Time. GZINA

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. Jendrell Aircraft No. Crew. Capt. Hatswell Aircraft Letter. As per attached list Lt. te Water Pohl do. F/Sgt. Morley Up. 0805 (L.T.) Down. 1050 Aerodrome or L.G. Time. GZINA Type of Cloud. Strato-Cumulus Map or Chart Amount of Cloud. 3/10 Reference. Base of Cloud. 15,000 ft. MISURATA. Visibility. Very poor - 3 to 5 mls.; at times 1 : 500,000 General 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 M 9000 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 8069 Turned left down track but unable to locate target due to 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) One hang-up: A/C 932. BD Visibility was poor and the target not located. Formation bombed a camp of about 50 tents at (R)S 2050. The formation bombed on a course of 120 deg. on the leader, and the bombs were seen to burst in a good stick across the camp. No immediate fires were started and 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 combat Report.) 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 approximately 10 mls. SOUTH EAST of BIR DUFAN L.G's, with smoke coming from engine. Starboard engine had stopped. A/C and crew missing. (2) A/C 873 : (Lt. Meredith and crew.) A/C was attacked by ME over (R)S 9105. Top gunner, F/Sgt. Kruger, was killed by cannon fire 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 Sortie Report, 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 range at seven to ten. BL 1. Enemy fighter first sighted at 0930 hrs. when it appeared to gunners that top cover was engaged in dog-fight. 2. Shortly afterwards ME 109Fs and Macchi's made quarter beam attacks and one Macchi made an attack from below. 3. Enemy fighters were at various heights and positions but not more than four or five attacks were made and some by the same A/C. Two ME 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 on bomber. 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, The pilot'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. This might have confused the gunners and maximum fire was not directed at 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.

1943-01-13 Time. GZINA

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * 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. * 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.G. / GZINA: Landing Ground. Gzina was a forward airfield in Libya used by No. 3 SAAF Wing during the advance on Tripoli. * ft. / mls.: Feet and miles, respectively. * Bir Dufan No. 2 L.G. / Dispersed A/C: Landing Ground at Bir Dufan; the primary objective was the destruction of dispersed Axis aircraft on the ground. * 57 Pursuit Group: 57th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), providing P-40 Warhawk/Kittyhawk escort. * M / deg.: Degrees Magnetic, referring to compass headings and drift corrections. * 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 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: No literal 'Date' column exists on this specific folio (Part B); however, the operational date for this Sortie Report, established in Part A (Folio 17) and the associated Intelligence Postagram (Folio 16), is 13 Jan 43. Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms: * L.G. / L.G's: Landing Ground / Landing Grounds. * a/c / A/C: Aircraft. * L.T.: Local Time. * 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. * H.A.A. / L.A.A. / A.A.: Heavy Anti-Aircraft / Light Anti-Aircraft / Anti-Aircraft artillery fire. * deg.: Degrees. * M.E. 109 / ME 109 / ME 109 Fs: Messerschmitt Bf 109 F "Friedrich" German single-engine fighter aircraft. * mls.: Miles. * Macchi's: Macchi C.202 or C.205 Italian fighter aircraft. * 57 Pursuit Group: The 57th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), providing P-40 Kittyhawk/Warhawk escort. * E/A: Enemy Aircraft. * S.I.O.: Senior Intelligence Officer. Operational Context: This Sortie Report (Part B) details the results of the mission conducted on 13 January 1943 against Bir Dufan No. 2 Landing Ground in Tripolitania. Strategically, the Desert Air Force (DAF) was executing a maximum-effort "fully offensive" campaign to drive the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica from their forward bases, thereby securing the Eighth Army's advance toward Tripoli. The tactical execution was compromised by environmental hazards; "poor visibility" and "heavy dust storms" prevented the formation of 18 Martin Baltimores from locating the primary airfield. Consequently, the formation diverted to a secondary target of opportunity, bombing a camp of 50 tents at grid (R)S 2050. The mission suffered high attrition during egress due to coordinated Axis fighter interception. The report documents the loss of three aircraft: A/C 842 (Lt. Lindenberg) was missing after being hit by A.A. and fighter fire; A/C 873 (Lt. Meredith) force-landed at Tamet West with the top gunner, F/Sgt. Kruger, killed in action; and A/C 933 was forced down with a seized engine. The "Bomber Combat" section provides a detailed account of the engagement with 7 to 10 enemy fighters, including Bf 109Fs and Macchis, highlighting the defensive claim of one Bf 109 F shot down by F/Sgt. Neyman. This folio, archived as page 18 of the AIR 27/274 series, represents the intense tactical pressure and personnel cost associated with the MAAF's interdiction campaign during the definitive Axis retreat from Libya. 19 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 13 JAN 43.