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During the Inter-War Years Malta Was Used As a Main Fleet Base for the Mediterranean Fleet, As It Lay Astride the Main Imperial

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During the Inter-War Years Malta Was Used As a Main Fleet Base for the Mediterranean Fleet, As It Lay Astride the Main Imperial During the inter-war years Malta Allied shipping supplying the island. was used as a main fleet base for the Malta was one of the most intensively Mediterranean Fleet, as it lay astride bombed areas during the war. The the main Imperial routes to the Middle Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and the and Far East theatres and provided a Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air well-placed forward striking base for Force) flew a total of 3,000 bombing use against Italian submarines. After raids over a period of two years in an the First World War, Britain took little effort to destroy RAF defences and the account of the rise of air power until harbours. After Italy entered the war. By this time Malta had become the Malta ceased to be a main fleet base, due to most bombed place on earth, and the situation was the close proximity of Italian air power which fast becoming serious with almost constant attacks made it too vulnerable. British naval forces by Axis aircraft based in Sicily and North Africa, were then divided into two: the main portion, the and Malta's chances of survival were low. Not only Mediterranean Fleet, being based at Alexandria were the military needs in a critical state but also with a smaller British detachment, known as Force those of the entire civilian population who faced "H", based at Gibraltar able to operate in the starvation Western Mediterranean and North Atlantic. Malta Supplies were sent and in September of 1941, remained the lynch pin which connected these two eight of the nine merchant ships arrived in Malta strategic areas of the Mediterranean theatre. With bringing 85,000 tons of supplies. In February the abandonment of the central Mediterranean as a 1942, a convoy of three ships from Alexandria was main fleet area, the Mediterranean was effectively unsuccessful and no supplies reached the island. closed for the passage of merchant shipping to A convoy of 3 merchant ships plus a Navy oiler the Far East via the Suez Canal. With the rapid sailed a month later, accompanied by 4 cruisers and advance of the Afrika Korps and the consequent 16 destroyers, while another cruiser and its covering loss of airfields in Cyrenaica, further convoys to force sailed from Malta to meet them. This escort Malta from the Eastern Mediterranean would be succeeded in keeping an Italian navy away from the very difficult to mount. The Prime Minister thought convoy, but the freighters faced Germans bombers that the loss of Malta would be a disaster of a large near Malta. One ship was sunk just 20 miles from magnitude to the British Empire. The heavy losses Malta. suffered during the June Mediterranean convoys The oiler sank within 8 miles of Malta and and the small quantity of cargo delivered in no way the remaining two ships arrived to cheers by the weakened the Government's or the Admiralty's Maltese, but were sunk in the harbour with only a resolve to keep Malta supplied. fraction of their cargo unloaded. An attempt to run Malta entered the war sharply and suddenly. a re-supply convoy, MG 1, through to Malta from The day after Mussolini declared war, the lOth Alexandria in March 1942 ended in failure with June, 1940, Italian bombers attacked Valletta and barely one-fifth of the embarked cargoes being off­ its harbours. The British had only four hastily loaded in Malta. assembled Sea Gloster Gladiator biplanes hastily In view of all this, the islanders and defenders put together from parts left in crates by the Royal were suffering the onslaught of the constant Navy. The situation worsened when Fliegerkorps bombings, at times as much as three air-raids a day. X (Flying Corps Ten) was sent to Sicily in January Death and destruction was everywhere and the lack 1941, to strike at naval forces in and around Malta, of food and supplies was being badly felt. After the as well as RAF positions on the island to ease the heavy air attacks on Malta throughout the spring passage of supplies to North Africa. of 1942, King George VI bestowed the George The Axis resolved to bomb or starve Malta into Cross on the Island on 15 April1942, so as to "bear submission, by attacking its ports, towns, cities, and witness to the heroism and devotion of its people. Banda In June 1942 there was an attempt to carry The largest convoy to date was assembled at out a large-scale resupply of Malta with two Gibraltar, codenamed Operation Pedestal, using convoys, "Harpoon", escorted part of the way by ships taken from the Far East and from the Home a battleship, two aircraft carriers and four cruisers