Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942

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The book tells a gripping, heroic story, accompanied by a generous selection of photographs and a host of technical detail. The whole object of the convoy was to get the merchant ships with their 85,000 tons of supplies on board to Malta’s Grand Harbour. In the end, only 32,000 tons made it through, but they were enough to enable Malta to continue its brave battle against the odds. In 1956, Ian Playfair, the official historian, wrote that the FAA lost 13 aircraft in action and 16 when Eagle was sunk, the RAF lost five aircraft and 35 Axis aircraft were shot down, including losses over Malta. [100] In 1957, Giuseppe Santoro wrote that the Regia Aeronautica lost 24 aircraft (excluding those destroyed in British raids on Sardinian airfields and the radio-controlled SM 79 bomber) and that the Germans lost 24 aircraft, plus an unknown number of reconnaissance aircraft operating against the convoy. [33]

spewed a wall of fire and steel through which enemy dive-bombers flew, while Fleet Air Arm pilots grappled with their foe in the Mediterranean skies – the Axis often had faster aircraft, and almost always appeared in superior numbers. Admiral Sir Edward Syfret, commanding Pedestal, described their performance in a single word: 'Grand.' Contrary to expectation, the last two chapters of the book do not contain a 'sum up' of the success of the 'Pedestal' convoy. This is not strictly necessary as the subject is dealt with earlier in the book. The arrangement of these chapters is however a little odd. The subjects of Chapters 12 and 13 are, respectively, the controversial trial of Captain Drew of HMS Manchester With hindsight, one could see that this was a recipe for disaster - and indeed in the early hours of the morning of 13 August 1942, it suffered a direct hit from three bombs dropped from a Junkers Ju88. H. M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action, 3rd September, 1939 to 2nd September, 1945 (PDF). London: Admiralty: Director of Naval Construction. 1952. OCLC 38570200. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2016. The Ohio would make it into harbour, and Mason became the first member of the Merchant Navy to be awarded the George Cross. Only he and two others were bestowed with that honour during the war.

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That, for most readers though, will probably not be the point. This is above all a tale of triumph in the most demanding circumstances, and for some reason one which doesn't seem to get as much attention in popular memory of the Second World War as it deserves. In Operation Dunlop, HMS Ark Royal sailed from Gibraltar on 24 April and flew off 24 Hurricanes at dawn on 27 April. Bristol Blenheims and Beaufighters were also flown direct from Gibraltar. Three battleships and an aircraft carrier covered the fast transport Breconshire (now commissioned into the RN) from Alexandria to Malta. The operation was coordinated with the four-ship convoy ME 7 from Malta to Alexandria. [32] On 16 April, the value of Malta for offensive operations was shown when four destroyers of 14th Flotilla (the Malta Striking Force), recently based in the island, destroyed an Afrika Korps supply convoy (five ships, for a total of 14,000 gross register tons(GRT), and three escorts) in the Battle of the Tarigo Convoy. [33] [34] [a] Operation Temple [ edit ] In the same action, the anti-aircraft ship HMS Cairo (A/Captain C.C. Hardy) was hit by two torpedoes fired by a German U-boat and had its stern blown off. There were 25 fatal casualties but the rest of the crew were taken off and the ship was sunk by gunfire by the destroyer HMS Pathfinder (Commander E.A. Gibbs). Supported by battleship Nelson and battle cruiser Renown, it was one of the most powerful units yet deployed to “the Med.” Furious embarked Spitfires for Malta, but the other two carriers had protective Sea Hurricanes and Fulmars.

