World in Flames is the computer version of Australian Design Group classic board game. World In Flames is a highly detailed game covering the both Europe and Pacific Theaters of Operations during World War II. If you want grand strategy this game is for you.
Do you know if the Costanzo Ciano was named for the elder or the younger Costanzo Ciano?
Both were war heroes but the younger was Benito Mussolini's son-in-law.
Warspite1
No, that is incorrect. Costanzo Ciano was named after the father of Galeazzo Ciano, who was Mussolini's son-in-law. Galeazzo was no war hero, but a lawyer by trade, who, having married Mussolini's daughter, rose to become the Italian foreign minister. When the war started going badly for Italy from day 1 he became more and more dissillusioned with Italy's prospects and ultimately voted to oust his father-in-law - an action that ultimately led to his execution.
Galeazzo Ciano took part in the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935–36) as a bomber squadron commander (his unit was dubbed "La Disperata") where his future opponent Alessandro Pavolini served as lieutenant. Upon his highly-trumpeted comeback as a "hero" he became Foreign Minister in 1936, replacing Mussolini.
Italian La Disperata Squadron in Eritrea. An Italian aircraft with a sign on it that reads ' La Disperata' A gunner aboard the aircraft. Men load bombs under the wing of the aircraft. A pilot in the cockpit. The Commander of the Squadron is Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini's son in law. Aircraft take off from an airfield to raid Ethiopia. Location: Eritrea. Date: November 13, 1935. US Government Archive number for this historic video is: 200 UN 7-406 #1,2,4-9 MPS
Critical Past | June 1, 2010
University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
Do you know if the Costanzo Ciano was named for the elder or the younger Costanzo Ciano?
Both were war heroes but the younger was Benito Mussolini's son-in-law.
Warspite1
No, that is incorrect. Costanzo Ciano was named after the father of Galeazzo Ciano, who was Mussolini's son-in-law. Galeazzo was no war hero, but a lawyer by trade, who, having married Mussolini's daughter, rose to become the Italian foreign minister. When the war started going badly for Italy from day 1 he became more and more dissillusioned with Italy's prospects and ultimately voted to oust his father-in-law - an action that ultimately led to his execution.
Galeazzo Ciano took part in the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935–36) as a bomber squadron commander (his unit was dubbed "La Disperata") where his future opponent Alessandro Pavolini served as lieutenant. Upon his highly-trumpeted comeback as a "hero" he became Foreign Minister in 1936, replacing Mussolini.
Italian La Disperata Squadron in Eritrea. An Italian aircraft with a sign on it that reads ' La Disperata' A gunner aboard the aircraft. Men load bombs under the wing of the aircraft. A pilot in the cockpit. The Commander of the Squadron is Count Galeazzo Ciano, Mussolini's son in law. Aircraft take off from an airfield to raid Ethiopia. Location: Eritrea. Date: November 13, 1935. US Government Archive number for this historic video is: 200 UN 7-406 #1,2,4-9 MPS
Critical Past | June 1, 2010
Warspite1
Depends on your definition of war hero of course [;)].
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Hi Warspite, I was reading my Churchill again recently and I came across a more complete version of the quote from Cunningham in your signature. I have always wondered what situation led him to say those words. It turned out to be the evacuation of Crete once the Germans had taken the main airfield; the Royal Navy had been taking significant losses during the previous evacuation of Greece and during a steady and successful campaign to keep Axis sea-borne reinforcements from landing on Crete. Here is how Churchill wrote out the whole thing:
To Admiral Cunningham it was against all tradition to abandon the Army in such a crisis. He declared "It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition. The evacuation [that is, rescue] will continue."
Even without Churchill's parenthetical the quote reads a little different, and I think a little better. Thought you would be interested.
Hi Warspite, I was reading my Churchill again recently and I came across a more complete version of the quote from Cunningham in your signature. I have always wondered what situation led him to say those words. It turned out to be the evacuation of Crete once the Germans had taken the main airfield; the Royal Navy had been taking significant losses during the previous evacuation of Greece and during a steady and successful campaign to keep Axis sea-borne reinforcements from landing on Crete. Here is how Churchill wrote out the whole thing:
To Admiral Cunningham it was against all tradition to abandon the Army in such a crisis. He declared "It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition. The evacuation [that is, rescue] will continue."
Even without Churchill's parenthetical the quote reads a little different, and I think a little better. Thought you would be interested.
Warspite1
Norway, Dunkirk, Greece, Crete....the senior service never let the army down [&o][&o][&o] and suffered grievous losses in helping evacuate their countrymen (and those of the Dominions and their allies) in the process.
Just how inspiring were Cunningham's words and how noble were the deeds of his officers and men? [&o][&o][&o]
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Hi Warspite, I was reading my Churchill again recently and I came across a more complete version of the quote from Cunningham in your signature. I have always wondered what situation led him to say those words. It turned out to be the evacuation of Crete once the Germans had taken the main airfield; the Royal Navy had been taking significant losses during the previous evacuation of Greece and during a steady and successful campaign to keep Axis sea-borne reinforcements from landing on Crete. Here is how Churchill wrote out the whole thing:
To Admiral Cunningham it was against all tradition to abandon the Army in such a crisis. He declared "It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition. The evacuation [that is, rescue] will continue."
