Yes, it is! He named his plane after his adventures in the Andes where he crashed once...
Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation
- Thread starter Wings
- Start date
- Status
1335
October 29th, 1940
Off the coast of Leros, from 17:30 to 23:00 (from 15:30 to 21:00 GMT) - The decidedly favourable course of events allow Admiral de Carpentier to withdraw his most valuable ships, the battleship Courbet and the heavy cruiser Tourville. Too slow, the monitor Terror will be part of a future convoy. While Generals Mittelhauser, Richard, Kopanski and Freyberg disembark from the Courbet to move to the village of Quaranta, the admiral transfers his mark to the light cruiser Montcalm. The Courbet and the Tourville withdraw to Karpathos, escorted by the destroyers HMS Decoy, Defender and Diamond (which it is time to return to the Mediterranean Fleet and which will therefore continue towards Alexandria) and the destroyers MN Tornade, Tramontane and Typhon. At this stage, the following still remain in the waters of Leros, in addition to the two damaged vessels, the auxiliary miesweepers and the hospital ship Sphinx: a monitor, two light cruisers, eight destroyers and two ASM trawlers. Seven avisos and three other trawlers are expected
expected shortly.
The avisos arrive at 18:00, the trawlers five hours later.
Off the coast of Leros, from 17:30 to 23:00 (from 15:30 to 21:00 GMT) - The decidedly favourable course of events allow Admiral de Carpentier to withdraw his most valuable ships, the battleship Courbet and the heavy cruiser Tourville. Too slow, the monitor Terror will be part of a future convoy. While Generals Mittelhauser, Richard, Kopanski and Freyberg disembark from the Courbet to move to the village of Quaranta, the admiral transfers his mark to the light cruiser Montcalm. The Courbet and the Tourville withdraw to Karpathos, escorted by the destroyers HMS Decoy, Defender and Diamond (which it is time to return to the Mediterranean Fleet and which will therefore continue towards Alexandria) and the destroyers MN Tornade, Tramontane and Typhon. At this stage, the following still remain in the waters of Leros, in addition to the two damaged vessels, the auxiliary miesweepers and the hospital ship Sphinx: a monitor, two light cruisers, eight destroyers and two ASM trawlers. Seven avisos and three other trawlers are expected
expected shortly.
The avisos arrive at 18:00, the trawlers five hours later.
1337
October 30th, 1940
Sudan - While the Belgian-British (or more precisely Congolese-Kenyans) take Kosti, the Italians are unable to shake the Allied resistance in front of Khartoum. The position of the Italian forces in Sudan is untenable. The Duke of Aosta decides to withdraw all his forces engaged on this front.
During the whole campaign in South Sudan, the Belgian, French and South African bombers are lucky that the Italians are even more short of fighters than the Allies. However, they do not lack Ca.133 or SM.81 and the Allied troops are harassed by small groups of three-engine aircraft that the Belgian fighters cannot stop, due to their small number, still reduced by the wear and tear linked to a very aggressive environment.
The commander of "Tabora 3", squadron n° 3 of the Tabora regiment, is particularly well known in this extraordinary confrontation. He is an extraordinary pilot named Gérard Greindl, whose story will be told much later by Frans Burniaux, who commands the regiment:
"The youngest of a family of five sons and one daughter, Gerard Greindl had been raised in the traditions of military honor. His great-grandfather and grandfather had been lieutenant generals, and the latter had even become Minister of War in Belgium. His father and his uncles had passed the Military School with flying colors, but his father had
his father had to give up his career in the army because of a heart condition. In 1914, he had reentered service and was separated from his young wife by the front. His wife had to be treated in Switzerland, he went secretly to see her and it is to this meeting that Gérard owed his birth to this meeting, a birth that his mother, who had returned to Belgium to be with her elders, had great difficulty in explaining! (...)
In 1938, Gérard joined the Belgian Air Force and during the 1940 campaign, he was a non-commissioned pilot. (...) Finally, he managed to escape from captivity and reach France. He had been severely marked by this campaign, during which he had felt humiliated by the ease with which the Germans had defeated the Belgian Army. He wanted to return to the battle to show the enemy that the Belgians had not been defeated on their own value, but for lack of adequate equipment. (...) I had known him when I was officer instructor at the Wevelgem Flying School, and did not hesitate for a moment to hire him as second lieutenant aviator in the Public Force. He received the command of the Tabora 3 squadron.
From October 4th and the following days, Greindl tirelessly launched his crews to attack columns and concentrations of Italian troops. The fights were hard and the effects of the climate were even more severe. The initial strength of 20 bombers was quickly reduced to 17, then to 14 machines on October 20th. Two bombers had been shot down by the flak, a third one shot down by a CR.32 and three lost in accidents. But the worst thing was that, out of the 14 remaining planes, only 9 or 10 depending on the day were operational because of various incidents (this rate of unavailability was nothing compared to that of the Spad 510, for example, which could almost never put more than one out of three aircraft in the air).
On their side, the Fairey Battles attacked in a semi-diving mode, forming a second wave after the DB-8s and taking advantage of the DB-8s and taking advantage of the confusion created by the dive bombers. Their losses were reduced but their bombing was less accurate.
