The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore

by David Row

  The first of the US-built escorts will arrive soon, and Canadian-built corvettes are now starting to arrive (although they need additional work on arrival as Canada cannot produce all the equipment they need). The British corvette program is now delivering significant numbers of ships, and the new twin-screw Corvettes are on the slips. The Free French have also contributed six destroyers to form an escort group.

  However despite better air cover, the U-boats Wolfpack tactic has not been defeated, just made more difficult. While they only manage an occasional concentration, the boats are still taking a heavy toll of any straggler, and U-boat sinkings are not affecting their numbers thanks to the construction programme.

  In Tunis, an arrangement has been made between the Vichy governors and the Free French forces (for reasons of face, de Tassigny isn't mentioned even though he has been involved in the negotiations). The governor realises his position is completely untenable (outside the city where the bulk of the forces loyal to Vichy had been stationed, the situation is far worse for the regime, and with the harbour out of their control, there is no hope of reinforcement), and the result is a resignation of certain people in the government structure. By agreement, there are no individual reprisals and later a number of people and their families will be repatriated to metropolitan France.

  The first aims of the new regime are twofold. To restore stability in Tunisia (while the government in Tunis has made agreements, there are some units in the country who are still loyal to Vichy, and it would be preferable to disarm them peacefully), without too much of a blood-bath, and to find what has happened to the Axis convoy that was heading for them. The position of the convoy is cleared up later that evening when they hear first of the actions of HMS Upright, and then from Bone that the convoy has docked there.

  Fortunately Bone is not a major port, and while Rommel is keen to get his reconnaissance elements ashore and headed for Tunis as fast as possible, practicalities mean this will take a few days. It is agree in Tunis that the Free French troops will dig in to the west to impede any invasion, and the local forces are being mobilised in support. There is considerable French military equipment in the country, and while not up to modern standards will be very useful in a defensive position, but it will take a few days to get a suitable force together and then get it into place. The local forces are not strong, but they know the country well and will be attached to the Free French forces in the west of Tunisia. Another brigade of Free French forces is expected in Egypt in a few days, and this will follow immediately to Tunisia. There are also allied formations in Libya who can be used if needed, although many of these are still short of transport and supplies. However it is not thought that the Vichy forces in Algeria will attack themselves (one of the reasons for the generous terms to the governor is to stop Vichy using the excuse of civil war to intervene). As part of the hurried defence activity, an airfield is being prepared to handle some of the RAF Hurricanes supporting 13 Corps.

  Churchill telegrams to Eden agreeing that the situation in Greece had worsened - so much so that he War Cabinet found it difficult to believe that Greece could be saved unless Turkey or Yugoslavia came in on the allied side, which now seemed most unlikely. Another telegram confirming this opinion is sent to General Blamey, with the (top secret) instructions that, while a commitment of some sort in Greece is necessary for political reasons, things should be arranged so as to risk as little as necessary to meet our commitments.

  8th March

  Wavell receives a signal from the British Military Mission in Athens. "General Papagos yesterday gave an impression of greater optimism. He states indications led him to hope Yugoslavia might yet fight. He therefore reverted to question of holding Nestos position if Yugoslav collaboration at last moment made this possible. From the point of view of morale he emphasised fact that troops in Eastern Macedonia were recruited locally, and that, if fighting in forward positions would be defending their own homes. He remains anxious about lorry situation in view new supply difficulty, and urges that every available lorry be sent as early as possible."

  Wavell views this with some misgivings; he is fast losing belief in the ability of the Greek government to come to what he feels are the hard but necessary military decisions, but feels that he has to work with them as much and as long as possible.

  Meanwhile in order to try and reduce any interference from Malta, Axis aircraft drop 76 tons of bombs on this 122 square mile island. While not good for Malta, no-one seems to have pointed out that bases on Crete and the Royal Navy's carriers are probably far more of a problem should they intervene.

  In the United States, the carrier USS Ticonderoga is launched. The last of the Yorktown class carriers, she has been built as fast as possible, considering the steadily worsening situation in Europe and the Far East, and the role aircraft carriers seem now to be playing. It is hoped to have her commissioned by next March. The first of the follow-on class of carriers, the USS Essex, is expected to be laid down next month.

  The 1st Free French Armoured Brigade is formally declared operational at Benghazi. This is a trifle optimistic, as while they are now equipped with ex-Italian tanks, they are as yet not properly trained up with them. The unit will now conduct training exercises aimed at allowing them to move to Tunisia as soon as possible. Until they are ready, a brigade of the 2nd Armoured will move into Tunisia in case the force under Rommel attempts to attack into the country.