Even without Churchill's parenthetical the quote reads a little different, and I think a little better. Thought you would be interested.
Warspite1
Brian Brian, is this better?
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
For the sake of keeping it noble, if it were me, I'd end the quote at the second semi-colon. Who was it that said "wars are not won through evacuations".
For the sake of keeping it noble, if it were me, I'd end the quote at the second semi-colon. Who was it that said "wars are not won through evacuations".
Warspite1
Churchill said this in a speech to the House of Commons to calm everyone down after the success of the Dunkirk evacuation.
However, as far as Cunningham and his quote is concerned, I think that there was great nobility and heroism shown by the officers and men of the RN during the Crete episode. Cunningham was told at one point that he was not expected to do anymore - his ships were taking a pounding from the Luftwaffe and he did not have to return to Crete. But he refused saying the Navy must not let the Army down. To my mind, there is no problem with it being an evacuation mission, the cojones required to sail the waters around Crete to lift the troops off the island were just as big [&o][&o]
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
I have no qualms about Dunkirk and Crete being noble, let alone heroic. What I meant was the impression given by the one sentence taken out of its context.
I have no qualms about Dunkirk and Crete being noble, let alone heroic. What I meant was the impression given by the one sentence taken out of its context.
Warspite1
Yes, I take your point about the context.....mmm I'll have a think about this.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
While taking a break from the Italian navy, I thought I would stay on the Mediterranean theme and finalise a British cruiser. Please see HMS Manchester below.
¡öEngine(s) output: 82,500 hp
¡öTop Speed: 32.5 knots
¡öMain armament: 12 x 6-inch (152mm), 8 x 4-inch (102mm) guns
¡öDisplacement (full load): 11,650 tons
¡öThickest armour: 4.5-inches (belt)
The Town-class comprised ten light cruisers that were built for the Royal Navy (RN) during the thirties. The Towns were divided into three sub-groups; Southampton (5 ships), Gloucester (3 ships) and Edinburgh (2 ships).
In the early thirties, the British ceased building larger 8-inch gun cruisers and instead concentrated upon the construction of smaller 6-inch gun vessels. The latter allowed more ships to be built within the tonnage restrictions of the various naval treaties. The ability to build more cruisers was important for the United Kingdom given that she had a large overseas empire to protect and it was considered by the Admiralty that at a very minimum, seventy cruisers were required.
The Towns were larger cruisers than the British ideally wanted to build, but were designed in response to the Japanese Mogami-class, which originally featured fifteen 6.1-inch guns on a declared 8,500 ton displacement.
The Gloucesters were slightly enlarged versions of the Southamptons and their main armament remained the same; namely twelve 6-inch guns fitted in four triple turrets. Secondary armament too was unchanged from the earlier ships and featured eight, high-angle, 4-inch guns mounted in four twin turrets. Close-range anti-aircraft (AA) weaponry was provided by four 3-pdrs and two quadruple 2-pdr pompoms. Two triple torpedo tubes rounded off the weapons package. Up to three aircraft could be carried.
During the war, the AA weaponry on both Manchester and Liverpool was increased (Gloucester was sunk before any additions could be carried out). Liverpool required substantial repairs to battle damage incurred in 1942 and underwent a comprehensive refit that involved removal of her X-turret and her aircraft carrying capability.
One of the big improvements that the Gloucesters benefitted from over the Southamptons was an increase in armour protection. The belt protection remained the same at 4.5-inches, with box protection around the ammunition spaces to the same thickness. However the turret armour was increased as was the deck armour over the machinery spaces.
Top speed was slightly increased thanks to the fitting of more powerful machinery and a respectable 32 knots could be comfortably achieved.
All Town class ships were named after major English, Scottish and Irish towns (note: the Welsh capital Cardiff had already been used for one of the C-class cruisers).
HMS Manchester was completed in August 1938. At the outbreak of World War II she was operating in the Indian Ocean where she was deployed for the interception of blockade runners and commerce raiders. In October, she returned to the UK to join the 18th Cruiser Squadron (CS) and arrived there the following month. She was immediately sent to the dockyard for a refit.
From January 1940 until the German invasion of Norway in April, Manchester was deployed on interception and patrol duty in the North Western Approaches and the North Sea. In February, she took part in the search for six German merchant ships that had previously sailed from Vigo, Spain and were trying to get back to Germany. Only one enemy ship reached Germany (see HMS York).
