Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Individual medium level bombing attacks on dispersed A/C on KORBA SOUTH L.G. (K 7245) | Time. | Height. | Place. |
R.A.F. Form 441 A."S" 29SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)NIGHT OPERATIONSheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 263 Date. 12/13.4.43 Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 15 Baltimores. First Off:Aircraft No. See reverse side. Captain Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C.Aircraft Letter. " Crew. Capt. Farrant (Observer)See reverse side.Time Up. 1809 hrs. (1st. A/C)Time Down. 21.50 hrs. (Last A/C)Total Time. 38 hrs. 35 mins.Handwritten marginalia: Sqdn. Stationed at SENEM, but operated from Aerodrome at H.Q. HAZBUB MAIN L.G.Over Target:Type of Cloud. --- Map or ChartAmount of Cloud. Nil Reference.Base of Cloud. --- TUNISIAVisibility. Poor (Hazy) 1:500,000General Weather. Fair TUNIS.Task or Duty. Individual medium level bombing attacks on dispersed A/C on KORBA SOUTH L.G. (K 7245)| Time. | Height. | Place. | Narrative. ||---|---|---|---|| 1809 | | HAZBUB | First A/C airborne. || 1824 | 1000 | " | S/C RAS KABOUDIA. Climbing. || 1905 | 7000 | KABOUDIA | S/C RAS MAMOURA. || 1927 | 8500 | MAMOURA | A/C along coast for wadi. || 1934 | 7500 | | Turning on to target from wadi. || 1935 | 7000 | TARGET | Bombed on course of 265 M. || 6500 | | Left hand turn off target out to sea. | || 1958 | 5000 | | S/C MONASTIR. || 2023 | 4000 | MONASTIR | S/C for GABES. || 2105 | 2000 | MARETH | A/C for HAZBUB. 176 M. || 2150 | | HAZBUB | Last A/C landed. |PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34./PMEJ-200.000-3/42 P.T.O.PART "B"BA Dispersed A/C on KORBA SOUTH L.G. (K 7245)BB From 1935 to 2027 hrs.BC Individual medium level bombing attacks from 6/8000 ft.84 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods) (One A/C in trouble had to returnto base, and jettisoned its six bombs into the sea.)BD The aerodrome was very hard to distinguish owing to bad visibilitywith the result that the majority of the bombs were dropped onETA, from the WADI CHIBA. All bombs fell in and around the targetarea. One small fire started.BE 2 H.A.A. guns seen firing, one from the EAST and one from theWEST side of the L.G. Spasmodic and inaccurate.(One A/C off course, crossing the coast on the K 50 Northing, sawfairly intense HAA from the MENZEL HEURR area.)BF Nil.BG Nil.BH Large fire seen from Ste. MARIE du ZIT L.G.List of A/C and Crews:940 V Lt.Col. Coppen D.F.C., Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Tyne.108 B Maj. Barnby D.F.C., Lt. Evans, Lt. Sandilands & F/Sgt. Lotter.176 YY Maj. Jendrell, Lt. Christie, F/Sgts. Morley & Abraham.271 F Capt. Mouton, Lt. Simon, F/Sgts. Carr & Wisenberg.903 O Lt. Eaton, Lt. Floor, F/Sgts. le Roux & Gildon (RAF)179 A Capt. Budd, Sgt. Smallman (RAF), F/O Cornelius (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Woods.142 P Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff.877 J Lt. Gardener, Lt. Kerr, F/Sgts. Pearce & Green.259 X Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.930 K Lt. Hotchkiss, Lt. Morrell, F/Sgts. Mamet & Mills.916 SS Lt. Smith, Lt. Arnold, Sgt. Freestone (RNZAF), & F/Sgt. Viljoen.187 G Lt. Carlisle, Lt. Webber, F/Sgts. Schumann & Waldek.918 T Lt. Carr, Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgts. Toms & Wright.977 L Lt. Meredith, Lt. Sass, F/Sgts. Smith S.C. & O'Regan.226 H Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup.[Handwritten Signature]S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.PART "B"BA Dispersed A/C on KORBA SOUTH L.G. (K 7245)BB From 1935 to 2027 hrs.BC Individual medium level bombing attacks from 6/8000 ft.84 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods) (One A/C in trouble had to returnto base, and jettisoned its six bombs into the sea.)BD The aerodrome was very hard to distinguish owing to bad visibilitywith the result that the majority of the bombs were dropped onETA, from the WADI CHIBA. All bombs fell in and around the targetarea. One small fire started,BE 2 H.A.A. guns seen firing, one from the EAST and one from theWEST side of the L.G. Spasmodic and inaccurate.