Force H
Encyclopedia
Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940 to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean that had been removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany
.
It occupied an odd place within the naval chain of command. Normal British practice was to have various naval stations and fleets around the world whose commanders reported to the First Sea Lord
. Force H was based at Gibraltar
, and there was already a flag officer
at the base, Flag Officer Commanding, North Atlantic. However, the commanding officer of Force H did not report to this officer; he reported directly to the First Sea Lord.
would hand the ships over to Germany, despite a vow that that would never happen. Such an incidence would almost certainly decisively tip the balance against Britain in the Mediterranean. Consequently, Force H was ordered to execute Operation Catapult.
The most powerful of the remaining French forces was in port at Mers-el-Kébir
in Algeria
. It consisted of the French fast battleships and , two of the most modern and powerful units in the French fleet and two older battleships, along with escorting vessels. Force H steamed to off the Algerian coast, and an envoy was sent to the French commander. Various terms were offered, including internment of the fleet in a neutral country, joining the British forces and scuttling
the fleet at its berths. However, the commander of the French forces reported only the scuttling option to his superiors. He was thus ordered to fight. The reasons for the omission have been debated by many. It is often thought that the anti-British bias of the French commander was to blame.
The result of action was that the remains of the French fleet escaped to Toulon
, a French base on the Mediterranean coast of metropolitan France. They did so at heavy cost. The old French battleship blew up under British gunfire, killing over 1,000 French sailors. The old battleship was also heavily damaged and Strasbourg and Dunkerque were also hit, though Strasbourg escaped with four destroyers.
s through to Malta
. The early convoys came through with relatively light losses. That changed in 1941, when the Germans sent the Luftwaffe
s X. Fliegerkorps
to Sicily
. Its bombers took a dreadful toll of both warships and merchantmen.
In November 1940, screening convoys to Malta, Force H made an important contribution to Operation MB8
, and the resulting success of Operation Judgement
.
. The battleship had sailed in company with the heavy cruiser from Germany to commerce raid in the Atlantic. She went round far to the north of the UK, passing through the Denmark Strait
between Iceland
and Greenland
. There, she was intercepted by a powerful British force made up of the new battleship and the old battlecruiser . The engagement was a disaster for the Royal Navy
, with Prince of Wales being damaged and Hood blowing up. Only three out of the crew of 1,400 aboard Hood survived. Every Royal Navy unit available was then given the task of destroying the Bismarck.
Force H set sail from Gibraltar to intercept the Bismarck with the aircraft carrier , battlecruiser and light cruiser . Despite the loss of Hood, Bismarck did not come out of the Denmark Strait engagement completely unscathed. A shell from Prince of Wales had ruptured the ship's fuel tanks, causing her to lose oil. The commerce raiding cruise was thus cut short, and the ship headed for the French port of Brest
. Bismarck was temporarily lost to the Royal Navy after she evaded the radar of the shadowing cruisers and . She was found again, but the only way of stopping her was if something slowed the ship down. To try to do this, Ark Royal launched a strike with her Fairey Swordfish
torpedo bombers. However, the aircrews were wrongly informed of the location of Sheffield and attacked her instead, thinking her to be Bismarck. The torpedoes that the Swordfish had dropped carried a new type of magnetic detonator which proved too unreliable. A second strike was flown carrying the older, and totally reliable, contact detonator. Bismarck was found and a torpedo wrecked her steering gear. Unable to evade the British ships closing in, the German battleship was destroyed by a force including and .
and its two remaining battleships put out of action by Italian human torpedoes. Force H in its turn suffered as well: Ark Royal was sunk by in November 1941. It was only the lack of action by the Italians that prevented a complete disaster for British fortunes.
1942 opened on a low note. The most urgent task during the first part of the year was supplying Malta. The island had been under heavy attack for many months, and supply convoys had to be very heavily escorted to stand any chance of getting through. Enough succeeded that Malta was kept from starving, but it was very close. The most heavily escorted convoy in the whole of the Second World War was the key to this. In August, Operation Pedestal
was mounted which lead to enough supplies being sent to the island to keep it going.
in Madagascar
during Operation Ironclad
. This operation succeeded, but many argue that it was a waste of British naval resources at a critical time in the war.
November saw the turning point of the conflict. Operation Torch
saw British and American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria
under the British First Army
. Force H was reinforced to cover these landings. The two main threats were the Italian fleet and French forces. In the end, only French forces fought, and the most significant battles took place at Casablanca
where only American naval units were supporting operations.
The end of the campaign in North Africa
saw an interdiction effort on a vast scale. The aim was to cut Tunisia
completely off from Axis support. It succeeded and 250,000 men surrendered to 18th Army Group; an equal number to those who surrendered at Stalingrad. Force H again provided heavy cover for this operation.