Following the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940, Manchester took part in the ill-fated Norwegian Campaign (see HMS Renown, HMS Valiant and HMS Curacoa). Events soon turned sour for the Allies and for two days from the 30th of that month, the RN was used to evacuate Sickelforce. Sickelforce was the southern prong of a pincer movement originally ordered to take the town of Trondheim in central Norway. The evacuation took place from the nearby ports at Molde and Andalsnes using the transports Ulster Monarch and Ulster Prince. They were escorted that first night by the cruisers Arethusa, Sheffield and Southampton with six destroyers. The following night the cruisers Birmingham, Manchester, Calcutta and the sloop Auckland, removed the remaining men. The cruiser Glasgow evacuated the Norwegian King and his entourage, taking them to Tromso in northern Norway. Then between the 30th April and the 3rd May, the northern prong, Mauriceforce, was evacuated from Namsos. The cruiser Carlisle provided AA defence during this operation which was carried out by the heavy cruisers Devonshire and York; the French cruiser Montcalm; three French auxiliary cruisers and eight British and French destroyers. Two of these destroyers, Bison and Afridi were lost to air attack on the 3rd.
The successful evacuation from Namsos of so many men was in great part due to the actions of men like Lt-Cdr Richard Stannard V.C of the Royal Naval Reserve, whose command was under air attack for five days continuously as the Germans harassed the Allied forces. He commanded the trawler HMS Arab, part of the 15th Anti-Submarine Striking Force. HMS Arab was too small a vessel to be represented in World In Flames and so Stannard's story is told here.
Enemy bombing attacks had set fire to the wharf at Namsos and with no water supply available on shore, Stannard rammed the wharf and held Arab firmly against the structure while he tried for two hours to extinguish the fire with hoses from his ship. He only gave up when the situation became hopeless. He then set up an armed camp on shore using the crews of Arab and other ships. This was a well placed redoubt where the men could continue the fight against the incessant enemy air attacks. At one stage another trawler was hit and set on fire and Stannard led two other men aboard the burning vessel and moved her away from the other ships to save them from destruction when the first ship eventually blew up. When it was time to leave the fjord, Arab was attacked by a German bomber. Stannard waited until the bomber was within 800 yards, and then coolly brought the German aircraft down. Against all odds, HMS Arab was brought home and for his bravery, Stannard won the VC, the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy.
Manchester left Norway before the final evacuation from Narvik; with the situation in France deteriorating, she was deployed on anti-invasion patrol off the east coast of England. On the 9th May she was involved in a brief skirmish with German S-boats (see HMS Birmingham) and she remained on anti-invasion duty until she was taken for a refit in July. Upon completion, she was deployed once more to repulse any invasion threat, and she continued in this role until, with the invasion threat receding and the Italians now in the war, Manchester was transferred to the Mediterranean in November 1940.
Manchester's first operation in her new theatre was Collar, a multi-pronged operation in which she was charged with carrying reinforcements for the island of Malta (see HMS Despatch). Her stay in the Mediterranean was brief however, and she was back in the UK for a refit at the start of 1941. Manchester was ready to join the Home Fleet in April and was deployed on patrol in northern waters.
On the 7th May, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and four destroyers were sent to intercept the German weather ship M¨¹nchen which was operating off Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic. The purpose of this operation was to get hold of German secret Enigma equipment. The destroyer Somali was able to surprise the German crew and a raiding party was sent on board before M¨¹nchen could be scuttled. A Short Weather Cipher Book and Enigma rotor settings were captured in the operation.
At the end of that month, Manchester was sent to patrol the Iceland-Faroes gap and she was there during the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen (see HMS Hood and HMS Rodney). After Bismarck was sunk Manchester resumed duty in northern waters until July, when she was sent back to the Mediterranean once more.
In July 1941, the RN escorted a convoy to Malta under the codename Substance. As part of this operation, empty ships were also returned to Gibraltar from the island. The Mediterranean Fleet also sailed from Alexandria during the operation as a diversion to assist Substance. The Malta bound convoy began in the UK and was escorted by Manchester, Arethusa, the minelayer Manxman and five destroyers. Amongst the convoy was the troopship Pasteur which transferred its passengers to the two cruisers upon reaching Gibraltar. From Gibraltar, the merchant ships and their escorts left for Malta on the 21st. The convoy was made up of six freighters and the small troopship Leinster, although the latter ran aground and so could not take part in the operation.
The first ships to sail were the oiler Brown Ranger and a destroyer escort. Brown Ranger provided refuelling capability for the destroyers. The main convoy followed with an escort made up of Edinburgh, Manxman and five destroyers. They were then met by Manchester, Arethusa and a further four destroyers. Finally, Force H, consisting of the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the battleship Nelson, the battlecruiser Renown, the cruiser Hermione and seven destroyers provided the distant covering role. The following day, the seven empty merchant vessels sailed from Malta and headed west with a destroyer escort. They then separated into three groups, according to their speed and all seven made it back to Gibraltar, although one was damaged in an air attack.
As expected, the first sign of enemy aircraft came one day out of Gibraltar and the convoy was subject to heavy air attacks from mid-morning. Manchester and the destroyer Fearless were both hit by torpedoes. Fearless had to be sunk by her sister Forester as she was too badly damaged to continue. Manchester was able to turn around and head back for Gibraltar, escorted by the destroyer Avon Vale, at a speed of around 8 knots. The two ships were attacked on their return journey but were able to beat off the attacking aircraft. Meanwhile, the convoy continued west and the next ship to be hit was the destroyer Firedrake, which was providing minesweeping duty ahead of the convoy. She too had to be towed back to Gibraltar.
