- Operation Halberd
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HMS Edinburgh, HMS Hermione and HMS Euryalus escorting the convoy U-boat Campaign – Club Run¹ –- Malta Convoys¹ –- Espero¹² – Mers-el-Kébir – Calabria¹² – Cape Spada – Cape Passero¹ – Taranto – Strait of Otranto² – White¹ – Cape Spartivento¹ – Excess¹ – Abstention – Souda Bay – Matapan – Tarigo² – Crete – Substance¹ – Halberd¹ – Duisburg² – Bon² – December 1941² – 1st Sirte¹² – Alexandria raid – 2nd Sirte¹ – Calendar – Harpoon¹ – Vigorous¹ – Pedestal¹ – Agreement – Torch – Stone Age¹ – Toulon – Portcullis¹ – Skerki² – Algiers¹ – Cigno² – Sicily – Olterra's campaign¹ – Sinking of Roma – Dodecanese Campaign – Cape Bougaroun¹ – Port Cros – La Ciotat¹ - Involved an Allied convoy • ² - Involved an Axis convoyContents
Summary
During World War II, Operation Halberd was a British naval operation in September 1941 to escort a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta.
The nine merchant ships originally sailed from Liverpool (16 Sept) and the Clyde (17 Sept) as part of convoy WS (Winston Specials) 11X, arriving Gibraltar 24 September 1941, with a close escort under the command of Rear Admiral Harold Martin Burrough. It was also accompanied by Force H, under the command of Admiral James Sommerville. This consisted of the one aircraft carrier (HMS Ark Royal), three battleships (HMS Nelson, HMS Rodney and HMS Prince of Wales) to protect the convoy against Italian surface ships. The British warships also included five cruisers and 18 destroyers.
The Italian fleet attempted to intercept the convoy on 26 September but did not make contact with it as they turned away after learning that the Royal Navy force included several battleships and an aircraft carrier.[1] HMS Prince of Wales, followed by the slower HMS Rodney, attempted in vain to intercept the Italian force.[2] HMS Nelson was hit in the bows by a torpedo launched from an Italian torpedo bomber[3] on 27 September south of Sardinia and seriously damaged. On the evening of 27 September Force H turned back and sailed for Gibraltar. The merchant vessel Imperial Star carrying 8,000 tons of war supplies was hit by another aerial torpedo on the 27th and damaged. Despite being taken in tow by the destroyer HMS Oribi it had to be scuttled the following day. There was no loss of life. The convoy arrived at Malta on 28 September and delivered 85,000 tons of supplies to the island.The Italian Air Force lost 21 aircraft to RN Fleet Air Arm fighters and the AA guns of the Royal Navy.[4]
Extract from an Italian Report[5]
At 08:18 on 27 September 1941 an Italian reconnaissance aircraft spotted a carrier and seven unidentified ships west of La Galite. Towards noon, the Comando Aeronautica della Sardegna received the following message from a Cant Z.506 (triple-engine float-plane) of 287a Squadriglia (Sottotente Giovanni Del Vento in MM45252):"At 37°43' – 8°55' - route 90° - speed 12 nm per hour: 1 battleship, 1 carrier, 4 cruiser, unspecified number of destroyers and steamboats. At 37°55' - 8°45' - route 90° - speed 18 nm per hours: 3 cruisers"At 13.20 the S.79s (torpedo-bombers) of the 130 Gruppo, escorted by twelve fighters, had spotted the enemy. The formation split up to perform an attack from various directions: the 280 and the 282 Squadriglia from north, the 283 Squadriglia from south, the 278 Squadriglia and Tenente Deslex from west. Before they could attack, they were chased by six Fulmars. The 280 Squadriglia’s Melley and Setti believed to have shared a hit on a light cruiser (HMS Lightning), which had a narrow miss.
At 13.58 the north-coming torpedo-bombers, partially covered by bad weather, surprised the enemy. Tenente Deslex tried to attack HMS Ark Royal at sea level, but was shot down by AA fire before having released the torpedo. Then Venturini and Bucceri attacked HMS Ark Royal and HMS Cossack missing both. Soon after they were chased for 20 minutes by Ark Royal’s Fairey Fulmars, which killed Venturini's radio operator.
At 13.59 in an attempt to distract the anti-aircraft gunners, Sergente Maggiore Luigi Valiotti, flying a Fiat CR.42 of 354 Squadriglia started performing aerobatics over the heads of the astounded ships gunners, who after a while started to shoot at him. He lasted 6 minutes before he was shot down and killed. Further attacks were unable to get through the anti-aircraft barrage, and the Italian aircraft flew back to base, landing at 15.50 pursued by the Ark Royals Fulmars, which strafed the airfield at Cagliari (Sardinia), damaging 10 seaplanes and causing 3 casualties.
A first hand account by George Gilroy of HMS Lightning describes the loss of Valiotti: "I remember at one stage during an attack a Fiat fighter performing stunts over the convoy; some said that it was trying to divert attention from the incoming torpedo bombers. However, we shot him down".[6]The convoy and close escorts through to Malta[7]
HMS Breconshire (9,776 tons) 'Convoy Commodore' Auxiliary Supply Ship
Ajax (7,797 tons) Blue Funnel Line
City of Calcutta (8,063 tons) Ellerman’s City Line
City of Lincoln (8,039 tons) Ellerman & Bucknall
Clan Ferguson (7,347 tons) Clan Line
Clan MacDonald (9,653 tons) Clan Line
Dunedin Star (13,000 tons) Blue Star Line
Imperial Star (12,427 tons) Blue Star Line
Rowallan Castle (7,798 tons) Union-Castle Line
Their nine close escorts consisted of the destroyers:
HMS Blankney
HMS Laforey
HMS Lightning
HMS Oribi
edit] Notes- ^ The Italian Navy in WW2, Sadkovich, p181
- ^ The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys, p28
- ^ The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean Convoys, p21. This account states that the torpedo attacks were carried out by SM-79 and BR-20 torpedo bombers.
- ^ The Italian Navy in WW2, Sadkovich, p182
- ^ Biplane fighter aces, Italy, Generale di Divisione Corrado Santoro
- ^ Operation Halberd Malta Convoy WS 11 X
- ^ WS CONVOYS - July to December 1941 SAILINGS, including two DM Convoys, WS 10 to 14B
References
See also
External links
Categories:- Aerial operations and battles of World War II
- Battle of the Mediterranean
- Malta Convoys
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