by David Row
The initial CAP of eighteen aircraft was vectored onto the torpedo planes. The Italians had obviously been learning from the previous results of unescorted raids, and they split up into flights of three aircraft, making it much more difficult for the Goshawks to engage them all. As it was, the defending fighters managed to intercept some six of the ten groups before they closed the fleet, and succeeded in shooting down twelve of the torpedo planes. The other four flights were too close in to the ships close range AA defences to engage. The carriers were obviously the priority target, and six planes headed for the Implacable while another six went straight for the Courageous. One fighter was lost during the interceptions, flying into the sea as it tried too radical a manoeuvre to get on the tail of one of the torpedo planes.
The planes attacking the Implacable were met with the same heavy close in AA defence that had deterred the planes attacking the Ark Royal the previous day. Three of them were shot down on their way in, and one more was damaged severely enough that she dropped her torpedo well out of range and limped away. However four torpedoes were dropped at the carrier. Fortunately for her, the attack was not terribly well coordinated, and her Captain threaded through the torpedo tracks expertly.
The Courageous was not so fortunate. While she had a guard destroyer like the other carriers, her own AA defence was far weaker than the modern fleet carriers - the Implacable and her escort could bring 42 40mm guns to bear, she and her escort could only manage 26. The difference was enough to make the incoming planes task much less dangerous. One plane was still shot down, and another was actually on fire when it launched its torpedoes (which as a result went nowhere near anyone). But eight torpedoes were on their way towards the old carrier. Despite the best efforts of her Captain to doge them all, three plumes of water towered over her flight deck , the ship slewing (and nearly running down her escorting destroyer) before slowing to a halt, already listing.
Meanwhile the huge high level attack had been boring in. Twenty Goshawks from the ready flights had been pushing their engines at full power to get up to intercept them, and the six planes launched late from Implacable were also heading for them. Only the ready flights managed to get among the bombers before they reached the fleets HA air defence zone. The bombers showed great discipline, staying close for mutual supporting fire. As a result the fighters only managed to shoot down twelve of them, and the bombers shot down three of the Goshawks in reply (two more were heavily damaged and had to break off attacks). The remaining 48 bombers kept on going, right into the massive black shellbursts of the ships HA fire.
It was obvious that the Italian bombers meant business this time; even though the heavy fire shot down four of them, the rest kept in formation as they swept over the fleet at around 10,000 feet. Even so, it was not easy to get hits at that altitude on radically manoeuvring ships, as the Captains threw cruisers and aircraft carriers around as if they were driving a speedboat, not 10,000 tons or more of warship. The destroyer HMS Jervis was the first to be hit. Two 500lb bombs turned the destroyer into a wreck almost immediately, one blowing off her bows while the other destroyed her engine room. Without power, and already sinking by the bow, her Captain had no alternative other than to order abandon ship.
Next to suffer was the cruiser HMS Liverpool. The first 500lb bomb hit her amidships, destroying her seaplane and hangar, and causing an aviation fuel fire. The second hit her aft, the explosion (and the splinters) knocking out her aft engine room and causing severe flooding. The final bomb to hit her landed on her B turret, destroying it and also knocking out A turret and killing many of the bridge crew. The ship, temporarily out of control, started to slow rapidly.
However the prime target from the bombers was the already-damaged HMS Courageous. Unable to evade, she was hit in rapid succession by four 500lb bombs. While these hits might have been shrugged off (or at least taken with no vital damage) by the fleet carriers, Courageous was a conversion of a WW1 ship, and had little armour protection against bombs. The first bomb hit her aft, directly on the elevator, blowing it right out of its well and onto the deck. The second and third punched through her thin deck; one exploding in the hangar, the second continuing on and exploding in her machinery spaces, the shock taking her generators offline. The final bomb hit on her catapult, wrecking it and sending splinters into the front of the hanger. A heavy plume of smoke rapidly covered the stricken carrier; although the RN was fanatical about fuel safely on the hangar deck, there was still enough combustible material to start quite a serious fire. The problem was that with no power (as well as the main generators being offline, the backup diesel had been wrecked by bomb splinters), it was impossible to deal with the fires and the flooding.
