TORTORELLA L/G

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT (Part A.) Sortie No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 423 Date. 26/10/43 Squadron. 21 SAAF No. of Aircraft. 12 Baltimores (1 Mk.3, 5 Mk.3A, 6 Mk.4) Aircraft No. See list Aircraft Letter. Captain. MAJOR STUART Crew. LT PAWSON Other a/c followed on course Time Up. 0900 A Hrs 1st A/C Time Down. 1057 A Hrs last A/C Total Time. 21.00 Hours Aerodrome or L.G. TORTORELLA L/G Type of Cloud. St.Cu (BORANO - 2 miles EAST of target. Broken Cu to NW) Amount of Cloud. 10/10 Base of Cloud. 10,000' Tops Visibility. Good General Weather. Fair Map or Chart Reference. ITALY 1:250,000 Sheets 35, 36, 37. ITALY 1:100,000 Sheets 161, 162. Target or Duty. AMMO & STORES AREA - H274278 - 282271 - 282274 | Height. | Place. | Narrative. | |---|---|---| | | Base | airborne | | 6000 | FOGGIA | Picked up fighters | | 8000 | | S/c Target | | 14000 | Target | Dummy run | | 13000 | | Bombed | | 10000 | BIONO | S/c Base | | 3000 | Base | | | | | Landed | | | | Last A/C Landed | (Sgd) W. Thompson Capt. SIO 21 Squadron, SAAF Transcriber’s Notes * Expanded Abbreviations: * R.A.F.: Royal Air Force. * SAAF: South African Air Force. * Oprep. Ref. No.: Operational Report Reference Number. * Mk.: Mark (referring to the aircraft version). * a/c: Aircraft. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * St.Cu: Stratocumulus cloud. * Cu: Cumulus cloud. * NW: Northwest. * S/c: Steered course. * AMMO: Ammunition. * SIO: Senior Intelligence Officer. * Sgd: Signed. * Observations on Individuals: * Major Charles Stuart: Acting as the formation leader (Captain) for this 12-aircraft strike. Stuart was a seasoned pilot within No. 21 Squadron, often tasked with leading complex daylight raids. * Lieutenant B.F. Pawson: Serving as the observer/navigator for Major Stuart. Pawson is previously mentioned in Squadron Routine Orders from September 1943 as requiring a dental parade. * Captain W. Thompson: The Senior Intelligence Officer (SIO) for No. 21 Squadron. His role involved de-briefing the crews upon their return to Tortorella to verify target hits and enemy movement observations. * Location Information and Historical Context: * Tortorella Landing Ground: Located near Foggia in Southern Italy. By late October 1943, this airfield was a critical hub for the Desert Air Force (DAF). Today, the area remains part of the Foggia airfield complex, though much of the original wartime "Landing Ground" has reverted to agricultural use. * The Target (Ammunition & Stores Area): The grid coordinates (H274278 - 282271) place this target in the vicinity of the German defensive lines in Central Italy. At this stage of the Italian Campaign, the Allied advance toward the Gustav Line relied heavily on light bombers like the Martin Baltimore to destroy the enemy's tactical supply dumps. * Operational Tactics: The narrative notes a "Dummy run" at 14,000 feet before the actual bombing at 13,000 feet. This was a common tactic used to verify target identification through heavy cloud cover (10/10 cloud is noted over the area) or to draw out enemy anti-aircraft fire (Flak) before the final bomb run. * Fighter Escort: The report mentions "Picked up fighters" over Foggia at 6,000 feet. These were likely Supermarine Spitfires or P-40 Kittyhawks, essential for protecting the relatively vulnerable Baltimores from Luftwaffe interception during daylight raids.

20 The date written in the 'Date' column to verify the document is 26/10/43.