Naval Operations in the Battle of Crete
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A Kriegsmarine U VII. Osztályú Tengeralattjárói
Haditechnika-történet Kelecsényi István* – Sárhidai Gyula** Akik majdnem megnyerték az Atlanti csatát – A Kriegsmarine U VII. osztályú tengeralattjárói I. rész 1. ábra. VII. osztályú U-boot bevetésre indul a kikötőből (Festmény) AZ előzmények főleg kereskedelmi hajót süllyesztettek el 199 darabos veszteség ellenében. A német búvárnaszádok a háború Az első világháború után a békefeltételek nem engedték során komoly problémát okoztak az antant hatalmaknak a meg Németországnak a tengeralattjárók hadrendben tartá- nyersanyag utánpótlásában és élelmiszerszállítások bizto- sát. Ennek oka, hogy a Nagy Háborúban több mint 5000, sításában. ÖSSZEFOGLALÁS: A németek közepes méretű tengeralattjáró típusa a VII. ABSTRACT: The Class VII U-boats were the German medium-size submarine osztály volt. A német haditengerészet legnagyobb ászai – Günther Prien type. The greatest aces of the German Navy – Corvette captain Günther Prien, korvettkapitány, Otto Kretschmer fregattkapitány és Joachim Schepke fre- Frigate captain Otto Kretschmer and Frigate captain Joachim Schepke – gattkapitány – ezeken a hajókon szolgáltak. A VII. osztály változatai elsősor- served on these boats. Variants of the Class VII fought mainly in the Atlantic ban az Atlanti-óceánon, a brit utánpótlási vonalak fő hadszínterén harcoltak, Ocean, on the main battlefield of the British supply lines, and between 1941 és 1941 és 1943 között majdnem sikerült kiéheztetniük és térdre kényszerí- and 1943 they almost starved and brought to heels the Great Britain. The teniük Nagy-Britanniát. A németek -
9832 Supplement to the London Gazette, 31 July, 1919
9832 SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 31 JULY, 1919. CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS Commander (now Captain) Bernard William. OF KNIGHTHOOD. Murray Fairbairn, R.N. St. James's Palace, S.W., For valuable services as Executive Officer of H.M. Ships "Cochrane" and "War- 31st July, 1919. spite," and in the Naval Ordnance Depart- The KING has been graciously pleased to ment, Admiralty. give orders for the following appointments to Surgeon-Lieutenant George William Marshall the Most Excellent Order of the British Fmdlay, M.B., R.N. Empire in recognition of the services of the For valuable services as Medical Officer of undermentioned Officers during the War: — the Royal Naval Depot, Port Said. To be Commanders of the Military Division of Lieutenant Otto Barnes Patrick Flood, R.N.R. the said Most Excellent Order:— For valuable services as Resident Naval Commander (acting Captain) Ernest Edward Officer, Suez. Alexander Betts, R.N. Commander Geoffrey Herbert Freyberg, R.N. For valuable services as Senior British For valuable services as Navigating Officer Naval Officer, Suez Canal. of H.M.S. "Valiant.'" Commander (acting Captain) Arthur Edward Commander Malcolm Kenneth Grant, R.N. Dunn, R.D., R.N.R. For valuable* services in the Department For valuable services as a Commodore of of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining, Convoys, and on the Staff of the British Admiralty. Senior Naval Officer, New York. Engineer Lieutenant Harry Hunter, R.N. Engineer Captain Arthur Robert Grant, R.N. For valuable services in H.M.S. "Bar- For valuable services as Squadron ham." Engineer of the Fifth and Second Battle Lieutenant-Commander Robert Beaufin Irving, Squadrons. -
Contribution of Greece to the Victory of the Allies During Ww Ii
CONTRIBUTION OF GREECE TO THE VICTORY OF THE ALLIES DURING WW II Lt Colonel of Engineering Panayiotis Spyropoulos Historian of the History Directorate of Hellenic Army General Staff The peninsula of Greece has, since antiquity, been a point of confrontation be- tween East and West, as it constitutes an area of utmost strategic value, situated on the flanks of the main axis of operations in East-West direction and vice-versa. Who- ever occupies Greece can effortlessly with his forces harass the flanks or even the rear of troops operating along the aforementioned axis, control the sea line of com- munication from Gibraltar to Suez, and block from the west the sea route from the Black Sea to Propontis (Marmara) Sea, the Hellespont (Straits), the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The geo-strategic value of Greece has been dramatically enhanced during the XXth century, due to the rapid technological development of war equipment (as per the quote of sir Halford Mackinder on the «Heartland»). During the 2nd World War, Italy launched the attack against Greece, without informing its ally, Germany. Berlin was enraged by the Italian action and considered it «totally incoherent» and mistimed, because it was initiated just before wintertime, a season unsuitable for mountain operations, as well as just before the elections in the (still neutral) USA, providing Roosevelt with even more convincing arguments for go- ing to war. Moreover, it criticised the Italians refraining from any seaborne operation, a fact that facilitated the British in debarking on Crete and other islands, significant for their strategic importance; while they left them the margin to deploy in Thessalo- nica. -
