Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Individual medium level bombing attack on Ste MARIE du ZIT L.G. WEST (K 2311) | Time. | Height. | Place. |
R.A.F. Form 441 A."U" 34SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)NIGHT OPERATIONSheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 264 Date. 13/14.4.43 Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft. 15 Baltimores.Aircraft No. See reverse side.Aircraft Letter. "Formation Leader:Captain First A/C Off:Crew. Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.CCapt. Farrant (Observer)See reverse side.(A/C took off at 3/4-minute(intervals.Time Up. 2040 (1st. A/C)Time Down. 0030 (Last A/C)Total Time. 43 hrs. 03 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. HAZBUB MAIN L.G.(Sqdn at SENEM)Over Target:Type of Cloud. ---Amount of Cloud. Nil.Base of Cloud. ---Visibility. Exceptionally poor—much ground haze.General Weather. Poor.Map or Chart Reference.TUNISIA1:500,000TUNIS.Task or Duty. Individual medium level bombing attack on Ste MARIE du ZITL.G. WEST (K 2311)| Time. | Height. | Place. | Narrative. ||---|---|---|---|| 2040 | | HAZBUB | First A/C airborne. || 2000 | " | S/C KNEISS 351 M. | || 2118 | 6000 | KNEISS | S/C 005 M for HAMMAMET. || 2212 | 6500 | | Cloud ahead. Climbing to get above tops. || 2215 | 9000 | | Still in cloud. Visibility poor. Diving to get below || | | cloud. | || 2235 | 7000 | HERGLA | Landfall. Clearer ahead. Climbed to 8000 ft. || 2238 | 8500 | HAMMAMET | Four searchlights and fairly intense flak from point. || 8000 | | NORTH of HAMMAMET and turning on to target. | || 2246 | 7500 | | To NORTH of target. Dummy run. || 2250 | 8000 | HAMMAMET | Turning on to target. || 2254 | 8000 | TARGET | Bombing. || 2258 | | | Off target & S/C KNEISS. || 0030 | | HAZBUB | Last A/C landed. |PART B (on reverse) to be completed according to relevant pro-forma in H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. Instruction 34.PMEJ-200.000-3/42 P.T.O.PART "B"BA Dispersed A/C and MT around Ste. MARIE du ZIT WEST L.G. (K 2311)BB From 2224 hrs. to 2250 hrs.BC Individual medium level bombing attack from 8/9,000 ft.90 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods)BD Owing to very bad visibility the bombs were dropped on ETA afterpinpointing the position at K 2913, where the wadi crosses theroad. Bombs fell in and around the target area. One small firestarted but was quickly extinguished. One medium fire was seenburning and giving off sparks ten minutes after leaving thetarget at 2240 hrs.BE Five searchlights seen around the coast for 8 miles at HAMMAMET(from K 4312 to K 5318) 4 HAA and 3 LAA in same area.Four searchlights operating over target with spasmodic HAA overthe L.G.BF One A/C, 187 G, through very bad visibility was unable to locateHAZBUB MAIN L.G. and ran short of fuel in an endeavour to locatethe coastline and crash land on the beach. All the crew baled outWEST of ZARAT and the A/C crashed at Z 5211 (A/C Cat. 11)Pilot: Lt. J.P. Carlisle Killed (believed to have baled too late)Observer: Lt. E.G. Webber & ~~XX~~ Air Gunner F/Sgt. Waldekslightly injured.W.Op. Air Gunner F/Sgt. Schumann unhurt.BG Nil.BH Large fire seen at ENFIDAVILLE area.List of A/C and Crews:940 V Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C., Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Lyne.108 B Maj. Barnby D.F.C., Lt. Evans, Lt. Sandilands & F/Sgt. Lotter.271 F Capt. Mouton, Lt. Simon, F/Sgts. Carr & Wisenberg.977 L Capt. Budd, Sgt. Smallman (RAF), F/O Cornelius (RCAF), & F/Sgt. Woods.877 J Lt. Gardener, Lt. Kerr, F/Sgts. Pearce & Green.179 A Lt. Hotchkiss, Lt. Morrell, F/Sgts. Mamet & Mills.930 K Lt. Hamilton, Lt. Whittle, F/Sgts. Rogers F.D. & Phelan.187 G Lt. Carlisle, Lt. Webber, F/Sgts. Schumann & Waldek.176 YY Maj. Jandrell, Lt. Christie, F/Sgts. Morley & Abraham.259 X Capt. McBride, Lt. Gibson, F/Sgts. Daniels & White.916 SS Lt. Smith J.H., Lt. Arnold, Sgt. Freestone (RNZAF), & F/Sgt. Viljoen.142 P Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff.918 T Lt. Carr, Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgts. Toms & Wright.957 W Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgts. Purdon & Groenewald.115 M Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. Campbell, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser.[Handwritten Signature]S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.
Transcriber's Notes
- 21 SAAF
- No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
- Baltimores
- Martin Baltimore Mk. III light bombers, Twin-Engine aircraft utilized for tactical medium-level bombardment.
- A/C
- Aircraft. Refers to both the individual Martin Baltimores and the dispersed enemy aircraft targeted on the ground.
- SENEM
- Landing Ground Senem, Tunisia. The squadron's primary forward operating base during the April 1943 offensive.
- S/C
- Set Course.
- KNEISS
- The Kneiss Islands off the eastern coast of Tunisia, used as a navigational waypoint.
- H.Q. R.A.F. M.E
- Headquarters Royal Air Force Middle East. Operational Context The mission conducted on the night of 13/14 April 1943 signifies an intensified phase of the Desert Air Force’s nocturnal campaign against the final Axis bridgehead in Tunisia. Strategically, this strike targeted Sainte-Marie-du-Zit West Landing Ground, a critical hub for Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica operations attempting to provide air cover for the retreating German 1st Italian Army. By maintaining 24-hour pressure on Axis airfields, the Allied command sought to degrade the enemy's remaining tactical mobility and prevent organized evacuation or supply efforts from Sicily. Tactically, the operation encountered significant environmental friction. The narrative documents 15 Martin Baltimores departing Hazbub Main at 3/4-minute intervals. Aircrews faced exceptionally poor visibility characterized by heavy ground haze and unexpected cloud banks between 6,500 and 9,000 feet. The formation leader had to climb to 9,000 feet to clear the cloud tops before diving back to 7,000 feet at the Hergla landfall. Despite four searchlights and intense anti-aircraft fire ("flak") encountered near Hammamet, the individual aircraft successfully identified the target area after a "dummy run" at 2246 hours. While OPREP No. 264 indicates that visibility made assessment difficult, the continued targeting of Zit West illustrates the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) priority to isolate and neutralize Axis air strength during the concluding stages of the North African campaign. 48 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 13/14.4.43 (derived from Sortie Report Part A for Oprep Ref. No. 264). Phase 2: Technical Expansion
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force standardized Sortie Report form used to record the technical and navigational specifics of individual combat missions.
Oprep. Ref. No. 264: Operational Report reference number, cataloging this specific nocturnal strike within the squadron's chronological mission records.
Lt. Col. Coppen D.F.C: Lieutenant Colonel C.E. Coppen, the Commanding Officer of 21 Squadron, awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Ste MARIE du ZIT L.G. WEST (K 2311): Sainte-Marie-du-Zit West Landing Ground, an Axis tactical airfield in northeastern Tunisia.
ft.: feet. Standard measure of altitude.
Crew
Pilot Lt. J.P. Carlisle Killed
Observer Lt. E.G. Webber