As was usual practice, the ships of Force H returned to Gibraltar before the Sicilian Narrows to allow the cruisers and destroyers to escort the convoy on the final leg of the journey to Malta. Hermione was detached from Force H to join the convoy in place of Manchester. The next attacks came that night, this time from Italian motor torpedo boats. The freighter Sydney Star was hit, although she was able to continue toward her destination. The following morning, Arethusa, Edinburgh and Manxman detached from the convoy and sailed at top speed for Malta, which they reached around midday, and disembarked their troop cargo. At around 1600hrs the merchant ships arrived. With the job done, the escorts left Grand Harbour that evening and returned to Gibraltar. As for Manchester, having received temporary repairs at Gibraltar, she was then ordered to the U.S where more permanent repairs were carried out.
Repair work was completed in March 1942 and after briefly being deployed in Arctic waters as part of the distant cover for the ill-fated convoy PQ17 (see ASW Counter 4701), Manchester was ordered back to the Mediterranean where the supply situation on Malta was becoming critical.
It was there, in August 1942, that Manchester carried out her last operation; taking part in perhaps the most famous convoy operation of them all, the Malta relief convoy, Operation Pedestal (see HMS Sirius). In the early hours of the 13th August, with the convoy off the island of Pantellaria, Manchester fell victim to an attack by two Italian E-Boats, MAS16 and MAS22. One torpedo hit the cruiser's aft machine room, causing serious flooding and damaging her propeller shafts. Controversially, her captain decided that the chances of saving her were too small given her proximity to enemy airfields and the approach of daylight. In order to ensure that her radar did not fall into enemy hands, Captain Drew ordered her scuttling that morning. HMS Manchester was the largest vessel lost to Motor Torpedo Boats during the Second World War.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
öEngine(s) output: 82,500 hp
¡öTop Speed: 32.5 knots
¡öMain armament: 12 x 6-inch (152mm), 8 x 4-inch (102mm) guns
¡öDisplacement (full load): 11,650 tons
¡öThickest armour: 4.5-inches (belt)
The Town-class comprised ten light cruisers that were built for the Royal Navy (RN) during the thirties. The Towns were divided into three sub-groups; Southampton (5 ships), Gloucester (3 ships) and Edinburgh (2 ships).
In the early thirties, the British ceased building larger 8-inch gun cruisers and instead concentrated upon the construction of smaller 6-inch gun vessels. The latter allowed more ships to be built within the tonnage restrictions of the various naval treaties. The ability to build more cruisers was important for the United Kingdom given that she had a large overseas empire to protect and it was considered by the Admiralty that at a very minimum, seventy cruisers were required.
The Towns were larger cruisers than the British ideally wanted to build, but were designed in response to the Japanese Mogami-class, which originally featured fifteen 6.1-inch guns on a declared 8,500 ton displacement.
The Gloucesters were slightly enlarged versions of the Southamptons and their main armament remained the same; namely twelve 6-inch guns fitted in four triple turrets. Secondary armament too was unchanged from the earlier ships and featured eight, high-angle, 4-inch guns mounted in four twin turrets. Four 3-pdrs and two quadruple 2-pdr pompoms provided close range anti-aircraft (AA) weaponry. Two triple torpedo tubes rounded off the weapons package. Up to three aircraft could be carried.
During the war, the AA weaponry on both Manchester and Liverpool was increased (Gloucester was sunk before any additions could be carried out). Liverpool required substantial repairs to battle damage incurred in 1942 and underwent a comprehensive refit that involved removal of her X-turret and her aircraft carrying capability.
One of the big improvements that the Gloucesters benefitted from over the Southamptons was an increase in armour protection. The belt protection remained the same at 4.5-inches, with box protection around the ammunition spaces to the same thickness. However the turret armour was increased, as was the deck armour over the machinery spaces.
Top speed was slightly increased thanks to the fitting of more powerful machinery and a respectable 32 knots could be comfortably achieved.
All Town class ships were named after major English, Scottish and Irish towns (note: the Welsh capital Cardiff had already been used for one of the C-class cruisers).
HMS Manchester was completed in August 1938. At the outbreak of World War II she was operating in the Indian Ocean where she was deployed for the interception of blockade runners and commerce raiders. In October, she returned to the UK to join the 18th Cruiser Squadron (CS) and arrived there the following month. She was immediately sent to the dockyard for a refit.
From January 1940 until the German invasion of Norway in April, Manchester was deployed on interception and patrol duty in the North Western Approaches and the North Sea. In February, she took part in the search for six German merchant ships that had previously sailed from Vigo, Spain and were trying to get back to Germany. Only one enemy ship reached Germany (see HMS York).