Two further sets of landings were covered by Force H against interference from the Italian fleet. Operation Husky in July 1943 saw the invasion and conquest of Sicily
, and Operation Avalanche saw an attack on the Italian mainland at Salerno
.
Following the Allied landings on Italy itself, the Italian government surrendered. The Italian fleet mostly escaped German capture and much of it formed the Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
. However, two German Fritz X
radio-controlled missiles did hit and sink the battleship , killing the Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina
), Admiral
Carlo Bergamini
.
Force H met the Italian fleet near Sardinia
and escorted it to Malta. Admiral Cunningham sent a very traditional signal to the Admiralty
in London
:
With the surrender of the Italian fleet, the need for heavy units in the Mediterranean disappeared. The battleships and aircraft carriers of Force H dispersed to the Home Fleet and Eastern Fleet and the command was disbanded. Naval operations in the Mediterranean from now on would be conducted by lighter units.
ships attached to Gibraltar
and the Western Mediterranean is the Gibraltar Squadron
.
, aircraft carrier, aircraft carrier, battlecruiser
(June–August 1940), battleship (June–August 1940), battleship (June 1940-December 1941, June–October 1943), battlecruiser (August 1940-August 1941, October 1941-February 1943), battleship
(June–September 1941, August 1942-November 1943), battleship (May 1942-October 1943), battleship (May 1943-February 1944), cruiser
(June–December 1940), cruiser (June 1940-December 1941), cruiser (August 1940-October 1941), cruiser (August 1940-September 1942), cruiser (August 1940-June 1941), cruiser (November 1940), cruiser (April–May 1941), cruiser (June 1941-March 1942), cruiser (January–August 1942), cruiser (April–November 1942), cruiser (October–December 1942)
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
It occupied an odd place within the naval chain of command. Normal British practice was to have various naval stations and fleets around the world whose commanders reported to the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
. Force H was based at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, and there was already a flag officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
at the base, Flag Officer Commanding, North Atlantic. However, the commanding officer of Force H did not report to this officer; he reported directly to the First Sea Lord.
Operation Catapult
One of the first operations that Force H took part in was connected with the reason for its formation. French naval power still existed in the Mediterranean, and the British Government viewed it as a threat to British interests. It was feared that the Vichy government of PétainPhilippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
would hand the ships over to Germany, despite a vow that that would never happen. Such an incidence would almost certainly decisively tip the balance against Britain in the Mediterranean. Consequently, Force H was ordered to execute Operation Catapult.
The most powerful of the remaining French forces was in port at Mers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran, in the Oran Province.-History:Originally a Roman port, Mers-el-Kébir became an Almohad naval arsenal in the 12th century, fell under the rulers of Tlemcen in the 15th century, and eventually became a...
in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. It consisted of the French fast battleships and , two of the most modern and powerful units in the French fleet and two older battleships, along with escorting vessels. Force H steamed to off the Algerian coast, and an envoy was sent to the French commander. Various terms were offered, including internment of the fleet in a neutral country, joining the British forces and scuttling
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
the fleet at its berths. However, the commander of the French forces reported only the scuttling option to his superiors. He was thus ordered to fight. The reasons for the omission have been debated by many. It is often thought that the anti-British bias of the French commander was to blame.
The result of action was that the remains of the French fleet escaped to Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, a French base on the Mediterranean coast of metropolitan France. They did so at heavy cost. The old French battleship blew up under British gunfire, killing over 1,000 French sailors. The old battleship was also heavily damaged and Strasbourg and Dunkerque were also hit, though Strasbourg escaped with four destroyers.
Convoy operations
After this unpleasant operation, Force H settled down to its more normal operations. These involved general naval tasks in the western basin of the Mediterranean. Prominent amongst these tasks was fighting convoyConvoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s through to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. The early convoys came through with relatively light losses. That changed in 1941, when the Germans sent the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
s X. Fliegerkorps
10th Air Corps (Germany)
X. FliegerkorpsFor more details see Luftwaffe Organization was a formation of the German Luftwaffe in World War II, which specialised in coastal operations. It was formed 2 October 1939, in Hamburg from the 10...
to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Its bombers took a dreadful toll of both warships and merchantmen.
In November 1940, screening convoys to Malta, Force H made an important contribution to Operation MB8
Operation MB8
Operation MB8 was a British Royal Navy operation in the Mediterranean Sea during 4-11 November 1940. It was made up of six forces—totalling two aircraft carriers, five battleships, 10 cruisers, and 30 destroyers, including much of Force H—protecting four distinct supply convoys.It consisted of...
, and the resulting success of Operation Judgement
Battle of Taranto
The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
.
"Sink the Bismarck!"
