Operation
Pedestal, SS Ohio entering Grand Harbour, Malta.
The last contested Royal Navy operation to
resupply Malta. Maintaining the effectiveness of the island’s aircraft and warship
strike forces against the very long and vulnerable Axis supply routes to North
Africa was crucial, especially as the Allies prepared for a new offensive in
the Western Desert and the invasion of Vichy French North Africa. Three of five
freighters and the tanker Kentucky all had been lost from the Harpoon convoy in
June, and Malta faced a growing shortage of supplies, particularly of fuel.
Therefore, despite the very real risks of heavy losses among the merchant
vessels and their escorting warships, the Allies decided to mount another
convoy operation.
Axis control of the North African coast
ruled out a westbound convoy. An eastbound convoy would be vulnerable to attack
from Sardinian and Sicilian bases for some 400 miles, requiring moonless
nights, fast merchantmen, and a heavy escort for passage. The convoy itself
numbered 14 ships, including the tanker Ohio, carrying 85,000 tons of supplies
and 12,000 tons of fuel. Close escort to Malta was provided by the British navy
in the form of Force X of 4 cruisers and 11 destroyers. Additional cover as far
as the Skerki Channel would come from Force Z of 2 battleships, 3 carriers with
100 aircraft, 3 cruisers, and 13 destroyers. Two oilers and a tug, escorted by
4 corvettes, accompanied the armada. The carrier Furious, escorted by 8
destroyers, used this opportunity to fly off 40 Spitfires to reinforce Malta
before returning to Gibraltar. Nine submarines were deployed to counter
possible movements by Italian surface forces.
On 10 August 1942, Axis forces received
immediate confirmation that the convoy had passed through the Straits of
Gibraltar. Twenty submarines (18 Italian and 2 German) were deployed to
intercept, and the convoy was shadowed from the air. At 1:15 P.M. on 11 August,
German submarine U-73 torpedoed and sank the carrier Eagle and escaped. Two
hours later, the first Axis air attack in the form of 30 aircraft from Sardinia
arrived. It caused no damage to the convoy at the cost of 2 aircraft shot down.
Major air attacks from Sardinia commenced
the next morning. Between 9:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M., 134 Italian and 77 German
aircraft made 3 attacks in 5 waves, slightly damaging the carrier Victorious
and slowing the merchantman Decaulion, forcing it to proceed independently. The
Axis forces lost 12 aircraft. Aircraft flying from Sicily entered the fray at
6:35 P.M., when 95 aircraft attacked in 6 waves. They made a glancing hit on
the battleship Nelson, torpedoed the destroyer Foresight, and bombed the
carrier Indomitable, putting the last 2 out of action.
Force Z turned back to Gibraltar at 6:55
P.M., 20 minutes earlier than planned, but its carrier losses reduced the
convoy’s air cover to 6 Beaufighters from Malta. At nightfall, as the convoy
entered the Skerki Channel, Italian submarines struck, torpedoing the cruisers
Cairo and Nigeria and the tanker Ohio. The Ohio continued, but the Cairo was
scuttled and the Nigeria turned back to Gibraltar. A cruiser and 2 destroyers
were detached from Force Z as reinforcements, but before they arrived a German
night air attack by 37 aircraft caused the loss of 3 freighters (including the
Decaulion) and seriously damaged a fourth.
Axis motor torpedo boats attacked in the
early hours of 13 August, devastating the convoy. By dawn it was scattered and
reduced to seven merchantmen (three damaged) escorted by two cruisers and 16
destroyers. An attempted interception by Italian surface ships was foiled when
the submarine Unbroken torpedoed 2 of 4 cruisers off Cape Milazzo. Air attacks
from Sicily recommenced at 9:15 A.M., sinking 2 merchantmen and further
damaging the Ohio. By 11:00, however, Spitfire fighter cover from Malta
effectively prevented further successful attacks. Four merchantmen (1 damaged)
and the Ohio, barely afloat, entered Valetta’s Grand Harbor, bringing 32,000
tons of supplies and 11,500 tons of fuel to the garrison, sufficient for 2
months of operations. Force X successfully returned to Gibraltar through the
gauntlet of Axis air, submarine, and motor torpedo boat attacks, losing only
the damaged Foresight.
Operation PEDESTAL was at best an Axis
tactical victory. The British lost 8 freighters, a carrier, 2 cruisers, and a
destroyer. A carrier, a cruiser, and a destroyer also suffered heavy damage.
The Italians lost 2 submarines and several light craft, and 2 cruisers, 2
submarines, and other light craft were heavily damaged. Aircraft losses on all
sides were modest, considering the numbers engaged. Most significantly,
however, the British, despite heavy merchant ship losses, had succeeded in
resupplying Malta, which had an immediate serious impact on the Axis supply
lines to North Africa at a critical moment.
References
Greene, Jack, and Alessandro Massignani. The Naval
War in the Mediterranean, 1940–1943. London: Chatham Publishing, 1998. Roskill,
S. W. The War at Sea. Vol. 2, The Period of Balance. London: Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office, 1956–1961. Sadkovich, James J. The Italian Navy in World War
II. Westport, CT: Westview Press, 1994. Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull, and
Nicola Malizia. Malta: The Spitfire Year. London: Grub Street, 1988.
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