Operation

APPENDIX "BBB" 287 TO : H.Q. MAAF (attention 23rd SCORU) H.Q. NATAF (attention 2nd Command Unit 23rd SCORU) SAOA SAAF FROM : SIO 21 SQUADRON SAAF REF : 21S/699 DATE : 31st May, 1944 OPREP No. 699 for the period ending 1300 Hrs on the 31st May, 1944 REF MAP : YUGOSLAVIA 1:100,000 SHEET 79 JAJCE 12 Baltimores airborne at 1005 Hrs. from BIFERNO L/G. to bomb MRKONJICGRAD TOWN (L 450410). They arrived on schedule over VIS L/G. at 1050 Hrs. where they were expected to meet a close escort of 6 Spitfires. They set course from VIS at 1102 Hrs. without escort and flew for five minutes towards BRAC Island. The escort not having arrived, the formation returned to base as prudent limit of endurance did not allow to wait any longer for the escort and to proceed with the operation. Three friendly fighters were identified in the vicinity at 1119 Hrs. All A/C. landed back at 1153 Hrs, having jettisoned delay-action bombs into the sea. Weather clear. B. (i). 5 Balt. Mk iv. (ii). NIL. (i) 7 Balt. Mk. v (ii) NIL. C. (i) & (ii) NIL. (i) & (ii) NIL. D. (i) 8.20 Hrs. (ii). NIL. (i) 11.40 Hrs. (ii). NIL. E. (i). 16000 x .30 1500 x .303 3500 x .50 (ii) & (iii) NIL. (i). 22400 x .30 2100 x .303 4900 x .50 (ii) & (iii) NIL. F. (i) 10 x 500 M.C. 15 x 250 G.P. (ii) NIL (iii) 4 x 250 GP. 52-37 Tail (iv). NIL (i). 14 x 500 M.C. 21 x 250 G.P. (ii) NIL (iii) 7 x 250 GP. 52-37 Tail (iv) NIL. 12 x 250 fused 52-37 Tail (6 and 12 Hrs. delay) Remainder fused 49-27 Nose. 36-28 Tail G to Z. NIL. Hallick Capt. S.I.O. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. FL Lt Col Jandrell DFC

1944-05-31

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Historical & Tactical Notes: * Aborted Mission (The Escort Failure): * Rendezvous Point: The mission was designed to strike Mrkonjić Grad (spelled MRKONJICGRAD), a town in central Bosnia (modern-day Republika Srpska). The flight plan required a rendezvous with "a close escort of 6 Spitfires" over the island of Vis (VIS L/G). Vis was the vital "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for the Allies in the Adriatic. * The Decision to Abort: The formation waited over Vis from 10:50 to 11:02, even flying five minutes toward Brač Island (BRAC Island) hoping to spot the fighters. The Squadron Leader (Lt. Col. Jandrell) made the difficult command decision to abort based on the "prudent limit of endurance." Flying deep into Yugoslavia without escort was suicide (as seen in previous days), and waiting any longer would have consumed the fuel needed for the return trip across the Adriatic. * Operational Safety (Jettisoning Bombs): * Delay-Action Danger: The report notes they landed "having jettisoned delay-action bombs into the sea.". The payload included "12 x 250 fused... (6 and 12 Hrs. delay)." These chemical time-delay fuses (likely Type No. 37, indicated by "52-37 Tail") were notoriously unstable once armed or subjected to the vibration of flight. Landing a bomber with live time-delay bombs was strictly forbidden due to the risk of them detonating on the runway or hours later in the dispersal bays. Therefore, they had to be dumped safely in the ocean before landing. * Targeting the Partisan War: * Mrkonjić Grad: This town was a significant flashpoint in the war between the Yugoslav Partisans and the Axis forces (Germans and Chetniks/Ustaše). Allied air support in this region was often coordinated with Partisan ground offensives to dislodge fortified garrisons. * Abbreviations: * L/G: Landing Ground. * M.C.: Medium Capacity (High Explosive). * G.P.: General Purpose. * S.I.O.: Squadron Intelligence Officer. * DFC: Distinguished Flying Cross. 78 Verification: Target File Verification: The document is dated 1st June, 1944 in the "DATE" field. It is a Sortie Report (No. 700) labeled APPENDIX "CCC" (page number 288), detailing the mission flown on the afternoon of May 31st, 1944.