Cloud prevented observation of bomb bursts from

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Date: - 11th MARCH 1945

APPENDIXCONFIDENTIAL.------------------ 110FROM :- S.I.O. NO 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.TO :- H.Q. M.A.A.F. (ATTENTION OPERATIONS RECORDS.)H.Q. M.A.T.A.F.( S.C.O.R.U.)S.A.O.A. ADV. S.A.A.F. H.Q. C.M.F.REF :- 21S/959.DATE :- 11th MARCH 1945.OPREP NO 959 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 2100 HOURS ON THE 10th MARCH 1945.RAID ON ZALOG M/Y pp D 460190 REF MAP YUGOSLAVIA 1,100,00 SHEET NO.11OPERATION NO. 164/21S/M.A : 8 Marauders in 2 boxes of 4 A/C airborne from JESI L/G between1232 and 1552 hours, to bomb the marshalling yards at ZALOGYUGOSLAVIA pp D 460190. After R/V at BELLARIA with escort of8 Spitfires, formation set course for target and bombed at1423 - 1429 hours from 1,000ft. Boxes bombed individually .Bombs from first box straddled choke point at western entranceto target. Cloud prevented observation of bomb bursts fromsecond box, but photographs later revealed that the centre oftarget was straddled.One marauder airborne between 1213 and 1516 hours to find windin target area (ZALOG) and to bomb store sheds at ROTTA NOVA.wind of 339/55 found at 12,000! Bombs undershot target - noshed being hit. No enemy opposition. weather 6/10th Cu. at10,000' over target. Visibility fair to good through gaps.B : (1) 9 Marauders lll (ii) Nil.C : (i) Nil. (ii) Nil.D : (i) 29.05 Hrs. (ii) Nil.E : (i) 30,600 x .5 (ii) Nil. (iii) Nil.F : (i) 54 x 500 lb (ii) 54 x 500lb (iii) Nil. (iv) Nil.36 x 250 lb 36 x 250lb21 Pkts. Pamphlets216 lb "Window"Fused tail only 30-51 (Demo)G to V Nil.W : (i) 2 Marauders lll (ii) Nil.X : (i) 4.05 Hrs. (Training)Nil.Z Nil.[Signed] S.F. Wiggill------------------- LT. CAPTAIN.S.I.O. NO 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps:

Folio Number: 110 (Handwritten, Top Right).

Reference Stamp:

Transcriber's Notes

S.I.O: Squadron Intelligence Officer. Lieutenant Captain S.F. Wiggill was tasked with mission debriefing and OPREP compilation.
S.C.O.R.U: Section for Operational Research and Underlining (or Unit), responsible for analyzing strike accuracy.
JESI L/G: Jesi Landing Ground, Italy; the operational base for 21 Squadron in March 1945.
R/V: Rendezvous; the tactical coordination point at Bellaria for formation assembly with the 8 Spitfire escorts.
Spitfires: Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft provided for top-cover and escort.
Window: Chaff; strips of aluminum foil (216 lb dispensed) used to saturate German radar-directed defenses. Operational Context Target File 271-3_19 chronicles Operation No. 164/21S/M, an 8-aircraft strike launched on March 10, 1945, against the Zalog Marshalling Yards in Yugoslavia. By March 1945, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were executing Operation Bingo, a comprehensive interdiction campaign intended to isolate German Heeresgruppe C by systematically severing the logistical network not only in Northern Italy but also along the transit routes through Yugoslavia. The Zalog site served as a vital "choke point" for Axis material moving into the theater. This methodology represents the strategic maturation of principles established during the 1943 battles for the Bernhardt and Gustav Lines. In November 1943, 21 Squadron SAAF executed high-intensity strikes on localized bottlenecks, such as location H055630, to paralyze German reserves attempting to reach the front. By March 1945, the emphasis had shifted to theater-wide isolation. The report highlights the technical precision of the first box in "straddling" the choke point at the western entrance to the yards. Furthermore, the deployment of a specialized "windfinding" aircraft to find the wind at 12,000 feet illustrates the increased technical sophistication required for precision bombing at altitude. Despite 6/10th cumulus cloud cover, the formation successfully combined kinetic destruction with the non-kinetic distribution of 21 packets of propaganda pamphlets, maintaining relentless pressure on the crumbling Axis logistical depth. 20 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 12th MARCH 1945.