The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore

by David Row

  The report therefore recommends three courses of action.

  First, to use the available planes tasked for anti-shipping roles in the Mediterranean (keeping some in Northern Europe to attack British coastal shipping). This would have the advantage of allowing attacks to begin as soon as the force and its logistic train are in place. A second benefit is that ships sunk at sea are not recoverable.

  Second, to look into planning a heavy raid on either one of the RN's southern ports, or Scapa Flow (ideally both), which could take place in the late spring if invasion is again planned (or even an invasion scare) which will bring heavy units south into easier range. A raid on Scapa would be easier if one of the Luftwaffe's modern bombers can be adapted to carry torpedoes.

  Third, a small unit should investigate the issues involved in a night attack on a port, and suggest training measures (it is pointed out that this may take time). It would also allow the specific aircraft to be allocated. A possible target for a raid would be the autumn (the spring would be too early, while the very short summer nights at the latitude of the UK, and Scapa in particular, make a night raid very difficult).

  In North Africa, the British 7th Armoured Brigade attacks Buq Buq, Egypt, forcing Italian 64th Infantry Division to surrender. While this is happening, the Indian 4th Infantry Division and British 7th Royal Tank Regiment force the surrender of Italian 4th Blackshirt Division and two colonial Libyan divisions in the desert.

  Off the coast the British battleships HMS Warspite and HMS Valiant heavily bombard Italian positions at Sollum, Egypt. The Allied forces have now captured over 20,000 Italian prisoners of war, 237 guns, and 73 tanks.

  The First Free French division commences full operational status in East Africa. This allows Wavell to allocate his 'reserve' formation, the 6th Australian Division, to Operation Compass (it had earlier been considered to be used to replace the 4th Indian Division to allow them to move to the Sudan, but the logistical situation there means they could not have been supported as well as the Free French division. The division is still not fully equipped or ready for action, but it allows his frontline formations to keep more pressure on the Italian Army, which is showing a decided tendency to collapse when sufficient force is applied.

  12th December

  Hungary and Yugoslavia sign the Treaty of Eternal Friendship. This will be one of the shorter definitions of 'eternal'.

  In Greece, the CIC of the Greek Army Papagos meets with General Tsolakogolu, head of the Greek Army III corps which has taken Koritsa. He fears that the troops are tired and need rest. Tsolakogolu insists that the advance continue and recommends that a select group of Greek units be dispatched from those who have taken Koritsa to chase the Italians north

  The British 7th Armoured Brigade moves through the desert to outflank Italian forces at Sollum and to cut the road to Bardia in Libya. The port itself was subjected to heavy attack by carrier aircraft attack by HMS Indefatigable, leaving two coastal ships on the bottom of the harbour and the port itself in chaos. Meanwhile, the first groups of Italian prisoners of war began to arrive by truck at the British headquarters at Mersa Matruh, Egypt. Headquarters is surprised by the numbers; even though they had been getting reports from the frontline units, seeing them is a different matter.

  13th December

  A squadron of Cormorant dive bombers is deployed to Greece. This has been made up from the reserve planes for HMS Courageous and the rescued pilots, and is intended to help interdict Italian shipping supplying the troops in Albania and Greece.

  The British 4th Armoured Brigade crossed the desert between Halfaya and Sidi Omar in Egypt in an attempt to cut the road to Tobruk.

  The cruiser HMS Coventry is torpedoed by an Italian submarine 40m northeast of Sidi Barrani. The torpedo nearly blows off the cruisers bow, but she manages to make it back to Alexandria under her own power.

  The 6th Australian division is not yet considered ready for battle, but O'Connor wants to keep the pressure up on the Italian Army. The biggest issue is their incomplete transport, as this is vital to keep forces moving rapidly in the desert. It is suggested that some of the division could be tasked for an amphibious assault (where lack of trucks would be less of an issue), but at the moment the Army is advancing too fast for one to be easily planned. In the meantime, 16 Brigade is being brought up to full strength at the expense of the other two Brigades. These will be brought up to strength as soon as possible.