Following the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940, Manchester took part in the ill-fated Norwegian Campaign (see HMS Renown, HMS Valiant and HMS Curacoa). Events soon turned sour for the Allies and for two days from the 30th of that month, the RN was used to evacuate Sickelforce. Sickelforce was the southern prong of a pincer movement originally ordered to take the town of Trondheim in central Norway. The evacuation took place from the nearby ports at Molde and Andalsnes using the transports Ulster Monarch and Ulster Prince. They were escorted that first night by the cruisers Arethusa, Sheffield and Southampton with six destroyers. The following night the cruisers Birmingham, Manchester, Calcutta and the sloop Auckland, removed the remaining men. The cruiser Glasgow evacuated the Norwegian King and his entourage, taking them to Tromso in northern Norway. Then between the 30th April and the 3rd May, the northern prong, Mauriceforce, was evacuated from Namsos. The cruiser Carlisle provided AA defence during this operation which was carried out by the heavy cruisers Devonshire and York; the French cruiser Montcalm; three French auxiliary cruisers and eight British and French destroyers. Two of these destroyers, Bison and Afridi were lost to air attack on the 3rd.
The successful evacuation from Namsos of so many men was in great part due to the actions of men like Lt-Cdr Richard Stannard V.C of the Royal Naval Reserve, whose command was under air attack for five days continuously as the Germans harassed the Allied forces. He commanded the trawler HMS Arab, part of the 15th Anti-Submarine Striking Force. HMS Arab was too small a vessel to be represented in World In Flames and so Stannard's story is told here.
Enemy bombing attacks had set fire to the wharf at Namsos and with no water supply available on shore, Stannard rammed the wharf and held Arab firmly against the structure while he tried for two hours to extinguish the fire with hoses from his ship. He only gave up when the situation became hopeless. He then set up an armed camp on shore using the crews of Arab and other ships. This was a well placed redoubt where the men could continue the fight against the incessant enemy air attacks. At one stage another trawler was hit and set on fire and Stannard led two other men aboard the burning vessel and moved her away from the other ships to save them from destruction when the first ship eventually blew up. When it was time to leave the fjord, a German bomber attacked Arab. Stannard waited until the bomber was within 800 yards, and then coolly brought the German aircraft down. Against all odds, HMS Arab was brought home and for his bravery, Stannard won the VC, the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy.
Manchester left Norway before the final evacuation from Narvik; with the situation in France deteriorating, she was deployed on anti-invasion patrol off the east coast of England. On the 9th May she was involved in a brief skirmish with German S-boats (see HMS Birmingham) and she remained on anti-invasion duty until she was taken for a refit in July. Upon completion, she was deployed once more to repulse any invasion threat, and she continued in this role until, with the invasion threat receding and the Italians now in the war, Manchester was transferred to the Mediterranean in November 1940.
Manchester's first operation in her new theatre was Collar, a multi-pronged operation in which she was charged with carrying reinforcements for the island of Malta (see HMS Despatch). Her stay in the Mediterranean was brief however, and she was back in the UK for a refit at the start of 1941. Manchester was ready to join the Home Fleet in April and was deployed on patrol in northern waters.
On the 7th May, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and four destroyers were sent to intercept the German weather ship M¨¹nchen which was operating off Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic. The purpose of this operation was to get hold of German secret Enigma equipment. The destroyer Somali was able to surprise the German crew and a raiding party was sent on board before M¨¹nchen could be scuttled. A Short Weather Cipher Book and Enigma rotor settings were captured in the operation.
At the end of that month, Manchester was sent to patrol the Iceland-Faroes gap and she was there during the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen (see HMS Hood and HMS Rodney). After Bismarck was sunk Manchester resumed duty in northern waters until July, when she was sent back to the Mediterranean once more.
In July 1941, the RN escorted a convoy to Malta under the codename Substance. As part of this operation, empty ships were also returned to Gibraltar from the island. The Mediterranean Fleet also sailed from Alexandria during the operation as a diversion to assist Substance. The Malta bound convoy began in the UK and was escorted by Manchester, Arethusa, the minelayer Manxman and five destroyers. Amongst the convoy was the troopship Pasteur which transferred its passengers to the two cruisers upon reaching Gibraltar. From Gibraltar, the merchant ships and their escorts left for Malta on the 21st. The convoy was made up of six freighters and the small troopship Leinster, although the latter ran aground and so could not take part in the operation.
The first ships to sail were the oiler Brown Ranger and a destroyer escort. Brown Ranger provided refuelling capability for the destroyers. The main convoy followed with an escort made up of Edinburgh, Manxman and five destroyers. They were then met by Manchester, Arethusa and a further four destroyers. Finally, Force H, consisting of the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the battleship Nelson, the battlecruiser Renown, the cruiser Hermione and seven destroyers provided the distant covering role. The following day, the seven empty merchant vessels sailed from Malta and headed west with a destroyer escort. They then separated into three groups, according to their speed and all seven made it back to Gibraltar, although one was damaged in an air attack.
As expected, the first sign of enemy aircraft came one day out of Gibraltar and the convoy was subject to heavy air attacks from mid-morning. Torpedoes hit both Manchester and the destroyer Fearless. Fearless had to be sunk by her sister Forester as she was too badly damaged to continue. Manchester was able to turn around and head back for Gibraltar, escorted by the destroyer Avon Vale, at a speed of around 8 knots. The two ships were attacked on their return journey but were able to beat off the attacking aircraft. Meanwhile, the convoy continued west and the next ship to be hit was the destroyer Firedrake, which was providing minesweeping duty ahead of the convoy. She too had to be towed back to Gibraltar.