Meanwhile the bombers had been making their escape. The fleet had continued to pound them with AA fire even as the bombs were falling, and another two fell victim. As they headed back to Italy, some of the Goshawks managed a final interception (many of the fighters were out of ammunition after their earlier attacks), shooting down a further seven bombers for the loss of one fighter.
As the last of the bombers fled for safety over the horizon, the Courageous was obviously in a bad way, smoke covering her and her list steadily increasing. It was clear that the ship was finished, and Cunningham immediately ordered her to be abandoned to save as many of her crew as possible. Only 20 minutes after the bombing, the old ship finally turned over and sank. Fortunately the weather was calm, and the escorting destroyers managed to pick up most of the crew, but over 300 men had perished with their ship.
The situation of the Liverpool was more complex; although she had been heavily hit, the modern cruiser was not likely to sink immediately, but neither was she capable of steaming at more than a few knots. The fuel fire had been put out after half an hour, and her flooding at least temporarily brought under control. It was a dilemma for Cunningham; if he left her with an escort, another attack like the one they had just endured would sink her, and quite possibly some of her escort as well; on the other hand he could ill afford to lose a modern cruiser. In the end, it was decided to try to escort her back to Alexandria. Her engineer estimated that with some makeshift repairs, and bearing in mind her damage, she could make 10 knots by the night. The deciding factor was the estimate that in fact it was unlikely that the Italian air force could in fact repeat that intensity of raid immediately. According to their intelligence, that really had been every torpedo plane available, and many of the level bombers. It was also pointed out that she would be in range of escorting fighters until the night, and if things worsened she could be abandoned at daylight.
The fighters were flown onto the two fleet carriers; due to the earlier raid losses there was no problem accommodating Courageous's fighters as well, and the main body of the fleet headed on to the covering force, which it would reach the following morning. As it turned out, the Liverpool did make Alexandria safely - the sky was peacefully clear the following day, and her engineering crew eventually got her up to 13 knots. The main body had arrived back at Alexandria some time previously, whereupon Admiral Cunningham made the rare order to 'splice the mainbrace'.
Chapter 3 - East Africa
21st October (Off the coast of East Africa)
The British Convoy BN7 was attacked by Italian destroyers from Massawa. The escorts, including the New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander and the destroyer HMS Kimberley, drive destroyer 'Francesco Nullo' ashore with their gunfire.
Shortly after dawn, the Nullo was overtaken by the Kimberly and two other vessels just outside Massawa. The Nullo and the Kimberly engaged in a one-hour gun battle in which the handicapped Italian destroyer came out much the worse. The Nullo was left dead in the water and sinking, but had meanwhile managed to work its way in under the protection of Harmil Island in the Massawa channel, where the Italians had established a naval 76-mm battery. As the Kimberly closed in to finish off its Italian adversary with a torpedo, the gunners on Harmil Island engaged it, scoring a hit which temporarily stopped the British destroy
er (although it had to be towed back to Port Sudan by its companion vessels, the damage to the British ship proved to be minor). While the British departed, the Nullo finally sank .The already-wrecked destroyer was destroyed by RAF Blenheim bombers on the following day.
23rd October (Spain)
At a meeting with General Franco, Hitler fails to persuade him to join the Axis, or to allow him to attack Gibraltar through Spain. Franco's natural caution has been enhanced by the recent destruction of the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean, and he has no desire to see his ports visited by the FAA. Hitler is left un-amused by his 'allies' recaltriance.