On October 19th, Gérard Greindl led the five surviving DB-8s of his squadron to the Malakal area, where the Belgian troops had counter-attacked. After dropping his bombs, he saw, 800 m in front of him, a Ca.133 returning to his lines after having bombed the Belgian troops. Without hesitation, he went towards it, lined it up in his sights and, thanks to his four wing machine guns, sent the slow three-engine plane crashing into the arid soil of Sudan.
The counter-attack quickly gained momentum.
By the end of November, the Allies had rejected the Italian troops in Ethiopia on all fronts. Better still, a general offensive was planned to finish off East Africa.
But the DB-8s in flying condition were no longer numerous enough and it was necessary to dissolve the number 3.
Gérard, still fiercely combative, asked to be assigned to the number 1 squadron, which was flying Fairey Battles and had received reinforcements in aircraft. He quickly got into the habit of flying his single-engine bomber like a fighter: "After all," he said, jokingly, "I'm not a fighter, I have the same engine as a Spitfire!" He handled this underpowered aircraft in a rather astonishing way, pushing the limits of his flying range. He had ruthlessly stripped his plane of anything superfluous in order to lighten it and often flew with only one other crew member instead of two. Moreover, having discovered how the French had reinforced the armament of their Potez 63.11, he had gondolas of two machine guns mounted under the wings of his Battle, when 5 machine guns firing in pursuit could be preferred to a bomb load.
This brilliant tactician also defined new missions for the aircraft. For example, taking advantage of its good autonomy, it was orbiting behind the front to be able to strafe or bomb almost instantaneously at the request of the ground forces.
He also had the idea of making his plane a flying lookout, alerting the Koolhoven or the Dewoitines as soon as a formation of Italian bombers appeared. The process allowed to partially remedy the CEAO's shortage of fighters.
Finally, this daring character even attempted some night fighter missions to try to intercept the Ca.133 night harassment planes!
Gérard quickly became a legend in East Africa, then in Burma where he followed the Force Publique in 1942. (...)
Alas, he disappeared tragically on May 13th, 1948, when his plane was caught in a tornado and, in the absence of any visibility, crashed into the virgin forest near Libenge."
(From 20 Héros de chez nous, General Crahay, Ed. Collet, Brussels, 1983)
Sudan - While the Belgian-British (or more precisely Congolese-Kenyans) take Kosti, the Italians are unable to shake the Allied resistance in front of Khartoum. The position of the Italian forces in Sudan is untenable. The Duke of Aosta decides to withdraw all his forces engaged on this front.
During the whole campaign in South Sudan, the Belgian, French and South African bombers are lucky that the Italians are even more short of fighters than the Allies. However, they do not lack Ca.133 or SM.81 and the Allied troops are harassed by small groups of three-engine aircraft that the Belgian fighters cannot stop, due to their small number, still reduced by the wear and tear linked to a very aggressive environment.
The commander of "Tabora 3", squadron n° 3 of the Tabora regiment, is particularly well known in this extraordinary confrontation. He is an extraordinary pilot named Gérard Greindl, whose story will be told much later by Frans Burniaux, who commands the regiment:
"The youngest of a family of five sons and one daughter, Gerard Greindl had been raised in the traditions of military honor. His great-grandfather and grandfather had been lieutenant generals, and the latter had even become Minister of War in Belgium. His father and his uncles had passed the Military School with flying colors, but his father had
his father had to give up his career in the army because of a heart condition. In 1914, he had reentered service and was separated from his young wife by the front. His wife had to be treated in Switzerland, he went secretly to see her and it is to this meeting that Gérard owed his birth to this meeting, a birth that his mother, who had returned to Belgium to be with her elders, had great difficulty in explaining! (...)
In 1938, Gérard joined the Belgian Air Force and during the 1940 campaign, he was a non-commissioned pilot. (...) Finally, he managed to escape from captivity and reach France. He had been severely marked by this campaign, during which he had felt humiliated by the ease with which the Germans had defeated the Belgian Army. He wanted to return to the battle to show the enemy that the Belgians had not been defeated on their own value, but for lack of adequate equipment. (...) I had known him when I was officer instructor at the Wevelgem Flying School, and did not hesitate for a moment to hire him as second lieutenant aviator in the Public Force. He received the command of the Tabora 3 squadron.
From October 4th and the following days, Greindl tirelessly launched his crews to attack columns and concentrations of Italian troops. The fights were hard and the effects of the climate were even more severe. The initial strength of 20 bombers was quickly reduced to 17, then to 14 machines on October 20th. Two bombers had been shot down by the flak, a third one shot down by a CR.32 and three lost in accidents. But the worst thing was that, out of the 14 remaining planes, only 9 or 10 depending on the day were operational because of various incidents (this rate of unavailability was nothing compared to that of the Spad 510, for example, which could almost never put more than one out of three aircraft in the air).
On their side, the Fairey Battles attacked in a semi-diving mode, forming a second wave after the DB-8s and taking advantage of the DB-8s and taking advantage of the confusion created by the dive bombers. Their losses were reduced but their bombing was less accurate.
On October 19th, Gérard Greindl led the five surviving DB-8s of his squadron to the Malakal area, where the Belgian troops had counter-attacked. After dropping his bombs, he saw, 800 m in front of him, a Ca.133 returning to his lines after having bombed the Belgian troops. Without hesitation, he went towards it, lined it up in his sights and, thanks to his four wing machine guns, sent the slow three-engine plane crashing into the arid soil of Sudan.
