In May 1942, the Admiralty decided to send two simultaneous convoys to Malta, from both sides of the Mediterranean.
Both convoys were known under the code designation Operation Julius. Operation Julius began on the same day as the Afrika Korps broke out during the Battle of Gazala (May 26-June 21) and, by June 14, forced the British to retreat towards Tobruk. The Axis forces pursued the British into Egypt and the Desert Air Force lost the Libyan landing grounds from which to cover Malta convoys. This situation was to cause losses for the Royal Navy in terms of warships and merchant ships.
Convoy Operation Julius
The convoy from the west was known as Operation GM4 while the fleet activity was known as Operation Harpoon. The convoy from the east was known as Operation MW11 while the fleet activity was known as Operation MG2 and the two combined were known as Operation Vigorous.
A map showing the movements of convoys Operation Harpoon and Operation Vigorous.Spitfires’ reinforcements to Malta
On June 2, the British prepared to reinforce Malta with fighter aircraft. The squadron departed from Gibraltar on the same day. The code name for the delivery of aircraft was Operation Style, which consisted of the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, the cruiser HMS Charybdis and the destroyers HMS Antelope, HMS Ithuriel, HMS Westcott, HMS Wishart and HMS Wrestler. Twenty-seven Spitfires were launched from south of the Balearics and landed in Malta on June 3. The squadron arrived back in Gibraltar the next day, on June 4.
More Spitfires reinforcements were prepared to be delivered to Malta. The delivery was code named Operation Salient. A squadron − consisting of HMS Eagle, the cruisers HMS Cairo and HMS Charybdis and the destroyers HMS Antelope, HMS Ithuriel, HMS Partridge, HMS Westcott, HMS Wishart and HMS Wrestler − departed from Gibraltar on June 8, flew off 32 Spitfires on June 9, from south of the Balearics, where they succeeded in reaching Malta and returned to Gibraltar the next day.
Air operation to soften enemy airfields and ports
In preparation to send the two convoys to Malta, air operations started on May 24, when Vickers Wellington bombers of No. 104 Squadron from Malta began bombing airfields and ports in Sicily and southern Italy. On June 11, the Wellingtons were withdrawn to accommodate six Wellington torpedo bombers of No. 38 Squadron, Bristol Beaufort torpedo-bombers of No. 217 Squadron and Martin Baltimore reconnaissance aircraft of No. 69 Squadron. Aircraft from Gibraltar, Malta and Egypt also began reconnaissance flights on June 11, searching for the Italian fleet.
The merchant ship Troilus, the only member of convoy Operation Harpoon to reach Malta undamaged.Operation Harpoon
The convoy from the west left the Clyde, Scotland, under the name ‘WS19S’, on June 4, 1942. It consisted of the freighters Burdwan, Chant (American), Orari, Tanimbar (Dutch) and Troilus; later during the night of June 11 to 12, they were joined by the American tanker Kentucky. At the same time, the convoy was renamed GM4 (Gibraltar-to-Malta, fourth convoy), Gibraltar’s Force ‘H’ also joined the rest of the convoy’s escort. On June 14, the convoy was subjected to attacks by the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica, during which the Tanimbar was sunk and the cruiser HMS Liverpool damaged (she returned safely to Gibraltar).
Early next morning (June 15), the convoy was attacked by an Italian cruiser squadron. During this battle, HMS Bedouin was immobilised and HMS Partridge was damaged. The Italian destroyer Vivaldi was also damaged.
The destruction of the American merchant ship Chant sent a dense column of smoke into the sky for many hours.Heavy air attacks during the morning of June 15 sank the Chant and immobilised the Kentucky, which was taken in tow by HMS Hebe. The convoy, now consisting of the Orari and Troilus, abandoned the crippled ships and rushed at top speed to Malta.
The damaged merchant ship Orari being unloaded at Malta.The crippled ship Burdwan was sunk by gunfire from the destroyer HMS Ascari, while the Kentucky was torpedoed and sunk by the Italian destroyer Oriani. HMS Bedouin was sunk by an Italian torpedo-bomber, while HMS Partridge managed to escape to Gibraltar.
As the convoy was approaching Grand Harbour during midnight between June 15 and 16, Orari, HMS Matchless, Badsworth, ORP Kujawiak (Polish destroyer) and HMS Hebe hit mines but only the Polish destroyer sank. The Luftwaffe did not attack the two freighters in harbour and 13,532 tons of cargo were unloaded in five days.
Operation Vigorous
The convoy, known as Operation MW11, started from three harbours.
The freighters Aagtekirk (Dutch), Buthan, City of Calcutta and Rembrandt departed from Port Said on June 11, 1942; the freighters Ajax, City of Edinburgh, City of Lincoln, City of Pretoria and Elizabeth Bakke (Norwegian) left Haifa on June 12 while the freighter Potaro and the tanker Bulkoil left Alexandria on June 13.
The three branches joined up into one convoy during the afternoon of June 13, north of Tobruk. By that time, two freighters had already been detached − the City of Calcutta and the Elizabeth Bakke. The entire Mediterranean fleet was employed to escort the convoy.
The convoy sailed through ‘Bomb Alley’ between German-occupied Crete and North Africa and came under intensive bomb, torpedo and surface attacks almost as soon as the convoy left Alexandria. Early attacks were concentrated on the cruisers and the 11 ships of the convoy but, later, the destroyers became the principal targets.
A merchant ship was damaged by air attacks on June 12 and had to divert to Tobruk. Another merchant ship sent to Tobruk due to engine trouble was sunk by further aircraft attacks. The convoy lost another freighter during the morning of June 14: the Aagtekirk was detached to Tobruk and later sunk by the Luftwaffe.
Air attacks from Crete during the afternoon of the 14th sank the Buthan and damaged the Potaro. Due to the approach of the Italian squadron, the convoy turned back eastwards on June 15, 1942.
Before dawn, German Schnelboots torpedoed and damaged the cruiser HMS Newcastle and sank the destroyer HMS Hasty. During the afternoon of June 15, HMS Centurion and the cruiser HMS Birmingham were damaged by enemy air attacks while the destroyers HMS Airedale and HMAS Nestor were sunk. That same afternoon, the submarine HMS P35 torpedoed and sank the immobilised Trento.
In the afternoon of June 15, the Italian squadron stopped chasing the convoy and went to cruise north-west of Crete.
On the evening of June 15, in view of the strength of enemy air attacks from the extended network of Axis airfields in North Africa, the presence of a large portion of the Italian fleet, lack of fuel caused by diversionary tactics and seriously depleted ammunition stocks, it was finally decided to abandon the operation and return to Alexandria. As the convoy withdrew to Alexandria, the light cruiser HMS Hermione was torpedoed and sunk in the early hours of June 16 by U-205 south of Crete in ‘Bomb Alley’.
The Italian cruiser Trento was bombed by Beaufort torpedo-bombers from Malta on June 15 and later sunk by torpedo from submarine HMS Umbra.Conclusion
The two ships of Operation Harpoon that reached Malta delivered 13,532 tons of supplies which, with a decent harvest, might have kept Malta’s population fed until September but the loss of Kentucky and consumption of aviation fuel in Malta led to fighters being given priority over the offensive force.
Transit flights through Malta, except for Beauforts, were suspended; only close-range air attacks on easy targets were to be permitted and more fuel for the fighters was to be carried to Malta by submarines.