As was usual practice, the ships of Force H returned to Gibraltar before the Sicilian Narrows to allow the cruisers and destroyers to escort the convoy on the final leg of the journey to Malta. Hermione was detached from Force H to join the convoy in place of Manchester. The next attacks came that night, this time from Italian motor torpedo boats. The freighter Sydney Star was hit, although she was able to continue toward her destination. The following morning, Arethusa, Edinburgh and Manxman detached from the convoy and sailed at top speed for Malta, which they reached around midday, and disembarked their troop cargo. At around 1600hrs the merchant ships arrived. With the job done, the escorts left Grand Harbour that evening and returned to Gibraltar. As for Manchester, having received temporary repairs at Gibraltar, she was then ordered to the U.S where more permanent repairs were carried out.
Repair work was completed in March 1942 and after briefly being deployed in Arctic waters as part of the distant cover for the ill-fated convoy PQ17 (see ASW Counter 4701), Manchester was ordered back to the Mediterranean where the supply situation on Malta was becoming critical.
It was there, in August 1942, that Manchester carried out her last operation; taking part in perhaps the most famous convoy operation of them all, the Malta relief convoy, Operation Pedestal (see HMS Sirius). In the early hours of the 13th August, with the convoy off the island of Pantellaria, Manchester fell victim to an attack by two Italian E-Boats, MAS16 and MAS22. One torpedo hit the cruiser's aft machine room, causing serious flooding and damaging her propeller shafts. Controversially, her captain decided that the chances of saving her were too small given her proximity to enemy airfields and the approach of daylight. In order to ensure that her radar did not fall into enemy hands, Captain Drew ordered her scuttling that morning. HMS Manchester was the largest vessel lost to Motor Torpedo Boats during the Second World War.
University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
One of the key players in the Second World War were the U-boats. There are no write-ups for these counters at the moment and was keen to get this started. However, submarine warfare is far from being my specialist subject. I have therefore posted my first attempt at the introduction for each Kriegsmarine sub counter. Would welcome any comment before finalising the introduction. once this is done I can add individual sub stories as and when I get the time; there are plenty to be done!
.P These write-ups give a brief history of one or more vessels from each of the
main classes of submarine used by the Kriegsmarine during World War II. World In
Flames submarine counters represent a number of submarines rather than any
specific individual boat. The dates printed on the back of the counters do not
tie up in any meaningful way with build dates for the various classes of German
submarine class, and therefore the counter date in most cases should be ignored.
.P During the First World War the submarines of the Kaiser's navy came close to
starving the United Kingdom into surrender. Following Germany's defeat, their
entire submarine fleet was handed over to the Allies and the German navy was
forbidden to use submarines in future.
.P Secretly however, the Germans continued to work on new designs - and indeed in
the late twenties, German designed submarines were sold to Turkey and Finland via
a "Dutch" company operating in Holland.
.P Development of designs and ideas continued until, in March 1935, Adolf Hitler
formally repudiated the Treaty of Versailles. Germany then openly set about
re-arming their armed forces, including the Kriegsmarine.
.P Shortly after this announcement, the German and British Governments signed the
Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Under the terms of this treaty, the German navy was
allowed to build a fleet no greater than 35% of the Royal Navy's total tonnage.
Subject to this limitation, the Kriegsmarine's submarine service was allowed to
equal that of the Royal Navy.
.P Thus at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the Kriegsmarine's
submarines (in German Unterseeboot or simply U-boat) numbered a mere fifty-seven
boats - the same as the Royal Navy. Of these, only twenty-six were suitable for
Atlantic operations. However, the Germans embarked upon a huge expansion program
and during the war, well over 1,000 boats were constructed.
.P There were some spectacular early successes; the sinking of the battleship
Royal Oak and the aircraft carrier Courageous ranking high amongst them. Later,
when U-boats were deployed in the Mediterranean, further success was achieved
against the Royal Navy; the carrier Ark Royal and the battleship Barham were high
profile victims to the power of the U-boat.
.P But it was the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic upon which the U-boat arm
would be ultimately judged, and early in the war, successful attacks on Allied
merchant shipping proved a severe problem for the British. With the conquest of
Norway, and in particular, France by June 1940, the U-boats were able to operate
from ports that gave much easier access to the Atlantic and extended the time the
U-boats could be operational against enemy shipping.
.P Winston Churchill said that the Battle of the Atlantic - and in particular the
U-boat menace - was the only thing that scared him during World War II; with the
serious merchant ship losses incurred from mid 1940 until early 1941 (known by
the U-boat crews as the first "Happy Time") it is easy to see why. There was to
be a second, albeit brief, "Happy Time" after the United States entered the war
in December 1941, but by then, the tide had already begun to turn.