The counter-attack quickly gained momentum.
By the end of November, the Allies had rejected the Italian troops in Ethiopia on all fronts. Better still, a general offensive was planned to finish off East Africa.
But the DB-8s in flying condition were no longer numerous enough and it was necessary to dissolve the number 3.
Gérard, still fiercely combative, asked to be assigned to the number 1 squadron, which was flying Fairey Battles and had received reinforcements in aircraft. He quickly got into the habit of flying his single-engine bomber like a fighter: "After all," he said, jokingly, "I'm not a fighter, I have the same engine as a Spitfire!" He handled this underpowered aircraft in a rather astonishing way, pushing the limits of his flying range. He had ruthlessly stripped his plane of anything superfluous in order to lighten it and often flew with only one other crew member instead of two. Moreover, having discovered how the French had reinforced the armament of their Potez 63.11, he had gondolas of two machine guns mounted under the wings of his Battle, when 5 machine guns firing in pursuit could be preferred to a bomb load.
This brilliant tactician also defined new missions for the aircraft. For example, taking advantage of its good autonomy, it was orbiting behind the front to be able to strafe or bomb almost instantaneously at the request of the ground forces.
He also had the idea of making his plane a flying lookout, alerting the Koolhoven or the Dewoitines as soon as a formation of Italian bombers appeared. The process allowed to partially remedy the CEAO's shortage of fighters.
Finally, this daring character even attempted some night fighter missions to try to intercept the Ca.133 night harassment planes!
Gérard quickly became a legend in East Africa, then in Burma where he followed the Force Publique in 1942. (...)
Alas, he disappeared tragically on May 13th, 1948, when his plane was caught in a tornado and, in the absence of any visibility, crashed into the virgin forest near Libenge."
(From 20 Héros de chez nous, General Crahay, Ed. Collet, Brussels, 1983)
1338
October 30th, 1940
Naples - Listening (in all illegality!) Radio-Alger, princess Marie-José and the queen mother of Belgium, Elisabeth, discover with amazement that the Public Force of the Belgian Congo participates in the fights in Sudan. The troops of lieutenant-colonel Van der Meersch, supported by equally Belgian squadrons, have even, it seems, won a brilliant victory over the Italians by taking the fortified city of Kosti!
With a bitter irony, Elisabeth comments: "It was necessary that, mother and daughter, we share the same cruel fate: to see the country of our fathers and brothers at war with that of our husbands and children."
The situation will be all the more painful for Marie-José that certain notables of the Court of Rome will believe henceforth of good tone to adopt an attitude not very courteous towards her, nicknaming her behind her back "la Belga".
Naples - Listening (in all illegality!) Radio-Alger, princess Marie-José and the queen mother of Belgium, Elisabeth, discover with amazement that the Public Force of the Belgian Congo participates in the fights in Sudan. The troops of lieutenant-colonel Van der Meersch, supported by equally Belgian squadrons, have even, it seems, won a brilliant victory over the Italians by taking the fortified city of Kosti!
With a bitter irony, Elisabeth comments: "It was necessary that, mother and daughter, we share the same cruel fate: to see the country of our fathers and brothers at war with that of our husbands and children."
The situation will be all the more painful for Marie-José that certain notables of the Court of Rome will believe henceforth of good tone to adopt an attitude not very courteous towards her, nicknaming her behind her back "la Belga".
1340
October 30th, 1940
Leros - First quiet night on the island. The really mobile troops having disappeared during the engagements of the previous days and nights, the Italians can hardly afford to be offensive. On the Allied side, the men are delighted to enjoy a night's rest.
Leros - First quiet night on the island. The really mobile troops having disappeared during the engagements of the previous days and nights, the Italians can hardly afford to be offensive. On the Allied side, the men are delighted to enjoy a night's rest.
1341
October 30th, 1940
Off Leros - There are far too many enemy escorts present for the submarines Nereide and Delfino to get close to the last interesting targets, the monitor Terror or the light cruisers Montcalm and Georges-Leygues. Wearily, the second officer (L.V. Aicardi) launches a long-range shot against the Terror: the two torpedoes passed over the rear of the target.
Off Leros - There are far too many enemy escorts present for the submarines Nereide and Delfino to get close to the last interesting targets, the monitor Terror or the light cruisers Montcalm and Georges-Leygues. Wearily, the second officer (L.V. Aicardi) launches a long-range shot against the Terror: the two torpedoes passed over the rear of the target.
1342
October 30th, 1940
Leros, from 07:20 (05:20 GMT) - The troops that took down the Leros strongpoint the day before need to reorganize and take a breather, the day's operations begin first in the south. There, supported by the 4th Field Artillery Regiment and by four of the nine Renault tanks still available (one of them had been damaged the day before in front of Leros), the 19th New Zealand Battalion manages, after six hours of effort, to take full control of the Rossetti hydrobase and to take advantage of the last hours of the day to reach the arsenal and the military port. While watching Mount Tortora on their left, part of the group, starting from Mount Zuncona, also manages to initiate a a maneuver to encircle the latter, reaching the place known as La Madonna. There, what remains of the PL432 battery installations constitute a pole of resistance, which does not give way until late afternoon.
