Operational Report (Form 541)
- Date
- 14. 10. 41
- Aircraft
- 9 Marylands
- Duty
- High level bombing Benghazi docks and shipping
- Took off
- 0914 hrs
- Map reference
- Target Map B./2
21 SQUADRON S. A. A. F. OPERATIONAL REPORT NO. 12. COPY NO...7....( O. O. Nos: H. Q. No. 204 Group Operation order No. "A" 669and Squadron operation order No. 12 attached hereto.)DATE: 14. 10. 41MAP REF: Target Map B./2DATE OF OPERATION. 14th. October 1941.NUMBER AND TYPE OF AIRCRAFT. 9 Marylands.DUTY. High level bombing Benghazi docks and shipping.NARRATIVE. The 9 Marylands took off at 0914 hours and flew toL. G. 075 for refuelling. The rough going at thisL. G. caused three burst tail wheels, and inadequaterefuelling conditions resulted in a late start by thesix machines, which got away at 1300 hours.Considerable cloud made ground recognition impossible,and the target was reached on dead reckoning.The two Flights of three attacked separately, oneaiming at the Giuliana docks, and the other at thedocks on the Eastern side of the harbour.No. 1 Flight [strike-through] XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX [/strike-through] appears to have scoredheavily on the Giuliana point, several good burstsbeing observed in the vicinity of 16 and 14( target map B./2 ), and two big columns of blacksmoke were seen as the aircraft turned away.The other Flight reported bursts in the Harbour, andamongst buildings between 6 and 26.[handwritten arrow pointing to "No. 1 Flight"] These results are corroborated by the photos taken.There was about 5/10 cloud at the time, and onlyfleeting glimpses of the harbour were to be had. Noshipping was reported but several Flying boats( or sea planes ) were seen. A/A was fairly heavy, asthe aircraft were leaving, but not accurate, and noFighters were seen.After the attack, the Flights swung out to sea andrecrossed at Ras Taiunes and set off for home on thereciprocal course. Two aircraft were able to get righthome, but the others needed fuel, and landings weremade on various L. Gs. One aircraft in attemptingto reach Matruh, made a forced landing close to theSiwa road, 30 miles from Matruh, without injury.All the aircraft returned the following day.WEATHER. Fine, cloudy.TIMES. Time up 0914 hours.L. G. 075 1100 "L. G. 075 ( Take off ) 1304 "Over Target 1530 "2 landed 021 L. G. 1755 "1 landed 021 L. G. 1825 "( via Matruh for fuel)1 landed at L. G. 010 1727 "1 " 011 1745 "1 " " Siwa road 1725 "Total hours flown 47 hours 13 min.PHOTOGRAPHY. 4 cameras were used. Some excellent photos of Benghaziwere obtained, including two or three of the bomb burstson Giuliana. Several of the photos were spoiled bythe presence of clouds.APPENDIX "A" ANALYSIS OF BOMBING 8 hits Giuliana Docks area16 Marshalling yards 6 - 2616 Unobserved8 jettisoned in desert.48 12000 lb appendix "B" /2
Transcriber's Notes
- O. O
- Operational Order. Operational Context Operational Report No. 12, dated 14 October 1941, documents a significant deep-penetration daylight strike against Benghazi Harbour. Strategically, Benghazi was the most vital deep-water port in Cyrenaica, serving as the primary terminal for German and Italian logistical sustainment for Rommel's Panzergruppe Afrika. This raid was part of the Desert Air Force’s systematic campaign to neutralize port infrastructure and maritime assets—including the Giuliana Docks—ahead of Operation Crusader. The mission sought to capitalize on daylight visibility for precision bombing of dock installations and marshalling yards, which were reported hit in multiple sticks. The observation of "two big columns of black smoke" at the Giuliana point indicated a successful strike on fuel or ammunition stores, further restricting Axis logistical flow. Execution Constraints The operation was plagued by severe technical and environmental constraints. At the forward refuelling point (L. G. 075), "rough going" resulted in three burst tail wheels, and "inadequate refuelling conditions" delayed the take-off of six aircraft until 13:00 hours. Weather conditions over the target included 5/10 cloud and "thick haze," which rendered ground recognition impossible and forced the formation to navigate via dead reckoning. The long-range nature of the sortie pushed the fuel limits of the Maryland airframes. While the formation released 12,000 lbs of ordnance, 8 bombs were jettisoned in the desert to reduce weight. Post-strike, most aircraft lacked the fuel to reach their home base directly; airframes were dispersed across multiple Landing Grounds. One Maryland was forced into a forced landing 30 miles from Matruh near the Siwa road. Despite the intense flight time of 47 hours and 13 minutes (cumulative) and heavy A/A, no fighters were encountered, and all aircrews returned without injury by the following day. 83 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: There is no 'Date' column on this specific page. However, the document is page 2 (Appendix "B") to Operational Report No. 12, which is dated 14. 10. 41 on the primary report page.
- A/A
- Anti-Aircraft artillery fire. Ground defenses at Benghazi were described as "fairly heavy" but "not accurate" during the squadron's egress.
L. G. 021 / L. G. 075 / L. G. 010 / L. G. 011: Landing Grounds in Egypt and Libya. Landing Ground 021 was the squadron's home base. Landing Ground 075 served as a forward refuelling point.