In passage perilous: Malta and the convoy battles of June 1942

285 Pages·2013·59.32 MB·English

by  Great Britain. Royal Navy;O'Hara, Vincent P

In Passage PerIlous
Malta and the Convoy Battles of
June 1942

VIncent P. o’Hara
twentieth-century battles Indiana University Press
Edited by Spencer C. Tucker Bloomington & Indianapolis
In Passage
PerIlous
Malta and the Convoy Battles of
June 1942

VIncent P. o’Hara
Indiana University Press
Bloomington & Indianapolis
This book is a publication of Manufactured in the United States of America
indiana university press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
601 North Morton Street Publication Data
Bloomington, Indiana 47404- 3797 USA
O’Hara, Vincent P., [date]
iupress.indiana.edu In passage perilous : Malta and the
convoy battles of June 1942 / Vincent P.
Telephone orders 800-8 42-6 796 O’Hara.
Fax orders 812-8 55-7 931 p. cm. — (Twentieth-century battles)
Includes bibliographical references and
© 2013 by Vincent P. O’Hara index.
ISBN 978-0-253-00603-5 (cloth : alk.
All rights reserved paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-00605-9
(electronic book) 1. Malta—History—
No part of this book may be reproduced Siege, 1940–1943. 2. World War, 1939–1945—
or utilized in any form or by any means, Campaigns—Malta. 3. World War, 1939–
electronic or mechanical, in clud ing 1945—Campaigns—Mediterranean Sea. 4.
photocopying and recording, or by any World War, 1939–1945—Naval operations,
information storage and retrieval system, British. 5. Naval convoys—Mediterranean
without permission in writing from the Sea—History—20th century. 6. Great
publisher. The Association of Ameri- Britain. Royal Navy—History—World War,
can University Presses’ Resolution on 1939–1945. I. Title.
Permissions constitutes the only D763.M3O38 2013
exception to this prohibition. 940.54′5091822—dc23
2012015993
The paper used in this publication
meets the minimum requirements of 1 2 3 4 5 18 17 16 15 14 13
the Ameri can National Standard for
Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48- 1992.
To Maria
For your patience and support

contents
List of Tables ix
List of Maps ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
1 The Vital Sea 1
2 Malta and the Mediterranean War to 1942 11
3 The Mediterranean War January to May 1942 39
4 Global Snapshot—June 1942 62
5 Operation Vigorous 87
6 Operation Harpoon 123
7 The Battle of Pantelleria 143
8 The August Convoy 175
9 Torch to the End of the War 200
Conclusion 210
Appendix 219
Notes 225
Bibliography 241
Index 253

tables
Table 5.1. Operation Vigorous Escort 94
Table 5.2. Operation Vigorous Convoys 96
Table 5.3. Italian Strike Force 102
Table 6.1. Operation Harpoon Escort 126
Table 6.2. Operation Harpoon Convoy 128
Table 6.3. Refueling Operations 13 June 1942 129
Table 7.1. Italian Forces at Battle of Pantelleria 147
Table 9.1. Percentage of Materiel Shipped to and
Unloaded in North Africa, August–De cem ber 1942 204
Table Appendix. Malta Convoys and Independent Sailings 222
Maps
Map 1.1. Centers of Imperial Power, Sep tem ber 1939 and
Sept emb er 1940 3
Map 2.1. Mediterranean 1941–42 16
Map 5.1. Operation Vigorous 11–16 June 1942 91
Map 6.1. Operation Harpoon 12–16 June 1942 131
Map 7.1. The Battle of Pantelleria: 0630 to 0700 145
Map 7.2. The Battle of Pantelleria: 0700 to 0830 153
Map 7.3. The Battle of Pantelleria: 0830 to 1130 159
Map 7.4. The Battle of Pantelleria: 1130 to 1630 163
Appendix fig ure. The Mediterranean Traffic War 1940–43 223