24th October (UK)
The first war operation of the Corpo Aereo Italiano (the Italian formation assigned to help the Luftwaffe bomb England) is the bombardment of Harwich by sixteen Br.20s. One of the bombers is lost on takeoff and two more were lost upon return, being abandoned by their crews with no more fuel, after a long and unsuccessful night search of their bases. The RAF is underwhelmed by the Italian effort. This will in fact be the only aerial attack by this unit, as it has already been marked for return to Italy in view of the heavy aircraft losses to the FAA. The single operation has been a gesture by Mussolini to show his support.
Britain is still suffering from small daylight raids, but as the losses to the Luftwaffe mount steadily these are being replaced with mixed fighter/fighter-bomber sweeps. While annoying, these do not carry the weight of bombs to do serious damage to the UK infrastructure. Night attacks are still very heavy, and the Beaufighter night fighters are still getting to grips with the AI radar.
FAA Swordfish flying from bases in North Africa bomb the Italian-held port of Tobruk and lay mines in the harbour. The aircraft had originally been marked for use as replacements for those damaged in Operation Judgement, but the better than expected success (and the loss of the Courageous) meant they could continue to be used locally.
Mussolini temporarily postpones his planned invasion of Greece by two weeks, in order to allow the Italian navy and air force to recover from the damage and confusion caused by the British raid on Taranto. In particular he is worried that the Royal Navy might pay a visit to some of the Italian Adriatic ports, although there are in fact no plans for this - it would involve any ships used getting far too deep into the range of Italian air cover
The FAA arrange to replace the losses in their squadrons with the pilots rescued from Courageous; the remaining personnel in those squadrons will go back to the UK to act as a core for HMS Bulwark's completion next year. Since only Courageous was still using Swordfish in the eastern Mediterranean, those recovered to the other carriers will be allocated to coastal attacks in support of the Army, working out of North African bases. While no match for a modern fighter, the Swordfish (acting in its bomber role) is still thought to be able to play a useful role in Africa.
26th October (USA)
The North-American NA-73, the prototype P-51(Mustang), makes its maiden flight at Inglewood, California, USA. The Allison V-1710-39 engine had been received in October and after installation, the aircraft began taxi runs on 15 October and two brief flights were made today. It is hoped to have a second prototype flying soon with a UK-sourced Merlin engine; the RAF thinks the plane would make a better fighter/interceptor than close support aircraft (of which they feel they already have adequate designs), and the high altitude performance of the Allison engine is questionable.
A Condor ranging over the Atlantic 150 miles off Ireland damages the 42,348 ton liner 'Empress of Britain' by strafing and dropping two 250kg bombs. The ship was later sunk by a U-boat. This impresses upon the Admiralty that carrier escort of some sort is required further out into the Atlantic, as the large Condors can both sink ships and guide the U-boats onto them. A certain amount of revenge is extracted as the U-32 is in its turn sunk by the destroyers HMS Harvester and HMS Highlander. This will exacerbate the shortage of carriers, as each one will be spending longer with each convoy. This has been anticipated to some extent - the logical result of more successful A/S operations close to the UK was for the U-boats to move west, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant for the Admiralty. The one good effect is that U-boats will have less time on station, able to attack convoys.
27th October (Africa)
Free French forces under General de Larminat occupy Lambarene in Gabon (French Equatorial Africa.) Meanwhile General de Gaulle has arrived in Brazzaville, the capital of French Equatorial Africa, and proclaimed the creation of a Council of Defence of the French Empire. He was welcomed by the governor, Felix Eboue, and huge crowds. Most of French Equatorial Africa, with 12 million inhabitants, rallied to de Gaulle in late July after the arrival of emissaries sent from London led by General Leclerc.
After the capture of Dakar, the Free French have been busy trying to expand their forces. With the men extracted from Norway as their core, a 1st Free French division has been formed, and men to form a second division are undergoing training. Recruitment in the African colonies has been going well, and indeed the French are currently more limited by experienced cadre and equipment than volunteers.