The most famous incident involving Force H in 1941 did not occur in the Mediterranean, but in the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The battleship had sailed in company with the heavy cruiser from Germany to commerce raid in the Atlantic. She went round far to the north of the UK, passing through the Denmark Strait
Denmark Strait
The Denmark Strait or Greenland Strait |Sound]]) is an oceanic strait between Greenland and Iceland...
between Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. There, she was intercepted by a powerful British force made up of the new battleship and the old battlecruiser . The engagement was a disaster for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, with Prince of Wales being damaged and Hood blowing up. Only three out of the crew of 1,400 aboard Hood survived. Every Royal Navy unit available was then given the task of destroying the Bismarck.
Force H set sail from Gibraltar to intercept the Bismarck with the aircraft carrier , battlecruiser and light cruiser . Despite the loss of Hood, Bismarck did not come out of the Denmark Strait engagement completely unscathed. A shell from Prince of Wales had ruptured the ship's fuel tanks, causing her to lose oil. The commerce raiding cruise was thus cut short, and the ship headed for the French port of Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. Bismarck was temporarily lost to the Royal Navy after she evaded the radar of the shadowing cruisers and . She was found again, but the only way of stopping her was if something slowed the ship down. To try to do this, Ark Royal launched a strike with her Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
torpedo bombers. However, the aircrews were wrongly informed of the location of Sheffield and attacked her instead, thinking her to be Bismarck. The torpedoes that the Swordfish had dropped carried a new type of magnetic detonator which proved too unreliable. A second strike was flown carrying the older, and totally reliable, contact detonator. Bismarck was found and a torpedo wrecked her steering gear. Unable to evade the British ships closing in, the German battleship was destroyed by a force including and .
Britain at rock bottom
The end of 1941 saw the nadir of British naval fortunes in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Fleet lost its aircraft carrier to bomb damage, had one battleship sunk off CreteCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and its two remaining battleships put out of action by Italian human torpedoes. Force H in its turn suffered as well: Ark Royal was sunk by in November 1941. It was only the lack of action by the Italians that prevented a complete disaster for British fortunes.
1942 opened on a low note. The most urgent task during the first part of the year was supplying Malta. The island had been under heavy attack for many months, and supply convoys had to be very heavily escorted to stand any chance of getting through. Enough succeeded that Malta was kept from starving, but it was very close. The most heavily escorted convoy in the whole of the Second World War was the key to this. In August, Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
was mounted which lead to enough supplies being sent to the island to keep it going.
Amphibious assaults and the end of Force H
Force H was not actually extant for a portion of 1942. It was stripped bare in May to provide ships for the assault on Vichy French forces at Diego SuarezAntsiranana
Antsiranana , named Diego-Suarez prior to 1975, is a city at the northern tip of Madagascar.Antsiranana is the capital of Diana Region.-Transports:...
in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
during Operation Ironclad
Battle of Madagascar
The Battle of Madagascar was the Allied campaign to capture Vichy-French-controlled Madagascar during World War II. It began on 5 May 1942. Fighting did not cease until 6 November.-Geo-political:...
. This operation succeeded, but many argue that it was a waste of British naval resources at a critical time in the war.
November saw the turning point of the conflict. Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
saw British and American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
under the British First Army
British First Army
The First Army was a field army of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. Despite being a British command, the First Army also included Indian and Portuguese forces during the First World War and American and French during the Second World War.-First World War:The...
. Force H was reinforced to cover these landings. The two main threats were the Italian fleet and French forces. In the end, only French forces fought, and the most significant battles took place at Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
where only American naval units were supporting operations.
The end of the campaign in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
saw an interdiction effort on a vast scale. The aim was to cut Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
completely off from Axis support. It succeeded and 250,000 men surrendered to 18th Army Group; an equal number to those who surrendered at Stalingrad. Force H again provided heavy cover for this operation.
Two further sets of landings were covered by Force H against interference from the Italian fleet. Operation Husky in July 1943 saw the invasion and conquest of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and Operation Avalanche saw an attack on the Italian mainland at Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
.
Following the Allied landings on Italy itself, the Italian government surrendered. The Italian fleet mostly escaped German capture and much of it formed the Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
The Italian Co-Belligerent Navy , or Navy of the South or Royal Navy , was the navy of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy after the Allied armistice with Italy in September 1943...
. However, two German Fritz X
Fritz X
Fritz X was the most common name for a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternate names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400...
radio-controlled missiles did hit and sink the battleship , killing the Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
), Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Carlo Bergamini
Carlo Bergamini (admiral)
Carlo Bergamini was an Italian admiral.-Early life:Born in San Felice sul Panaro, Bergamini became a Guardiamarina in 1908. He participated in the Italian-Turkish war as an officer on the armoured cruiser Vettor Pisani. During World War I, he was the chief of artillery on the cruiser Pisa...
.
