| TORTORELLA |

SORTIE REPORT (Part A) R.A.F. Form 441 A. C 20 | [Header Columns] | [Content] | |---|---| | Sortie No. | 1 | | Oprep. Ref. No. | 505 | | Date | 4 Jan 44 | | Squadron | 21 SAAF | | Type of Aircraft | 12 Baltimores 12 Mk. 4 | | Aircraft No. | See over | | Aircraft Letter | See over | | Captain | MAJOR ORD | | Crew | LT HODGES | | Formation Leader | [Blank - aligned with Captain field] | | Time Up | 1258 A Hrs 1st aircraft | | Time Down | 1453 A Hrs last aircraft | | Total Time | 21.00 Hours | | Aerodrome or L.G. | TORTORELLA | | State of Cloud | Alto.St | |---|---| | Amount of Cloud | 9/10 | | Base of Cloud | 20000' | | Visibility | 15 Miles | | General Weather | Good with slight haze | | Map or Chart Reference | ITALY 1:100,000 Sheet 147 LANCIANO | |---|---| | Task or Duty | PRETORO TOWN - C1201 | |---|---| | Time | Height | Place | Narrative | |---|---|---|---| | 1258 | | BASE | A/B | | 1318 | 3000 | BASE | S/C TERMOLI | | 1343 | 11000 | TERMOLI | S/C PENNA PT. | | 1349 | 13500 | PENNA PT. | S/C SANGRO RIVER FORK (H305910) | | 1355 | 15500 | SANGRO R. | S/C TARGET | | 1402 | 15800 | TARGET | Made curcuit to make sure of target | | 1405 | 14200 | PRETORO | On bombing run 010° | | 1405 | 14000 | PRETORO | S/C CASOLI | | 1409 | 11500 | CASOLI | S/C BASE | | 1430 | 2000 | BASE | Over Base | | 1439 | | | Landed | | 1453 | | | Last aircraft landed | [Signature Block] (Signed) [Signature unreadable - similar to "Lt Thompson"?] Lt for Capt S.I.O 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. HQP/1,500,000/4-42 P.T.O.

1944-01-04 | TORTORELLA |

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes: * Sortie Report 505 (Pretoro - Afternoon Raid): This report details the second raid on Pretoro on January 4th, 1944. The earlier morning raid (Sortie 504) had mistakenly bombed Manoppello due to snow obscuring landmarks. This second attempt was led by Major Ord to correct the failure. * Tactical Caution ("Made curcuit"): The narrative explicitly notes: "Made curcuit to make sure of target" at 14:02. This confirms the War Diary entry which stated, "Difficulty was once more experienced in identifying the target, and an additional circuit had to be made." Major Ord, likely aware of the morning's error, took the dangerous step of circling the target area (exposed to flak) to positively identify the town through the snow before committing to the bomb run. * Flight Path: The route was meticulous: Base -> Termoli -> Penna Point -> Sangro River Fork -> Target. This step-by-step approach using distinct geographical waypoints (like the river fork) was designed to aid navigation in the difficult snowy conditions. * Major Ord: The mission commander, Major Ord, had just returned from a month-long liaison trip to England on December 27th. Leading this corrective mission suggests he was immediately stepping back into a key leadership role. * Aircraft Type: The formation consisted entirely of 12 Mk. 4 Baltimores, the most modern variant available to the squadron, ensuring uniform performance. * Weather: Visibility was "15 Miles" with "slight haze" and high cloud cover ("Alto.St" at 20,000 feet), providing decent conditions for the attack, unlike the morning's confusion. 22 Verification: Target File Verification: This document is the reverse side (Part B) of the Sortie Report for January 4th, 1944 (Sortie No. 505), corresponding to the Part A document in the previous image (269-1__21.jpg).