(One A/C off course, crossing the coast on the K 50 Northing, sawfairly intense HAA from the MENZEL HEURR area.)BF Nil.BG Nil.BH Large fire seen from Ste. MARIE du ZIT L.G.List of A/C and Crews:940 V Lt.Col. Coppen D.F.C., Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Tyne.108 B Maj. Barnby D.F.C., Lt. Evans, Lt. Sandilands & F/Sgt. Lotter.176 YY Maj. Jendrell, Lt. Christie, F/Sgts. Morley & Abraham.271 F Capt. Mouton, Lt. Simon, F/Sgts. Carr & Wisenberg.903 O Lt. Eaton, Lt. Floor, F/Sgts. le Roux & Gildon (RAF)179 A Capt. Budd, Sgt. Smallman (RAF), F/O Cornelius (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Woods.142 P Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff.877 J Lt. Gardener, Lt. Kerr, F/Sgts. Pearce & Green.259 X Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.930 K Lt. Hotchkiss, Lt. Morrell, F/Sgts. Mamet & Mills.916 SS Lt. Smith, Lt. Arnold, Sgt. Freestone (RNZAF), & F/Sgt. Viljoen.187 G Lt. Carlisle, Lt. Webber, F/Sgts. Schumann & Waldek.918 T Lt. Carr, Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgts. Toms & Wright.977 L Lt. Meredith, Lt. Sass, F/Sgts. Smith S.C. & O'Regan.226 H Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup.[Handwritten Signature]S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.
Transcriber's Notes
- 21 SAAF
- No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
- Baltimores
- Martin Baltimore Mk. III light bombers, Twin-Engine aircraft utilized for tactical medium-level bombardment.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- SENEM
- Landing Ground Senem, Tunisia, the squadron's primary forward operating base during the April 1943 offensive.
- S/C
- Set Course.
- H.Q. R.A.F. M.E
- Headquarters Royal Air Force Middle East. Operational Context The mission conducted on the night of 12/13 April 1943 represents a strategic escalation of the Desert Air Force’s "air blitz" targeting Axis air capabilities on the Cape Bon peninsula. Following the Allied liberation of Sfax on 10 April, Axis forces—the German 1st Italian Army and Afrika Korps—were being compressed into a final bridgehead in northern Tunisia. Korba South Landing Ground served as a vital staging point for Axis aircraft attempting to provide air cover for the retreating ground columns and maintain supply lines from Sicily. Tactically, the squadron demonstrated high mobility by "leapfrogging" its 15 Martin Baltimores from Senem to Hazbub Main for the night operation. The individual attacks were conducted from altitudes of 7,000–8,500 feet. Despite "Poor (Hazy)" visibility that required aircrews to fix their positions using the Wadi Chiba landmark, the formation successfully delivered 84 General Purpose bombs equipped with extension rods ("daisy cutters") onto the dispersed Axis aircraft. The observation of fire and spasmodic anti-aircraft response confirms that the mission disrupted Axis reorganization. This nocturnal strike was critical in maintaining the 24-hour pressure necessary to degrade the Luftwaffe's remaining operational strength before the final Allied drive toward Tunis. 40 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 12/13.4.43 (derived from Sortie Report Part A for Oprep Ref. No. 263). Phase 2: Technical Expansion
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force standardized Sortie Report form utilized to record the tactical and navigational specifics of individual combat missions.
Oprep. Ref. No. 263: Operational Report reference number, connecting this night strike to the formal intelligence summary for the period.
Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C.: Lieutenant Colonel C.E. Coppen, the Commanding Officer of 21 Squadron, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
KORBA SOUTH L.G. (K 7245): Korba South Landing Ground, an Axis tactical airfield located on the eastern coast of the Cape Bon peninsula.