Eagles Over North Africa and he Mediterranean 1940 - 1943

100 Pages·2016·9.9 MB·English

by  Jeffrey Ethell

Ground crew use the outstanding hydraulic bomb trolley to load 1000 kg bombs
on the external racks of an LG 1 Ju 88A-14 at Tunis in 1943. The forward-firing
20 mm cannon in the ventral blister gave the aircraft an excellent punch for the
anti-shipping sorties it flew across the Mediterranean. (Simon Perry via Barry
Rosch)

Jeffrey Lance Ethell. 29 September 1947 - 6 June 1997
Eagles over North Africa and the Mediterranean, 1940–1943
A Greenhill Book
First published in 1997 by Greenhill Books,
Lionel Leventhal Limited
www.greenhillbooks.com
This edition published in 2016 by
P & S A
EN WORD VIATION
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright © Lionel Leventhal Limited, 1997
ISBN: 978-1-84832-792-4
PDF ISBN: 978-1-47388-391-8
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-47388-390-1
PRC ISBN: 978-1-47388-389-5
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Contents
Luftwaffe at War: Eagles Over North Africa and The Mediterranean,
1940–1943
Malta
Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete
The Desert War
Malta — again
North Africa
Tunisia
Sicily and Italy
LUFTWAFFE AT WAR
EAGLES OVER NORTH AFRICA AND
THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1940–1943
Shortly after Italy had declared war on Great Britain on 10 June 1940,
combat between the two countries began in the Middle East as a series
of skirmishes in Egypt and Libya. Escalating into a full-blooded
confrontation, this resulted in a thrashing for the Italians that lasted
through the rest of the year. Consequently in February 1941 Axis
partner Adolf Hitler sent Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel to Tripoli
with the Afrika Korps, to help Benito Mussolini get his lost territory
back. Thus began a long, hard slog in the Mediterranean theatre which
would stretch the Luftwaffe to its very limits, both sides quickly
discovering that aircraft operating in this harsh, hot, sandy
environment were more often rendered unserviceable by the
conditions than by the enemy.
Hitler had by now committed himself to multiple theatres of war
without either the logistics or the equipment this called for. His most
technology-dependent service, the air force, quickly began to suffer
the consequences, even while Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring kept
assuring his Führer that the Luftwaffe could still achieve the
impossible. Nevertheless, the Luftwaffe’s pilots and ground crews
proved more than capable of meeting the Allies on equal terms. Many
pilots became top aces here, most notable among them being Hans-
Joachim Marseille, who seemed to thrive on the hardships. When the
inexperienced US Army Air Force’s units arrived in this theatre in
mid-1942, the Luftwaffe quickly chopped them to shreds, an early
indication that the ‘soft underbelly’ which Winston Churchill liked to
talk about was in reality going to prove anything but.
This book traces the rough Mediterranean campaign from its
beginnings in the Balkans, through the German surrender in North
Africa, and on to Sicily and the first combats over Italy. Reflecting
Rommel’s skill, not only was the Luftwaffe able to stem the Allied
tide but on occasion even turned it back in the face of encroaching
defeat.
Author’s note: For years controversy has raged regarding what prefix
should be used when describing Messerschmitt aircraft — Bf or Me?
Wartime German documents use both, though the Me prefix
predominates. The following explanation is provided by Dr Winfried
Heinemann of the Militärgeschictliches Forschungsamt, Potsdam: ‘In
1927, Professor Willy Messerschmitt began a co-operation with the
Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG. He increased his share in the business
during and after the Great Depression, until, m September 1938, the
entire firm was renamed “Messerschmitt AG”. Any aircraft designed
before that time were officially designated as “Bf”. This applies to the
Bf 108 “Taifun” — even those models built after the Second World
War — and also the Bf 109A-D series, whereas the F.-Z versions bore
the designator “Me”. Similarly, the Bf 110A and B bore the former
prefix, whereas the Me 110C-G bore the latter.’ I have long
subscribed to this convention, and follow it here.
Malta
When the Italians found that their Regia Aeronautica (Air Force) and
Navy could not stop British convoys from resupplying Egypt,
Mussolini quickly called on his Axis partner to come to his aid. The
Luftwaffe, with a mission in Italy since June 1940, had been flying a
number of tentative sorties but a formal co-belligerent status was not
formalised until January 1941. Hitler’s prime interest was in assuring
the security of his southern flank in the coming war against Russia,
not helping Italy. In the face of strong protests from his generals,
Hitler gave Mussolini his commitment.
Initially, the Luftwaffe presence was mainly in the form of transport
aircraft, but combat units began to filter in steadily. The first objective
was the subjugation of the island stronghold of Malta, a real thorn in
the side of German sea supply lines. On 7 January 1941, Ju 87s, Ju
88s, He 111s and Italian SM 79s opened the campaign by striking a
British convoy. Shortly thereafter the Axis air forces began systematic
attacks on Malta, with airfields being the prime targets. The defenders
were quickly worn down until just three Royal Navy Fulmars, six
Royal Air Force Hurricanes and a single Gladiator biplane were left to
face the almost daily raids. The Luftwaffe was able to mount between
40 and 80 sorties a day unless poor weather kept the aircraft on the
ground.
All through February and March German bombers, supported by
Me 110s and experienced Me 109E pilots from JG (Jagdgeschwader
or Fighter Wing) 26 and JG 27 hit Malta’s three airfields and Valetta
harbour constantly. Each time a convoy managed to get through,
Stukas would hit the harbour with a vengeance, even when under
attack from experienced anti-aircraft crews and an increasing number
of Hurricanes sent to bolster the air defences. In mid-March, as the
island seemed to be teetering on the brink of defeat, the bombing
suddenly let up. The Luftwaffe units had been called away to support
the coming Balkan campaign.
Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete
Over 400 aircraft were gathered in Bulgaria to support the Italian
invasion of Greece. When the pro-Nazi Yugoslavian government was
overthrown, Hitler ordered another 600 aircraft flown to Bulgaria and
Rumania for a double strike. With complete air superiority, the
Luftwaffe was able to cover the simultaneous invasions of Greece and