Only after the surrender of the Italian fleet on September 11th 1943, did the British Admiralty make public the desperate state of the Allied naval situation in the Mediterranean in the winter of 1941-42.
The continuing need in view of Allied shipping problems, for increased food production in Great Britain, and the Government’s forward looking policy for agriculture, were the theme of an important address made to the Council of Agriculture on May 26th by the Minister of Agriculture.
Mr A.V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty Broadcasts on September 16th 1943, a Review of the Naval War in the Mediterranean from the Outbreak of War to the Surrender of the Italian Fleet.
In September 1939 the British and French fleets together were so superior to the German that there was no fear of our losing command of the seas…
In June 1940 the position was changed almost overnight.
The French fleet went out and the Italian came in…..
Fortunately, we had in the Mediterranean a C.in C. of Great Spirit and resource…
“Because of our weakness,” said Admiral Cunningham later “our policy had to be one of aggressiveness, and it paid handsome dividends”…
It was decided to attack the Italian forces in harbour at Taranto by aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm.
On November 11th 1940, the 19 Swordfish planes which took part in that remarkable attack succeeded in crippling the Italian battle fleet for a considerable period ….
This was followed by a series of disasters which threatened our whole position at sea….
The crisis in our fortunes was reached in November and December 1941.
On November 14th H.M. aircraft carrier “Ark Royal” was torpedoed and sunk , on the 20th the Australian cruiser “Sydney” was sunk ,on the 24th the cruiser “Dunedin”, on the 25th the battleship “Barham”.
Then came the treacherous attack on PearlHarbour….Followed almost immediately by the sinking of H.M.S. “Prince of Wales” and “Repulse”….
Fortunately, the enemy did not know completely our precarious position and for vital months we managed to conceal from him the damage to the “Queen Elizabeth” and “Valiant” and the sinking of the “Barham”.
In the Mediterranean we had three cruisers left, yet our men fought on working wonders.
Our greatest problem was Malta…
Supplies were falling and at times could be measured in weeks…
A small convoy got though in January, but an attempt to get another through in February had to be abandoned.
In March Admiral Vian, in command of the 15th Cruiser Squadron, was sent to make another attempt.
He met the Italian fleet and the Luftwaffe, and his battle with them is one of the most brilliant in our history…
One of the four supply ships was sunk ten miles south of Malta, and another, the “Breconshire,” was hit when almost home….
The other two were bombed in harbour, but most of their cargo was saved.
It June Admiral Vian was again on the Malta run…
The Convoy did not get though, However a convoy had been simultaneously passes from the Western Mediterranean, and in the face of incessant attacks by the enemy air forces some of the ships reached Malta.
The next convoy to Malta was in August….Five ships only reached Malta.
But Malta was saved by the supplies in those ships, which lasted until the victory of EI Alamein…offensive action against Rommel’s supply lines was carried on, mainly by H.M. submarines and aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm and R.A.F. …
H.M. submarines sank a total of 1,335,000, tons.
These results are remarkable because the Mediterranean is perhaps the most difficult area in the world for successful submarines operations, 41 of our submarines were lost.
In addition the Fleet Air Arm accounted for another 410,000 tons.
Perhaps the most spectacular action by surface ships was the elimination of an enemy convoy of ten merchant ships and two destroyers by the cruisers “Aurora” and “Penelope” with the destroyers “Lance” and “Lively”.
The advance of the army from EI Alamein and the landing of the Anglo American expedition in North Africa completely revolutionized the situation.
Malta was relieved and because an advanced offensive base, and from November onwards our grip on the inland sea has been steadily tightening.
No large scale enemy evacuation from Tunisia was allowed, there was little interference with our expedition to Sicily, and by the capture of Sicily the Italian fleet was irrevocably divided, one part at Taranto and the other at Spezia…..
