Operation Stoneage
Operation Stoneage | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of The Second World War | |||||||
View from HMS Manxman during Operation Stoneage, November 1942 | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom |
Kingdom of Italy Nazi Germany | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3 light cruisers 10 destroyers 4 cargo ships | Air & naval forces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
156 men light cruiser seriously damaged 5 aircraft lost |
Operation Stoneage or Operation Stone Age (16–20 November 1942) was an Allied convoy operation to the Mediterranean island of Malta in the
A complementary convoy from Gibraltar was cancelled when the British and Allied First Army, landed in Morocco and Algeria in Operation Torch (8–16 November) and made less progress along the Algerian coast than expected. MW 13 sailed about 40 nmi (46 mi; 74 km) from the African coast as far west as Benghazi, then turned north for Malta. The Axis retreat along the Libyan coast was monitored by the Bletchley Park code-breakers of the German Enigma coding machine, which revealed the inability of Panzerarmee Afrika to counter-attack the Allies.
At dusk on 18 November, an attack by Axis torpedo-bombers hit the 6 in (150 mm) cruiser HMS Arethusa forward of the bridge and killed 156 members of the crew. Arethusa made a slow voyage back to Alexandria, being towed backwards at first and then continuing backwards on one engine. MW 13 arrived at Malta at 1:30 a.m. on 20 November, breaking the Axis Siege of Malta (11 June 1940 – 20 November 1942).
Background
Battle of the Mediterranean
Despite many naval losses and the Axis gaining control over the central Mediterranean in the summer of 1942, the British had held on to Malta. The surviving ships of Operation Pedestal (3–15 August) including the tanker SS Ohio, had delivered sufficient fuel, stores and military equipment to revive British submarine and aircraft operations from the island. Submarines and Bristol Beaufort torpedo-bombers escorted by Bristol Beaufighters, regularly attacked Axis supply ships, concentrating on tankers known to the Allies through Ultra intercepts from Bletchley Park. In September, the Axis Panzerarmee Afrika in Egypt was denied 100,000 short tons (90,718 t) of supplies, including 24,000 long tons (24,385 t) of fuel.[1]
Axis shipping losses contributed to the decline of mobility that constrained Panzerarmee Afrika at the
Malta
In October, the submarines Parthian and Clyde from Gibraltar and Rorqual, in two trips from Beirut in the eastern Mediterranean, carried aircraft fuel, food, oils and torpedoes to Malta; Operation Train delivered 27 Supermarine Spitfire fighters to Malta (28–30 October). From 1 to 3 November, Parthian and Clyde delivered more stores and two attempts were made to get unescorted ships to Malta by ruse. Empire Patrol departed Alexandria on 1 November, loaded with fuel and food, escorted by to destroyers, to be disguised as a Turkish ship when east of Cyprus, then under an Italian flag when heading for Malta. Around noon on 2 November, when sailing alone, a Dornier Do 217 bomber circled the ship, a submarine periscope was seen and the commander ordered a return to Famagusta.[4]
Prelude
Allied air forces
A combined Navy and RAF operations room was set up at the HQ of 201 Naval Co-operation Group, which had three reconnaissance squadrons, three squadrons of anti-submarine aircraft, four of torpedo-bombers and a long-range squadron with twin-engined fighters. AHQ Egypt and the Desert Air Force (DAF) were to contribute single-engined fighters to a north–south line 40 nmi (46 mi; 74 km) west of Benghazi, where they would hand over to aircraft from Malta; US B-24 heavy bombers were also ready at Gambut in support. At Malta, the RAF maintained a composite photographic, reconnaissance and Air to Surface Vessel (ASV) reconnaissance squadron, just under two squadrons of torpedo-bombers, three long-range twin-engined and five single-engined fighter squadrons for convoy protection and a night bomber squadron, which was due to raid Axis airfields on Sicily during the night of 19/20 October.[6] Air defence of the convoy had to contend with threats from Crete and then Sicily but the threat of attack from Cyrenaica was much reduced after the Second Battle of El Alamein. As Panzerarmee Afrika withdrew westward, the DAF was to take over the Axis air bases from which the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica had attacked Malta convoys. Before sunrise on the third day of the voyage, the convoy was expected to be in range of Malta-based fighters.[2][4]
Axis command
The Axis command structure in the Mediterranean was centralised at the top and fragmented at the lower levels.
Convoy plan
Convoy MW 13 consisted of the British Denbighshire (8,393 Gross register tonnage [grt]), Dutch Bantam (9,312 grt), the US Robin Locksley (7,000 grt) and Mormacmoon (7,939 grt). The escort was provided by the 15th Cruiser Squadron (Rear-Admiral Arthur Power) with the Arethusa-class (6 in (15 cm)) cruisers HMS Arethusa and Orion, with the Dido-class (5.25 in (13.3 cm)) cruisers HMS Cleopatra, Euryalus and Dido. The cruisers were accompanied by the 14th Destroyer Flotilla with HMS Jervis, Javelin, Kelvin, Nubian, Pakenham, Paladin and Petard. The ten Hunt-class destroyers of the 12th Destroyer Flotilla, comprising HMS Aldenham, Beaufort, Belvoir, Croome, Dulverton, Exmoor, Hurworth, Hursley, Tetcott and the Greek Pindos provided support.[8] For security reasons, Bantam and Denbighshire loaded cargo at Port Sudan and their bridges and gun positions were given extra sandbag protection. The ships met at Suez Bay and entered the Suez Canal on 15 November, touched at Port Said on 16 November to embark more ammunition and entered the Mediterranean at 4:00 p.m. The ships were to follow the Cyrenaican shore, about 40 nmi (46 mi; 74 km) out, within the range of Allied single-engined fighters for two days after leaving Port Said, until north of Benghazi at dusk for a turn north and a run for Malta.[4]
Land campaign
The
Convoy MW 13
16–18 November
MW 13 began passage through the Suez Canal and on 16 November reached Port Said in the afternoon. During the evening, the convoy left Port Said with the 15th Cruiser Squadron and the 14th Destroyer Flotilla. Off Alexandria on 17 November, the ten Hunt-class destroyers of the 12th Destroyer Flotilla joined the convoy and the cruisers and fleet destroyers refuelled at Alexandria.