  15th December

  In North Africa, O'Connor presses on with his attacks. Sollum and Halfaya Pass were captured today, followed by the advance to Fort Capuzzo on the Libyan side of the border. All lost Egyptian territory has now been recaptured.

  In Greece, elements of the Greek Army's III Corps have been fighting their way North toward Lake Ohrida since the capture of Koritsa on the 22nd. The snow and freezing weather have been affecting the effectiveness of both sides but the Greek advance continues nevertheless.

  17th December

  The monitor HMS Terror and gunboat HMS Ladybird bombarded Bardia in Libya, sinking Italian ships Galata, Vincenzino, and Giuseppina D. in the harbour. The battleship HMS Warspite and two cruisers bombard Tobruk; as a result the port will be rendered inoperable as the local work force refuse to work. Attempts by the Italian commander to man the port with his men do not work out well.

  On the same day, the British announced that they had captured 20,000 Italian prisoners, including three generals, in Egypt (this is in fact an underestimate, the capture figures are mounting so fast they are unable to keep up with them!), and that the 4th Armoured Brigade captured Sidi Omar, Egypt, taking 900 Italian troops prisoner.

  The Western Desert force is now getting ready to exploit its victory so far by an assault on Bardia. The 7th Armoured division is concentrating southwest of Bardia while waiting for 4th Indian division to catch up. Meanwhile 6th Australian division is following up (and spending far more time than they wish helping send back prisoners); so far the British have captured 38,000 men, 400 artillery pieces and 50 tanks while losing only 133 killed and 395 wounded and missing.

  Bardia, on the Libyan coast, is guarded by about 45,000 Italian and colonial troops (the British are underestimating the defenders, they only estimate some 20,000 men) under the command of Lieutenant General Annibale Bergonzoli, who had orders from Mussolini to fight until the last man. This dismays General Bergonzoli.

  18th December

  In Berlin, Führer Directive 21 is issued, confirming the plans for Unternehmen Barbarossa. This describes how the intention is to crush the Russian army in a quick campaign, even if war with England (sic) is not completed. Only the navy will continue to prosecute the war against Britain; apart from the need to keep occupied territories under control, all other efforts are to be diverted to attacking Russia.

  19th December

  Mussolini requests German aid for his troops in Cyrenaica, asking for a Panzer Division, Luftwaffe units, and various logistical support. Given the need to prepare for Barbarossa, this request is not popular, but the German army starts to look at the possibility of supporting Italy. The Luftwaffe is busy getting Fliegerkorps X into operation, and expects to be able to make their first attacks from Sicily by the end of the year. It is pointed out that moving them to North Africa will delay the start of anti-shipping operations, and using them in a ground support role would negate the only specialised Luftwaffe anti-shipping unit. It is suggested that if Luftwaffe units are to be provided, these should be regular ones (rather than the specialised Fliegerkorps X), and that they should ideally provide logistics support so the F.X. planes can be stationed in North Africa quickly if plans change. The Luftwaffe is currently trying to organise training and build-up for Barbarossa, support in the Mediterranean, and a heavy night blitz on Britain, with resources that are becoming stretched.

  Bardia is now surrounded by the 4th Indian Division and the 16th Brigade of the 6th Australian division, and being bombarded daily by units of the Mediterranean fleet. The port facili
ties are now unusable, and the daily attacks, undeterred by the Italian air force (who have so far lost five fighters and seven bombers to FAA Goshawks while trying to attack the British warships) is affecting morale badly

  20th December

  Aircraft from HMS Victorious attack an Italian convoy off the Kerkennah islands off Tunisia. All three ships in the convoy, as well as an anti-submarine escort, are sunk.