29th October (China)
Japan's strategy for seizing control of southern China suffered a major setback today as its troops were forced to withdraw south into Indochina after losing Nanning, the capital of Kwangsi, China's southern border province. The loss of Nanning, a key city on the Hanoi-Peking line, counterbalances Japan's recent gain in being allowed to station troops in French Indochina. During seven months of bitter fighting for Nanning both sides have suffered heavy losses.
30th October
An Italian attempt to attack British shipping in Gibraltar harbour with "human torpedoes", fails.
In France, Marshal Petain has called upon the French people to collaborate with Germany. This represents a major change from the originally announced purpose of Petain's government, which sought peace with Germany, not alliance, and results from Laval and Petain's meetings with Hitler at Montoire. The appeal does not go down well in the French colonies still obedient to the Vichy regime, and plans are started to recover all the colonial possessions not yet in Free French control over the coming months.
A report by the Royal Navy on the after-effects of Operation Judgement notes that they are in need of replacement aircraft for the Alexandria-based carriers. In addition, the Army is requesting more aid in its operations and defence of North Africa. While understanding the Army's needs, the Admiralty points out that this is supposed to be the job of the RAF, and that the FAA is not strong enough (particularly in pilots) to carry out this role. It suggests that either the RAF in North Africa is strengthened, or that RAF pilots be assigned to the Navy to form squadrons specifically for this purpose. The Army is quite pleased by this report, the RAF is not.
31st October
A Wellington V high-altitude bomber reaches 30,000 feet for the first time. This aircraft is serving as the high altitude prototype for the RAF's future high altitude bomber program. The first prototype of these, the Supermarine 318, is already flying, but will need changes to reach the altitudes required. As Supermarine are already fully loaded with development work on the Spitfire, the bomber prototype and work have been handed over to Vickers, where a Mr Wallace has been making suggestions for suitable modifications. As soon as the data is in from the Wellington V, a list of changes will be made and a new prototype produced.
As a result of the early wolfpack attacks on convoys, the convoy limits is being extended to 19 degrees west. New escort carriers are expected soon, and the escort building program is delivering a steady stream on new ships, but there is still a drastic shortage of convoy escorts, although the release of the destroyers held against an invasion is helping. There are increasing signs of the Luftwaffe Kondors, and carrier escort is given as a priority to those thought most likely to encounter these aircraft. Two have already been shot down by Goshawks, the FAA being pleased to find that such a large plane seems to be rather fragile when faced with 20mm cannon.
&n
bsp; In the Mediterranean, RAF HQ Middle East is looking worriedly at the build-up of Italian troops in Albania. These are seen as a prelude to either pressure or invasion of Greece, and the RAF is worried that if it is required to send squadrons there it has very few planes. Now that an invasion cannot take place until the spring due to winter conditions in the Channel, they want more of the current substantial new production to be sent to the Middle East to provide them with a tactical reserve. This request is heavily endorsed by the Army, but the RAF High Command is reluctant as this means losing planes which could be used to bomb Germany, seen as the main (in some quarters, the only) proper use of the RAF.
Although the night raids on Britain are still very heavy, the RAF removes Air Marshal Dowding from the position of head of fighter command. This raises some eyebrows at the Admiralty, who while finding Dowding an often difficult person to work with, have been impressed by his expertise and technical ability in the job. They have less faith in his replacement, Air Marshal Douglas. However they feel it is not their role to make public comment on the internal allocation of jobs inside the RAF.
1st November
Churchill sends a telegram to Air Marshal Longmore in Cairo, promising additional help will be provided. As well as the request for additional air power, the obvious threat to Greece means that Army reinforcements will need to be speeded up as well. The Navy considers its force in the area adequate (despite the loss of HMS Courageous), as the Italian Navy has for the moment nothing larger than a light cruiser. Many of its ships have been withdrawn so far north for safety from the FAA as to make intervention in the Eastern Mediterranean very difficult. The Navy is currently planning raids on the Italian North African ports and facilities, as well as increased action against their supply convoys, as they see this as currently the best way they can support the Army.
