Air Fronts: Theaters of Operation - The Mediterranean - HMSO: The Air Battle of Malta - 7. Onslaught on the Convoys
THE AIR BATTLE OF MALTA. The Official Account of the R.A.F. in Malta, June 1940 to November 1942; PREPARED FOR THE AIR MINISTRY BY THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION; London : His Majesty's Stationery Office 1944
VII. Onslaught on the Convoys
MARCH 1942
The February convoy having failed even to reach the vicinity of the island, great store was set upon the convoy which sailed in March. Often called the " Vian convoy ", as a tribute to the seamanship of Rear-Admiral Sir Philip Vian, who brought it safely within sight of land after averting destruction by overwhelming Italian forces, it was planned as a combined operation.
The land forces in North Africa staged feint attacks to divert the enemy's attention from the convoy on its passage west from Egypt. A combined one-day naval and air operation was carried out meanwhile against the island of Rhodes to reduce the air attacks against Malta, and at the same time to tie down Axis air forces in Crete. Strategical bombing was carried out by the Royal Air Force upon airfields both in Greece and in Crete.
Other air force duties were to keep watch for enemy surface and submarine forces before the convoy sailed, to give it fighter cover during its passage, to make anti-submarine searches ahead of it, and finally to support the land forces' feint attack with reconnaissance fighter sweeps and the bombing of landing grounds. The operation, proceeding as planned by the joint efforts of the services, almost succeeded. It was Malta's tragedy that at the last moment complete success was denied by the command of the air then still enjoyed by the Axis.
The convoy assembled at Alexandria, the merchant vessels being the Breconshire, Talabot, Pampas and Clan Campbell, and sailed on 20th March. Superbly guarded by the Navy against heavy enemy attacks both by surface and air forces, the ships suffered no damage until 23rd March. Then at 9.20 a.m., Me. 109 bombers scored the first enemy success when they hit the Breconshire with three bombs just outside the harbour entrance. To the garrison rejoicing in the approach of the convoy intact within sight of land, this was the first disappointment in a series of sombre events. At 10.40 the merchant vessel Clan Campbell was hit and sunk a few miles to the south. The two remaining ships, Talabot and Pampas, reached harbour that morning, and there was cause for satisfaction at seeing them in, though a strong wind and swell, together with the continuing air attacks, caused difficulty and delay in securing them.
Eventually, lighters were placed between them and the shore to form a gangway to the rock shelters, and there was some respite for their weary crews. It was found that the derrick gear and winches at all hatches aboard the Pampas had been damaged by splinters. Repairs were put in hand, but it was nearly forty-eight hours before all holds could be worked. The unloading of these vital supplies was begun by Maltese dockers who were much hampered by the necessity of having frequently to take cover during raids. Within two days both ships had been badly holed but, being berthed in shallow water, only settled a few feet, and much of the cargo was unloaded.
The arrival of the convoy marked the beginning of an all-out assault by the Luftwaffe upon Malta's shipping and the unloading of supplies. From 24th March to 12th April there were 2,159 bomber sorties against the island's harbours and 1,870 tons of bombs were calculated to have fallen there, sinking ships, devastating docks and installations, blocking quays and roadways, cutting off light, water and communications.
THE TALABOT gets it. Many a supply ship reached Malta safely only to be sunk at anchor.
When the convoy and escort reached Grand Harbour on 23rd March, the Breconshire remained outside. Her engine room was flooded. She was without power, light, cooking or water services. Her steering gear was out of action. There was a strong wind, and a heavy easterly swell was running. After an unsuccessful effort to tow her in, she drifted inshore and came to with both anchors down near Zonker Point at the extreme east of the island. She had not yet disembarked her passengers or unloaded any cargo. The fighters and guns gave her what cover they could. Next day, 24th March, she was bombed, fortunately without result, while, within Grand Harbour, 497 tons of cargo were discharged from Talabot and 310 tons from Pampas. Hal Far, the nearest airfield to the Breconshire, was turned into a " shambles ", to quote this day's Intelligence signal. There was also a direct hit on Combined War Head-quarters in Valetta.
It was essential to bring Breconshire into some harbour. In the small hours, tugs took her in tow, and at a speed never greater than one and a half knots she was brought round to Marsa Scirocco, the great bay at the south-east corner of the island. Extra anti-aircraft defence was provided for her there. Her passengers were disembarked and her crew, utterly exhausted after the extreme strain of three days' attack without light, water or cooking facilities, was sent ashore to recover.
Heavy and accurate raids developed during the afternoon against the dockyard and Grand Harbour and severe damage was done to shipping. Fortunately, several important units of the fleet sailed undamaged during the hours of darkness, for the raids were even heavier the next day, 26th March, after a night of constant alerts. These raids were carried out by Ju. 88s and Ju. 87s, both types of aircraft approaching the island at about 16,000 feet and then diving down to 6,000 feet, releasing their bombs at the bottom of their dive. The Hurricanes and Spitfires continued to shoot down the attackers and their scores were high, considering how few of them faced the armada which relentlessly swooped upon Malta. Special anti-aircraft artillery barrages had been arranged to protect the harbour and the airfields.