.P Ultimately the Allies were able to beat the U-boats for a number of reasons:
there was the convoy system and the sheer number of escorts that the Allies were
able to field; the Allies were able to maintain the pace of technological
advances to improve their ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare; conventional
escort ships, such as destroyers and corvettes, were later supplemented by escort
aircraft carriers that could provide a measure of air protection to a convoy; and
last but not least, aircraft - which were the U-boats greatest enemy - were able
to fly from the United Kingdom, Iceland and later the United States meaning that
the entire convoy route could be covered by aircraft.
.P By late 1942, although the U-boats were still sinking Allied shipping, the
cost to the Kriegsmarine in terms of men and boats, was becoming critical. With
Germany not geared up to fight a long war, the resources available to counter the
Allies simply were not available and the Kriegsmarine's response to the ever
growing Allied threat proved simply too little, too late.
.P The U-boat service suffered more losses per head than any branch of any
service of any country in World War II. Of the 40,000 men that served in U-boats
during the conflict, no less than 28,000 were killed and a further 8,000 were
taken prisoner.
.P This write-up looks at the ...........
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Does anyone know where I can get a decent book on the French navy of WWII (in English). I need something fairly detailed that covers French thinking during the inter-war years and the reasons they built the ships they did - in particular their smaller ships; destroyers, sloops, etc. what's the difference between a Contre-Torpilleur and a Torpilleur d'escadre for example?
Finding decent material on the French navy is difficult to accomplish so thanks in advance.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Okay - first U-boat done. Would appreciate some assistance with U-boat commanders titles please!
.P These write-ups give a brief history of one or more vessels from each of the
main classes of submarine used by the Kriegsmarine during World War II. World In
Flames submarine counters represent a number of submarines rather than any
specific individual boat. The dates printed on the back of the counters do not
tie up in any meaningful way with build dates for the various classes of German
submarine class, and therefore the counter date in most cases should be ignored.
.P During the First World War the submarines of the Kaiser's navy came close to
starving the United Kingdom into surrender. Following Germany's defeat, their
entire submarine fleet was handed over to the Allies and the German navy was
forbidden to use submarines in future.
.P Secretly however, the Germans continued to work on new designs - and indeed in
the late twenties, German designed submarines were sold to Turkey and Finland via
a "Dutch" company operating in Holland.
.P Development of designs and ideas continued until, in March 1935, Adolf Hitler
formally repudiated the Treaty of Versailles. Germany then openly set about
re-arming their armed forces, including the Kriegsmarine.
.P Shortly after this announcement, the German and British Governments signed the
Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Under the terms of this treaty, the German navy was
allowed to build a fleet no greater than 35% of the Royal Navy's total tonnage.
Subject to this limitation, the Kriegsmarine's submarine service was allowed to
equal that of the Royal Navy.
.P Thus at the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, the Kriegsmarine's
submarines (in German Unterseeboot or simply U-boat) numbered a mere fifty-seven
boats - the same as the Royal Navy. Of these, only twenty-six were suitable for
Atlantic operations. However, the Germans embarked upon a huge expansion program
and during the war, well over 1,000 boats were constructed.
.P There were some spectacular early successes; the sinking of the battleship
Royal Oak and the aircraft carrier Courageous ranking high amongst them. Later,
when U-boats were deployed in the Mediterranean, further success was achieved
against the Royal Navy; the carrier Ark Royal and the battleship Barham were high
profile victims to the power of the U-boat.
.P But it was the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic upon which the U-boat arm
would be ultimately judged, and early in the war, successful attacks on Allied
merchant shipping proved a severe problem for the British. With the conquest of
Norway, and in particular, France by June 1940, the U-boats were able to operate
from ports that gave much easier access to the Atlantic and extended the time the
U-boats could be operational against enemy shipping.
.P Winston Churchill said that the Battle of the Atlantic - and in particular the
U-boat menace - was the only thing that scared him during World War II; with the
serious merchant ship losses incurred from mid 1940 until early 1941 (known by
the U-boat crews as the first "Happy Time") it is easy to see why. There was to
be a second, albeit brief, "Happy Time" after the United States entered the war
in December 1941, but by then, the tide had already begun to turn.
.P Ultimately the Allies were able to beat the U-boats for a number of reasons:
there was the convoy system and the sheer number of escorts that the Allies were
able to field; the Allies were able to maintain the pace of technological
advances to improve their ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare; conventional
escort ships, such as destroyers and corvettes, were later supplemented by escort
aircraft carriers that could provide a measure of air protection to a convoy; and
last but not least, aircraft - which were the U-boats greatest enemy - were able
to fly from the United Kingdom, Iceland and later the United States meaning that
the entire convoy route could be covered by aircraft.
.P By late 1942, although the U-boats were still sinking Allied shipping, the
cost to the Kriegsmarine in terms of men and boats, was becoming critical. With
Germany not geared up to fight a long war, the resources available to counter the
Allies simply were not available and the Kriegsmarine's response to the ever
growing Allied threat proved simply too little, too late.
.P The U-boat service suffered more losses per head than any branch of any
service of any country in World War II. Of the 40,000 men that served in U-boats
during the conflict, no less than 28,000 were killed and a further 8,000 were
taken prisoner.
