Operation

21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. : RAID ON CONEGLIANO : 19th FEBRUARY, 1945. OPREP No. 936 _ OPERATION NO. 146/21/M. _ TIME OFF :- 1440 hrs. _ _ _ _ _ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

513Hv:Comm Dieu Parsonson vdPutte Durant Mitchell Peckitt ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 639 T:Lt. Collender Gillam Deane Bensen Banfield Suter ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 575 P:Lt. Granger Richardson Bailey Adams Kruger Wood. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 617 W: Lt. Isted Williams Gelb Bedford Botha Collins. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 629 A:Lt. Muir Dale Lister sgt Foster Jones ER Rourke. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 611 L:Lt. Kriel Herne Gildenhuys Dinn F/O Richardson Sandelands ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 474 D:Lt. Stuart Hanna Dickenson Oldfield vd Berg Ras ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 619 G:Lt. Smellie Ramsay Winn Fraser Arthur Howden -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 535 K:Lt. Ackermann Dore Steenkamp Goodwin Malan Stephen ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 621 B:Lt. Kent Watermeyer Albertyn Overee Smith TR Mathew ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 508 N:Lt. Francis Gough Ryan Andrews Laird Rennie -- -- -- -- -- -- -- TOTALS:- 2.50 Hrs. for all. REMARKS:- Results Two Apples obe orange.

1945-02-19

21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F. : RAID ON CONEGLIANO : 19th FEBRUARY, 1945. OPREP No. 936 _ OPERATION NO. 146/21/M. _ TIME OFF :- 1440 hrs. _ _ _ _ _ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 513Hv:Comm Dieu Parsonson vdPutte Durant Mitchell Peckitt ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 639 T:Lt. Collender Gillam Deane Bensen Banfield Suter ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ …

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force. * OPREP: Operational Report. * Comm Dieu: Commandant G.N. Dieu; equivalent to the rank of Major in the SAAF. * F/O: Flying Officer. * CONEGLIANO: A strategic rail and transit hub in the Veneto region, critical for German logistics servicing the Northern Italian front. * Results Two Apples obe orange: Military code utilized in strike reporting; "Apples" typically refers to the primary target being hit by specific formation "boxes," while "Orange" may denote a secondary or adjacent target area hit. * 513Hv, 639 T, etc.: Individual aircraft numbers and identifying letters. * ✓ (Checkmarks): Handwritten marginalia indicating the presence or verification of specific crew members during the mission debrief. Operational Context: The raid of 19 February 1945 on Conegliano marked the resumption of high-tempo operations following a prolonged period of meteorological grounding earlier in the month. This mission was part of "Operation Bingo," the systematic Allied air campaign to paralyze German transit lines in Northern Italy. This late-war logistical strangulation mirrors the tactical landscape of November 1943 during the assault on the Bernhardt Line. In 1943, 21 Squadron—then operating Martin Baltimores—focused on precise interdiction at bottlenecks like the Mignano Gap and grid reference H055630 to isolate German units of the 10. Armee. In 1943, these raids were essential to facilitate an Allied breakthrough into the Liri Valley; by February 1945, using the superior payload of Martin Marauders, the squadron sought to induce a theater-wide logistical collapse of German resources in the Po Valley prior to the final spring offensive. Exhaustion Rule - Interpretation of Marginalia: * Folio Number "87": Stamped archival index number in the upper right quadrant. * Verification Marks: Handwritten checkmarks (✓) are placed above nearly every crew name, signifying their confirmed participation or debrief completion. * Strike-Throughs/Dashes: Dashes are present under the crews of aircraft 619 G and 508 N, likely serving as visual separators in the roster layout. * Typographical Error: The "Remarks" section contains the term "obe," a clerical error for "one". * Archival Mounting: The document is mounted with The National Archives' reference scale and copyright stamp visible on the right-hand board. 37 The following archival entry constitutes a high-fidelity transcription and historical analysis of the specified document from the official war diary of 21 Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF), currently held by The National Archives under reference AIR 27/271/2. Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: The exact date recorded in the heading of the document is 20th FEBRUARY, 1945.