  23rd December

  In Libya, the Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa General Rodolfo Graziani replaces General Mario Berti of Italian 10th Army with his Chief of Staff General Giuseppe Tellera after the failures in the initial stages of Operation Compass. Meanwhile the British forces outside Bardia have resupplied and regrouped ready to resume the offensive, but are still short of ammunition. It is hoped to resume the offensive tomorrow, and meanwhile ammunition is being brought forward from the two Australian Brigades in reserve so as not to lose momentum.

  The Western Desert force is reorganised as the British 13th Corps.

  24th December

  The assault on Bardia begins, started by a heavy bombardment by Royal Navy battleships lying off the coast, and heavy attacks by RAF bombers.

  O'Connor's tactical plan for the capture of Bardia, which has a 17 mile of perimeter defended by a continuous antitank ditch, wire obstacles and concrete blockhouses, is to send a battalion of infantry in first, establish a bridgehead on the far side of the antitank ditch and the wire, then bridge the ditch and clear the wire and minefields for the passage of tanks. The tanks would then be shepherded within the perimeter and fan out in attack, with two more infantry battalions close behind them. The main point of assault was to be the centre of the western face of the perimeter, where O'Connor believed the Italians least expected it.

  It was the Australians first major action in World War II. The tank ditch was breached by infantry in less than an hour, crossing places quickly made and nearly a hundred land mines removed. The tanks were into the bridgehead by 7 am. Australian casualties to date are over 100 killed and at least 300 wounded. One Australian battalion suffered heavy casualties when it launched a diversionary attack. After the Australians penetrated the wire, the Italians met one of the companies with machineguns, rifles and grenades. The troops from 4th Indian Division were equally successful, though the more experienced men suffered fewer casualties. The combined force takes 30,000 prisoners on the first day.

  26th December

  Bardia is captured by O'Connor after an assault lasting less than four days. The Australian 6th Division and the Indian 4th Division take 45,000 prisoners including four generals, 462 guns, 130 tanks and over 700 trucks; Total casualties of the Imperial forces are 130 KIA and 326 WIA. This is Australia's first major land battle of the war, and O'Connor is impressed with how well the green formation has fought. He urges Wavell to get the other two Brigades fully operational as soon as possible.

  Emulating Winston Churchill, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden said 'never has so much been surrendered by so many, to so few.' Italian General Bergonzoli and his staff withdraw from Bardia toward Tobruk. Wavell orders British forces to advance into Cyrenaica, to exploit their victory against the Italians. 7th Armoured Division under Major General Michael Creagh detours around Bardia and marches toward Tobruk. Wavell sets out his ultimate objective as Benghazi, to be taken within the next week.

  In Albania, Greek troops push Italian troops back 15 miles, capturing Sarandë. To the far south, Italian torpedo bombers attacked the British naval base at Suda Bay, Crete at 1540 hours, damaging British cruiser HMS Glasgow with two torpedoes. This was a surprise to the Royal Navy, whose intelligence had given no sign these bombers were operational in the area. Priority is being given to getting a fighter force operational on Crete, and in the meantime the Navy will limit the ships in the area to lighter craft; the ongoing Operation Compass makes then reluctant to reassign the carriers as the operation is going so well.

  In addition to his earlier request for help in North Africa, Mussolini also asks for help against the Greeks in Albania. When this request is passed on to the German planners, they are unhappy at the disruption such help would cause to the ongoing Barbarossa preparations.

  27th December

  Advance units of Allied force reach the outer defences of Tobruk after taking El Adem airfield eight miles to the south. Patrols to examine the Italian defences begin immediately. The Tobruk garrison is 25,000 men with 220 guns and 70 tanks, commanded by Lieutenant General Enrico Manella.

  An amphibious operation is considered to cut off Italian forces as their line of retreat is now mainly along the coastal road. 50 and 52 Commando (a total of some 800 men) is allocated to this, and the Navy agrees to provide support; while shipping is available to carry the men, there is a shortage of the specialised landing draft they need. After the success of improvised operations of this sort at Narvik, it is hoped that the landing craft will not be necessary.