In the center of the island, a mixed detachment of II/6th REI legionnaires and riflemen undertakes to sweep the southern coast of Gurna Bay: by the end of the day, the PL248 battery was in its hands. Another mixed detachment takes control of Mount Giovanni, an advanced sentinel of the Mount Patella massif. The rest of the legionnaires, supported by the other five R-35, and the 18th New Zealand Battalion converge on Portolago and begin to test its defenses. The II/80th RANA and what remained of the Polish mountain artillery group also intervene on the side of the island's capital.
Allied invasion of Leros, D-Day+4
Leros, from 07:20 (05:20 GMT) - The troops that took down the Leros strongpoint the day before need to reorganize and take a breather, the day's operations begin first in the south. There, supported by the 4th Field Artillery Regiment and by four of the nine Renault tanks still available (one of them had been damaged the day before in front of Leros), the 19th New Zealand Battalion manages, after six hours of effort, to take full control of the Rossetti hydrobase and to take advantage of the last hours of the day to reach the arsenal and the military port. While watching Mount Tortora on their left, part of the group, starting from Mount Zuncona, also manages to initiate a a maneuver to encircle the latter, reaching the place known as La Madonna. There, what remains of the PL432 battery installations constitute a pole of resistance, which does not give way until late afternoon.
In the center of the island, a mixed detachment of II/6th REI legionnaires and riflemen undertakes to sweep the southern coast of Gurna Bay: by the end of the day, the PL248 battery was in its hands. Another mixed detachment takes control of Mount Giovanni, an advanced sentinel of the Mount Patella massif. The rest of the legionnaires, supported by the other five R-35, and the 18th New Zealand Battalion converge on Portolago and begin to test its defenses. The II/80th RANA and what remained of the Polish mountain artillery group also intervene on the side of the island's capital.
Allied invasion of Leros, D-Day+4
1343
October 30th, 1940
37 nautical miles east-southeast of Taranto, 08:53 (06:53 GMT) - Escorted by two torpedo boats of the 6th Squadron, the Giuseppe Sirtori and Francesco Stocco, which came to meet her, the Salpa, which was dragging itself along the surface at 8 knots due to the damage suffered three days earlier, is not far from its base when it is hit by a torpedo on the port side and quickly sinks, leaving only eleven survivors on the surface (including Commander Biondo). Its winner is the submarine MN Antiope (L.V. Balastre), which was able to withdraw without damage, the use of its central orientable lookout having allowed it to deceive the escorts on its position and course.
37 nautical miles east-southeast of Taranto, 08:53 (06:53 GMT) - Escorted by two torpedo boats of the 6th Squadron, the Giuseppe Sirtori and Francesco Stocco, which came to meet her, the Salpa, which was dragging itself along the surface at 8 knots due to the damage suffered three days earlier, is not far from its base when it is hit by a torpedo on the port side and quickly sinks, leaving only eleven survivors on the surface (including Commander Biondo). Its winner is the submarine MN Antiope (L.V. Balastre), which was able to withdraw without damage, the use of its central orientable lookout having allowed it to deceive the escorts on its position and course.
1345
October 30th, 1940
Off Leros, from 15:00 (13:00 GMT) - Given the decidedly favorable turn of events of the land battle, Admiral de Carpentier can withdraw the rest of his fleet, with the exception of the hospital ship Sphinx and the auxiliary minesweepers that still have mines to track. He divides his ships into three groups. A fast group consisting of the two light cruisers and their escort: the destroyers MN Tartu and Kersaint and the destroyers HMS Hero and Ilex. A second group consists of the monitor HMS Terror and the heavy cruiser Duquesne, whose speed is limited to 10 knots in order not to increase the damage. On the other hand, the destroyers HMAS Stuart and Vampire, the destroyers MN Le Mars and Tempête, four of the seven avisos and three of the five ASM trawlers [1]. A third group remains, very slow (6 knots maximum), composed of the only cargo ship Calédonien (which will sail in reverse) escorted by three avisos and two ASM trawlers [2]. Their departure benefits from an escort of the Swordfish and the Walrus of Kasos, the seaplanes of the three French cruisers.
[1] Avisos : MN Commandant-Bory, Commandant-Rivière, Elan, HMS Abingdon ; trawlers: HMS Kingston-Coral, Loch Melfort, Wolborough.
[2] Avisos : MN Commandant-Delage, Ailette, Dubourdieu ; trawlers : HMS Lydiard and Victorian.
Off Leros, from 15:00 (13:00 GMT) - Given the decidedly favorable turn of events of the land battle, Admiral de Carpentier can withdraw the rest of his fleet, with the exception of the hospital ship Sphinx and the auxiliary minesweepers that still have mines to track. He divides his ships into three groups. A fast group consisting of the two light cruisers and their escort: the destroyers MN Tartu and Kersaint and the destroyers HMS Hero and Ilex. A second group consists of the monitor HMS Terror and the heavy cruiser Duquesne, whose speed is limited to 10 knots in order not to increase the damage. On the other hand, the destroyers HMAS Stuart and Vampire, the destroyers MN Le Mars and Tempête, four of the seven avisos and three of the five ASM trawlers [1]. A third group remains, very slow (6 knots maximum), composed of the only cargo ship Calédonien (which will sail in reverse) escorted by three avisos and two ASM trawlers [2]. Their departure benefits from an escort of the Swordfish and the Walrus of Kasos, the seaplanes of the three French cruisers.