  The first prototype of the Canadian-designed Ram tank is completed. This tank is based on the US M3 chassis, with a new turret designed large enough to take the new British 6-pdr AT gun (although the prototype only mounts the 2-pdr). The development has been funded jointly by Canada and France, who want the tank for the armoured divisions they are currently training. Building the tank in Canada will allow easy access to the US components for the tank, and production is expected for August. The first batch will mount the 2-pdr if the 6-pdr is not available in sufficient quantities. The tank also interests the British army, who have supplied guns for a second 6-pdr prototype. General O'Connor has stressed the need for a new tank to include a bigger gun (to allow HE fire), and also that it must be reliable - his experience in the desert has shown that tanks that break down too frequently are of little use. The British want to compare the tank with the Valentine; the new turret for the Valentine has space for three crew, but is too small to accept the 6-pdr gun. One possibility would be to use the Ram turret on a new version of the Valentine chassis (allowing complete construction of the tank in Britain).

  9th March

  The Italian spring offensive in Albania begins, around Bubesh on the Albanian front, between the Devoli and Vijose rivers, and led by Mussolini himself. The goal is to gain a victory against the Greeks before the Germans intervene, and Mussolini has come to Albania to watch.

  The Italians will employ nine divisions (including one armoured and two alpini), plus many smaller units of up to regimental size, against about 20 miles of front straddling the Vojussa river. The Greeks defend with the 1st and 15th Divisions in the line, and the 6th Div and half the 17th Div in reserve. The Italian preparations have long been detected, and the Greeks are established in well-hidden hilltop positions with interlocking fields of fire for their machineguns, mortars, and highly effective mountain artillery. The Italian attack is preceded by a two-hour barrage in which 300 guns fire off 100,000 shells, but these are mostly light field pieces (100mm or smaller) and their effect on the deeply dug-in Greeks is minimal. There are also air attacks by Italian Stukas. The main push will be north of the Vojussa in the 6.5-mile sector of Gastone Gambarra's 8th Corps.

  In Bone in Algeria, General Rommel, commanding the Afrika Korps, sends a message to the German High Command suggesting that it might be possible to go on the offensive before the hot weather begins. He suggests four objectives, (1) The occupation of Tunisia, (2) the reoccupation of Cyrenaica, (3) the occupation of northern Egypt, and (4) the capture of the Suez Canal. He proposes 8 May to begin the campaign, bu
t points out he will need the rest of his division plus at least two good Italian divisions under his command. The report is greeted in Berlin with a certain amount of scepticism.

  He now has a small force unloaded and ready (the local dockworkers not having proven terribly keen or efficient at unloading his ships), consisting of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, elements of the 39th antitank battalion and infantry from the Italian Ariete Division. Despite his bold assumptions about taking Suez, Rommel's force is short of tanks (the bulk of 5th Light Division is sitting outside Naples, and the Ariete division lost most of its heavy tanks when they were sent on ahead to Benghazi (ironically they will soon face them again in the hands of the French). Rommel is also very short of petrol, although he has asked for supplies to be sent from Algiers. The result is that his advance only moves close to the Algerian-Tunisia border where it forms a covering force. At the moment the Axis have little concrete information as to what exactly is happening in Tunis, and how strong the allied force there is. Rommel has suggested an immediate attack, but he has been ordered to wait. The German High Command has rather more pessimistic reports of Allied forces in Tunisia.

  The Italian navy estimate it will take about a month to get the rest of the 5th Light and Ariete divisions to North Africa, assuming that they will land at Algiers (they consider Bone both too small and ill-equipped, and altogether too close to the RAF). The biggest problem is that the convoys have to travel considerably further to Algiers than they would have had to reach Tripoli, and they are allowing for losses to the Royal Navy. They point out that they can only continue the convoys if they can get control of the air in their vicinity, otherwise there is nothing to stop Royal Navy heavy units from destroying them. Assuming losses to the Royal Navy and RAF are not too severe, they believe they can meet Rommel's requirement for a fully supplied three-division force by the beginning of May. Rommel considers this 'unacceptably long', and is pressing the German High Command to 'push the Italians as hard as possible'.

  10th March

  In what will prove to be the only success of the entire Italian offensive, the alpini of the Pusteria Division capture the fortified peak of Mali Spadarit, on the extreme left wing. However, this leaves them far in advance of any friendly troops, and heavy fire from adjacent Greek positions on their flanks and rear forces them to withdraw somewhat back down the slope. In Gambarra's sector, attempts to manoeuvre against Monastery Hill get nowhere, and Gambarra already has to bring up troops from his reserve Bari Division to reinforce the Puglie and Cagliari.

  The French battleship Richelieu arrives at Gibraltar with an escort of three French destroyers, having finished her repairs in the USA. In addition to repairing the damage she suffered during the invasion of Dakar, she has also been refitted with modern AA guns and had equipment modified to allow her to work more easily with the RN. She will be attached to Force H, whose current role is to harass and strike Italian shipping in the Mediterranean and conduct strikes on shore targets. Her arrival allows the Admiralty to send HMS Renown back to the UK for a refit, and to free up four destroyers for much-needed convoy escorts.

