Sortie Report (Form 541)
APPENDIX "U"123From : S.I.O. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.To : H.Q. M.A.A.F. ( Attention Operation Records)H.Q. M.A.T.A.F. ( Scoru)W.I.O. 3 WING S.A.A.F.Ref. : 21S/975Date : 24th March, 1945Oprep No. 975 for the period ending 2100 hrs. on the 23rd March, 1945Ref. Map Yugoslavia 1:100,000 sheet Y3 -Operation No. 177/21S/M.A : 10 Marauders (4-3-3) airborne from Jesi L/G between 1050 -1430 hrs to attack St. VEIT M/Yards(AUSTRIA) pp R(D)288957.Formation set course from Cervia at 1142 hrs. with anescort of 8 Mustangs.The three boxes were over target at 1240 hrs. and bombedfrom 13000' on courses between 210° and 320°. All threeboxes straddled M/Yards (pp D290957 - 288959) with anexcellent concentrated pattern. Direct hits were scored on [XXXX]buildings, trucks and tracks causing an explosion amongsttrucks in the northern portion the yards. 1 x 250 lbs.bomb hung-up - jettisoned. Weather over target clear,visibility good( 20 - 25 miles). No enemy opposition.Window and pamphlets dispensed.B : (1) 10 Marauders III (ii) NilC : (1) & (ii) NilD : (1) 35.00 (ii) NilE : (1) 34,000 x .50 (11) & (111) NilF : (1) 60 x 500 Fused:- (11) 60 x 500 (111) 1 x 250 (1v) Nil40 x 250 30-51 Tail 39 x 25025 Pkts Pamphlets180 Lbs WindowG : NilW : (1) 1 Marauder III (ii) NilX : (1) 3.00 Hrs. (ii) NilY to Z : Nil[Signed] S. L. BoschoffCapt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON S.A.A.F.Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps:
Folio Number: 123 (Handwritten, Top Right).
Reference Stamp:The National Archives' reference AIR 27/271/3
Transcriber's Notes
- S.I.O
- Squadron Intelligence Officer. Captain S. L. Boschoff was tasked with aircrew debriefing and compilation of OPREP data.
- Jesi L/G
- Jesi Landing Ground, Italy; the operational base for 21 Squadron in March 1945.
- Mustangs
- North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft provided for close escort duties.
- Window
- Chaff; strips of aluminum foil (180 lbs dispensed) used to saturate German radar-directed defenses. Operational Context Target File 271-3_43 chronicles Operation No. 177/21S/M, a 10-aircraft strike launched on March 23, 1945, against the St. Veit Marshalling Yards in Austria. By March 1945, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were executing Operation Bingo, a theater-wide interdiction campaign designed to achieve the total logistical paralysis of German Heeresgruppe C in Northern Italy by systematically severing all supply and escape routes through the Alpine passes and into Austrian territory. St. Veit, situated north of the Italian border, was a vital strategic node for Axis materiel withdrawing from the front. This methodology represents the strategic maturation of interdiction principles established during the 1943 battles for the Bernhardt and Gustav Lines. In November 1943, 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. 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 strategic isolation. The St. Veit raid involved sophisticated coordination, utilizing a close escort of 8 Mustangs from Cervia. The report highlights the high tactical success of the mission: under clear meteorological conditions, all three boxes straddled the target with an "excellent concentrated pattern," scoring direct hits on buildings, trucks, and tracks, and triggering secondary explosions in the northern portion of the yards. The formation integrated kinetic destruction with non-kinetic psychological warfare (25 packets of pamphlets) and technical electronic warfare (180 lbs of Window) to dismantle the crumbling Axis logistical depth during the final Allied spring offensive. 44
13000: The altitude in feet from which the strike photograph was captured.
MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard high-explosive ordnance, typically 500 lb and 250 lb variants, carried by SAAF crews to destroy physical industrial infrastructure and rolling stock.