Sortie Report (Form 541)
R.A.F. Form 441 A.SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)NIGHT OP.I102Sheet No.Oprep. Ref. No. 372Date. 10/11 Aug 43Squadron. 21 SAAF ADVType of Aircraft. 4 BALTIMORES. (2 Mk 3, 2 Mk 3A)Aircraft No. ) as per listAircraft Letter. )Leader of formation.Captain CAPT. ORD.Crew. LT. HODGES.Other aircraft followed similar courses at 10 minute intervals.Time Up. 2012 hrs LT 1st aircraftTime Down. 2300 hrs LT last aircraftTotal Time. 7 hrs 20 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. HALFAR & LUCAType of Cloud. S/Cu.Amount of Cloud. 2/10 ) over NORTH SICILY only.Base of Cloud. 8000 ft )Visibility. FairGeneral Weather. FairMap or Chart Reference.1:500,000 SICILIANE 36/12Task or Duty. BOMBING ATTACK ROAD LINGUAGLOSSA to D0048| Time | Height | Place | Narrative ||---|---|---|---|| 2012 | | Halfar | Airborne. S/c NW coast GOZO. || 2029 | 1500 | NW Coast Gozo | S/c GELA. || 2051 | 10000 | Gela | S/c NICOSIA || 2107 | 13000 | Nicosia | S/c LINGUAGLOSSA. || 2120- | | | || 2123 | 12000 | Target | Bombed road LINGUAGLOSSA to D 0048 || | 11000 | D0048 | S/c NICOSIA || 2136 | 9000 | Nicosia | S/c GELA || 2145 | 5000 | Gela | S/c GOZO || 2205 | 1200 | Western Gozo | S/c FILFLA || 2212 | 1000 | Filfla | S/c LUCA || 2213 | | Luca | Over BASE || 2228 | | | Landed. || 2300 | | | Last aircraft landed. |(Signature: J. S. Bester) Capt.SIO. 21 SQUADRON SAAF.
Transcriber's Notes
- R.A.F
- Royal Air Force.
- NIGHT OP
- Night Operation.
- Oprep. Ref. No
- Operational Report Reference Number.
- SAAF ADV
- South African Air Force Advanced (Headquarters).
- Mk
- Mark (referring to the aircraft variant).
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- S/Cu
- Stratocumulus (cloud type).
- S/c
- Set course (navigation shorthand).
- Nicosia
- A major town in central Sicily used as a high-altitude navigational waypoint (13,000 feet). It provided a secure Initial Point (IP) to align the aircraft for the final bomb run into the heavily defended volcanic sector.
- Filfla
- A small, uninhabited islet south of Malta. It served as a final visual waypoint at 1,000 feet for crews returning to the Malta airfields, ensuring they were aligned with the correct approach corridors.
Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded
hrs LT: hours Local Time.
ft: feet.
Linguaglossa to D 0048: The target was a specific segment of the road network north of Mount Etna. Linguaglossa (modern name unchanged) was a vital nodal point on the Circumetnea rail and road routes. By August 10, it served as a key lateral connection for Axis forces retreating toward the northeastern coast.