The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore

by David Row

  Given the geography of Tunisia, the only good place to attack was in the north. The only good attack route into the south was protected by the Mareth line, a pre-war defensive line built by the French and now reoccupied. Between this and the north the only entry was a few easily-defended mountain passes. Rommel had considered a feint to Tunis, followed by an airborne drop to allow him to rush one of these passes and take the defenders by surprise, but he was informed that no airborne units or transports would be available for some time. He therefore intended to use his armour superiority to break through in the north, and then use the superior mobility of his armoured formations to roll up the French southwards down the coast. While he knew that the French had some ex-Italian armour, he dismissed this in view of the terrible performance of the Italian tanks in the Cyrenaica campaign. Apparently German intelligence did not realise that the tanks the French armoured brigade under LeClerc were using were the modified ex-Ariete tanks, considerably better than most of the early Italian armour.

  While Rommel expected to be able to manoeuvre on a tactical level, the terrain meant that the initial assault would be quite straightforward. The German armour would push forward, and when the French responded they would either simply brush the ex-Italian tanks out of the way or, if resistance was stronger, draw them back onto his antitank guns. Once the French armour was out of the way, his armour would punch through the French lines and make for Tunis, leaving the motorised troops to mop up. He was sure that the French would collapse once they realised his armour was behind them and heading for Tunis.

  5th May

  Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia, has returned to his capital of Addis Ababa in triumph. The streets of the city were lined with black and white African troops. After being welcomed with a 21-gun salute, he spoke of his gratitude "to Almighty God that I stand in my palace from which the Fascist forces have fled."

  In Washington DC the White House announced: "We can offer no official confirmation that 26 American merchant ships loaded with tanks, antiaircraft guns, and other war material arrived at the Suez Canal. We can only say that we do not rule out the possibility."

  The carrier HMS Illustrious arrives at Gibraltar carrying an airgroup heavy in fighters (she has left her TBR strike squadron behind). She will join the Tiger convoy and carry on to Alexandria to provide some relief to the exhausted FAA fighter squadrons (the operational fighter strength of the two carriers in Cunningham's force is down to 16 planes, even after scouring Egypt for all available replacements)

  The Afrika Korps attacks Tunisia at dawn, artillery laying down a barrage on the light forces observing the frontier. The tanks warm up, ready to head for Tabarka as soon as the divisional artillery has suppressed the defenders. The attack was led by the 21st Panzer Division, as Rommel thought the heavier and better-protected German tanks would have a better chance of overrunning the defenders and causing them to panic. While there was indeed a certain amount of this among the Tunisian units, the 1st Free French Brigade was an experienced formation, and was the main unit blocking the rote to Tunis (it had small units of the Tunisian army attached to exploit their local knowledge, but the bulk of the acquired Tunisian force was undergoing training). It slowly pulled back in front of the barrage, and when the first tanks appeared out of the dust they ran into the Brigades antitank guns. These were well-positioned and immediately took a toll of the advancing Germans, knocking out six Mk III Panzers before the Germans pulled back. However Rommel had assumed that, at the frontier at least, there would be antitank defences, and half an hour later the French were the recipient of an attack by twelve Stukas, which caused serious casualties and broke up the defence line.

  The setback, while unwelcome, did not cause the experienced troops to panic. They knew that their mission was to delay rather than stop a heavy attacks, and slowly pulled back, hoping to lure the Germans onto their guns again. In the meantime, the commander of the 1st Free French Division, General de Bethouart had put the rest of his force on alert as well as informing the British that the expected invasion of Tunisia had started. The 4th Indian Division and a brigade of the 2nd armoured were ordered to proceed from Tripoli into Tunisia and aid the Free French (leaving one brigade behind to guard Tripoli). Further back towards Egypt, the 6th Australian Division was also put on alert. General O'Connor would go by air to Tripoli later that day, where he intended to set up his command post. His initial intention was to concentrate the bulk of his armour here ready to move on the Axis forces as soon as they had put themselves in a vulnerable position.