  In London, the need for more carriers of some sort leads to the planned modification of some grain carriers and tankers into MAC-ships. These plans, to fit a basic flight deck over the hull, while retaining their cargo capability, were suggested before the war but the carrier build at the time looked adequate. An alternative plan, to catapult surplus carriers off ships, has been rejected - instead the dockyard effort will go to producing a number of MAC ships.

  Britain's latest heavy bomber made its first flight at Ringway Airport, Manchester, here today. The Avro Lancaster is a four-engined development of the Avro Manchester, which is just entering RAF service. It has a longer range and heavier bomb-load than any other British bomber. The aircraft that flew today, however, is only a prototype, and it will be some months yet before the Lancaster production lines begin to turn out aircraft. Even so, as the Avro chief test pilot, Bill Thorne, took her into the air, the managing director Sir Roy Dobson turned to the designer Roy Chadwick and said: "Oh boy, oh boy ... what an aeroplane! What a piece of aeroplane!"

  28th December

  The Greek army capture Premeti, Pogradec and the Albanian port of Sarande.

  The AOC-in-C, Middle East, Arthur Longmore, receives a signal from Churchill. "Greatly admire your brilliant support of Army operations. We shall soon be as usual torn between conflicting needs. Probably four or five squadrons will be required for Greece and yet you will have to carry the Army forward in Libya. We will endeavour to send you the maximum number of aircraft we can spare". Having talked with the Dowding committee, Churchill has decided that it will be possible to send additional aircraft, as the number requested to be held at home by the RAF seems to exceed the operational needs over the next few months

  29th December

  In America, President Roosevelt has drafted a $17 billion budget for the fiscal year 1942, including $10 billion for the armament program. In a "fireside chat" on radio, the President called for the US to become "the arsenal of democracy." The President made "the direct statement to the American people that there is far less chance of the US getting into war if we do all we can now to support the nations defending themselves against attack by the Axis than if we acquiesce in their defeat."

  Later polls suggest that Polls suggest that the Presidents "Arsenal of Democracy" speech was the most successful he has ever given. 75% of the population were aware of it and more than 60% agreed with what he said. Henry Stimson urges that US Navy be used to escort convoys to the UK.

  In North Africa, the battleship Warspite and three destroyers bombard the port of Tobruk. This bombardment finally saw the end of the Italian heavy cruiser San Giorgio, which has been in the harbor being used as artillery. The ship had established a reputation as lucky, having been missed by earlier bombardments and escaping bombing raids, as well as not being in Taranto harbor during the raid there. Today, however her luck runs out; hit by two 15" shells she is run aground to prevent her sinking.

  30th December

  The Greeks occupy Santi Quaranta, Albania. Italian Supreme Commander Badoglio resig
ns ‘at his own request’, to be replaced by General Cavallero.

  The port of Tobruk is now under siege as 13 Corps builds up its supplies ready for an attack. While this necessary pause is underway, the RAF bombs Benghazi harbour, which they have been bombing frequently. Light attacks are made on Tobruk itself to keep the defenders awake and on alert.

  The forces for a proposed amphibious attack are allocated, but any attack cannot be made until Tobruk falls. It is then hoped to use the force to trap fleeing Italian forces.

  Now that the air usage committee has reported, Churchill has to decide on how to organise Army Cooperation squadrons. The organisational demands of the Army are completely different to those suggested by the Air Ministry. Since things in North Africa seem to be going well, with adequate cooperation between the RAF, Army and Navy, the committee will be flown out to discuss with the field commanders what their thoughts are, then give the War Cabinet its recommendations.

  Chapter 6 - 1941

  1st January 1941

  In Australia, the government approved the construction of tanks in the country in July 1940. They now authorize an armoured division to be part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Australia is also going to be building Beaufighters as a complement to the Sparrowhawks that will be entering service this month. Already producing the Hercules engine, production will be increased to equip both aircraft.