EL DJEM MAIN.

R.A.F. Form 441 A. SORTIE REPORT 99 "L" (Part A.) Second Operation of Day. Sheet No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 292 Date. 10 MAY 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF. Type of Aircraft. 17 Baltimores. Aircraft No. See Reverse. Aircraft Letter. " Leader of Formation: Captain Lt.Col. Coppen D.F.C. Crew. Capt. Farrant (Observer). See reverse. Time Up. 1459 hrs. (1st. A/C) Time Down. 1730 hrs. (Last A/C) Total Time. 39 hrs. 40 mins. Aerodrome or L.G. EL DJEM MAIN. Type of Cloud. St.Cu. Amount of Cloud. Thin scattered layer. Base of Cloud. 4000 ft. Visibility. Good. General Weather. Fine. Map or Chart Reference. TUNISIA 1:500,000 Sheet NJ.32.SE TUNIS. Target Map P/7. Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on PANTELLERIA Harbour. Time. Height. Place. Narrative. 1459 EL DJEM Airborne & Circling. 1519 500 " S/C DJEBINIANA. 1528 500 DJEB. A/C for RAS KABOUDIA. 1538 500 RAS. K. A/C for SOUSSE. 1556 500 SOUSSE Picked up fighter escort (239 Wing) and S/C for PANTELLERIA. 045 M. 1617 500 - 9 Climbing. 1630 9000 TARGET Bombed course 060 deg. Left hand turn off target. S/C 230 M for MONASTIR. 1705 500 MONASTIR Made landfall. A/C 200 M for EL DJEM. 1730 EL DJEM 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 PANTELLERIA Harbour. BB 1630 hrs. L.T. BC Medium level bombing attack from 8/9,000 ft. 60 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. with Rods. 42 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. without rods. BD Target was attacked on a course of 060 deg. Leader's bombs hung up for a moment and most of the sticks overshot the target. Sticks fell from figure 17 to pp. 9 across some small boats; from pp. 16 to Sq. G 17; and from pp. 18 to square I 17. One stick fell in the sea NORTH of pp. 9. About a dozen small boats or barges. seen inside the WESTERN and EASTERN jetties. BE An intense curtain of HAA was put up after bombing. This was accurate for height but too late. Some very large black bursts of A/A seen again. Guns were firing from WEST of L.G. and from the harbour area. BF Nil. BG Verticals and obliques of harbour and bomb-bursts and obliques of the L.G. BH Large unfilled craters on the L.G. No fires burning. 10,000-ton ship stationary off RAS MOSTAFA (Cape Bon headland.) List of A/C and Crews: F/L 951 V Lt.Col.Coppen, Capt. Farrant, F/Sgts. Bradfield & Lyne. 221 Y Lt. Pocock, Sgt. Edmeades (RAF), Sgt. Jensen(RCAF) & F/S Carbarns. 181 T Lt. Carr, Lt. Lombaard, F/Sgts. Toms & Wright. V/L 877 J Lt. Gardener, Lt. Kerr, F/Sgts. Pearce & Green. 179 A Lt. Dugmore, Lt. Masters, F/Sgts. Maasdorp & Rogers C.L. 176 YY Maj. Schravesande, Lt. Herring, F/Sgts. Meyer & Stopforth. B/L 903 O Capt. Cormack, Lt. Mulholland, F/Sgts. Finberg & McGee. 957 W Lt. Wood, Lt. Gould, F/Sgts. Purdon & Groenewald. 362 X Lt. Clutterbuck, Lt. v.d.Meulen, F/Sgts. Raeburn & Fraser. V/L 142 P Lt. Liddiard, Lt. Pickerill, F/Sgts. Zaaiman & Oliff. 916 SS Lt. Hargrave, Lt. Rees, Sgt. McQueen (RCAF) & F/Sgt. Bedford. B/L [Handwritten Strike-through] 226 H Capt. Ord, Lt. Hodges, F/Sgt. Walker & A/Sgt. Devenish. 271 F Lt. Guard, Lt. Forseman, F/Sgt. Steven & F/Sgt. Prout (RAF) 977 L Lt.Oakes, Lt. Sachs, Sgts. Morrison & Cleland (RCAF) V/L 930 K Lt. Hamilton, Lt. Whittle, F/Sgts. Rogers F.D. & Phelan. 108 B Lt. A'Bear, Lt. Owen-Hughes, F/Sgts. Harrison & Pickup. 290 C Lt. Elieden, Lt. Rose, F/Sgts. Jarvis & Mendelsohn. F/L Formation Leader. B/L Box Leader. V/L Vic Leader. [Handwritten Signature] ........................Capt. S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

1943-05-10 EL DJEM MAIN.