  11th March

  President Roosevelt this afternoon signs into law the Lend-Lease Bill, Public Law 11, 77th Congress. The bill passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with large majorities. It seeks, as its congressional sponsors put it, to give "legislative form to the policy of making this country an Arsenal for the Democracies and seeks to carry out President Roosevelt's pledge to send these countries in ever-increasing numbers, ships, aeroplanes, tanks and guns." The bill empowers the President to lease to Britain munitions owned and paid for by the US government.

  Debate on the bill was fierce, and its isolationist opponents in the Senate filibustered against it. On 6 March, however, Senator Walter George, the influential chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, made a powerful speech in favour of its passage, arguing "the collapse of the British Empire would mean chaos in this world." Two days later the bill was finally passed by the Senate - by 60 votes to 31.

  Immediately after the bill was signed the US Army and Navy approved the export of the first material to be released under the terms of the act. Though what is involved is being kept secret for military reasons, it is believed that the first shipments will include 24 motor torpedo boats already ordered to British design which have been held up by the US attorney-general and will help to defend Britain against invasion.

  Most of the material released today will go to Britain. Some will go to the Free French forces, Greece, and some to China. The president's assistant, Laughlin Currie, has been sent to determine what the Chinese need. A few hours after the vote the president sent Congress a request for $7,000 million for munitions. The New York Times predicted that if American convoys are needed to deliver the products from the arsenal to the democracies, they will be sent.

  There has been much discussion between the USA and Britain over the way the act will work, particularly with regard to items that Britain and the Free French can still pay for, and the British in particular are unhappy about some of what they see as severely restrictive trade clauses. In the end a compromise is reached; since it is in practice impossible to distinguish the end use of war consumables such as ammunition and fuel, these items will be supplied to Britain with the agreement she will distribute these to the various allied forces in exile as well as use them herself in support of them. For capital items, Britain (and also the Free French) will continue to pay for items they wish, and can use these however they wish (the French, in view of the German occupation of their country, are rather less concerned about trade clauses). In practice, it is known to the US government that many items such as tanks and planes 'given' to the French and others will end up used by British forces, but the facade helps the bill gets passed. The US government is taking the practical approach that it is better to have Germany defeated than worry too much about trade clauses (and in fact is assuming that the British will have to sign them anyway in about a year when they estimate their money will run out)

  12th March

  In Hawaii, the Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Kimmel, sends the following message to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Stark: “In view of (your letter of 15 February), the Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet, recommends that until a light efficient net, that can be laid temporarily and quickly is developed, no anti-torpedo nets (for protection against torpedo plane attacks) be supplied this area.”

  The Australian government informs London that it expects the first production Beaufighters made in the country to become operational in October. Since the night fighter situation is easing in the UK, they ask for one, preferably two squadrons as soon as possible for pilot training and to develop tactics with the planes. The RAF was in fact hoping to use the first of its operational squadrons in the North Sea (against light German coastal shipping), and in the Mediterranean against light shipping. They suggest as a compromise that at least one squadron to be formed in the Mediterranean be from the RAAF, to give the necessary training and useful operational experience in the over-water role.

  The development of a Torpex (an improved high explosive) warhead for the Navy's torpedoes is basically complete, and the first production units will be tested in May. They will be used on the new Mix torpedo, initially on Beaufighters and Wellingtons, and on the Fairy Spearfish when it enters service later in the year. The torpedo can be fitted with attachments that allow it to be dropped at up to 225knots, and it hoped to develop these further to allow a drop at 300knots, to take advantage of the performance of the new planes. It has already been seen how vulnerable torpedo planes are against any sort of fighter defence, and the new torpedo will, it is hoped, make the attacks more survivable. The new heavier torpedo will, with the more effective explosive, be nearly as destructive as a pre-war 21" submarine launched torpedo.

  Two further Audacious class carriers are laid down, intended to be in service in 1944. The navy is currently exa
mining the capability of the Audacious class against the expected further development of naval aircraft with a view to designing a new, larger ship to follow on from the Audacious. There has been opposition to so much of the navy's limited warship building going on the carriers rather than other heavy ships, but the FAA point out that apart from the fleet carriers, the other ships are intended for convoy duties, to work with the huge escort building program. In any case, shortages of armour, fire-control equipment and heavy guns mean they simply cannot build any more cruisers or battleships at the present, so fleet carriers are the obvious alternative. By early 1942 they expect to have some 19 battleships and battlecruisers in service and with the lack of capital ship opposition in home waters and the Mediterranean the need for additional battleships is reduced - indeed the Navy is looking at the possibility of putting the old R-class battleships into reserve to free up trained manpower for the carriers.

  The US Navy announces that as a result of its increased production rate (instituted last year) the Grumman 4F Wildcat fighter will have replaced all the older Brewster Buffalo fighters in navy and marine service by June of this year. A number of the 'Martlet' version of the fighter are being used by the Free French in the Mediterranean and Africa (a version of this was offered to the RN but they decided it was inferior to the later models of the Goshawk fighter). The US will expedite orders of the Buffalo to the exiled Dutch government (who want them for the Dutch East Indies). The rest of the planes will be used for training or put into war reserve.