| TORTORELLA |

SORTIE REPORT (Part A) R.A.F. Form 441 A. BB 51 | [Header Columns] | [Content] | |---|---| | Sheet No. | 1 | | Oprep. Ref. No. | 534 | | Date | 28 Jan 44 | | Squadron | 21 SAAF | | Type of Aircraft | 12 Baltimores (1 Mk.3a, 11 Mk.4) | | Aircraft No. | See over | | Aircraft Letter | | | Captain | MAJOR ORD. | | Crew | LT HODGES | | | Formation Leader | | Time Up | 0749 A Hrs 1st a/c | | Time Down | 0955 A Hrs last a/c | | Total Time | 23.00 Hours | | Aerodrome or L.G. | TORTORELLA | | Type of Cloud | 5/10-6/10 Strata.Cu Base to bombline 7500' Tops | |---|---| | Amount of Cloud | 6/10-7/10 High cloud target area | | Base of Cloud | 15000/20000' | | Visibility | 30/40 miles | | General Weather | Good | | Map or Chart Reference | ITALY 1:100,000 Sheet 146 SULMONA | |---|---| | Task or Duty | POPOLI ROAD JUNCTION - G863968 | |---|---| | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 0749 | | BASE | a/b | | 0807 | 3000 | BASE | S/c APRICENA | | 0817 | 6500 | APRICENA | S/c 3 miles SOUTH of ST. DOMINO | | 0824 | 9000 | 3 mls S. ST.DOMINO | S/c TERMOLI | | 0831 | 10500 | TERMOLI | Made one circuit | | 0843 | 13000 | TERMOLI | S/c CASOLI | | 0853 | 13300 | CASOLI | S/c POPOLI | | 0901 | 10300 | POPOLI | On bombing run Co.350°M. | | 0901 | 10000 | POPOLI | S/c CASOLI | | 0908 | 10000 | CASOLI | S/c BASE | | 0930 | 2500 | BASE | Over Base | | 0955 | | | Last a/c landed | [Signature Block] (Signed) [Signature unreadable - likely Capt Wahl?] Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F. PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F.,M.E.Instruction.34. P.T.O.

1944-01-28 | TORTORELLA |

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes: * Sortie Report 534 (Popoli Road Junction): The squadron continues its campaign against the Popoli Road Junction (G863968), hitting it for the third time in four days (see Sorties 531 and 533). The persistence confirms this was a high-value choke point for German supply traffic heading north and west. * Complex Flight Plan (St. Domino): The route for this mission was unusually complex compared to the standard "Termoli -> Casoli" run. * Apricena: The formation flew first to Apricena (inland from Foggia). * St. Domino: Then out to sea to "3 miles SOUTH of ST. DOMINO." San Domino is the largest of the Tremiti Islands in the Adriatic. Using an offshore waypoint likely helped assemble the formation away from enemy eyes or avoid congested airspace over the mainland. * Attack Heading (350°): The bombing run was on a heading of 350°M (almost due North). This is a completely different axis of attack compared to the previous day's attempt (075° in Sortie 533) and the Jan 25th raid (050°). Varying the attack angle was a standard tactic to confuse flak gunners and find the optimal line for the bomb pattern relative to the road geometry. * Weather and Visibility: Despite significant cloud cover ("5/10-6/10 Strata.Cu" and "6/10-7/10 High cloud"), visibility was exceptional at "30/40 miles." This allowed the crews to see the target clearly from 10,300 feet. * Major Ord: Major Ord leads the mission again. His stamina as a formation leader in January 1944 is notable, often flying every other day. * Abbreviations: * a/b: Airborne. * S/c: Set Course. * Rv: Rendezvous. * SIO: Squadron Intelligence Officer. 74 Verification: Target File Verification: This document is the reverse side (Part B) of the Sortie Report for January 28th, 1944 (Sortie No. 534). Although there is no "Date" column on this side, the target "POPOLI Road Junction... to create Rd Block" and the "Time over Target" of 0901 A Hrs match the Part A document from the previous image (269-1__73.jpg) dated Jan 28, 1944.