[1] Avisos : MN Commandant-Bory, Commandant-Rivière, Elan, HMS Abingdon ; trawlers: HMS Kingston-Coral, Loch Melfort, Wolborough.
[2] Avisos : MN Commandant-Delage, Ailette, Dubourdieu ; trawlers : HMS Lydiard and Victorian.
1347
October 30th, 1940
Between Nissiros and Tilos, 23:24 (21:34 GMT) - Having correctly estimated the route of his prey and navigating on the surface as soon as the darkness allows it, commander Spano, of the Nereide, gradually catches up with the Terror and Duquesne group. Shortly after 23:20, when the convoy is between Nissiros and Tilos, he launches three torpedoes on the Duquesne, which is following the Terror. But he is unlucky. The aviso-miesweeper HMS Abingdon, which was sailing in close pursuit with the ASM trawler Kingston-Coral, increased its speed to swap places with the Commandant Bory. She thus cut the trajectory of the torpedoes and receives one in the middle. Alerted, the cruiser and monitor turn to port and move away just in time, a torpedo passing very close to the starboard side of the Duquesne. The Nereide almost pays dearly for its (meager) victory. The Nereide is caught by the Kinston-Coral's asdic and is chased by the latter, by the aviso Commandant-Bory, soon joined by the destroyer Stuart and the aviso Elan.
Meanwhile, the Abingdon is slowly sinking. Its crew, which numbers twenty killed or missing, is recovered by the destroyers Vampire and Tempête.
Between Nissiros and Tilos, 23:24 (21:34 GMT) - Having correctly estimated the route of his prey and navigating on the surface as soon as the darkness allows it, commander Spano, of the Nereide, gradually catches up with the Terror and Duquesne group. Shortly after 23:20, when the convoy is between Nissiros and Tilos, he launches three torpedoes on the Duquesne, which is following the Terror. But he is unlucky. The aviso-miesweeper HMS Abingdon, which was sailing in close pursuit with the ASM trawler Kingston-Coral, increased its speed to swap places with the Commandant Bory. She thus cut the trajectory of the torpedoes and receives one in the middle. Alerted, the cruiser and monitor turn to port and move away just in time, a torpedo passing very close to the starboard side of the Duquesne. The Nereide almost pays dearly for its (meager) victory. The Nereide is caught by the Kinston-Coral's asdic and is chased by the latter, by the aviso Commandant-Bory, soon joined by the destroyer Stuart and the aviso Elan.
Meanwhile, the Abingdon is slowly sinking. Its crew, which numbers twenty killed or missing, is recovered by the destroyers Vampire and Tempête.
1348
October 30th, 1940
Gibraltar - During the night of October 30th to 31st, the Italian submarine Scirè (Lieutenant-Commander Junio Valerio Borghese) emerges in the bay of Algeciras. Three maiales are launched and set off towards the English port: this is the second Italian attempt against Gibraltar (BG2, with the same teams of divers as for BG1, in September). The three crews succeed in entering the harbor, but all experience insurmountable technical problems, either with their breathing apparatus, or with their SLC (or even with both!) which prevent them from reaching their goal. Two of the three teams manage to reach the Spanish coast, where Italian agents organize their return to Italy. The last two divers were taken prisoner by the British.
"Even if no enemy ship had been reached, for the first time we had succeeded in penetrating an English port. This exploit earned us a reception in November by the Duce himself at the palace in Venice. Borghese was awarded the Gold Medal, while we received the Silver Medal. In fact, this mission strengthened us even more: we had to keep on doing this, whatever the cost, without stopping, without worrying about victory". (Francisco Marlieri, op. cit.)
Gibraltar - During the night of October 30th to 31st, the Italian submarine Scirè (Lieutenant-Commander Junio Valerio Borghese) emerges in the bay of Algeciras. Three maiales are launched and set off towards the English port: this is the second Italian attempt against Gibraltar (BG2, with the same teams of divers as for BG1, in September). The three crews succeed in entering the harbor, but all experience insurmountable technical problems, either with their breathing apparatus, or with their SLC (or even with both!) which prevent them from reaching their goal. Two of the three teams manage to reach the Spanish coast, where Italian agents organize their return to Italy. The last two divers were taken prisoner by the British.
"Even if no enemy ship had been reached, for the first time we had succeeded in penetrating an English port. This exploit earned us a reception in November by the Duce himself at the palace in Venice. Borghese was awarded the Gold Medal, while we received the Silver Medal. In fact, this mission strengthened us even more: we had to keep on doing this, whatever the cost, without stopping, without worrying about victory". (Francisco Marlieri, op. cit.)
1349 - End of Operations Scipion / Alma
October 30th, 1940
Libya (Cyrenaica) - It is finally the decisive assault against Giarabub, where Colonel Castagna, wounded a few days earlier in a night-time skirmish, is no longer in charge of the
defense. After a final resistance, the garrison yields. It is entitled to the honors of war.