.P This write-up looks at the Type 1A U-boats, and in particular the U-25.
.B
.B Name: U-25
.B Engine(s) output: 1540 bhp (Surfaced) 500 bhp (Submerged)
.B Top Speed: 17.8 knots (Surfaced), 8.3 knots (Submerged)
.B Main armament: 6 x 21-inch torpedo tubes and 1 x 4.1-inch (105mm) gun
.B Displacement (Fully Submerged): 983 tons
.B Diving Depth: 200 ft
.P Following Hitler's decision to commence the building of a U-boat fleet in
early 1935, the Germans began construction of their first ocean-going U-boat, the
Type 1A.
.P Only two Type 1A's were built - U-25 and U-26 - before production was switched
to the Type VII design. Problems were noted with both stability and a poor rate
of dive and the Type 1 program was curtailed as a result. However the later, and
very successful Type IX-class design, was based on these early boats.
.P These submarines had four bow and two stern torpedo tubes and they could
carry fourteen torpedoes.
.P U-25, was completed in April 1936. As the oldest boat in the Kriegsmarine's
U-boat fleet at the start of World War II, she was not initially placed in the
front line, but was used for training purposes. However, the shortage of U-boats
at this point in the war meant that she was soon drafted in to action.
.P At the end of October, U-25, commanded by Lt-Cdr Schütze was ordered to the
Bay of Biscay along with two other boats. While there a French convoy was
attacked and a freighter was sunk. However U-25 had to return to port having been
damaged during the engagement. Schütze was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class upon
U-25's return to Germany.
.P Upon completion of repair work, U-25 was ordered into the Atlantic in January
1940, and that month she sank six merchant vessels; two British, two Norwegian,
one Swedish and one Danish. This successful patrol earned Schütze another Iron
Cross - 1st Class.
.P In April, much of the U-boat fleet was recalled from the Atlantic to be
deployed for Operation Weserübung; the invasion of Denmark and Norway. U-25 was
sent to patrol off Vestfjord in north-west Norway. The U-boats were in perfect
position to inflict great loss on the Royal Navy during this operation. After
belatedly realising what was happening, the British attempted to intercept the
German invasion fleets on their way to Norway. Once this had failed, the Royal
Navy, supported by a French contingent, were responsible for getting Allied
troops to the country.
.P Unfortunately for the Kriegsmarine, the U-boats suffered from a high degree of
torpedo failures during the operation, allowing many enemy ships to escape damage
or sinking. U-25 had her own frustrating episodes, the first of which took place
on the 10th April, when she was near the entrance to Vestfjord and in a position
to attack Royal Navy destroyers that were entering the fjord. The British were
attempting to attack the German destroyer force there and, in no small part due
to the torpedo failures, the British ships were able to avoid the U-boat screen.
In the subsequent First Battle of Narvik, the German destroyer force was badly
mauled (see ASW Escort 4811).
.P Three days later a bigger prize escaped the U-boats; the battleship Warspite
was sent to Vestfjord to attack the German destroyers that avoided destruction
during the first Narvik battle. Once again torpedo failure was responsible for
the British ship and her escorting destroyers avoiding damage, and in the
resulting 2nd Battle of Narvik, the remaining German destroyers were sunk or
damaged beyond repair (see ASW Escort 4811 also). Schütze's despair can only be
imagined when, on the 25th April, U-25's attack on the heavy cruiser York failed
once again due to the torpedo problem.
.P Following the Norwegian campaign, in May 1940, U-25 received a new commander;
Lt-Cdr Beduhn. Under his command, U-25 recorded her biggest prize; the sinking of
the 17,000 ton armed merchant cruiser HMS Scotstoun on the 13th April 1940.
.P Sadly for U-25, her brief, but relatively successful career came to an end on
the 1st August 1940. She was in the North Sea and heading for the North Atlantic
when she struck a British laid mine and was sunk with all hands.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
.P In April, much of the U-boat fleet was recalled from the Atlantic to be
deployed for Operation Weserübung; the invasion of Denmark and Norway. U-25 was
sent to patrol off Vestfjord in northwest Norway. The U-boats were in perfect
position to inflict great loss on the Royal Navy during this operation. After
belatedly realising what was happening, the British attempted to intercept the
German invasion fleets on their way to Norway. Once this had failed, the Royal
Navy, supported by a French contingent, was responsible for getting Allied
troops to the country.
realising = realizing [&:]
University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
.P In April, much of the U-boat fleet was recalled from the Atlantic to be
deployed for Operation Weserübung; the invasion of Denmark and Norway. U-25 was
sent to patrol off Vestfjord in northwest Norway. The U-boats were in perfect
position to inflict great loss on the Royal Navy during this operation. After
belatedly realising what was happening, the British attempted to intercept the
German invasion fleets on their way to Norway. Once this had failed, the Royal
Navy, supported by a French contingent, was responsible for getting Allied
troops to the country.
realising = realizing [&:]
Warspite1
Thanks Extraneous - changes made (except the American English).
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