Fleet. It consisted of 14 transports, including east from Gibraltar, Simultaneously, "Vigorous" the large oil tanker SS Ohio. These ships were from Alexandria consisted of eleven merchant protected by powerful escort and covering forces: ships escorted by eight cruisers and forty others 44 warships, including three aircraft carriers; headed west from Alexandria. The capital ships HMS Eagle, Indomitable and Victorious and two withdrew before the narrow channel between Sicily battleships HMS Nelson and Rodney, the cruisers and Africa due to the threat from the Italian Battle HMS Naiad, Nigeria, Cairo and Manchester, some Fleet., leaving the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Cairo 25 destroyers and escorts, as well as oilers with and thirteen escorts. The results were: six merchant their own corvette escorts, to provide refuelling for ships sunk, three damaged, seven turned back to the convoy escorts .. A diversionary operation was Alexandria. The Royal Navy suffered five damaged staged from Alexandria. ships and four others were sunk. Only two supply Great Britain did not have tankers capable of ships arrived in Malta but no fuel oil got through. 16 knots, so President Franklin Delano Roosevelt By the end of June, ammunition, fuel and food replied to his ally's request and turned over the SS supplies in Malta were nearly exhausted. Livestok Kentucky and SS Ohio to Britain for use in supplying was slaughtered to reduce the need of extra feeding Malta. and for the meat to be served at the number of The merchant ships consisted of SS Ohio and SS 'Victory Kitchen' established aroupd the island to Kentucky. Operation Pedestal was intended as the supply a meagre diet to the inhabitants. At that time, last attempt to deliver a vital relief to the besieged to stretch the supply of flour, the Maltese mixed island, but it was to be at heavy cost. It was attacked flour with potato peelings, making a sort of coarse from the sea, but also by air. Some 146 German brown bread. The situation became so dire that and over 450 Italian planes took part in the action bread once again became white when there were no against the convoy. Out of the 14 merchant ships more potato peelings to add to flour. Malta would be sent, nine were sunk. Moreover, the aircraft carrier forced to surrender if these badly needed supplies HMS Eagle, one cruiser and three destroyers were were not delivered before September. The Royal sunk by a combined effort from the Italian Navy, Air Force had only a few weeks' supply of aviation Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe. Nevertheless, the fuel. Submarines were pressed into service to run operation though costly in lives and ships, was supplies of aviation fuel, anti-aircraft ammunition vital in bringing in much-needed war materials and and torpedoes, while the Admiralty's fast minelayer supplies. HMS Welshman was converted to run through I OPERATION PEDESTAL I the blockade carrying fuel to keep the remaining aircraft operational. The First Lord of the Admiralty A. V. Alexander and Admiral of the Fleet Dudley "~·V"'M' ~MAJOliCA ........... ··· /j\· ...:sr ..... lir!S~ Pound, the First Sea Lord agreed with Churchill ;. ......... ...,.~t .... ·· r.. :t.,........_ Boc..'>.. :ubull, that the loss of Malta would be a disaster for the ' ::=o::!'~~s· ... 'tl:,: ..i,. •c;rAUfHA oii.W!o British Empire and possibly leading to the loss of "' "Jf '* MALTA the Mediterranean, if not the war! ~11k<Mt alttl!~~~ f$JS.I~W;nl I~Uh>:JII ll'IJ.\1~· (l'm.\1kfou t"'>lll~l>d I-'Jiut:.<\. :•w4V>"•n U~'IW>I: IOI<;of1Ml, CHt.(toltF~ =..~!':t· ~~~:· ,.,,....t;,:..,.. u. &r,... r'*wl. !ll.lolr~ >"411-~~.... ~ ~U... ~&..Wotur, ~.::qi <"""'l'b<t("l;""l li"Jlood(il, Operation Pedestal <rlW<... !>I,....,.,_tr~ August 1942 Map of events of convoy once within the Mediterranian Sea The Epic The main Convoy had sailed from the UK on the night of 2 and 3 August. August 10-11 night: Convoy enters Gibraltar in heavy fog. August 11: 4 torpedoes from German U-73 sink HMS Eagle. 260 men lost, all but 4 planes lost. Deck of HMS Indomitable HMS Furious flies off 36 planes La A.D.1B94 to Malta and turns back as Raimondo Montecuccoli, and planned. A Destroyer rams and Muzio Attendolo and 17 destroyers sinks an Italian submarine. sailed from Cagliari, Naples and 40 German bombers and 20 Messina to intercept the Junker 88s attack convoy. convoy in the Sicilian narrows. Submarine also attacks the Numerous aerial attacks on the convoy. convoy from Sardinia and from Sicily Another 100 German & Italian throughout the day by Italian torpedo planes attack. MV Deucalion bombers and German Ju-88s and Ju sunk by aerial torpedo and HMS 87s (Stukas). The Axis used every Victorious was hit by dud torpedo. form of attack including dropping An Italian submarine forced to mines ahead of the convoy, circling surface by depth charges.
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