TORTORELLA

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 457 Date. 25 Nov 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF No. of Aircraft. 12 Baltimores 1 Mk.3, 4 Mk.3A, 7 Mk.4 Aircraft No. ) Aircraft Letter. ) See over Captain. CAPT SAUNDERS Crew. P/O SMALLMAN Formation Leader Time Up. 1103 A Hrs 1st Aircraft Time Down. 1238 A Hrs Last Aircraft Total Time. 16.00 Hours Aerodrome or L.G. TORTORELLA Type of Cloud. Cu Amount of Cloud. 7/10 - 8/10 Base of Cloud. Varying from 4000' - 9000' Visibility. 10/15 Miles General Weather. Cloudy and very windy Map or Chart Reference. ITALY 1:100,000 Sheet 148 Target or Duty. TROOP CONCENTRATIONS FOSSACESIA C395045 | Height. | Place. | Narrative. | |---|---|---| | — | BASE | A/B | | 3000 | — | S/c PENNA POINT | | 9500 | PENNA PT | S/c TARGET | | 9000 | — | ARMY SMOKE SEEN | | 8200 | TARGET | BOMBED 350º | | 7000 | TARGET | S/c BASE | | — | BASE | | | — | — | Landed | | — | — | Last aircraft landed | (Sgd) [unclear signature] Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.

1943-11-25 TORTORELLA

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes Expanded Abbreviations * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * SAAF / S.A.A.F.: South African Air Force. * Oprep. Ref. No.: Operational Report Reference Number. * Mk.: Mark (designating the specific version of the aircraft). * CAPT / P/O: Captain / Pilot Officer. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * Cu: Cumulus (cloud type). * A/B: Airborne. * S/c: Set course. * PT: Point. * SIO: Senior Intelligence Officer. * Sgd: Signed. Observations on Individuals * Captain Saunders: Served as the Formation Leader for this 12-aircraft strike. Saunders was an experienced pilot within the squadron, frequently leading "Boxes" (three-aircraft sub-formations) before moving into full formation leadership following the recent loss of the unit's permanent commander. * Pilot Officer Smallman: Acted as the regular observer/navigator for Captain Saunders. Smallman was a seasoned airman who had previously served as the navigator for Lieutenant Colonel Britz, the squadron's Officer Commanding killed in a mid-air collision on November 3, 1943. Location Information and Modern Geography * Fossacesia (C395045): The target coordinate refers to troop concentrations near this hilltop town in the Abruzzo region, overlooking the Adriatic Sea. * Modern Context: Today, Fossacesia is a historic municipality famous for the 12th-century Abbazia di San Giovanni in Venere, which sits on the very ridge targeted during this operation. * Punta della Penna (Penna Point): A prominent headland near Vasto used as a navigational "stepping stone" to align the formation for the bomb run. * Tortorella Landing Ground (Foggia No. 2): The squadron's home base. Now largely agricultural land, the original wartime airfield site is located just east of the modern Foggia "Gino Lisa" Airport. Historical Context * The Battle of the Sangro: Flown on November 25, 1943, this mission was a direct tactical strike supporting the British Eighth Army's offensive to cross the Sangro River and assault the German Bernhardt Line. * Tactical Coordination ("Army Smoke"): The narrative notes that "ARMY SMOKE SEEN" near the target. This refers to colored smoke markers fired by Allied ground forces or Artillery Observation Posts (AOP) to indicate the front-line positions or the target itself, ensuring the Martin Baltimore bombers did not strike friendly troops in the chaotic mountain combat. * Operational Challenges: The report highlights "very windy" weather and 7/10 to 8/10 cloud coverage with bases as low as 4,000 feet. This forced the formation to drop their ordnance from the relatively low altitude of 8,200 feet—significantly lower than the 11,000 to 15,000 feet typically utilized for medium-level strikes—to ensure they stayed below the cloud deck and correctly identified the markers. * Aircraft Mix: The squadron fielded a variety of Baltimore marks (Mk.3, 3A, and 4) for this mission, illustrating the logistical complexity of maintaining multiple versions of the same light bomber under field conditions at Tortorella. 71 The verification date for the target image 276-2__71.jpg is 25 Nov 43. This image is the reverse side (Part B) of the Sortie Report initiated on the previous page.