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Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms * R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force standard form for reporting narrative and technical details of an air sortie. * Oprep. Ref. No.: Operational Report Reference Number. * SAAF: South African Air Force. * Baltimores: Martin Baltimore twin-engine light bombers used for medium-level tactical interdiction. * D.F.C.: Distinguished Flying Cross. * A/C: Aircraft (referring to time up/down) or Altered Course (within the narrative section). * L.G.: Landing Ground. * St.Cu.: Stratocumulus (cloud type). * S/C: Set Course. * 239 Wing: No. 239 Wing R.A.F., a fighter wing (typically Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks) providing aerial protection for bomber formations. * M.: Magnetic (referring to compass headings). * deg.: Degrees. * H.Q. R.A.F. M.E.: Headquarters, Royal Air Force, Middle East. Operational Context The sortie conducted on 10 May 1943 represents the second major operation of the day for 21 Squadron SAAF, forming part of the early stages of Operation Corkscrew. Following the unconditional surrender of Axis forces on the Tunisian mainland on 7 May, the strategic priority of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) shifted to the total isolation and neutralization of the island of Pantelleria. The island’s harbour was a vital target to prevent any residual Axis naval activity or evacuation attempts across the Strait of Sicily. Tactically, the 17 Martin Baltimores—led by Lt. Col. Coppen, D.F.C.—executed a low-level transit at 500 feet through waypoints at Djebiniana and Ras Kaboudia to rendezvous with fighter escorts from 239 Wing over Sousse. The formation then performed a battle climb to 9,000 feet to deliver a medium-level strike on the harbour infrastructure. While the sortie narrative reports a successful return, concurrent intelligence from Oprep 292 indicates that the mission faced technical difficulties; the Leader's bombs "hung up" momentarily, causing the majority of the formation's bomb sticks to overshoot the primary target area. Despite this, sticks were observed falling across jetties and small boats, and the formation successfully egressed through a curtain of late Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) fire. This mission was a component of the systematic air campaign that eventually compelled the island's garrison to surrender exclusively through the application of tactical air power in June 1943. 134 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 10 MAY 43 Phase 2: Technical Expansion Glossary of Terms * L.T.: Local Time. * GP 43 Det. with Rods / without rods: General Purpose 250 lb bombs utilizing 1943 Detonators. The "Rod" configuration extended from the nose to ensure instantaneous surface detonation, maximizing fragmentation against soft targets such as harbor vessels. * deg.: Degrees (referring to the bombing heading). * pp.: Pinpoints, referring to specific map coordinates or target landmarks. * Sq. / square: Map grid squares used for coordinate referencing. * HAA / A/A: Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire and Anti-Aircraft fire. * L.G.: Landing Ground. * A/C: Aircraft. * RAF / RCAF: Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force. * F/L / B/L / V/L: Formation Leader, Box Leader, and Vic Leader, indicating tactical positions within the 17-ship Baltimore formation. * S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.: Squadron Intelligence Officer, 21 Squadron, South African Air Force. Operational Context The mission conducted at 1630 hours on 10 May 1943 represents the second major tactical strike of the day for 21 Squadron SAAF during the initiation of Operation Corkscrew. Following the collapse of Axis resistance on the Tunisian mainland on 7 May, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) shifted their full strategic weight toward the isolation and neutralization of the island of Pantelleria. The island's harbour was a primary objective to prevent any residual Axis maritime movements or evacuation attempts across the Strait of Sicily. Strategically, the 17 Martin Baltimores—led by Lt. Col. Coppen, D.F.C.—targeted maritime assets including approximately a dozen small boats and barges identified within the harbor's jetties. The deployment of mixed ordnance indicates a dual-intent: 60 bombs with "Rod" fuzes for surface fragmentation damage and 42 without rods for infrastructural impact. However, technical failure hindered the strike's precision; the Leader's bombs "hung up" momentarily, causing most sticks to overshoot the intended aiming points. Tactically, the formation faced "intense" Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) fire from batteries west of the Landing Ground and within the harbor area. While the Axis gunners achieved accuracy for height, the barrage was "too late," reflecting the inability of the isolated garrison to effectively track the fast-moving Baltimore formations at 8,000–9,000 feet. Intelligence gathered via oblique photography also identified a significant 10,000-ton vessel stationary off Ras Mostafa, underscoring the ongoing air-sea blockade. This archival record documents the systematic degradation of Axis resources that eventually compelled the island's unprecedented surrender solely due to tactical air power in June 1943. 135