Sortie Report (Form 541)
BA. REGALBUTO VILLAGE.BB. 0953 hrs LT.BC. Medium level bombing.12000 ft. Course 345°72 x 250 GP 47 Det 27 Pistol (Nose fused).BD. NO movement seen in target area on arrival. The SW area of target was covered in a good pattern. A large corner building in centre of village, and other buildings received direct hits.BE. NIL.BF. NIL.BG. Obliques and Verticals of bomb bursts.215 IAS 12000 ft.BH. (i) 4 MT on Main road EAST of town.(ii) 3 Railway trucks in station.(iii) Newly dug in positions NORTH of village.LIST OF AIRCRAFT AND CREW.903 B Major CORMACK, Lt. LOMBAARD, F/Sgt. FINBERG, 2/Lt. VILJOEN. (L)136 M Lts. DUGMORE & MASTERS, F/Sgts. MAASDORP & ROGERS.341 L Lts. WILLNOTT & BORCHERDS, F/Sgts. LOOTS & WALBRIDGE.290 C Lts. BLIEDEN & ROSE, F/Sgts. JARVIS & PERKINS.179 A Lts. ASKEW & LAMBERT, F/Sgt. GELDENHUYS, Sgt. CRAWHALL.195 G Lts. FROST & WHITE, F/Sgt. CARTER, Sgt. ALLAN.108 O Capt. SMIT, Lt. KAY, 2/ Lt. TOMS & WRIGHT.173 P Capt. SAUNDERS, Lt. BOOYSE, F/Sgt. MOORE, Sgt. EARP-JONES.344 X Major COULL, Sgt. SMALLMAN (RhoA), 2/Lt. SHAW, F/Sgt. STRYDOM.181 T Lts. SIMPSON & HARLE, F/Sgt. ROBERTS & SHEPPERSON.221 Y Lts. RICHARDS & de CONNICK, F/Sgt. ROBERTSE, Sgt. McGRINDLE.951 V Lts. SMYTH & MANNING, F/Sgt. de PIESANI, Sgt. LEISCHING.
Transcriber's Notes
- LT
- Local Time.
- GP
- General Purpose (bombs).
- Det
- Detonator.
- SW
- South-West.
- IAS
- Indicated Air Speed.
- MT
- Motor Transport.
Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded
ft: feet.
(L): Leader (of formation).
(RhoA): Rhodesian Air Force. Personnel Observations
Flown on July 26, 1943 (D+16), this raid directly supported the ground forces of the British 8th Army, specifically the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the British 78th Division, who were in the process of assaulting Regalbuto.