Sadkovich, James (1994). The Italian Navy in World War II. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-28797-8. The Allies waged the Western Desert Campaign (1940–43) in North Africa, against the Axis forces of Italy aided by Germany, which sent the Deutsches Afrika Korps and substantial Luftwaffe detachments to the Mediterranean in late 1940. Up to the end of the year, 21 ships with 160,000 long tons (160,000t) of cargo reached Malta without loss and a reserve of seven months' supplies had been accumulated. Three convoy operations to Malta in 1941 lost one merchant ship. From January 1941 to August 1942, 46 ships delivered 320,000 long tons (330,000t) but 25 ships were sunk and modern, efficient, merchant ships, naval and air forces had been diverted from other routes for long periods; thirty-one supply runs by submarines were also conducted. [7] Reinforcements for Malta, included 19 costly and dangerous aircraft carrier ferry operations to deliver fighters. [8] From August 1940 to the end of August 1942, 670 Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters were flown off aircraft carriers in the western Mediterranean. [9] Many other aircraft used Malta as a staging post for North Africa and the Desert Air Force. [10] Prelude [ edit ] Holland, James (2004). Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940–1943. London: Cassell Military. ISBN 978-0-304-36654-5.August 1942 was the feast of the Assumption of Mary ( Santa Marija) a Christian festival and an important holiday in Malta. This is an excellent addition to the body of Pedestal literature – as well as a very detailed account of the battle, liberally sprinkled with first-hand descriptions from those who were there, there are more than a dozen appendices.

Rescue came soon after from the Melbourne Star which was immediately following the ship in the convoy. Austin, D. (2002). The Place of Malta in British Strategic Policy 1925–1943 (PhD). Computer File. London: University of London. OCLC 499365025 . Retrieved 19 December 2015. The Story of Convoy WS21S in August 1942' by Brian James Crabb reveals that Able Seaman William Henry Johnson RN was lost in the MV Waimarama

In August 1942 operation 'Pedestal' was launched in a desperate last attempt to relieve the island. The largest, the most expensive and, possibly, the most important of all the Malta convoys. The consequences of failure can only be a matter of conjecture but there can be no doubt that General Montgomery and the 8th Army would have had a much tougher time at El Alamein later that year had Rommel been in possession of the many thousands of tons of supplies that were destroyed by Malta based aircraft and submarines in the September - October following 'Pedestal'.

which had been torpedoed and bombed to a standstill, was eventually towed, nursed and coaxed into Valletta's Grand Harbour on the 15th, against all odds. Her voyage is legendary and Captain Dudley Mason was deservedly awarded the George Cross for his action. Cork flew three more sorties that day, claiming three more victims. He became the FAA’s top fighter ace with thirteen victories, but died flying a Corsair at Ceylon in 1944. Despite Axis submarines, three cruisers and twenty-six destroyers refuelled from the tankers Dingledale and Brown Ranger of Force R by dawn. (Previous Malta convoys had refuelled on arrival but now the island had no oil to spare.) [37] The convoy was south of the Balearic Islands on course for Cap Bon at daybreak and at about 06:20, a U-boat sighted the convoy. At 08:15 a Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft reported that the convoy was 95nmi (176km; 109mi) north-west of Algiers; fifteen minutes later, a Ju 88 began to shadow the convoy at 20,000–24,000ft (6,100–7,300m) and continued throughout the day. At noon, the convoy was about 75nmi (139km; 86mi) south of Majorca, sailing due east on a zigzag course. Furious conducted the flying off between 12:30 and 15:15 of 38 Spitfires for the 555 to 584nmi (1,028 to 1,082km; 639 to 672mi) journey to Malta and then turned round with her escorts for Gibraltar (37 of the aircraft reached Malta). [38] The cruiser Raimondo Montecuccoli Mason passed away on 26 April 1987, at the age of 85, and his family maintained ties with Malta, as they themselves attested to in a letter to the Times of Malta in 2013.Shot down and killed, after shooting down a Ju88 just north of Malta, while flying Spitfire BR366 – 126 Squadron – 10 August 1942) Michael Hankey (801 NAS) was airborne at the time of the sinking of Eagle on 11 August 1942. He was flying Hurricane V7229 and landed on Victorious. On 12 August he flew off Victorious, but failed to return, being shot down by an enemy aircraft, causing him to crash into the sea. As I recall we left Scapa in early August ’42, once again in company with our sister ship ‘Nelson’, and headed south being joined by other ships both naval and merchant as we proceeded. As was common practise in those days we had no idea of our destination Protheroe William Loyd 'Willy' (21) Sub Lieutenant (A) RNVR (827 NAS)Sainsbury John Maurice (25) Leading Air Mechanic (O) FAA/FX 79980 The overall operational commander was Vice-Admiral E.N. Syfret. The convoy was codenamed WS.5.21.S. Just prior to sailing, Rear-Admiral Burrough met with the Convoy Commodore A.G. Venables, and the masters of the individual merchant ships on board his flagship.