2 x 250 hung up - brought back. Slight inaccurate

APPENDIX "JJ" 268 TO : H.Q. MAAF (attention 23rd SCORU) H.Q. NATAF (attention 2nd Command Unit 23rd SCORU) SAOA SAAF FROM : SIO 21 SQUADRON SAAF REF : 21S/685 DATE : 24th May, 1944 OPREP No. 685 for period ending 21.00 hrs on the 23rd May, 1944 REF MAP : ITALY 1:100,000 SHEET 158 LITTORIA 12 Balts off from BIFERNO at 0530 to attack road and rail junctions near CISTERNA . With 223 Sqdn leading, formation set course at 0543 and arrived over target area at 0634. One A/c returned after 50 mins. with engine trouble. First box briefed to bomb G032318 but due to target being obscured by 8/10 cloud the box did not bomb. One A/c jettisoned load out to sea on return. Moderate fairly H/A/A encountered, 2 A/c holed. Second box detailed to attack G023322. Due to cloud, leader intended to do a dummy run, but on opening bomb-doors the bombs fell out and remainder of box jettisoned on leader, concentrated pattern falling at G020318 a few hundred yards S.W. of target. 2 x 250 hung up - brought back. Slight inaccurate H/A/A. All A/c down by 0750. B: (i) 7 Balts IV (ii) NIL (i) 5 Balts V (ii) NIL C: NIL D: (i) 14.50 hrs (ii) NIL (i) 11.40 hrs (ii) NIL E: (i) 22400 x .30 2100 x .303 4900 x .50 (ii) & (iii) NIL (iv) NIL (i) 16000 x .30 1500 x .303 3500 x .50 (ii) & (iii) NIL (iv) NIL F: (i) 42 x 250 G.P. (ii) 14 x 250 (iii) NIL (iv) NIL Fused: 49 - 27 Nose, 36 - 28 Tail (i) 30 x 250 G.P. (ii) 16 x 250 (iii) 6 x 250 (iv) NIL to V: NIL W: (i) 2 Balts IV (ii) NIL (i) 0.45 Hrs (ii) NIL (i) 1 Balt V (ii) NIL (i) 0.15 Hrs (ii) NIL to Z: NIL Hallick Capt S.I.O., 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F. FL: Major de Wet

1944-05-24

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Historical & Tactical Notes: * The Anzio Breakout (Cisterna): * Strategic Context: The target was "road and rail junctions near CISTERNA". This mission on May 23, 1944, coincides perfectly with the start of Operation Buffalo, the breakout from the Anzio beachhead. The US VI Corps launched their main attack towards Cisterna at 06:30 that morning—exactly when 21 Squadron arrived over the target area (06:34). The mission was timed to disrupt German reinforcements rushing to the front lines just as the American tanks began their assault. * Map Reference: "Sheet 158 LITTORIA" refers to the area of the Pontine Marshes south of Rome, where the Anzio beachhead was located. * Tactical Failure ("Dummy Run" Disaster): * The Incident: The second box experienced a critical failure. The leader, seeing cloud cover, "intended to do a dummy run" (a practice pass without releasing bombs). However, "on opening bomb-doors the bombs fell out". This suggests either a mechanical fault in the electrical fusing/release system or pilot error (arming the release switches before opening doors). * Chain Reaction: Following standard formation bombing doctrine ("bomb on leader"), the "remainder of box jettisoned on leader." This resulted in the entire payload falling "a few hundred yards S.W. of target," wasting the sortie's effort at a critical moment in the ground battle. * Early Morning Sortie: * Takeoff: The squadron took off at 05:30, essentially at first light. This early start was necessary to synchronize with the dawn offensive at Anzio. * Leadership: * Major de Wet: The flight leader is identified as Major de Wet. He was likely leading the formation in conjunction with 223 Squadron, highlighting the multi-squadron effort required for such a major offensive. * Abbreviations: * H/A/A: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire. * G.P.: General Purpose bomb. * S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer. * S.W.: South West. * A/c: Aircraft. 57 Verification: Target File Verification: The document is dated 24th May, 1944 in the "DATE" field. It is a Sortie Report (No. 686) labeled APPENDIX "KK" (page number 269), detailing the mission flown on the afternoon of May 24th, 1944.