Operation

21 SQUADRON 2 nd Raid 4th March, 1945 RAID ON THE DOCK AND HARBOUR INSTALLATIONS AT MONFALCONE. pp H. 645989. T/O 1440 157 OPERATION NO. 159/21S/M – OPREP NO. 953 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 513 Hv : Lt. Col. Ord Wells Hodges Smit Forster Bellingan Brink. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 566 S : Lt. Becke Meyer Johnstone Heale Gidlow McCausland ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 477 U : Lt. Batley Long Adams Gillbank Butler Eave ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 561 B : Capt. Musgrove Goble Jordaan Rabie Jones Cook. ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 519 G : Lt. Kriel Markham Gildenhuys Dinn Richardson Sandelands RAMSAY ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 550 C : F/O Hanna Parsons Dickenson Oldfield vdBerg Ras CALLAGHAN ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 529 A : Lt. Fraser Miskis Du Plessis Jenner Barrow Richardson ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 575 P : Lt. Ackermann Dore Steenkamp Goodwin Malan Stephen ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 571 R : Lt. Collender Gillam Deane Benson Banfield Suter ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 477 W : Lt. Gough Horne Albertyn Overee Smith T. Mathew ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 535 K : Lt. Reyneke Cordell Teague Hennesey Cloete Tennant ANTI_FLAKSHIPS T ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 539 T : Lt. Cloete Blackford Harle Paxton Venter Greijbe ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 572 J : Lt. Hussey Quaife Wells Boast Watkinson Kennedy. TIMES:- 2.45 for all T & G. 3.05 REMARKS:- 2.40 Handwritten Marginalia / Stamps: * Folio Number: 157 (Top right). * Marginalia: "RAMSAY" handwritten in capital letters between the crews of aircraft 519 G and 550 C. * Marginalia: "CALLAGHAN" handwritten in capital letters between the crews of aircraft 550 C and 529 A. * Marginalia: "Parsons" is struck through in the crew list for aircraft 550 C. * Marginalia: "Miskis" is struck through in the crew list for aircraft 529 A. * Marginalia: "2.45 for all T & G. 3.05" handwritten in the TIMES row. * Marginalia: "2.40" handwritten in the REMARKS row. * Tick Marks: Small handwritten check marks (✓) appear above almost every crew position and aircraft number, signifying administrative confirmation of flight logs. * Reference Stamp:

1945-03-04

__o_O_o__

Form 541

MAP

Transcriber's Notes

Phase 2: Technical Expansion (The "Transcriber's Notes") Glossary of Terms * AIR 27 / 271: The United Kingdom National Archives (TNA) classification for Air Ministry Operations Record Books (ORBs). Series 271 contains the historical records for 21 Squadron SAAF. * ANTI-FLAKSHIPS: A specific tactical designation for aircraft assigned to suppress anti-aircraft fire from naval vessels or port defenses during the raid. * BA-BH (Martin Baltimore): The primary twin-engine tactical medium bomber operated by 21 Squadron SAAF. The aircraft numbers in this document (e.g., 513, 566, 519) refer to the squadron's Baltimore Mark IV and V inventory. * MC/GP (Medium Capacity / General Purpose): Standard high-explosive ordnance (typically 250lb or 500lb) carried by Baltimores for interdiction and infrastructure destruction. * MET (Meteorological Report): Essential weather intelligence for flight crews navigating the Gulf of Venice. * OPREP: Operational Report. OPREP No. 953 refers to the mission report filed following Operation 159/21S/M. * T/O: Time of Take-off. Recorded as 1440 hours for this raid. Operational Context This document catalogs the second raid of March 4, 1945, a major formation strike against dock and harbor installations at Monfalcone. Monfalcone was a strategic naval hub at the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea, vital for German logistics and the maintenance of naval assets supporting the crumbling Adriatic flank. The mission was led by the Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. D. Ord, flying in aircraft 513 Hv. The inclusion of two aircraft (539 T and 572 J) specifically designated as "ANTI-FLAKSHIPS" highlights the tactical anticipation of significant naval or coastal defensive fire during the approach to the Monfalcone harbor. The strategic focus on Monfalcone in 1945 represents an extension of the interdiction principles utilized during the 1943 battles for the Bernhardt and Gustav Lines. In November 1943, 21 Squadron conducted precision strikes on tactical bottlenecks, such as location H055630, to isolate the front-line German forces from their rear echelons. By March 1945, this operational doctrine had scaled to target the ultimate exit points and transit hubs of the Italian theater, ensuring that German forces were not only unable to receive supplies but were also deprived of port facilities for evacuation or redeployment as the Allied ground offensive prepared for its final surge into the Po Valley. 108 Phase 1: Verification & Extraction Identity Check: 6th March '45.