTH of EAST end of M/Y, others either side of RR. One explosion SOUTH of centre on side of M/Y and one building hit just off M/Y SOUTH of EAST end. BE: NIL over target, 20 plus bursts H.A.A. 10 against one a/c fairly accurate, from CASTELLAMARE, approximately 20 SALERNO, slight from VICO EQUENSE, SARNO, AVELLINA, BAIANA, and MT VESUVIUS area all considered inaccurate. 2 S/Ls NAPLES area. BF: NIL. BG: NIL. BH: Large fire 10 miles EAST of LICOSA PT. Steady light at sea 14 miles WEST of NAPLES. 1 blue light SALINA Is. 2 Yellow LIPARI 1 large vessel 15 miles N.W. LICOSA PT. AIRCRAFT AND CREW LIST. 290C LT/COL. BRITZ. D.F.C. P/O SMALLMAN 2/LTs HARRISON & PICKUP 586B CAPT. SAUNDERS. LT. BOOYSE. F/S. MOORE. SGT EARP-JONES 341L LT. WILLMOTT. LT. BORCHARDS. F/S LOOTS. F/S. WALBRIDGE 256S CAPT. SMIT. LT. KAY. 2/LTs PURDON & WRIGHT 291U LT. HARGRAVE LT. REES. SGT. JANSEN. F/S. BEDFORD 181T LT. DUGMORE LT. MASTERS 2/LT. MAASDORP. F/S. ROGERS

1943-09-08

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded * RR. and M/YARDS: Railroad and Marshalling Yards. * Hrs LT: Hours Local Time. * G.P.: General Purpose (explosive bombs). * Dets.: Detonators. * ft.: feet. * H.A.A.: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire. * a/c: aircraft. * S/Ls: Searchlights. * Is.: Island. * N.W.: North-West. * PT.: Point. * LT/COL.: Lieutenant Colonel. * CAPT. / LT. / 2/LT. / P/O: Captain / Lieutenant / Second Lieutenant / Pilot Officer. * F/S / SGT: Flight Sergeant / Sergeant. * D.F.C.: Distinguished Flying Cross. Personnel and Command Observations * Lieutenant Colonel J.F. Britz, D.F.C.: The Commanding Officer (C.O.) of No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. personally led this six-aircraft night strike in Baltimore 290C. His D.F.C. acknowledges previous acts of valor or leadership in air operations. * Coordinated Strike: The report notes that other aircraft (likely from the same Wing or a pathfinder unit) dropped flares and started fires at 21:02, providing the visual markers necessary for Britz's formation to drop their 24 x 500 lb G.P. bombs with such precision at night. * Veteran Crews: The list includes experienced officers like Capt. Smit and Lt. Dugmore, who were frequently tasked with the squadron's most technically demanding night intruder and precision missions. Location and Intelligence Analysis * Benevento (Target): A major railway hub in Campania, northeast of Naples. Modern name: Benevento. The specific mention of hitting the town south of the marshalling yards indicates collateral damage in the residential areas adjacent to the rail infrastructure. * Axis Defensive Concentration: Section BE lists a significant ring of defenses around the target area and Naples. * Castellammare di Stabia (CASTELLAMARE): Provided the most accurate H.A.A. fire, focusing ten bursts on a single aircraft. * Salerno (SALERNO): Contributed 20 bursts of H.A.A., which is highly significant as this was the site of the upcoming invasion. * Mt. Vesuvius Area: Axis batteries were even positioned on the slopes of the volcano to engage Allied bomber streams. * Punta Licosa (LICOSA PT.): A prominent headland in Cilento. The "Large fire 10 miles EAST" and the sighting of a "large vessel 15 miles N.W." provided critical intelligence regarding Axis troop movements or naval patrols just offshore from the invasion beaches. Historical Context: The Salerno Invasion Eve * September 7/8, 1943: This precision strike occurred on the very night before Operation AVALANCHE, the massive Allied landings at Salerno. * Strategic Interdiction: The mission's goal was the logistical isolation of the Salerno beachhead. By cratering the Benevento marshalling yards—a key junction for the German 10th Army—the S.A.A.F. aimed to block the rail movement of the 16th Panzer Division and other reinforcements attempting to reach the coast to contest the landings. * The Martin Baltimore: Operating at altitudes between 8,200 and 10,500 feet at night, the Baltimore crews relied on visual flare markers and dead reckoning to navigate the mountainous terrain around Naples. The observation of "blue lights" at Salina Island and "yellow lights" at Lipari (Section BH) shows how the crews used the Aeolian Islands as navigational beacons for the long flight back to Cuticchi, Sicily. 199 The date written in the 'Date' column of target file 276-1__199.jpg is 8/9 Sept 43.