Sortie Report (Form 541)
21 SQUADRON 2nd Raid 4th March, 1945 RAID ON THE DOCK AND HARBOURINSTALLATIONS AT MONFALCONE. pp H. 645989. T/O 1440OPERATION NO. 159/21S/M - OPREP NI. 953 v v v v v v v
513 Hv : Lt.Col.Ord Wells Hodges Smit Forster Bellingan Brink.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
566 S : Lt. Becke Meyer Johnstone Heale Gidlow McCausland[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
577 U : Lt. Batley Long Adams Gillbank Butler Eave[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
561 B : Capt. Musgrove Goble Jordaan Rabie Jones Cook.[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
519 G : Lt. Kriel Markham Gildenhuys Dinn Richardson Sandelands[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "RAMSAY" handwritten above Markham] v v v v v v
550 C : F/O Hanna Parsons Dickenson Oldfield vdBerg Ras[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "Parsons" is struck through with "CALLAGHAN" handwritten above it] v v v v v v v
529 A : Lt. Fraser Mickie Du Plessis Jenner Barrow Richardson[Handwritten tick marks above each name; "Mickie" is struck through] v v v v v v v
575 P : Lt. Ackermann Dore Steenkamp Goodwin Malan Stephen[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
571 R : Lt. Collender Gillam Deane Benson Banfield Suter[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
577 W : Lt. Gough Horne Albertyn Overee SmithT. Mathew[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
535 K : Lt. Reyneke Cordell Teague Hennesey Cloete Tennant[Handwritten tick marks above each name]ANTI-FLAK SHIPSv v v v v v v539 T : Lt. Cloete Blackford Harle Paxton Venter Greijbe[Handwritten tick marks above each name] v v v v v v v
572 J : Lt. Hussey, Quaife Wells Boast Watkinson Kennedy.[Handwritten tick marks above each name]TIMES:- 2.45 for all T + J 3.05[Handwritten "2.45 for all T + J 3.05" next to TIMES]REMARKS:- 2.40[Handwritten "2.40" is struck through next to REMARKS]
Transcriber's Notes
- MONFALCONE
- A strategic port city and shipbuilding hub located in the Gulf of Trieste at the northernmost point of the Adriatic Sea.
- T/O 1440
- Time of Take-Off, 14:40 hours. Operational Context Target File 271-3_107 documents the second operational raid by 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. on 4th March 1945. The objective was the destruction of dock and harbour installations at Monfalcone, a vital Axis maritime logistical hub used for supplying German forces in the Northern Adriatic. This mission was a key component of the broader Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) strategy to achieve total interdiction of Axis supply lines—coordinated with theater-wide efforts like Operation Bingo—to paralyze Heeresgruppe C. The manifest indicates a high-priority, large-scale effort involving twelve aircraft, led by the Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Ord, in Baltimore "Hv" (No. 513). The tactical configuration included two specific aircraft ("T" and "J") assigned to "ANTI-FLAK" duties, underscoring the heavy defensive presence expected at such a critical maritime target. Handwritten marginalia show significant crew adjustments, such as "CALLAGHAN" replacing Parsons in aircraft "C" (No. 550) and "RAMSAY" added to aircraft "G" (No. 519), indicating last-minute substitutions common in high-tempo operations. Strategically, the strike on Monfalcone complemented the Squadron's earlier rail interdiction missions against marshalling yards like Conegliano and Monsantana. By simultaneously targeting rail junctions and maritime docks, the Allies systematically stripped the German defenders of any logistical redundancy. This physical pressure was further augmented by psychological warfare; contemporaneous "Frontpost" leaflets disseminated by Allied aircraft informed the increasingly isolated German troops of the total collapse of the Reich's home front and the loss of major industrial hubs like Krefeld and Cologne. 108 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 6th March '45.
- OPREP NI. 953
- Operational Report number 953.
- ANTI-FLAK SHIPS
- Specialized tactical role assigned to aircraft tasked with suppressing Axis anti-aircraft (AA) batteries, likely those mounted on maritime vessels or positioned along the harbour, to protect the main bombing formation.
[AUTO-CLASSIFIED — VERIFY CATEGORY]
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard Allied aerial ordnance classifications for high-explosive bombs. Though the specific load is not listed in the remarks, typical interdiction of dock installations by 21 Squadron utilized 500 lb or 250 lb GP bombs to ensure maximum structural damage to piers and warehouses.
pp H. 645989: The precise map grid reference (Pinpoint) for the dock and harbour installations target area.