The Africa Settentrionale Italiana is definitely conquered. As Dino Grandi, perhaps the oldest friend of Mussolini: "At least Benito honored the promise he made in 1911: we have left North Africa."
Yet, in these times of mounting bad news, Fascist propaganda will honor the long resistance of the oasis, forgetting that it was nevertheless favored by the initial decision of the British to avoid shedding too much blood of their troops. This "epic" of Giarabub is celebrated by a song: La Sagra de Giarabub [1]. It is even brought to the big screen, in May 1942, with the film Giarabub by Goffredo Alessandrini, in which the interpreter of one of the second roles was a certain Alberto Sordi.
Allied conquest of Libya, July-October 1940 (all pictures courtesy of 1940lafrancecontinue.org)
[1] Which says among other things: "Colonnello, non voglio pane, dammi / piombo pel mio moschetto / c'è la terra del mio sacchetto / che per oggi mi basterà" (Colonel, I don't want bread, give me lead for my musket, the earth of my bag will be enough for me today). Music by Mario Ruccione, already author of the famous "Facetta nera", celebrating the conquest of Ethiopia.
Libya (Cyrenaica) - It is finally the decisive assault against Giarabub, where Colonel Castagna, wounded a few days earlier in a night-time skirmish, is no longer in charge of the
defense. After a final resistance, the garrison yields. It is entitled to the honors of war.
The Africa Settentrionale Italiana is definitely conquered. As Dino Grandi, perhaps the oldest friend of Mussolini: "At least Benito honored the promise he made in 1911: we have left North Africa."
Yet, in these times of mounting bad news, Fascist propaganda will honor the long resistance of the oasis, forgetting that it was nevertheless favored by the initial decision of the British to avoid shedding too much blood of their troops. This "epic" of Giarabub is celebrated by a song: La Sagra de Giarabub [1]. It is even brought to the big screen, in May 1942, with the film Giarabub by Goffredo Alessandrini, in which the interpreter of one of the second roles was a certain Alberto Sordi.
Allied conquest of Libya, July-October 1940 (all pictures courtesy of 1940lafrancecontinue.org)
[1] Which says among other things: "Colonnello, non voglio pane, dammi / piombo pel mio moschetto / c'è la terra del mio sacchetto / che per oggi mi basterà" (Colonel, I don't want bread, give me lead for my musket, the earth of my bag will be enough for me today). Music by Mario Ruccione, already author of the famous "Facetta nera", celebrating the conquest of Ethiopia.
1351
October 31st, 1940
London and Alger - The Allied admiralty must face the facts: the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer disappeared between Stavanger and Bergen. It had certainly already managed to penetrate the screen of the British patrols and to pass in the Atlantic. Moreover, there are in Norway other German ships likely to come and play privateer - heavy cruisers, battlecruisers and, in a few months, the great battleship Bismarck itself will be ready to try the adventure. However, the Royal Navy lacks modern fast battleships; the King George V has just entered service and the Prince of Wales is not yet completed. The Italian threat seems to be under control for the time being, the French Admiralty agrees to deploy the battleship Richelieu, the heavy cruiser Algérie and the destroyers of the new 4th TD (Le Hardi, Casque, Epée and Fleuret) to Scapa Flow with the Home Fleet. To everyone's relief, Admiral Darlan, who had had the opportunity in early September, to state his opposition to this idea, declares himself in favor of it this time. To one of his collegues who was surprised by this, he replied: "But, my dear, now I am a minister!"
In addition, in application of the strategic orientations defined at the last Interallied council, the British Admiralty is reorganizing its forces. It plans to withdraw the battleships HMS Ramilies and Malaya from the eastern Mediterranean in November. In return, the Mediterranean Fleet will receive HMS Barham, so that the Allies, with at least three British battleships (Valiant, Warspite and Barham) and three French (Bretagne, Lorraine, Provence) [1] maintain a superiority of 2 to 1 against the Italian battleships.
As for the reinforcement of its forces in the Far East, the departure is decided in the short term of part of the Australian ships still engaged in the Eastern Mediterranean, namely the light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the destroyers Stuart and Vampire. The departure for the China Sea in January 1941 for the China Sea is decided for three of the large O class oceanic submarines, the Osiris, Otus and Otway. Of the two other surviving units, the Oswald, once repaired, will join Scotland for training with the 7th Flotilla, based at Holy Loch. The Olympus will remain in the Mediterranean for a few more months to compensate for the unavailability of the Perseus, under repair until April 1941. To cooperate with the French, the Royal Navy leaves the P [2] and R [3] class submarines, as well as the Rorqual.
For its part, the French Admiralty thoroughly revises its arrangements.