Just before noon, a formation of Junkers Ju 88 bombers attacked the convoy but was seen off by the Curtiss Kittyhawks of 450 Squadron RAAF; no more attacks were made on the convoy for the rest of the day.[14] As dark fell and the cruisers and fleet destroyers, except for Euryalus, separated from the convoy for the night, both groups of ships were attacked by torpedo-bombers. No damage was done to the convoy but the cruiser Arethusa was torpedoed forward of the bridge and took a list to port under a plume of smoke. The crew suffered 156 men killed and more wounded, many badly burned. Petard took the ship in tow from the stern, watched over by Jervis and Javelin and began the voyage back to Alexandria.[14][a]
19–20 November
At dawn the cruisers and fleet destroyers rejoined the convoy, which received air cover from Malta Beaufighters and Spitfires; six Martin Baltimore reconnaissance bombers from 203 Squadron RAF from Kambut (Gambut) in Libya, flew ahead of the convoy as it made its way northwards. Co-ordination between the ships and aircraft was much improved by better training and the availability of VHF radiotelephones, which gave longer range and better reception between sea and air. At 2:00 p.m., when 80 nmi (92 mi; 150 km) from Malta, the 15th Cruiser Squadron and the fleet destroyers detached and turned for Alexandria. Euryalus and the 12th Destroyer Flotilla were escorted by the minesweeper HMS Speedy and other local boats into Grand Harbour at 1:30 a.m. on 20 November, to the cheers of the population and garrison. Unloading began at 3:00 a.m. and the siege of Malta had been considerably alleviated by 26 November. Axis aircraft had attempted to bomb the ships but a petrol vapour fire on Denbighshire was more dangerous.[16]
Aftermath
Analysis
Casualties
The torpedoing of Arethusa killed 156 men and more were seriously injured, many by burns. The RAF lost five aircraft, three of them Spitfires.[18]
See also
- Battle of the Mediterranean
- Malta Convoys
Notes
- ^ Arethusa was steaming at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) when the torpedo hit the port side below B turret, blowing a hole 53 by 35 ft (16 by 11 m) in the side. The ship caught fire from A turret back to the bridge and flooded to the waterline for 100 ft (30 m) back from the bow. The ship listed to port by 15° and fuel oil was transferred to the starboard tanks to compensate; power failed except to the rear of the forward boiler room and the telephones failed. Despite the damage and occasional air attacks, Arethusa was towed backwards to Alexandria by Petard. After shifting the anchor chains astern, the crew managed to the starboard propeller under water and sail backwards at slow astern, arriving during the evening of 21 November; the ship was under repair for more than a year in the US.[15][16]
Footnotes
- ^ a b Roskill 1962, pp. 341–346.
- ^ a b Woodman 2003, p. 455.
- ^ a b Playfair 2004, pp. 196–197.
- ^ a b c d e Playfair 2004, p. 196.
- ^ Woodman 2003, pp. 457–458.
- ^ Playfair 2004, pp. 197–198.
- ^ Vego 2010, pp. 127–128.
- ^ Woodman 2003, pp. 505, 459.
- ^ a b Roskill 1962, p. 340.
- ^ Hinsley 1994, p. 248.
- ^ Stevens 1962, p. 14.
- ^ a b Woodman 2003, pp. 459–461.
- ^ Playfair 2004, p. 198.
- ^ a b Woodman 2003, pp. 459–460.
- ^ DNC 1952, p. 88.
- ^ a b Woodman 2003, p. 460.
- ^ Roskill 1962, pp. 341–343.
- ^ Playfair 2004, p. 199.
References
Books
- Hinsley, F. H. (1994) [1993]. British Intelligence in the Second World War. Its influence on Strategy and Operations (abridged). History of the Second World War (2nd rev. ed.). London: ISBN 978-0-11-630961-7.
- 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. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-84574-068-9.
- OCLC 174453986. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
- Stevens, W. G. (1962). "Chapter 2: Squaring Up to the Agheila Position". Bardia to Enfidaville. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945 (New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, 2003 ed.). Wellington, NZ: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch. pp. 11–31. OCLC 226971028. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-7195-6408-6.
Journals
- Vego, M. (Winter 2010). "Major Convoy Operation To Malta, 10–15 August 1942 (Operation Pedestal)". Naval War College Review. 63 (1). ISSN 0028-1484. Archived from the originalon 12 August 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
Further reading
- Hague, Lt Cdr Arnold (1995). "The Supply of Malta 1940–1942, Part 1 of 3". naval-history.com. Retrieved 7 June 2018.