The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore (12 page)

21st January

With the Greek refusal to accept British land forces that fall short of the numbers they have asked for, the Defence Committee switch the area of greatest importance back to North Africa. With the impending arrival of German forces in mainland Greece there is a need to capture the islands of the Dodecanese, primarily Rhodes to preserve communications with Greece and Turkey. It is intended to send more landing craft out to be used by the Royal Marine Commandoes training up in theatre.

Meanwhile bad going and poor weather, numerous mechanical breakdowns and a shortage of petrol have brought the advancing troops of O'Connor's force to a short halt, allowing the Italians under General Babini to escape from Mechili.

23rd January

At Derna, for the first time in this desert war, British and Australian troops of the 19th Brigade found themselves facing a major counterattack as Italian troops covered the evacuation of civilians - most of them Italian settlers - and the bulk of the garrison from this once-thriving seaport town.

Eight days after their successful attack on Tobruk, armour and infantry found the defenders making the best use of the rugged, hilly countryside, their artillery directing heavy and accurate fire with 20mm guns mounted on lorries. The Italian air force, which has not been seen for several days, joined in the attack, divebombing and machine-gunning British positions. The Italians have been working as fast as possible to build up their defences, but nearly a hundred tanks are still being worked on in the cities workshops and are unavailable to the defence. The town is taken by the late afternoon, and the Imperial troops regroup ready to follow up the retreating Italians to Benghazi.

It was intended to place a force of about 1,000 men (mainly Royal Marine Commandoes) in front of the retreating Italians and hold them there while the Australians continued their attack, but the unexpected need to cover the recovery of HMS Implacable to Alexandria has taken the naval forces away. The operation is postponed until the navy can support it.

HMS Implacable sails from Malta to Alexandria. Although still damaged (the numerous misses have caused her underwater damage), the carrier can still make 25 knots, and has an emergency CAP of eight fighters - the dockyard has patched her deck temporarily, and the fighters will be fuelled on deck if necessary (the pilots are worried about landings, as with the damage to the elevators the available deck length has been constrained). Fortunately the ship slips away out of range of the Stukas before this becomes necessary. She is covered by the Malta-based fighters as far as possible, then under air cover from HMS Indefatigable and a task force of AA cruisers and a battleship. When she arrives in Alexandria she will need work to make sure she is capable of making Durban in South Africa, where she will be dry-docked for work on her underwater damage.

It was originally intended to fix her hull damage in Durban, but bring her back to the UK to have her other damage repaired. This was expected to take about four months in total. However the USA has made an offer to fix her free of charge at Newport as soon as her hull is deemed safe to make the trip, and will repair both the underwater and the rest of the damage at once. This is not an entirely charitable offer; the USN is anxious to see how a carrier survived that amount of damage. The RN for its part , and considering the war situation and the growing tension in the Far East, is happy to show them - better US carriers is seen as being helpful to the Empire.

25th January

The keel of the Iowa Class battleship Wisconsin (BB-64) is laid at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She will be the last battleship commissioned by the U.S. Navy.

26th January

The Australian forces have already advanced well to the west of Derna on the coast and are discovering that the Italians are withdrawing. General Wavel, CinC Middle East Command, agrees with General Richard O'Connor, General Officer Commanding Western Desert Force, that 7th Armoured Division should be sent hurrying across the middle of Cyrenaica in an attempt to cut the Italians off. Supplies are being assembled to support this move but because the Italian retreat is so rapid, the advance will have to start before the preparations are complete.

Wavell also makes arrangements in the rear to prepare 4th Indian to take over as lead division once Benghazi is taken, to allow the Australians to rest and recover. A Free French Brigade is also available, although its transport elements consist of Italian vehicles that have been captured by the Imperial forces during their advance.

27th January

In Tokyo, The Peruvian ambassador to Japan warns his American counterpart, Joseph Grew, that the Japanese plan to destroy the US fleet at the naval base of Pearl Harbor; Grew passes the information on to Washington, where it is promptly filed.

In Eritrea, the British advance from the Sudan has been held up at the mountain fortress of Barentu and the bridge across the river Baraka at Agordat.

The 5th Indian Division, the 1st Free French Division and the Sudan Defence Force began by retaking the border town of Kassala eight days ago. Next day they crossed the frontier.

The 5th Indian Div. found Tessanai deserted, its garrison in retreat, and went onto Barentu. Forty miles north a flying column under Colonel Frank Messervy, "Gazelle Force", penetrated as far as Keru Gorge before being stopped. There the British suffered their only setback so far. 10th Indian Brigade, trying to outflank the Keru defences, got lost, was strafed by planes, and its commander, Major General Bill Slim, hospitalised with a bullet in his backside. It took two days before Messervy was through the gorge, his artillery fighting off a frontal cavalry charge on open sights, and he is now outside Agordat and the 5th Indian outside Barentu.

28th January

Led by 4th Armoured Brigade under Brigadier Caunter, 7th Armoured Division strikes out across the Cyrenaica desert to cut the coast road to Benghazi, 150 miles away. British armoured cars occupy Msus, and the forces then move toward Antelat.

Wavell telegrams to CIGS:

'Information indicates that enemy is making hurried withdrawal westwards from Cyrene and possibly south from Benghazi. What remains of 7 Armed Div. is advancing on Msus and may reach there this evening. Tomorrow it will try to cut roads leading south from Benghazi. The RAF is attacking retreating columns.'

29th January

On his way to Britain, the Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, stops at Singapore and is appalled at the neglect of the island's defences, which he considers an easy target for Japan. He sends details of this to Australia, with instructions to investigate what can be done, and will bring it up with the War Cabinet when he arrives in London.

In Berlin, General von Funck reports to Fuhrer headquarters on his fact-finding mission to Libya and on the critical position of the Italian forces in North Africa.

In the Atlantic, the escort carrier HMS Activity is hit by two torpedoes from U-94. The escort carriers are difficult targets, as they are kept in the centre of the convoy at night, protected between the bulk of the merchant ships, but despite the Swordfish covering the convoy by day U-94 has managed to be in a good attacking position. She registers the ship as sunk; a rather overoptimistic assessment, as the buoyancy modifications made to the converted merchantman work well, and although she is slowed and unable to operate aircraft, she is still afloat and moving. She will however require nearly three months in the dockyard to repair due to the damage and stress caused to the hull.

Due to the appalling terrain they are trying to negotiate the tank regiments of 7th Armoured Div. are slowed to the point where they decide to send the faster vehicles and infantry of the Rifle Brigade forward in Bren gun carriers to join the 11th Hussars who by now are now ranging far ahead. This composite forces is under Colonel Combe and hence called "Combeforce". It comprises some 2,000 men of 11 Hussars, a squadron of the Kings Dragoon Guards and the RAF Armoured Car Squadron.

Combeforce reaches Msus, northeast of Beda Fomm late in the morning and hits the coast road near the village of Sidi Saleh about noon. At 1430 the first column of Italian lorries came fleeing down the road from the north to find their way blocked by 'A' company of the Rifle Brigade. As the Italian traffic is brought to a halt and begins to pile up, the Italians fan out west of the road towards the sea and probe south to engage the rest of Combeforce. Fighting continues throughout the day in spite of a growing shortage of ammunition.

Meanwhile the lead elements of 4th Indian have arrived at Derna; the intention was to advance while leaving the tired Australians to hold the town, but instead the Australians, whose advance elements are still in contact with retreating Italians, refuse to be taken out of the line.

30th January

4th Armoured Brigade arrives to strike the blocked Italians in the flank at Beda Fomm further north than Combeforce. The Italians fought hard through the day but by evening their position was critical. 7th Armoured had pinned down a mass of vehicles and men in complete confusion along some 20 miles of the one possible escape road from Solluch to Agedabia. In repeated attempts to break through the Italians lost more than 80 tanks.

O'Connor orders a fast-moving detachment - about a brigade group in strength - along the main road from Barce to Benghazi and on to Ghemines, to complete the encirclement of the Italians. While this is happening, British and Australian troops enter the town of Benghazi.

RAF Middle East signals the Air Ministry to inform them that except for a Hurricane squadron held back to defend the Delta, all aircraft available are being used for support of the Army advance, as well as all spare aircraft available to the navy that the RAF can find pilots for. There is a growing shortage of spares, more are needed urgently.

31st January

After consultations with army and army group staffs the Army High Command has now prepared the first operational plans for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The deployment plan for the forces is also ready.

Agedaba falls to the British. At 11 am the Italian Chief of Staff surrenders to the HQ of 4th Armoured Brigade. Later General Annibale Bergonzoli surrenders along with the rest of 10th Army. 20,000 men, six generals and a vast horde of weapons, transport and supplies along with a shower caravan and mobile brothel with a dozen women. The cost of the battle to 7 Armoured Division was nine men killed and fifteen wounded.

It was a brilliantly orchestrated attack, which took the Italian defenders entirely by surprise when British armour - traversing barren and waterless tracks from Tobruk - suddenly appeared at Beda Fomm cutting any chance of Italian retreat. Australian infantry and tanks then swept in from the north to join the British from the south and west.

With Benghazi taken O'Connor's men continue westwards - advanced units of 4th Indian have arrived at Sirte, with Tripoli itself now under threat. O'Connor intends to use the 4th Indian to keep pressing to Tripoli, his next target. In addition to the Australians, he now has a South African Division assembling, but they are still considered too green to commit. The biggest problem at the moment is the way 13 Corps transport is being ground down by the desert conditions, but O'Connor wants to stop as far west as he can before he is forced to halt and resupply.

While the 7th Armoured has lost few tanks to the enemy, it has lost far more to the terrain and desert conditions. Ideally, the division needs a rest to repair its equipment and supplies, but O'Connor is reluctant to take pressure off the Italians, who show all the signs of collapsing. Given a break, the Italians could reorganise their defences. He suggests to Wavell that a Brigade of the 2nd Armoured is brought forward by sea to Benghazi, allowing part of the 7th to be withdrawn for re-equipping. This will also allow him to strengthen the remaining armoured force.

Wavell is reluctant as he sees a need to withdraw formations in case they have to be sent to Greece, but O'Connor points out that that hasn't been requested yet, and in any case the real problem is supplies and equipment - with Benghazi in his hands, he can get the men easily back to Cairo if needed. Wavell agrees to give him another 10 days to exploit his success; O'Connor hopes that unless Italian defence stiffens he can be at Tripoli by then. If he has to then supply troops to Greece, Tripoli is a much better stopping point as it will compel Italy to bring in fresh troops and supplies further back in Tunisia, and then force them to fight him at the end of a long supply line, while he can reinforce by sea into Tripoli or Benghazi.

Free French troops under General Leclerc besiege the Italian garrison at Koufra.

Air Marshall Dowding and his aides embark for Alexandria on a mission for the War Cabinet, where they will report back to Churchill on the organisation of the Middle East Air Force and how it has been operating to support the Army. Wavell has written to the CIGS expressing his approval of how he has been supported, and Dowding wants to see how this has been done so it can be replicated in other theatres.

1st February

In Ethiopia General Sir William Platt's force captures Agordat, which guards the final approaches to Keren, taking 6,000 prisoners, 80 guns, 50 tanks, 400 trucks and what an official report described as "much material." This is after a three day battle. Italian troops under Lieutenant-General Luigi Frusci, Commander of the Eritrean Army, are falling back to the mountain positions around Keren. To the south Barentu has also been captured by the Indian troops, sealing the approaches to Keren.