For the surface forces, in addition to the relocation of the Richelieu group, the favourable turn of events in the Mediterranean makes it possible to plan the next deployment to Gibraltar, in support of Force H, of the battlecruisers Dunkerque and Strasbourg. They are accompanied by the light cruisers Gloire, Georges-Leygues and Montcalm, as well as the destroyers of the 5th DCT, Chevalier-Paul, Tartu and Kersaint, all six of which are to be withdrawn from the eastern Mediterranean as soon as their presence is no longer required for Operation Accolade. It also authorizes the dispatch of several units in the Indian Ocean and Indochina, as well as, secondarily, in the Pacific, to counter the threat of German raiders. Eventually, a squadron will be formed in the China Sea, with three light cruisers [4] and eight destroyers. The avisos Amiral-Charner, D'Entrecasteaux, D'Iberville, Dumont-d'Urville and Bougainville are already sailing these distant seas. While waiting for the refurbishment of the large patrol boat Caraïbe (P6) [5], the auxiliary cruisers Aramis (X1), Victor-Schoelcher (X7) and Quercy (X20) will receive the reinforcement of its sister-ship, the Marigot (P1). The dispatch of two heavy cruisers was considered, but finally postponed. Indeed, the Regia Marina still has five units of this type [6]. However, the Royal Navy can only deploy one within the Mediterranean Fleet [7]. With the the Duquesne out of service for some time and the departure of the Algérie for Scapa Flow, the French Navy has only five or six cruisers left. That is just enough to obtain an Allied superiority of 6 to 5 for this category of ships.
After the end of its refit and modernization by an American shipyard, the Surcouf will stay in Martinique for some trials before joining the light cruiser Jeanne d'Arc (which went there after a short but active participation in Operation Marignan): for this purpose, it will use the Panama Canal [8].
The lesser tension in the Mediterranean has already allowed, at the end of Operation Marignan to send surface units to the Atlantic, notably the destroyers Albatros, Gerfaut, Vautour (7th DCT), which join their brothers of the Aigle [9] class, the Epervier, Milan and Aigle (11th DCT). They have also begun to reach the ocean, where they will patrol and escort convoys, along with the auxiliary cruisers that participated in operations Marignan and Cordite: the Colombie (X10), the three Els - El Djezaïr (X17), El Kantara (X16), El Mansour (X6) - while waiting for the Koutoubia (X4) and Ville d'Oran (X5) engaged in Accolade. All these redeployments free up the Casablanca and Dakar submarines, which were employed for a few months on futile patrols.
As for the submarine forces, the losses suffered since the beginning of the war lead the Admiralty to use an artifice to avoid reducing the number of submarine divisions. The Admiralty reduces the normal composition of the "1,500 ton" divisions from four to three units and the "1,100 ton" divisions from three to two units. Only the "600 ton" divisions remain for the time being composed, with some exceptions, of four vessels.
[1] Hypothesis taking into account the deployment in Gibraltar by the Marine Nationale of the Dunkerque and Strasbourg, which will be discussed below. Nevertheless, the two battlecruisers remain in a position to act in the Mediterranean.
[2] Pandora, Parthian, Perseus (in refit from October 1940 to April 1941), Proteus.
[3] Regent, Regulus, Rover.
[4] The Duguay-Trouin and Primauguet joining the Lamotte-Picquet to form a 6th Cruiser Division.
[5] Severely damaged in her fight on 7 October against the Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II.
[6] The Fiume was sunk at Taranto on August 24th, 1940. Raised, it will be in for many months of repairs. The Bolzano was more slightly damaged on September 6th by the submarine MN Pégase.
[7] Although none of the 15 heavy cruisers of the Royal Navy was sunk, 6 are unavailable due to damage inflicted by the enemy (Cumberland, Exeter, Kent) or major work in progress (London, Suffolk, Sussex).
[8] The treaties relating to the use of the canal allowed its crossing by armed vessels belonging to nations at war without violating the neutrality of the United States.
[9] As far as circumstances permit, these units will have their ASW capabilities upgraded, four depth charge launchers and two wake grenades replacing the 138 No. 5.piece.
London and Alger - The Allied admiralty must face the facts: the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer disappeared between Stavanger and Bergen. It had certainly already managed to penetrate the screen of the British patrols and to pass in the Atlantic. Moreover, there are in Norway other German ships likely to come and play privateer - heavy cruisers, battlecruisers and, in a few months, the great battleship Bismarck itself will be ready to try the adventure. However, the Royal Navy lacks modern fast battleships; the King George V has just entered service and the Prince of Wales is not yet completed. The Italian threat seems to be under control for the time being, the French Admiralty agrees to deploy the battleship Richelieu, the heavy cruiser Algérie and the destroyers of the new 4th TD (Le Hardi, Casque, Epée and Fleuret) to Scapa Flow with the Home Fleet. To everyone's relief, Admiral Darlan, who had had the opportunity in early September, to state his opposition to this idea, declares himself in favor of it this time. To one of his collegues who was surprised by this, he replied: "But, my dear, now I am a minister!"
In addition, in application of the strategic orientations defined at the last Interallied council, the British Admiralty is reorganizing its forces. It plans to withdraw the battleships HMS Ramilies and Malaya from the eastern Mediterranean in November. In return, the Mediterranean Fleet will receive HMS Barham, so that the Allies, with at least three British battleships (Valiant, Warspite and Barham) and three French (Bretagne, Lorraine, Provence) [1] maintain a superiority of 2 to 1 against the Italian battleships.
As for the reinforcement of its forces in the Far East, the departure is decided in the short term of part of the Australian ships still engaged in the Eastern Mediterranean, namely the light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the destroyers Stuart and Vampire. The departure for the China Sea in January 1941 for the China Sea is decided for three of the large O class oceanic submarines, the Osiris, Otus and Otway. Of the two other surviving units, the Oswald, once repaired, will join Scotland for training with the 7th Flotilla, based at Holy Loch. The Olympus will remain in the Mediterranean for a few more months to compensate for the unavailability of the Perseus, under repair until April 1941. To cooperate with the French, the Royal Navy leaves the P [2] and R [3] class submarines, as well as the Rorqual.
