A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945

Volume Three: Tunisia and the End in Africa, November 1942–1943

Christopher Shores, Giovanni Massimello, Russell Guest, Frank Olynyk, Winfried Bock

• Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781910690000
• eBook ISBN: 9781910690673
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

The third volume in the epic military aviation series focuses on the Allied invasion of North Africa during World War II.
 
This work of WWII history takes us to November 1942 to explain the background of the first major Anglo-American venture: Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. Describing the fratricidal combat that followed the initial landings in Morocco and Algeria, it then considers the unsuccessful efforts to reach northern Tunisia before the Germans and Italians could get there to forestall the possibility of an attack from the west on the rear of the Afrika Korps forces, then beginning their retreat from El Alamein.
 
The six months of hard fighting that followed, as the Allies built up the strength of their joint air forces and gradually wrested control of the skies from the Axis, are recounted in detail. The continuing story of the Western Desert Air Force is told, as it advanced from the east to join hands with the units in the west. Also covered are the arrivals over the front of American pilots and crew, the P-38 Lightning, the Spitfire IX, and the B-17 Flying Fortress—and of the much-feared Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
 
The aerial activities over Tunisia became one of the focal turning points of World War II, yet are frequently overlooked by historians. Here, the air-sea activities, the reconnaissance flights, and the growing day and night bomber offensives are examined in detail.
 
 

CHAPTER 1

SETTING THE SCENE

Lt Mauri eased his Bloch 175 out of its climb at 8,000 feet over the Mediterranean and headed westwards searching for the Allied convoy which had been reported passing through the Straits of Gibraltar. The aircraft from the reconnaissance unit GR II/52 of the Vichy French Armée de l’Air, based at Oran, Algeria, was detailed to try and ascertain the destination of the ships – Malta, Libya, or perhaps even French North Africa. The autumnal sun was already beginning to sink in the sky when suddenly there they were – six, eight, ten – more, many more, surrounded by the escort of destroyers and cruisers – and there were aircraft carriers too. Yes, this was a big one like that which had passed three months previously to fight its way through to the beleaguered island of Malta. Was the destination once more the same? Suddenly from behind came the rattle of machine-gun fire. Fighters! The French aircraft was being attacked.

On the carrier HMS Formidable, part of Force H steaming eastwards, the intruder had been plotted on the radar screens and two Grumman Martlet IIs of 888 Squadron had been scrambled, led by Lt J.D.M.Jeram, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, during which he had flown Hurricanes ‘on loan’ to the RAF. Reaching 8,000 feet the pilots of these fighters suddenly saw the French machine and began to overhaul it from directly astern. The date was 6 November 1942, the place just off Cap Kramis, Algeria. Jeram closed to 250 yards, took aim and fired three long bursts; smoke poured from the starboard engine of the Bloch, which he mistakenly identified as a Potez 63 – a very similar aircraft in appearance – and it slowed down momentarily before crashing into the sea where the red and yellow-striped tail unit broke off on impact. The first shots of a new campaign had been fired.

A Bloch 175 of GR II/52 similar to that flown by Lt Mauri and shot down by Martlets of 888 Squadron, Royal Navy, on 6 November 1942. This particular aircraft, No.103, was destroyed on the ground at Oran-La Senia two days later.

This Grumman Martlet IV, FN112 of 888 Squadron is believed to have been the fighter in which Lt Denis Jeram shot down Lt Mauri’s MB 175. For the Torch operation all Royal Navy carrier-based aircraft had their British national roundels over-painted with US stars to give the impression that the landings were wholly American undertakings. It is noteworthy, however, that while carrying its Fleet Air Arm serial number, the aircraft also carries the legend ‘US Navy’.

A Martlet of 888 Squadron scrambles from the deck of HMS Formidable to intercept the French intruder.

HOW HAD THIS SITUATION COME ABOUT?

On the outbreak of World War II France and Britain were, of course, allies, the combined power of their naval forces considerably exceeding those of the Axis powers, even following the entry into the war of Italy and her Regia Marina.

Much of the French training was undertaken in the western Mediterranean, along the southern coast of that country. As early as November 1939 the Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier HMS Argus had arrived at Palyvestre, near Hyères, to deliver 24 Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bomber-reconnaissance biplanes to form 767 Deck Landing Training Squadron there. The personnel of this unit were drawn mainly from 811 and 822 Squadrons which units had been lost when HMS Courageous was sunk by a German U-Boat in the opening days of the war.

However, as the Blitzkrieg of May-June 1940 showed increasing signs of a French collapse, 767 Squadron was evacuated to North Africa via Corsica. Here 12 aircraft and the most experienced crews flew to Hal Far, Malta, to become 830 Squadron, providing the island with its first aerial striking force (see Malta: The Hurricane Years, 1940-41). The remaining dozen were flown to Gibraltar for subsequent return to the United Kingdom.

Gibraltar became the base for a new force rapidly formed after the Franco-German armistice to seek to remedy the loss of the French fleet to the Allied cause in the Mediterranean. Formed on 28 June under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir James Somerville, the force was initially built around the battleship HMS Hood and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, despatched in haste from the Home Fleet.

Sadly, the first duty of this new force was to try and neutralise the major elements of their collapsed ex-ally’s fleet. The Royal Navy now faced a perplexing situation. Generally, the British still maintained sufficient warships to oppose the combined German and Italian fleets adequately. However, should the French ships come under Axis control the balance of power would shift to the latter’s advantage. Although by the date of the armistice most French vessels had departed metropolitan France to prevent just such a takeover, the uncertainty regarding the attitude and policies of the new Vichy government in France, together with strong suspicions that the Axis nations would not maintain their promise simply to decommission the French warships should they return home as required by the terms of the armistice, were matters of great concern to the British authorities.