  While the fighting in Greece had reduced the number of planes available to the RAF in the desert, they were still able to respond to the request for air support from the French. While no dive bombers were available, the tail of the German formation was a tempting target and a raid at noon from fourteen Wellingtons escorted by Hurricanes caused the loss of a number of the divisions support vehicles as well as causing considerable disruption.

  Despite the defenders efforts, the panzers advanced steadily towards the first target, the town of Tabarka. Once the heavier German tanks had cleared the initial border defences, the Ariete division moved forward to widen the breach as they advanced in parallel to the south of 21st Panzer, heading for Djebel Ariod. He intended to be in control of and past Tabarka by sunset, and the slow but steady withdrawal of the French allowed him to do this, at the cost of a steady trickle of losses from his lead units. It was clear to Rommel that now the frontier had been breached the French had little immediately behind it.

  The Italian advance to Djebel Ariod was not quite so easy. It seemed that the bulk of the French border force and its artillery had retreated in this direction, and as a result they had to stop and clear numerous small blocks to their advance. Nevertheless by nightfall they were well on the way to their target.

  General de Bethouart was not displeased by how the battle had gone so far. The Germans had got further faster than he had anticipated, and the quality of their tanks was allowing them to smash through defences that would have held up an Italian formation, but his reserves were getting into position and 4th Indian and 2nd Armoured were motoring up the coast ready to support him. While the Luftwaffe was indeed a nuisance, the Allied air force was able to stop them dominating the skies, although overall the Luftwaffe held the balance of power. His control of the interior lines of communication in Tunisia was helping, the relatively good rail and road links allowing him to move his reserves ready to block the German advance. Although at the moment he was happy to allow the German tanks to keep moving deeper into Tunisia

  The build-up of the French force was hardly unexpected to Rommel, indeed his plan required them to concentrate so he could flank and destroy them, leaving the way to Tunis open. The Luftwaffe and his radio interception service was giving him a reasonable idea of what was happening, and so far his only worry was that the French armour would not allow him to pocket and destroy it.

  6th May

  An urgent supply convoy sails from Gibraltar, escorted by Force H and also the carrier Illustrious, which will continue on with the merchant ships to Alexandria. This convoy will be run straight through the Mediterranean despite the misgivings of the Chiefs of Staffs. The situation has improved since the last time a fast convoy was run through, and the armaments and especially the tanks are needed urgently, even more so now Rommel's long-awaited offensive has started. With three fleet carriers and 80 fighters to protect the convoy, it is hoped that this will succeed. The major opposition is thought to be air and possibly E-boat attacks when they are close to Sicily. The dangerous Sicilian narrows are now easier to negotiate due to the Allies holding Tunisia; one of the main problems, the minefields which made negotiating the narrows so dangerous, are now cleared close to the Tunisian coast, and it is far more dangerous for the Italians to try and renew them. A section of minesweepers have been based in Tunis to keep the convoy route clear.

  After four days of non-stop British air raids, the Iraqi troops are forced to
leave the high ground around Habbaniya and retreat to Baghdad on the night of Tuesday 6 May. Meanwhile the British 21st Indian Brigade arrives at Basrah.

  In Tunisia the Afrika Korps continues to advance towards Tunis. The French forces have been slowly falling back according to the pre-arranged delaying plan while XIII Corps moves in from Cyrenaica.

  The 21st Panzer has taken Tabana, which was not heavily defended, and units of the 21st and the Ariete Division are close to Djebel Abiod. Rommel had hoped that the French might have been induced to stand closer to the border and allow him to destroy more of their force, but the French are using the limiting geography of the area to slowly fall back along the constricting road system. By the late afternoon his armoured formations are close to Djebel Aboud, and taking fire from French artillery and antitank elements around the town. So far Rommel's losses in armour have been light; some 15 medium tanks to antitank fire and irrecoverable breakdowns, while Ariete have lost about 20 - mainly to mechanical issues, as they do not have the frontline workshop support the Panzer division enjoys.