4 R.A.N. SHIPS OVERSEAS to JUNE 194 0 URING the First Ten Months Of
CHAPTER 4 R.A.N. SHIPS OVERSEAS TO JUNE 194 0 URING the first ten months of the war, those Australian ships not D retained on the home station were employed in Imperial dispositions in widely separated areas . The first six months found Perth in Central American waters, mainly engaged in the dual task of protecting trade — especially the important tanker traffic in the Caribbean—and preventin g the escape of German merchant ships sheltering in neutral ports of th e islands and the Isthmus . Last of the three expansion-program cruiser s acquired from Britain, she had commissioned at Portsmouth on the 29th June 1939 as H .M.A. Ship under "Fighting Freddie " Farncomb, a studious , coolly-efficient officer whose nickname, bestowed during the war, reflected the confidence and esteem of the lower deck . Perth sailed from Portsmouth on the 26th July for Australia via th e Panama Canal, and reached New York, where she represented Australi a at the World Fair, on the 4th August. On the 21st of the month, after twelve days of American hospitality, she arrived at Kingston, Jamaica, an d was to have sailed for Panama on the 23rd, but in the early morning o f that date Farncomb received a signal sent to the Admiralty by the Com- mander-in-Chief, America and West Indies—Vice-Admiral Meyrick' — asking that Perth might remain on the station . Farncomb thereupon can- celled his sailing arrangements, thus anticipating an Admiralty signa l received later in the day directing him to "return Kingston and awai t further orders " . -
37845R CS3 Book Hatfield's Diaries.Indd
“H.M.A.S. PERTH” 1939 -1941 From the diaries of P.O. George Hatfield Published in Sydney Australia in 2009 Publishing layout and Cover Design by George Hatfield Jnr. Printed by Springwood Printing Co. Faulconbridge NSW 2776 1 2 Foreword Of all the ships that have flown the ensign of the Royal Australian Navy, there has never been one quite like the first HMAS Perth, a cruiser of the Second World War. In her short life of just less than three years as an Australian warship she sailed all the world’s great oceans, from the icy wastes of the North Atlantic to the steamy heat of the Indian Ocean and the far blue horizons of the Pacific. She survived a hurricane in the Caribbean and months of Italian and German bombing in the Mediterranean. One bomb hit her and nearly sank her. She fought the Italians at the Battle of Matapan in March, 1941, which was the last great fleet action of the British Royal Navy, and she was present in June that year off Syria when the three Australian services - Army, RAN and RAAF - fought together for the first time. Eventually, she was sunk in a heroic battle against an overwhelming Japanese force in the Java Sea off Indonesia in 1942. Fast and powerful and modern for her times, Perth was a light cruiser of some 7,000 tonnes, with a main armament of eight 6- inch guns, and a top speed of about 34 knots. She had a crew of about 650 men, give or take, most of them young men in their twenties. -
Auction of British Empire and Foreign Countries Postage Stamps and Postal History
ˆ Auction of British Empire and Foreign Countries Postage Stamps and Postal History featuring the exceptional Reg Patchett award-winning collection of Crash and Interrupted Mail including a rare 1937 Hindenburg Crash cover, a fine offering from the ‘King’s Pawn’ collection of Gambia, the outstanding collection of British Empire formed by the late Raymond (Monty) Hester and the comprehensive Michael Hellings Philatelic Library To be held in the Grosvenor Auction Room at 399–401 Strand, London WC2R 0LT Wednesday 18th September 2019 at 10 am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm Public viewing at our offices is to be available on Monday 16th September 9.30 am to 5 pm Tuesday 17th September 9.30 am to 5 pm Private viewing will be available before these dates Please telephone us beforehand to arrange an appointment Front Cover Illustration: lot 1386 Inside Front Cover Illustrations: lots 838, 858 Page 1 Illustrations: lots 277 and 154 (details) Inside Back Cover Illustrations: lots 1245, 1377 Back Cover Illustrations (from top): lots 1083, 588, 781, 1293, 207, 662, 1171, 944, 1163, 1099, 1219, 819, 1163, 1099, 1219, 819, 1221, 1123, 1062, 1126, Ex 501, 2 7 December 2006 (First Session, Lots 1–511) Miscellaneous and Mixed Lots Grosvenor 399–401 Strand Third Floor London WC2R 0LT Telephone 020 7379 8789 Fax 020 7379 9737 Email [email protected] Website www.grosvenorauctions.com Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions Ltd VAT No. GB 707 0214 77 Registered at the above address No. 3444274 Board of Directors James Grist Chris Lawrence Glyn Page Andrew Williams Managing Director Andrew Williams Director of Finance Chris Lawrence Office Manager (General Enquiries) Tom Margalski Philatelic Specialists and Consultants Constanze Dennis Glyn Page Andrew Williams James Grist Stuart Billington Andrew Claridge Charles Napper Tristan Brittain David Boyd John Forrest Australia Representative Gary Brown P.O. -