In the event quite a substantial proportion of the French fleet had arrived either at the main British Mediterranean fleet base at Alexandria in Egypt or at other British ports, and it had proved possible for British forces to capture all of these. However, the new 35,000 ton battleship Richelieu had left Brest and was making for Dakar in Senegal, French West Africa, and her as-yet uncommissioned sister ship, the Jean Bart, had got to Casablanca on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. All that now remained in France were four heavy cruisers at Toulon.

Nonetheless, the bulk of the French fleet was still in Algeria, including six light cruisers at Algiers and, more importantly, two battlecruisers, two old battleships, six large destroyers, seven standard destroyers, four submarines and a seaplane carrier which were all at Mers-el-Kebir, near Oran. This represented a formidable force, regarding which it was considered something needed to be done. It was here that action by Force H was immediately required.

Lt Denis Jeram heads back up the deck of HMS Formidable after his interception of the Vichy French MB 175. Jeram had flown on loan to the RAF during 1940, and his success on 6 November 1942 was his fifth victory.

Wednesday, 3 July 1940

On 3 July Force H, now increased in size by the arrival of two more capital ships, arrived off Oran where the French vessels had not so far fired up their boilers. An attempt was made to try and persuade the French either to come over to the British cause or to sail to neutral ports where they could be decommissioned. As a final option it was also suggested that the vessels might be scuttled. This latter option was clearly most unlikely, although the chief off the navy, Amiral Jean François Darlan, had assured Winston Churchill, the new British prime minister, that he would order the fleet to be scuttled should the Axis make any attempt to take it over.

There was some confusion and misunderstanding regarding these options, and unwilling to risk reliance on Amiral Darlan’s undertaking, an action to disable the vessels at Mers-el-Kebir was ordered.

In fact, the French vessels actually outgunned those of Force H, but the presence of Ark Royal appeared to swing the advantage in favour of the Royal Navy. Initially, therefore, Swordfish spotted for a dawn bombardment and laid mines at the entrance to the naval base to try and prevent any escape. The old battleship Bretagne blew up while Dunkerque was damaged and was beached to save her. However, the fast and modern Strasbourg and five of the larger destroyers managed to slip past the mines and escaped towards Bizerta in Tunisia. As they did so, two air strikes were laid on against them by bomb-carrying Swordfish, and a second by six carrying torpedoes. All achieved surprise but no hits were obtained.

The Oran area was defended by the Curtiss Hawk 75As of Groupe de Chasse II/5 at this time, the pilot of one such aircraft claiming a Blackburn Skua fighter/dive bomber shot down. British aircrews reported that generally the French fighters – which considerably outperformed their own aircraft – did not press home their attacks, allowing claims to be made for at least two or three French aircraft damaged.

Thursday-Friday, 4/5 July 1940

The French immediately sought to hit back, and on the evening of the next day an attack on Gibraltar was ordered by LeO 451 bombers from Port Lyautey in Morocco.

Eight aircraft were despatched, but two were forced to return early due to mechanical faults. The other six attacked at 0020 on the 5th, but with little effect.

Friday, 5 July 1940

By day three H-75As encountered a Sunderland flyingboat of 228 Squadron on reconnaissance off the coast near Oran. The French pilots thought that they had failed to inflict much damage, returning to base with their own aircraft unharmed. The Sunderland had in fact suffered quite considerable damage, although in defence its gunners claimed one fighter shot down and a second probably so.

Saturday, 6 July 1940

As the Dunkerque showed no signs of significant damage despite her beaching, Somerville decided upon a torpedo strike against her, and consequently on the 6th six 820 Squadron Swordfish undertook such an attack. Only one hit was obtained and in this case the torpedo failed to detonate. However, one of the others had hit an armed trawler, the depth-charges aboard which blew up violently, causing slight damage to the adjacent battleship. Two follow-up strikes were launched, this time escorted by Skuas; during the course of these one more hit on the Dunkerque was achieved. Once again the defending fighters were able to claim one Skua shot down.

Monday, 8 July 1940

While this melancholy action had been underway, HMS Hermes a small aircraft carrier, had been shadowing the Richelieu for the past two weeks, hoping to capture her. As she reached Dakar, the British proposals were presented to her captain, but were refused. At dawn on the 8th, therefore, six Swordfish of 814 Squadron were launched to undertake a torpedo attack. This had to be delivered across two rows of merchant vessels and in the face of some fairly concentrated AA fire. Again, only a single hit was obtained, but in this case extreme damage was inflicted. Richelieu’s propeller shafts were twisted and the steering gear was damaged, considerable flooding also occurring. With the limited repair facilities available at Dakar, Richelieu would be out of action for at least a year, although her main 15inch armament remained intact and useable.

OPERATION MENACE

No further hostilities between the two ex-allies occurred for more than two months, Force H being involved during this period in a number of engagements with Italian forces (see Malta: The Hurricane Years, 1940-41). The activities relating to Operation Menace occurred largely along the Atlantic coast of West Africa (notably the French colony...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• Preamble
• Chapter 1 Setting the Scene
• Chapter 2 The Landings
• Chapter 3 The Axis Arrive
• Appendix
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography