The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore (6 page)

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.

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.

2nd November

In Cairo, Wavell writes to General Maitland Wilson:

"...I have instructed Lieutenant-General O'Connor to prepare an offensive against the Italians to take place as soon as possible.

...in everything but numbers we are superior to the enemy. We are more highly trained and have better equipment. We know the ground and are better accustomed to desert conditions.. Above all we have stouter hearts and greater traditions and are fighting in a worthier cause.

...a striking success will have incalculable effect not only on the Middle East ... but of the future of freedom and civilisation... It is the best way on which we can help our Greek allies."

The operation is given the code name Compass.

In the Atlantic, U-31 earns the distinction of being sunk for the second (and this time, final) time, by the destroyer HMS Antelope with help from Coastal Command aircraft. She was sunk for the first time on March 11th by an RAF Blenheim bomber.

As the output of Spitfires continues to reach the squadrons, the FAA Goshawks have been stood down in the north of England to be replaced by regular RAF formations; in the south the Hurricanes are being withdrawn - it is intended to send these to the RAF in the Middle East. The navy is happy with the new arrangements, as it needs the planes for the new escort carriers arriving during the winter and spring, and the constant operations, while increasing the combat expertise of the more experienced pilots, has left the training of some of the fresh replacements lacking in some of the specialist skills the Navy needs, like navigation.

However on a far more controversial note, the RAF announces (internally), that Court-Martial proceedings will commence against the first two of the pilots who left their desk jobs without permission to fly Goshawks to defend the North. As usual, although supposedly secret, this information spreads rapidly through the RAF.

3rd November

HMS Furious is loaded with Hurricanes for shipment to the Middle East. She will sail with the next Gibraltar convoy and then continue to West Africa. It is intended to make at least two more of these runs to build up fighter strength in the Middle East. Meanwhile Hurricanes are being crated up for the longer voyage around the cape, to go with the next troop and equipment convoy to Egypt.

In addition, Wellington bombers are to be staged through Malta. These planes have been squeezed out of a reluctant Bomber command, who wanted them for bombing raids over Germany. Coastal command is also requesting more Wellingtons to help in convoy protection.

5th November

Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected President for a third term, his new vice-president is Henry A Wallace. He wins a resounding victory over Wendell Wilkie, receiving 27,200,000 votes to Wilkie's 22,300,000, gaining a majority in 39 of the 48 states of the Union

In the UK, the decision by the Air Ministry to court-martial two officers is causing massive opposition both inside the RAF and outside it. The squadrons themselves are appalled; as one squadron commander put it, 'punishing an officer who left his desk to defend his country in the air is against all the tradition we have been trying to impart to our pilots'. Most of the comments are less printable. The Navy and Army watch with bemusement. While officially the officers were in the wrong, they cannot understand how anything other than a reprimand is suitable. Unfortunately for the Air Marshals, the news of the action reaches Churchill, not through channels but oddly via Lord Beaverbrook (whose son is a serving pilot in a frontline squadron). Churchill's reaction is reported to be 'volcanic'.

Inside the Air Ministry, an attempt to close ranks comes to grief when Dowding is asked to approve the action. He replies that he is no longer in charge of Fighter Command, personally thinks the action deplorable (pointing out he himself begged for the officers concerned to be allowed to do officially what they did without orders), then calmly announces that as he is no longer in their line of command, he has offered to stand as Prisoners Friend (in civilian terms, the defence council) for the first officer charged. One of the Air Ministry Air Marshalls goes so far as to call this treasonous. Dowding merely regards him calmly, and then suggests that if they wish, he will resign. And stand as Prisoners Friend.

In North Africa, the Free French have been having talks with Wavell. They are aware of his shortage of aircraft, and have offered the use of two Squadrons of US-built Martin Maryland bombers. These were purchased as part of orders made before France fell, and paid for with the French gold recovered in Africa. While there are numbers of French pilots available, they don't have enough to man the planes they have bought. Some of these have been sold on to other countries such as Holland, but these two squadrons, while flying Free French colours, were in any case being piloted by RAF officers. The intention had been to use the planes in support of planned actions against the Italians in Ethiopia, but this will take a while to happen, and in the meantime they will 'lend' them to Wavell.

6th November (East Africa)

The British finally take Fort Gallabat, in East Africa, from the Italians.

There were two frontier stations, Gallabat on the Sudanese (British) side and Metemma on the (Italian) Ethiopian. The two were about a half a mile apart, separated by a wide, dry wadi or stream bed, and connected by a road. The Italians moved across and occupied Gallabat, defended at that time only by a handful of Sudanese troops with British advisers, not long after joining the war in summer 1940. The British attack, by an Indian brigade with attached artillery and tank support under General Slim, commenced on November 6th. The British retook Gallabat rather easily in the first rush, also repelling with heavy losses a prompt and spirited counterattack from Metemma across the wadi.

However, the attempt to move against Metemma failed, as Italian air attacks caused some panic among the British troops, and the combination of rough terrain (very big rocks) and mines put most of the British tanks out of action.

Slim stayed for several weeks, shelling and otherwise harassing the Italians at Metemma, and in the end the Italian losses were probably as great as or greater than the British (on the first day or two the British/Indian forces suffered 167 casualties, including 42 dead, and lost six of their ten available fighter planes, and nine of their twelve tanks (albeit temporarily in the latter case, as most were repairable).

While the Army realises that East Africa is not a big priority for the RAF, they ask if more air support can be sent. Given the relatively old Italian aircraft in the theatre, they propose that once the Hurricanes and Goshawks arrive in Egypt, that the Gloster Gladiators still there can be reassigned. The RAF agrees to consider this.

7th November

(USA) The middle section of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington State collapses during a windstorm. The film of this will later become famous in science and engineering classes all over the world.