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10609-04 Auger 2/6/04 10:35 AM Page 47 MARTIN F. AUGER ‘A Tempest in a Teapot’: Canadian Military Planning and the St. Pierre and Miquelon Affair, 1940-1942 THE SMALL FRENCH COLONY OF ST. PIERRE AND MIQUELON, located some 32 kilometers off the south shore of Newfoundland, was a source of great concern for the Canadian government during the Second World War.1 When Nazi Germany defeated France in June 1940, the fate of the French Empire became uncertain. Canada and other Allied countries feared that French colonies might be used by the Germans to conduct military operations against them. The proximity of St. Pierre and Miquelon to Canada and the British colony of Newfoundland constituted a major threat. Negotiations immediately ensued between the American, British and Canadian governments as to the future of France’s territories in the Western Hemisphere. The main argument was whether or not the French islands needed to be occupied by Allied military forces. The issue, however, was solved in December 1941 when the Free French movement of General Charles de Gaulle sent a small naval task force to rally the archipelago to the Allied cause. Most historians who have analyzed the St. Pierre and Miquelon affair of 1940 to 1942 have focused upon the Free French takeover. Although some historians have studied Canada’s role in the affair from a diplomatic perspective, none have provided an in-depth analysis of Canadian military planning during this crisis.2 It is now clear that Canada undertook significant planning to launch an invasion. An understanding of the details of Canada’s invasion plan and the ultimate decision to postpone military action illuminates the changing structure of Canada’s relations with Great Britiain and the United States. -
Military Entrepreneurship in the Shadow of the Greek Civil War (1946–1949)
JPR Men of the Gun and Men of the State: Military Entrepreneurship in the Shadow of the Greek Civil War (1946–1949) Spyros Tsoutsoumpis Abstract: The article explores the intersection between paramilitarism, organized crime, and nation-building during the Greek Civil War. Nation-building has been described in terms of a centralized state extending its writ through a process of modernisation of institutions and monopolisation of violence. Accordingly, the presence and contribution of private actors has been a sign of and a contributive factor to state-weakness. This article demonstrates a more nuanced image wherein nation-building was characterised by pervasive accommodations between, and interlacing of, state and non-state violence. This approach problematises divisions between legal (state-sanctioned) and illegal (private) violence in the making of the modern nation state and sheds new light into the complex way in which the ‘men of the gun’ interacted with the ‘men of the state’ in this process, and how these alliances impacted the nation-building process at the local and national levels. Keywords: Greece, Civil War, Paramilitaries, Organized Crime, Nation-Building Introduction n March 1945, Theodoros Sarantis, the head of the army’s intelligence bureau (A2) in north-western Greece had a clandestine meeting with Zois Padazis, a brigand-chief who operated in this area. Sarantis asked Padazis’s help in ‘cleansing’ the border area from I‘unwanted’ elements: leftists, trade-unionists, and local Muslims. In exchange he promised to provide him with political cover for his illegal activities.1 This relationship that extended well into the 1950s was often contentious. -
EVELYN WAUGH NEWSLETTER and STUDIES Volume 27, Number 3 Winter 1993
EVELYN WAUGH NEWSLETTER AND STUDIES Volume 27, Number 3 Winter 1993 BARD IA MARTIN STANNARD'S MILITARY MUDDLE By Donat Gallagher (James Cook University, Australia) When reading Martin Stannard's No Abiding City [entitled Evelyn Waugh, The Later Years in the USA], for review, I was struck by what seemed an exceptionally large number of factual errors, unsupported claims, imputations of motive, overstatements and misreadings. The inaccuracy seemed so pervasive as to undermine the book's value as a work of record. In order to test this impression, I decided to examine a short neutral passage that would serve as a fair sample. The passage chosen for scrutiny had to be brief, and about an easily researched subject. The subject also had to be incapable of having stirred the prejudices of the biographer or the reviewer, or of awakening those of the readers of the book or review. Pages 28-31 of No Abiding City were selected because they dealt with a very minor military operation, viz. a Commando raid on Bardia, and with a humdrum article Waugh wrote about it. No issue of class, religion, politics, literary theory or internal military squabbling arises. Nor does the spectre of professional rivalry, for no one, I imagine, seeks the bubble reputation in a war of words about Bardia. The three pages narrate the events of the raid, using information drawn from Waugh's article and diaries. In addition, criticisms are made of Waugh on the basis of real and purported discrepancies between the article and the diaries. Little is said about the genesis of the article or about the administrative difficulties attending its publication. -