Though the sky appeared to be thick with bursting shells, and ammunition expenditure mounted to as much as 12,700 rounds a day, the bombers still came in. That the fighters and the barrage turned many away was proved by the number of bombs jettisoned over the island and in the sea. That the enemy paid a price is proved by the sixty-five aircraft destroyed, or probably destroyed, by the fighters and guns together between 25th February and 31st March.
During the heavy attack on 26th March, one after another the vital ships were bombed. Talabot was hit. Pampas caught fire after a direct hit and sank so that the decks were just awash. Breconshire, still lying in Marsa Scirocco, was attacked several times and set on fire. The anti-aircraft artillery had had to be divided to afford protection to Marsa Scirocco, and this division told on the efforts of the gunners. By nightfall, however, much of the cargo had been unloaded from Pampas and Talabot in Grand Harbour. The severity of the day's raids and their persistence decided Vice-Admiral, Malta, to order that the unloading of whatever cargo could be saved from Pampas should continue day and night. A working party from the Cheshire Regiment and a party of naval ratings were therefore detailed to help the dockers.
The fire aboard Breconshire in Marsa Scirocco flared up again during the night, after having been brought under control, and the list on the ship increased. The concern of her Commander, Captain Hutchison, R.N., was now to save her cargo of oil by trying to get her to settle down on an even keel. He flooded a boiler room and opened her stern with a depth charge. This last remedy failed, but many tons of oil fuel were eventually salvaged.
During the next four days the enemy turned his main attention to the airfields where the troops and airmen were working day and night building pens, servicing runways, and maintaining fighters. This ill-devised change of plan gave the Royal Navy a respite in which to work upon the damaged shipping and the devastated dockyards. H.M.S. Penelope was docked on 28th March. It was estimated that a month would be needed to make her seaworthy - depending on the number of raids. There was no longer any question of our operating a surface striking force ; nor was there fuel for one. The only object was to get our ships away from the island to bases from which they could be effective.
A TANKER BURNS. A gigantic tree of black smoke branches into the sky above Grand Harbour. At the base lies a bombed harbour tanker. The photograph was taken by a German reconnaissance aircraft.
The Vice-Admiral, Malta, signalled to the General Officer Commanding and the Air Officer Commanding : " Please accept my very sincere thanks for the generous help you have given the Navy in the last few days. We shall always remember the magnificent performance of the A.A. batteries and fighter squadrons during the heavy air attacks. I hope what we shall save from the convoy will be worthy of your great efforts."
Air Vice-Marshal Lloyd sent this message to Brigadier Beckett : " I wish to express my greatest admiration of your officers and men for the excellent way in which they are defending this island. I have been out when raids have been at their height, and I have seen your gun crews engage the enemy regardless of their own safety. For sheer guts, determination, and hard work, your men can never be beaten. You must feel very proud of them."
On the last day of March the raiding switched back to the dockyard. The Penelope was the bull's-eye for every raid until she sailed on the night of 8th 9th April. The epic of Penelope belongs to the Royal Navy, but her destiny was so linked with the main Battle of Malta that it seems fitting it should be briefly summarised here in words written by a Naval Staff Officer :
" No ship ever had a tougher refit. She went into dock with her fore end flooded to the main deck level and her hull and keel crumpled by the force of the near misses. Her casualty list grew steadily longer. Some indication of the number of rounds she fired may be gathered from the fact that the new barrels which had been installed were, eight days later, dangerously overdue for replacement. The constant call for ammunition was in itself a major tax on the ship's company, but this was only one of her difficulties.
" The senior officials of the yard rose nobly to the occasion and designed the repairs. The workers in the shops fabricated the girders, but it was her own ship's company who built them on to the ship. The dockside was pulped all around her and she herself was hit by splinters again and again. But in spite of a fire, and a hull like a pepper-pot, no vital damage was received. Just before the repairs were completed - many days earlier than the most optimistic officials had considered possible - disaster overcame her when damage to the caisson allowed water to enter the dock and the pumps were put out of action. Her crew went on working until the water came up to their armpits and then sadly climbed out. By a supreme effort the pumps were got going again. The water went down, and the work was completed.
"Her last day was a nightmare. The ship floated, but leaked like a sieve, the only lighter could not be brought round to oil her in dock, and there was doubt up to the last moment whether the caisson could be moved to let her out. The final straw was when, in the last raid of the day, the Gunnery Officer was killed, the Captain wounded and the heavy artillery exhausted. It did not seem possible that she could re-ammunition and sail in time to round Cape Bon before dawn. To the Penelope, however, nothing was impossible ; and, half an hour before her final time limit, she steamed out of her harbour, filthy and scarred and bristling like a porcupine from the wooden pegs which plugged her sides, but a glowing tribute to the faith and determination of the man who had pulled her through, Captain A. D. Nicholl.""
