Sortie Report (Form 541)
21 SQUADRON 1st RAID 3rd MARCH, 1945.RAID ON CONEGLIANO M/YARDS, pp B651008 SHEET 38 - CONEGLIANO.T/O 1000 HRS. OPREP No. 951 OPERATION No. 157/21S/M.557571 U: Maj. Dieu Parsonson van de Putte Durrant Mitchell Peckitt.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]537 YY: Lt. Qall Louwrens Kres Douglas Wilson Solomon.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]566 S: Lt. Becke Meyer Harle Heale Gidlow McCausland.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]561570 B: Lt. Muir Dale Lister sgt Foster Jones E. Rourke.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]513 Hv: Capt. Musgrove Goble Jordaan Rabie Capt. Jones Cook.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]519 G: Lt. Ryeneke Cordohl Teague Hennesey Cleete Tennant[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "Calaghan" handwritten between Cordohl and Teague]550 C: Lt. Fraser Miskis du Plessis Jenner Barrow Richardson[Handwritten tick marks above each name]477 W: Lt. Anderson StuartP/O Webber Steyn McHugh Dodson[Handwritten tick marks above each name]583 V: Lt. Francis van Heldt Smit Andrews Laird Rennie[Handwritten tick marks above each name]474 D: P/O Markham Kriel Gildenhuys Dinn Richardson T.O. Sandelands.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]TIME:-REMARKS.:-[Handwritten marginalia at bottom left of page:]4814921 SQUADRON 1st RAID 4th March 1945.RAID ON Monsantana M/Yards . PP.C.718675 SHEET 40 "A" .T/O. 08.55 Hrs. OQprep No. 952. Operation 158/21S/M. v v v v v Lt Stubbs v v
513 Hv : Maj. Smith Watermeyer Hatswell Arthur wilson wilding.[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "Lt Stubbs" handwritten above wilson] v v v v v v
519 G : F/O Hanna P/OGoble Dickenson Oldfield V.D.Berg Ras.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v
550 C : Lt. Stuart Ramsey O-Hughes Fraser Howden du Plessis.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v
477 N : Lt. Hussey Quaide wells Boast Watkinson Kennedy.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v
577 U : Lt. Batley Long Adams Gillbank Butler Eave.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v Meyer v v v
555 S : Lt. Becke Harle Johnstone Heale Gidlow McCausland. X[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "Meyer" handwritten above Johnstone; "X" handwritten at end of line] v v v v v v
575 P : Lt. Granger Richardson Bailey Adams Kriger wood.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v
561 B : Lt Muir Dale Lister Foster Jones Rouke.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v Blackford v v v
553 V : Lt. Cloete Lt. Naude Paxton Venter Greijbe. X[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "Blackford" handwritten above Paxton; "X" handwritten at end of line] v v v v v v v
537 YY : Lt. Collender Gillam Deane Benson Banfield Suter.[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "2.30" handwritten under Collender]Times:- 25 . 50[Handwritten "25.50" next to Times]Remarks:-[Handwritten marginalia at bottom left of page:]48149
Transcriber's Notes
- CONEGLIANO M/YARDS
- The marshalling yards at Conegliano, a vital railway hub in the Veneto region of Northern Italy.
- T/O 1000 HRS
- Time of Take-Off, 10:00 hours. Operational Context Target File 271-3_105 is an operational flight manifest for the first raid conducted by 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. on 3rd March 1945. The objective was the destruction of the marshalling yards at Conegliano, a strategic juncture located on the rail line between Venice and the Austrian border. This mission was a component of Operation Bingo, the theater-wide Allied interdiction campaign designed to achieve total logistical paralysis of German Heeresgruppe C by systematically severing rail lines and supply routes. By targeting marshalling yards such as those at Conegliano, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) aimed to prevent the redeployment of Axis troops and the flow of ammunition to the frontline. The manifest lists ten aircraft, including aircraft 'U' (No. 571) led by Major Dieu, indicating a squadron-strength effort. The handwritten tick marks above the aircrews' names suggest a post-mission verification of personnel who successfully participated in the sortie. This raid occurred during a period of intense pressure on German forces; contemporaneous reports (e.g., 6th March 1945) indicate that while tactical units like 21 Squadron physically severed transport links, Allied psychological warfare simultaneously informed German troops of the Reich's collapse elsewhere to erode their will to resist. The Conegliano strike represents the physical execution of this dual-pressure strategy, ensuring that the Axis defenses in Italy were physically isolated from their logistical depth. 106
- OPREP No. 951
- Operational Report number 951.
- Monsantana M/Yards
- The marshalling yards at Monsantana. This location served as a tactical railway junction in Northern Italy.
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied aerial ordnance classifications. Although the specific bomb load is not detailed in the "REMARKS" section of this sheet, typical sorties of this nature by 21 Squadron utilized 500 lb or 250 lb GP bombs for rail interdiction.
pp B651008 SHEET 38: Precise map grid reference (Pinpoint) for the target area at Conegliano.
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied aerial ordnance. While the specific bomb load is omitted from the "Remarks" on this manifest, 21 Squadron's interdiction of marshalling yards typically utilized 500 lb or 250 lb GP bombs to maximize rail line and rolling stock destruction.
PP.C.718675 SHEET 40 "A": The precise map grid reference (Pinpoint) used for mission planning and target identification.