5th BW Missions March 1943
March 1 - Docks & Shipping: Palermo, Sicily
The docks and shipping at Palermo were attacked by our B-17s and severe damage was done to warehouses and harbor installations. Several hits were scored on M/Vs and others were damaged.
March 4 Convoy: Off Zembra Island
B-17s attacked a convoy NW of Bizerte and sank 4 M/Vs and damaged 2.
March 6-12
B-17s participated in shipping sweeps with medium bombers of the Strategic Air Force whereby 8 Axis vessels were sunk and 11 damaged. B-17s also covered A/Ds at El Aouina and La Marsa with frag bombs causing great damage and destroying a number of E/A on the ground. During this period the B-17s destroyed 21 E/A.
March 12 - Docks, Shipping & M/Y: Sousse, Tunisia
38 B-17s dropped 114 tons of bombs on Sousse. The RR marshalling Yds were severely damaged. The power house was destroyed and hits were scored on oil storage and loading piers. A M/V in harbor was hit.
March 13-19
Rain and bad weather kept out bombers inactive except for shipping patrols on Mar. 15 & 16 during which 3 M/Vs and 2 Seibel Ferries received direct hits and were left sinking and aflame.
March 24 - Docks & Shipping: Ferryville, Tun.
27 B-17s unloaded over 60 tons on Ferryville docks. Heavy concentration of bursts caused huge columns of smoke and large fires. There was one very large explosion.
March 31 - A/Ds: Monserrato, Decimomannu & Villacidro, Sardinia, Docks & Shipping: Cagliari, Sardinia
3 Groups of approximately 20 B-17s each attacked A/Ds at Villacidro, Decimomannu and Monserrato in Southern Sardinia dropping a total of 9072 frags among numerous E/A on the ground, hangars, runways and administrative bldgs. Scattered fires were observed. A fourth Group of 24 B-17s loosed 70 tons on Cagliari harbor. 2 large M/Vs and several small M/Vs were hit, and a direct hit on the RR station. A total of 14 E/A were shot down by bomber gunners during the day.