Churchill, Wavell and Greece, 1941*
Robin Higham Duty, Honor and Grand Strategy: Churchill, Wavell and Greece, 1941* In our previous works, then Capt. Harold E. Raugh and I took too limited a Mediterranean view of the background of the Greek campaign of 6-26 April 19411. Far from its being Raugh’s “disastrous mistake,” I argue that General Sir Archibald Wavell’s actions fitted both traditional British practice and the general policy worked out in London. In 1986 and 1987 I argued after long and careful thought since 1967 that Wavell went to Greece as part of a loyal deception of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, whose bellicose way at war was the antithesis of Wavell’s own professionalism. Further, whereas Raugh took the narrow military view, mine was a grand-strategic approach relating ends to means. My argument here is that a restudy of the campaign in Greece of 6-27 April 1941 utilizing the Orange Leonard ULTRA messages reconfirms my thesis that going to Greece was a deception and that far from being the miserable defeat which Raugh imagined, the withdrawal was a strategic triumph in the manner of a Wellington in Spain and Portugal or of the BEF’s in France in 1940. For this Wavell deserves full credit. In this respect, then, the so-called campaign in Greece must be seen not as an ignominious retreat in the face of superior forces, but rather as a skilful, carefully planned withdrawal and ultimate evacuation. It was a successful, though materially costly, gamble. * This paper was accepted for publication in late 2005 but delayed by the Balkan Studies financial crisis. -
Air-To-Ground Battle for Italy
Air-to-Ground Battle for Italy MICHAEL C. MCCARTHY Brigadier General, USAF, Retired Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama August 2004 Air University Library Cataloging Data McCarthy, Michael C. Air-to-ground battle for Italy / Michael C. McCarthy. p. ; cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58566-128-7 1. World War, 1939–1945 — Aerial operations, American. 2. World War, 1939– 1945 — Campaigns — Italy. 3. United States — Army Air Forces — Fighter Group, 57th. I. Title. 940.544973—dc22 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. Air University Press 131 West Shumacher Avenue Maxwell AFB AL 36112–6615 http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil ii Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER . ii FOREWORD . v ABOUT THE AUTHOR . vii PREFACE . ix INTRODUCTION . xi Notes . xiv 1 GREAT ADVENTURE BEGINS . 1 2 THREE MUSKETEERS TIMES TWO . 11 3 AIR-TO-GROUND BATTLE FOR ITALY . 45 4 OPERATION STRANGLE . 65 INDEX . 97 Photographs follow page 28 iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Foreword The events in this story are based on the memory of the author, backed up by official personnel records. All survivors are now well into their eighties. Those involved in reconstructing the period, the emotional rollercoaster that was part of every day and each combat mission, ask for understanding and tolerance for fallible memories. Bruce Abercrombie, our dedicated photo guy, took most of the pictures. -
The Battle of Crete: Hitler’S Airborne Gamble
THE BATTLE OF CRETE: HITLER’S AIRBORNE GAMBLE A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE Military History by MARIA A. BIANK, MAJ, USA B.A., College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, 1990 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 2003 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE THESIS APPROVAL PAGE Name of Candidate: Major Maria A. Biank Thesis Title: Battle of Crete: Hitler’s Airborne Gamble Approved by: _____________________________________, Thesis Committee Chair Lieutenant Colonel Marlyn R. Pierce, M.A. _____________________________________, Member Samuel J. Lewis, Ph.D. _____________________________________, Member Lieutenant Colonel John A. Suprin, M.A. Accepted this 6th day of June 2003 by: _____________________________________, Director, Graduate Degree Programs Philip J. Brookes, Ph.D. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student author and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to this study should include the foregoing statement.) ii ABSTRACT THE BATTLE OF CRETE: HITLER’S AIRBORNE GAMBLE, by MAJ Maria Biank, 96 pages As Adolf Hitler conquered most of the European continent in 1939-1941, the small island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea became vital to future operations in the Mediterranean region for both the Axis and Allied powers. If the Allies controlled Crete, their air and sea superiority would not allow the Germans a strategic military foothold in the region. For the Germans, Crete would secure the Aegean Sea for Axis shipping, loosen Great Britain’s grasp in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and provide air bases to launch offensives against British forces in Egypt.