Sortie Report (Form 541)
- Duty
- Medium level bombing attack on dispersed A/C on SFAX EL MAOU Landing ground. | Time. | Height. | Place. |
R.A.F. Form 441 A."A" 3SORTIE REPORT(Part A.)Flight No. 1 Oprep. Ref. No. 249 Date. 1 APR 43 Squadron. 21 SAAF.Type of Aircraft.18 Baltimores Mk. IIISee attached list.Formation Leader:Captain FORMATION LEADERCrew. Capt. J.A. MOUTONLt. Simon.See attached list.Aircraft No.Aircraft Letter. "Time Up. 0735 hrs. (1st. A/C)Time Down. 1020 hrs. (Last A/C)Total Time. 2.30 x 18 45 hrs. 00 mins.Aerodrome or L.G. ZUARAType of Cloud. ---Amount of Cloud. Nil.Base of Cloud. ---Visibility. 10 - 15 miles. Hazy.General Weather. Good.Map or Chart Reference.TUNISIA1:500,000SFAX.Task or Duty. Medium level bombing attack on dispersed A/C on SFAX EL MAOU Landing ground.| Time. | Height. | Place. | Narrative. ||---|---|---|---|| 0735 | | ZUARA | Airborne. || 0745 | 500 | " | S/C PISIDA (To pick up Bostons) || 0803 | 500 | PISIDA | S/C BEN GARDANE. || 0815 | 500 | GARDANE | S/C HOUMT SOUK. || 0823 | 500 | H.SOUK | Rendezvous with fighter escort. S/C Target (79th FG) || 0902/3 | 8800 | SFAX EL MAOU LG | Bombed on course of 290.deg. || 0915 | 7000 | | S/C Causeway. || 0943 | 2000 | CAUSEWAY | S/C Base. || 1020 | | ZUARA | 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 Dispersed A/C on SFAX EL MAOU L.G.BB From 0902 to 0903 hrs.BC Medium level bombing attack from 8800 ft.102 x 250 lb. GP 43 Det. (Rods)BD The formation bombed on the leader on a course of 290 deg.The bombs were dropped in a fairly quick stick along theNORTH of the L.G., ending well in the NW dispersal area amongvery well dispersed A/C in and out of the blast shelters inthe Olive plantation. Two fires seen on leaving the target.BE A barrage of HAA approx. 2000 ft. in depth, very intense, wasput up over the L.G. Four HAA guns seen firing from NW of L.G.BF 4 A/C holed by AA.F/Sgt. J.B. Forrest (top gunner in A/C 977 L) wounded in leftarm by A/A splinter.A/C 982 N was hit by AA over the target and the port enginewas damaged. The pilot flew on one engine escorted by USAAFfighters to BEN GARDANE L.G.BG Photographs taken of bomb run by two 8" Vertical cameras andone 20" Oblique, from 8800 ft. at A/S 210 m.p.h. on a course290 deg.BH (i) Approx. 100 MT seen on Main Road SFAX – GABES. Approx. 30 MT(inconvoy) seen dispersed at side of road NORTH of NAKTA.(ii) Small ships seen in entrance to SFAX harbour.A/C salvage dump seen at TU 7630 (Ref. Map: TUNISIA 1:500,000)One large T/E A/C dispersed at NW corner of L.G.Five A/C in SE corner of L.G.Three A/C in Southern corner of L.G.[Handwritten Signature] Capt.S.I.O. 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.
Transcriber's Notes
- 21 SAAF
- No. 21 Squadron of the South African Air Force.
- Baltimores Mk. III
- Martin Baltimore light bombers, a type specialized for tactical desert operations.
- A/C
- Aircraft.
- A/C
- Aircraft. Refers to both the attacking Martin Baltimores and the enemy aircraft targeted on the ground.
- L.G. ZUARA
- Landing Ground at Zuara, Libya, the forward operating base for the squadron.
- S/C
- Set Course.
- 79th FG
- 79th Fighter Group, United States Army Air Forces, providing the fighter escort as noted in the marginalia.
- H.Q. R.A.F. M.E
- Headquarters Royal Air Force Middle East. Operational Context The mission conducted on 1 April 1943 targeted the Sfax-El Maou Landing Ground, a vital hub for Axis air power during their withdrawal toward northern Tunisia. Following the Allied breakthrough at the Tebaga Gap and the collapse of the Mareth Line, the British Eighth Army was in pursuit of Axis forces toward the Wadi Akarit defensive line. Neutralizing airfields like El Maou was a strategic priority to prevent the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica from striking Allied ground columns. The sortie involved a major formation of 18 Martin Baltimores from 21 Squadron SAAF led by Capt. Mouton. The flight plan utilized a low-level approach at 500 feet through Pisida—to coordinate with a formation of Bostons—then Ben Gardane and Houmt Souk. This low-altitude transit was a standard tactic to evade Axis radar before climbing to a bombing altitude of 8,800 feet. The rendezvous with the 79th Fighter Group at Houmt Souk provided necessary protection for the medium bombers. The attack was executed on a course of 290 degrees, targeting dispersed Axis aircraft on the airfield. This continuous pressure on aviation infrastructure hampered the Axis ability to consolidate their air defenses as they retreated northward. 4 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 1 APR 43 (derived from "BB" and the accompanying SORTIE REPORT for Oprep Ref. No. 249) Phase 2: Technical Expansion
- HAA
- Heavy Anti-Aircraft fire.
- USAAF
- United States Army Air Forces. Fighters from the 79th Fighter Group provided the protective escort for this mission.
R.A.F. Form 441 A.: Royal Air Force official Sortie Report template used to record mission specifics.
Oprep. Ref. No. 249: Operational Report reference number, cataloging this mission within the squadron's historical records.
SFAX EL MAOU LG: El Maou Landing Ground, a primary Axis airfield near the port city of Sfax.
SFAX EL MAOU L.G.: Sfax El Maou Landing Ground. A primary Axis airfield in eastern Tunisia, serving as a critical staging point for the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica during their withdrawal.
GP 43 Det. (Rods): General Purpose 250 lb bombs fitted with No. 43 detonators and extension rods ("daisy cutters"). These rods trigger detonation just above the surface to maximize fragmentation and horizontal blast effect against "soft" targets such as dispersed aircraft.