  The French armoured brigade is concentrating West of Tunis; assuming he takes Djebel Aboud, there are a number of routes Rommel's armour could take to get to Tunis, and LeClerc wants more information before he commits his force. The first elements of the 4th Indian Division and the 2nd Armoured are expected to reach Tunis by nightfall. Meanwhile O'Connor has started the 7th Armoured Division moving forward to Tripoli before their forward move into Tunisia. A Brigade of the 6th Australian Division will move after them once they have cleared the roads.

  In the sky above Tunisia the RAF and the Luftwaffe continue to contend for air superiority. The Luftwaffe has superior numbers (the RAF is still depleted after Greece), but is insufficient to stop the RAF mounting reconnaissance missions and intervening on the battlefield. While the air attacks are causing a problem for the French Tunisian forces, the veteran 1st Free French Division is treating them as an annoyance at the moment.

  7th May

  The town of Djebel Aboud falls to Rommel in the morning as the French defence crumbles under the assault of the tanks of 21st Panzer - the French have only small numbers of antitank guns capable of stopping the newer tanks at other than close range. Rommel then sends two forces forward. Units of 21st Panzer move east along the road to Djefna, while the Ariete follows the southerly route that eventually leads to Medjez el Bab and Tebourba. The 4th Indian is concentrating its first Brigade at Chouigur, just in front of Tebourba, and its second will follow the road down to Medjez el Bab, which they expect to reach before the Ariete division. A brigade of the 2nd Armoured is now at Djedeida. With the arrival of the British forces, the French Brigade has moved forward to Djefna where it is digging in. Their armoured brigade is now at Mateur, ready to move once the main axis of Rommel's advance has been identified. The French have been ordered to delay the advance for as long as possible to allow the new reinforcements to dig in and prepare defences.

  8th May

  Rommel is still pressing his forces forward as fast as possible. He wants to engage the French at odds before the British can arrive in serious numbers to help them. The British are doing exactly that, the premade plans and the good (by North African standards) road and rail net in Tunisia is allowing them to advance rapidly from their forward bases - O'Connor has already made it clear what will happen to any commander who is tardy about getting into position in Tunisia.

  Rommel's advance force has run into the French Brigade now protecting Djefna, and after losing a number of tanks to the well dug in French, has halted until more armour and the supporting artillery can arrive. The French use the time to continue to dig in in front of the town. The Ariete are on their way to Medjez al Bab, which they hope to reach tomorrow. They have also put out a covering force along the Chouigui road. Rommel is not happy with their speed of advance, which he considers too cautious and may allow the British to reinforce; in fact the first units of 4th Indian are already at the town and busily imitating moles while awaiting the rest of the brigade. They also have 30 tanks of the 2nd Armoured to help them when the Italian armour arrives

  9th May

  The Polish Brigade sails on a coastal convoy for Tunis. The brigade had originally been reserved in case it was needed in Crete, but Wavell and O'Connor consider Rommel's attack the more urgent problem. In any case, the biggest problem facing Crete is supplies and some types of weapons rather than more men.

  In Tunisia, Rommel's forces continue to advance, but more slowly. Having failed to panic the defenders in their initial assault, Rommel needs to bring up more of his force in order to make his first major attack. He expects this to be at Djefna; he wants 21st Panzer to push the French defenders back to at least the town of Mateur, which will give him the option of taking (or at least threatening to take) the port of Bizerte.

  The lead elements of the Ariete division have still not reached Medez el Bab, suffering from frequent French ambushes - not terribly costly, but each one costs them time. The occasional interference from the RAF is also unwelcome.

  By now, a brigade of the 4th Indian is in place in the town and busy on defensive works. While Luftwaffe reconnaissance has informed Rommel of this (it was, after all, hardly unexpected that the town would be defended), he is unaware that it is now held by experienced troops with a limited armoured capability.