Force H met the Italian fleet near Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and escorted it to Malta. Admiral Cunningham sent a very traditional signal to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
:
- "Be pleased to inform their Lordships that the Italian fleet lies under the guns of the fortress at Malta."
With the surrender of the Italian fleet, the need for heavy units in the Mediterranean disappeared. The battleships and aircraft carriers of Force H dispersed to the Home Fleet and Eastern Fleet and the command was disbanded. Naval operations in the Mediterranean from now on would be conducted by lighter units.
Modern Force H
Today the only Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships attached to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and the Western Mediterranean is the Gibraltar Squadron
Gibraltar Squadron
The Gibraltar Squadron is a unit of the British Royal Navy. It is the only resident sea-going Royal Naval unit in Gibraltar, attached to British Forces Gibraltar...
.
Battles and Operations of Force H
- Action at Oran (Operation 'Catapult') - 3 July 1940
- Battle of CalabriaBattle of CalabriaThe Battle of Calabria, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in World War II. It was fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The battle occurred 30 miles to the east of Punta Stilo, the "toe" of Italy , on 9 July 1940...
- 9 July 1940 - Attack on Taranto (Operation 'Judgement')Battle of TarantoThe naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
- 11/12 November 1940 - Battle of Cape SpartiventoBattle of Cape SpartiventoThe Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War...
- 27 November 1940 - Malta Convoy (Operation 'Collar') - November 1940
- Malta Convoy (Operation 'Excess')Operation ExcessOperation Excess was a series of supply convoys to Malta, Alexandria and Greece in January 1941.On 6 January, convoy Excess left Gibraltar for Malta and Greece, covered by the Gibraltar based Force H. Simultaneously, the Mediterranean Fleet from Alexandria covered more supply ships from...
- January 1941 - Naval bombardment of Genoa (Operation 'Grog')Operation GrogOperation Grog was the name assigned to the British naval and air bombardment of Genoa and La Spezia between 6 and 11 February 1941, during the Second World War...
- 9 February 1941 - Malta Convoy (Operation 'Substance')Operation SubstanceOperation Substance was a British naval operation in July 1941 during the Second World War to escort a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta.The convoy was escorted by six destroyers and covered by aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the battlecruiser HMS Renown and the battleship HMS Nelson along with...
- July 1941 - Malta Convoy (Operation 'Halberd')Operation Halberd-Summary:During World War II, Operation Halberd was a British naval operation in September 1941 to escort a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta....
- September 1941 - Malta Convoy (Operation 'Harpoon')Operation Harpoon (1942)Not to be confused with Operation Harpoon Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys sent to supply Malta in the Axis-dominated Mediterranean Sea in mid-June 1942, during the Second World War. One convoy, Operation Vigorous, left Alexandria. The other, Operation Harpoon, travelled...
- June 1942 - Malta Convoy (Operation 'Pedestal')Operation PedestalOperation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
- August 1942 - Invasion of Sicily (Operation 'Husky')Allied invasion of SicilyThe Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
- July 1943 - Invasion of Italy (Operation 'Avalanche')Allied invasion of ItalyThe Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
- September 1943
List of capital ships in Force H
, aircraft carrierAircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, aircraft carrier, aircraft carrier, battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
(June–August 1940), battleship (June–August 1940), battleship (June 1940-December 1941, June–October 1943), battlecruiser (August 1940-August 1941, October 1941-February 1943), battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
(June–September 1941, August 1942-November 1943), battleship (May 1942-October 1943), battleship (May 1943-February 1944), cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
(June–December 1940), cruiser (June 1940-December 1941), cruiser (August 1940-October 1941), cruiser (August 1940-September 1942), cruiser (August 1940-June 1941), cruiser (November 1940), cruiser (April–May 1941), cruiser (June 1941-March 1942), cruiser (January–August 1942), cruiser (April–November 1942), cruiser (October–December 1942)
See also
- Battle of the MediterraneanBattle of the MediterraneanThe Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940-2 May 1945....
- Military history of Gibraltar during World War IIMilitary history of Gibraltar during World War IIThe military history of Gibraltar during World War II exemplifies Gibraltar's position as a British fortress since the early 18th century and as a vital factor in British military strategy, both as a foothold on the continent of Europe, and as a bastion of British sea power...
- Malta ConvoysMalta ConvoysThe Malta Convoys were a series of Allied supply convoys that sustained the besieged island of Malta during the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War...
- Geoffrey BennettGeoffrey BennettCaptain Geoffrey Martin Bennett DSC, FRHS was a British Royal Navy officer and author.-Career:Born into a naval family in 1908, Geoffrey Bennett attended the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and entered the service...
External links
- Transcription of Force H War Diary - 'admirals.org.uk'
- British Admiralty document on Mers-el-Kébir Action
- Destruction of the French Fleet at Mers El-Kebir - H.M.S. Hood