For its part, the French Admiralty thoroughly revises its arrangements.
For the surface forces, in addition to the relocation of the Richelieu group, the favourable turn of events in the Mediterranean makes it possible to plan the next deployment to Gibraltar, in support of Force H, of the battlecruisers Dunkerque and Strasbourg. They are accompanied by the light cruisers Gloire, Georges-Leygues and Montcalm, as well as the destroyers of the 5th DCT, Chevalier-Paul, Tartu and Kersaint, all six of which are to be withdrawn from the eastern Mediterranean as soon as their presence is no longer required for Operation Accolade. It also authorizes the dispatch of several units in the Indian Ocean and Indochina, as well as, secondarily, in the Pacific, to counter the threat of German raiders. Eventually, a squadron will be formed in the China Sea, with three light cruisers [4] and eight destroyers. The avisos Amiral-Charner, D'Entrecasteaux, D'Iberville, Dumont-d'Urville and Bougainville are already sailing these distant seas. While waiting for the refurbishment of the large patrol boat Caraïbe (P6) [5], the auxiliary cruisers Aramis (X1), Victor-Schoelcher (X7) and Quercy (X20) will receive the reinforcement of its sister-ship, the Marigot (P1). The dispatch of two heavy cruisers was considered, but finally postponed. Indeed, the Regia Marina still has five units of this type [6]. However, the Royal Navy can only deploy one within the Mediterranean Fleet [7]. With the the Duquesne out of service for some time and the departure of the Algérie for Scapa Flow, the French Navy has only five or six cruisers left. That is just enough to obtain an Allied superiority of 6 to 5 for this category of ships.
After the end of its refit and modernization by an American shipyard, the Surcouf will stay in Martinique for some trials before joining the light cruiser Jeanne d'Arc (which went there after a short but active participation in Operation Marignan): for this purpose, it will use the Panama Canal [8].
The lesser tension in the Mediterranean has already allowed, at the end of Operation Marignan to send surface units to the Atlantic, notably the destroyers Albatros, Gerfaut, Vautour (7th DCT), which join their brothers of the Aigle [9] class, the Epervier, Milan and Aigle (11th DCT). They have also begun to reach the ocean, where they will patrol and escort convoys, along with the auxiliary cruisers that participated in operations Marignan and Cordite: the Colombie (X10), the three Els - El Djezaïr (X17), El Kantara (X16), El Mansour (X6) - while waiting for the Koutoubia (X4) and Ville d'Oran (X5) engaged in Accolade. All these redeployments free up the Casablanca and Dakar submarines, which were employed for a few months on futile patrols.
As for the submarine forces, the losses suffered since the beginning of the war lead the Admiralty to use an artifice to avoid reducing the number of submarine divisions. The Admiralty reduces the normal composition of the "1,500 ton" divisions from four to three units and the "1,100 ton" divisions from three to two units. Only the "600 ton" divisions remain for the time being composed, with some exceptions, of four vessels.
[1] Hypothesis taking into account the deployment in Gibraltar by the Marine Nationale of the Dunkerque and Strasbourg, which will be discussed below. Nevertheless, the two battlecruisers remain in a position to act in the Mediterranean.
[2] Pandora, Parthian, Perseus (in refit from October 1940 to April 1941), Proteus.
[3] Regent, Regulus, Rover.
[4] The Duguay-Trouin and Primauguet joining the Lamotte-Picquet to form a 6th Cruiser Division.
[5] Severely damaged in her fight on 7 October against the Italian auxiliary cruiser Ramb II.
[6] The Fiume was sunk at Taranto on August 24th, 1940. Raised, it will be in for many months of repairs. The Bolzano was more slightly damaged on September 6th by the submarine MN Pégase.
[7] Although none of the 15 heavy cruisers of the Royal Navy was sunk, 6 are unavailable due to damage inflicted by the enemy (Cumberland, Exeter, Kent) or major work in progress (London, Suffolk, Sussex).
[8] The treaties relating to the use of the canal allowed its crossing by armed vessels belonging to nations at war without violating the neutrality of the United States.
[9] As far as circumstances permit, these units will have their ASW capabilities upgraded, four depth charge launchers and two wake grenades replacing the 138 No. 5.piece.
1352
October 31st, 1940
West of the Denmark Strait - The main concern of the Allied navies lurks at the entrance to the North Atlantic. On the Admiral Scheer, Commander Krancke has in front of him radio intercepts and intelligence reports from the Kriegsmarine, which indicate that a convoy is due to leave Halifax the next day. Thirty-seven merchant ships, with little or no escort, are the first choice of prey for the raider.
West of the Denmark Strait - The main concern of the Allied navies lurks at the entrance to the North Atlantic. On the Admiral Scheer, Commander Krancke has in front of him radio intercepts and intelligence reports from the Kriegsmarine, which indicate that a convoy is due to leave Halifax the next day. Thirty-seven merchant ships, with little or no escort, are the first choice of prey for the raider.
- Status