Sortie Report (Form 541)
R.A.F. Form 441 A.SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)97Sheet No.Oprep. Ref. No. 363Date. 4 Aug 43Squadron. 21 SAAF ADVType of Aircraft. 12 BALTIMORES (1 Mk 3, 10 Mk 3A, 1 Mk 4)Aircraft No. ) as per listAircraft Letter. )Leader of Formation.Captain CAPT. STUART.Crew. LT. PAWSONTime Up. 0650 hrs LT 1st aircraft.Time Down. 0916 hrs LT. last aircraft.Total Time. 27 hoursAerodrome or L.G. HALFARType of Cloud. ---Amount of Cloud. ---Base of Cloud. ---Visibility. 10 milesGeneral Weather. GoodMap or Chart Reference.1:500,000 SICILIA NE 36/12.1:100,000 PATERNO SHEET 269Task or Duty. MEDIUM LEVEL BOMBING ATTACK DUMPS AREA SOUTH OF BRONTE| Time | Height | Place | Narrative ||---|---|---|---|| 0650 | | Halfar | Airborne || 0720 | 2000 | | S/C PALAZZOLO || 0750 | 6000 | Palazzolo | Picked up fighters. Circled to gain height. || 0800 | 8000 | | S/C CENTURIPE || 0809 | 14000 | Centuripe | S/C TARGET || 0812 | 12000 | Target | BOMBED || 0816 | 9000 | Nicolosi | S/C PALAZZOLO || 0835 | 6000 | Palazzolo | S/C HALFAR || 0900 | 2000 | Halfar | BASE || | | | LANDED. || 0916 | | | Last aircraft landed. |(Signature: J. S. Bester) Capt.SIO. 21 SQUADRON SAAF.
Transcriber's Notes
- R.A.F
- Royal Air Force.
- Oprep. Ref. No
- Operational Report Reference Number.
- SAAF ADV
- South African Air Force Advanced (Headquarters).
- Mk
- Mark (referring to the aircraft variant).
- LT
- Local Time.
- L.G
- Landing Ground.
- S/C
- Set Course.
- Centuripe
- A hilltop town that had been the site of a brutal battle involving the British 78th Division just days prior. The formation used this landmark as their Initial Point (IP) to align for the final bomb run.
- SIO
- Squadron Intelligence Officer. Personnel and Command Observations
Abbreviations and Technical Terms Expanded
Dumps Area South of Bronte: The target consisted of Axis supply and ammunition dumps situated south of Bronte, a town on the northwestern slopes of Mount Etna. In early August 1943, Bronte (modern name unchanged) was a vital logistical hub for the German forces attempting to sustain their defense of the "Etna Line".