  General de Bethouart considers the force defending Djefna to be a delaying option, and expects to fight the main battle in front of Mateur, where the bulk of his forces are preparing, backed up by the French armoured brigade. The British 2nd Armoured is now at Tebourba in brigade strength, and a light force supported by infantry has been sent along the road past Chouigui to warn them if the Italians decide to push along this route.

  Part of the 6th Australian Division has moved forward to Tripoli, but is being held there until O'Connor can see where best to use them. Elements of 7th Armoured are still moving into Tunisia, but slowly, moving mainly at night. They will start to concentrate on the eastern side of the Kasserine pass tonight, but he expects it to take a few more days for an adequate force to be assembled there.

  South of Iceland U-110(Captained by Lt-Cdr Lemp of the 'Athenia' sinking) attacked Liverpool outbound convoy OB318 protected by ships of Capt A. J. Baker-Crewsswell's escort group. Blown to the surface by depth charges from corvette HMS Aubretia, the crew abandoned ship, but the submarine failed to sink. A boarding party from the destroyer HMS Bulldog manages to get aboard, and in a matter of hours they transfer to safety the submarine's entire Enigma package - coding machine, code books, rotor settings and charts. It will prove to be a major breakthrough in the breaking of the Naval Enigma. Although the U-boat is taken under tow, it will later sink on the way back to Iceland.

  Admiral Cunningham is concerned about the losses his fighter pilots have taken recently in supporting the Army. The carrier air groups were never intended for this sort of heavy commitment, and replacements are urgently needed both to fill up his squadrons and if possible to allow the pilots a rest. This is looking increasingly difficult as it looks like yet another naval effort will have to be made very soon off Crete. He hopes to get some relief when HMS Illustrious arrives with the Tiger convoy; given the current operations in the Med, her air group currently consists of 12 TBR, 18DB and 40F (although some planes are having to be carried on deck). While the various options are being debated with his staff, an interesting suggestion is made by his Air advisor. He has been chatting with some of the recently arrived RAAF pilots and found out that, in order to help move aircraft around in the Far East, the Australian Sparrowhawks had retained their arrestor hooks, and the RAAF pilots given basic training in landing and flying off a carrier. He wonders if this squadron could be used to supplement the FAA pilots, and indeed if one of the RAF squadrons could do the same? As a de-navalised plane, the addition of a hook to RAF Sparrowhawks would be a straightforward job for the base workshops at Alexandria.

  The Tiger convoy has passed the most dangerous pa
rt of its route, the Sicilian narrows. It has been helped by bad weather throughout its route - the heavy CAP's from the carriers have not been needed as the weather prevented the convoy being found by the Italian Air Force. The convoy is now in swept waters and heading for Alexandria, along with the Illustrious. Force H also bombards Bone before retiring to Gibraltar, which does nothing to help Rommel's logistics or advance into Tunisia.

  10th May

  21st Panzer assault the French defences in front of Djefna. While the French hold firm for some hours, the pressure of the German panzers forces them back into the town. That afternoon, a heavy air raid is made on the town, causing much civilian damage and lighter damage to the French force, which retires in some confusion down the road to Mateur. The 21st pushes on through the town but then pauses overnight to reorganise; they have lost eight tanks in taking the town, and Rommel is starting to become more confident as to the inability of the French to stop him before Tunis.

  The Ariete division lead units finally arrive at road junction north of Medez el Beb - or they would have, except they discover that 4th Indian is dug in blocking the way. The British artillery and AT guns are an unwelcome surprise for the Italians, who lose six tanks and a number of vehicles in the initial ambush. The division is also the recipient of the first attacks by RAAF Beaufighters. Carrying 4x250lb bombs, as well as 4x20mm cannon and 4x0.5" guns, the heavy fighter causes chaos and considerable damage to the support elements on the road between Djebel Abiod and the front.