Comes with hand-signed C.O.A.

Units in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) were the second-largest user of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II. There were a total of six combat groups (twenty-four squadrons) equipped with the bomber assigned to the Theater.

This original and heavily marked B-17 mission raid map was used during the famous Bombing of Cagliari. The Bombing of Cagliari was a series of attacks by the United States Army Air Force and the Royal Air Force on the Italian city of Cagliari, the regional capital of Sardinia, during World War II. The raids, aimed at destroying the port facilities and airfields of Cagliari, also resulted in the destruction of most of the city.

Cagliari, the main port and largest city in Sardinia, was a target of strategic importance as it was the location of some of the most important Axis air bases in the island (Elmas and Decimomannu), which enabled the Regia Aeronautica and the Luftwaffe to operate in the Western Mediterranean, as well as a submarine base. Moreover, its port represented the main point of entry for supplies sent from mainland Italy to Sardinia.

What makes this Mediterranean Theater map very rare and desirable are the B-17 navigator’s strategical markings directly over the Elma Airfield. These target marks and post raid bombing maneuvers/navigation were done by one of the B-17s that participated in that raid.

Elma Aifield Raids:

On 7 February 1943, 51 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Martin B-26 Marauder bombers dropped 81 tons of bombs on the Elmas airfield, destroying ten Axis aircraft on the ground and killing 31 servicemen. Some bombs fell on the suburbs of Cagliari, killing two civilians; four bombers were shot down by anti-aircraft fire and by Italian and German fighter planes, four of which (two Italian and two German) were downed in turn. In the following night, sixteen Vickers Wellington of the RAF also attacked the airfields.

On 17 February, 43 B-17s attacked the Elmas airfield with fragmentation bombs, but heavy cloud cover caused most of the bombs to miss the target and hit the city; while damage to buildings was relatively light, the fragmentation bombs killed some 200 civilians, in addition to 44 soldiers.

On 26 February, nineteen B-17 bombers dropped fifty tons of bombs over the port and the Elmas air base; many of the bombs also fell on the city, causing severe damage and casualties in the Bonaria, Castello, Stampace and Marina districts. At least 73 civilians were killed, but some estimates place the death toll at over 200.

Two days later, 47 B-17s dropped 123 tons of bombs on the harbour and the Elmas airfield, hitting the targets (one steamer was sunk and another damaged in the port), the railway station, and part of the city, especially the Stampace district. According to data of the Prefecture of Cagliari, the two raids on 26 and 28 January caused 600 deaths: 411 or 416 civilians and 189 servicemen. After these raids, damage was widespread in the city: on 4 March the prefect of Cagliari, Leone Leone, wrote in his report that "…there is not a single street left without destroyed homes, and in many parts destruction is complete…"; most of the population left the city, and those who remained spent most of their time in air raid shelters. State offices were also relocated to Sassari, Oristano and other towns.

On 31 March 1943, 27 B-17s of the 12th USAAF attacked the harbour, dropping 65 tons of bombs. The target was hit, sinking two steamers at their moorings, but many bombs also fell on the city, killing sixty civilians and wounding 52. Three bombers were shot down and four damaged by Italian fighter planes, three of which were shot down in return.

On 14 April, the Elmas airfield was bombed by 23 aircraft of the 12th USAAF. On 13 May, Cagliari suffered the heaviest raid of the war: 197 B-17 bombers, escorted by 186 fighters, dropped 404 tons of bombs over the city. Main objectives were the port and the marshalling yard, but according to some sources part of the bombers were also specifically tasked with attacking the city itself, in order to weaken the morale of the population. Indeed, this raid caused widespread damage to the entire city. At the same time, thousands of propaganda leaflets were dropped, denouncing the alliance between Italy and Germany and urging the population to pressure the government to make peace with the Allies. The submarine Mocenigo and a merchant ship were sunk in the harbour. The Italian and German air forces claimed seven B-17s shot down, and lost six fighters in return. On the following night, Vickers Wellington bombers of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force dropped a further fifty tons of bombs. The 13 May raid was the most destructive attack suffered by Cagliari, but civilian casualties were relatively low (estimates vary between thirty and sixty) as most of the population had already left the city.