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Operation No. 164

BIR DUFAN NO. 2 L.G. - DISPERSED A/C

Wednesday, 13 January 1943

Over target: 0949 hrs Time: 09:49 hrs

Sortie Report (Form 541)

Duty
Medium level attack on Bir Dufan No. 2 L.G. - Dispersed A/C. Height. Place
R.A.F. Form 441 A.SORTIE REPORT 17(Part A.)No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 164 Date. 13/1/43 Squadron. 21 S.A.A.F.Type of Aircraft. 18 Baltimores Captain Maj. JendrellAircraft No. Crew. Capt. HatswellAircraft Letter. As per attached list Lt. te Water Pohldo. F/Sgt. MorleyUp. 0805 (L.T.)Down. 1050 Aerodrome or L.G.Time. GZINAType of Cloud. Strato-Cumulus Map or ChartAmount of Cloud. 3/10 Reference.Base of Cloud. 15,000 ft. MISURATA.Visibility. Very poor - 3 to 5 mls.; at times 1 : 500,000General Weather. vertical only. Sheets 3/9.Task or Duty. Medium level attack on Bir Dufan No. 2 L.G. - Dispersed A/C.Height. Place. Narrative.--- GZINA A/C airborne.2000 " Set course HAMRAT NORTH 260 M.3000 HAMRAT Rendezvous with fighters (57 Pursuit Group)4800 " Set course WADI ZEMZEM 295 M9000 Wadi Drift 10 deg. SOUTH. A/C 285 M.12000 Kebir A/C Target 335 M.ZEMZEM Drift 15 deg. SOUTH. A/C 320 M.12000 A/C 300 M.Struck what was thought to be BENI ULID track at R 8069Turned left down track but unable to locate target dueto extremely poor visibility.11000 Vicinity/ Set course 120 M.Target.9000 RS 2050 Bombed about 30 tents and M.T.6000 TAMET Dropped fighter escort.GZINA 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.(Top of page partially obscured/continuation from previous folio)(iii) (Lt. Meredith and crew.) A/C was hit by ... ev...(iv) 842 (?) ... before formation ...BA BIR DUFAN NO. 2 L.G. -- Dispersed a/c.BB 0949 hrs. (L.T.)BC Medium level attack. 9000 ft. 107 x 250 G.P. 43 Det. (Rods) Onehang-up: A/C 932.BD Visibility was poor and the target not located. Formation bombed acamp of about 50 tents at (R)S 2050. The formation bombed on acourse of 120 deg. on the leader, and the bombs were seen to burstin a good stick across the camp. No immediate fires were startedand visibility made observation difficult.BE (1) Intense barrage of H.A.A. and L.A.A. from BIR DUFAN area.Low and inaccurate.(2) Heavy A.A. from GHEDDAHIA and SOUTH in WADI ZEMZEM.(3) H.A.A. from TAUORGA and BIR EL CHURGIA area.H.A.A. inaccurate.The formation was attacked by fighters. (See Bomber combatReport.)BF (1) A/C 842 : (Lt. Lindenberg and crew.) A/C was hit by A.A.and fire from M.E. 109. Last seen under control approximately10 mls. SOUTH EAST of BIR DUFAN L.G's, with smoke coming fromengine. Starboard engine had stopped. A/C and crew missing.(2) A/C 873 : (Lt. Meredith and crew.) A/C was attacked by MEover (R)S 9105. Top gunner, F/Sgt. Kruger, was killed by cannonfire and A/C was damaged. Force-landed at TAMET WEST L.G.(See attached Sortie Report Part 'A' by observer.)(3) A/C 933 : (Lt. Meredith and crew.) A/C was hit by A.A. over(R)X 4580 and attacked by ME 109 before formation bombed.Starboard engine was hit and seized up. (See attached SortieReport, Part 'A' by Observer, Lt. Bass.)BG NIL.(iii) Bomber Combat.BH 18 Baltimores. Three boxes of six.BJ 57 Pursuit Group.BK Gunners estimate number of enemy fighters that were within rangeat seven to ten.BL 1. Enemy fighter first sighted at 0930 hrs. when it appeared to gunnersthat top cover was engaged in dog-fight.2. Shortly afterwards ME 109Fs and Macchi's made quarter beam attacksand one Macchi made an attack from below.3. Enemy fighters were at various heights and positions but not morethan four or five attacks were made and some by the same A/C. TwoME 109 Fs dived on the formation from ahead, but did not attack.4. Gunners report escort engaged in combat in various directions,one 109 F was shot down by cover as it broke off its attack onbomber.5. Top gunner, F/Sgt. Neyman, (A/C 904 BB) claims one 109 F shot down.After firing a long burst, which was seen to enter the E/A, Thepilot's hatch was seen to fly off and the pilot was seen to bale out.The A/C crashed to the ground.BM Certain enemy fighters made attacks which did not develop. Thismight have confused the gunners and maximum fire was not directedat E/A that closed in. Bombers tried to keep tight formation. (Handwritten Signature: [Illegible]) S.I. Be... Capt. Senior Intelligence Officer, 21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

21 S.A.A.F
No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
Baltimores
Martin Baltimore twin-engine light bombers.
Maj. Jendrell
Major Jendrell, the formation leader for the mission.
L.T
Local Time.
L.T
Local Time.
57 Pursuit Group
57th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), providing P-40 Warhawk/Kittyhawk escort.
57 Pursuit Group
The 57th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), providing P-40 Kittyhawk/Warhawk escort.
M.T
Mechanical Transport. Operational Context: This mission occurred during the final Allied offensive to capture Tripoli. Strategically, Advanced Air Headquarters (A/AHQ) had ordered a "fully offensive" campaign to drive the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica from forward bases. Bir Dufan was a critical nodal point for Axis air operations and ground resistance west of Wadi Zem Zem. Tactical execution on 13 January was severely compromised by environmental factors. The formation, led by Major Jendrell and escorted by the USAAF 57th Pursuit Group, encountered "extremely poor visibility" and "heavy dust storms". Navigation was maintained through precise drift corrections (up to 15 degrees) at altitudes reaching 12,000 feet. Despite identifying the Beni Ulid track, the "very poor" visibility—limited to 3-5 miles and at times "vertical only"—prevented the location of the primary Bir Dufan airfield. Following the diversion from the primary target, the 18 Baltimores conducted a secondary strike against an opportunistic target at grid RS 2050, bombing "about 30 tents and M.T.". While the bombing run was successful, the formation was intercepted by enemy fighters upon egress. The squadron suffered the loss of three aircraft: A/C 842 vanished at Tamet West, while A/C 873 and A/C 933 were forced down near Nofilia, resulting in one fatality and four personnel missing. This document, archived as Folio 17, records the high operational risk faced by SAAF light bomber wings during the rapid westward transition in Libya. 18
Macchi's
Macchi C.202 or C.205 Italian fighter aircraft.
E/A
Enemy Aircraft.

R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force Sortie Report form, the primary operational record for light/medium bomber missions.

Oprep. Ref. No. 164: Operational Report reference number 164, detailing mission results for 13 January 1943.

ft.: Feet, indicating the operational altitude of 9,000 feet.

G.P. 43 Det. (Rods): 250lb General Purpose bombs fitted with No. 43 tail pistols and nose extension rods (commonly called "daisy cutters") to ensure air-burst detonation for maximum fragmentation blast against soft targets.

deg.: Degrees.

mls.: Miles.