Skip to main content

THE TERRIBLE STORY OF ALLIES BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN.

 On 10 July 1943 the Allies conducted amphibious landings on Sicily thus beginning Operation *Husky*. This commenced a five-week campaign in which two Allied armies, the British Eighth and American Seventh, destroyed or drove all Axis forces from the island and claimed it as their own. While this ground fighting was underway, the Allied navies, which possessed a combined 2,590 assorted vessels, played their part in supporting the operation. First and foremost, they conducted a continual series of reinforcement and replenishment convoys to expand the Allied armies and fulfil their logistical needs. Including the initial assault forces, the Allies eventually landed a total of 407,175 men, 72,695 vehicles and 485,278 tons of stores in Sicily through 21 August. Likewise, the navies provided valuable fire support to Allied forces operating in proximity to the coastline. The weight of these efforts was demonstrated by the fact that British warships alone answered roughly 200 calls for fire during the course of the campaign. Participants in these naval bombardments ranged from battleships and monitors to destroyers and gunboats. Finally, at various times during the battle both the American and British navies conducted local amphibious operations to reduce or bypass enemy strong points.


Of course, these actions did not go unchallenged, and the Allies also had to contend with various threats arrayed against their maritime activities. As predicted, the Italian battle fleet declined to leave its protected anchorages, but there were a handful of skirmishes involving lesser warships and motor torpedo boats. These actions had no impact upon the overall operation, and losses were light on both sides. Enemy air attacks were far more troublesome, but here too failed to decisively impede Husky’s naval component. In all, the Eastern Task Force lost nine assorted merchant ships and auxiliary vessels worth 41,509 tons to Axis air attacks while the Western Task Force lost the American destroyer *Maddox*, the American minesweeper *Sentinel*, two landing ships and a 7,176-ton merchant ship. These attacks further damaged several additional ships including the aircraft carrier *Indomitable*, the monitor *Erebus* and two destroyers. While not insignificant, this tally was a far cry from the 300 vessels that Allied planners had feared might be lost to Axis aircraft during the invasion. In return, the Axis paid a heavy cost for these limited successes. During the first week of Operation *Husky* Allied fighters from Malta claimed 151 Axis aircraft destroyed along with 28 probably destroyed and 74 damaged for the loss of 35 of their own number. Anti-aircraft fire and raids against airfields accounted for additional Axis losses, and on 15 July the Axis could only muster 161 aircraft to operate over Sicily compared to 481 aircraft available just four days earlier. Thereafter, Axis aerial opposition fell off precipitously, and the threat largely diminished to periodic nocturnal raids.


In a similar outcome, the massive submarine assault anticipated by the Allies never materialized. At the time of the invasion a number of German U-boats were operating off Algeria and were thus out of position to impede the initial landings. It would take several days to remedy this situation, and in the meantime, it fell upon a handful of Italian submarines to carry out the fight. Fortunately for the Allies, these Italian boats were poorly handled and/or lacked determination in their efforts. Moreover, when the U-boats finally arrived on the scene, they encountered stiff opposition from Allied countermeasures. As a result of these various factors, Axis submarines only succeeded in sinking four British merchant ships and two American landing ships out of the vast Husky force. Likewise, they further damaged three additional merchant ships and the British cruisers *Cleopatra* and *Newfoundland*. Against this, the Allies sank or captured three German and nine Italian submarines. Of these, British warships and submarines accounted for *Flutto*, *Bronzo* (captured), *U409*, *U561*, *Nereide*, *Acciaio*, *Remo*, *Ascianghi* and *Pietro Micca* while RAF aircraft sank *Romolo* and American warships destroyed *U375* and *Argento*.


Beyond this defensive fighting, Allied forces also continued their assault against Italian and Italian-affiliated military and commercial shipping. In July and August Allied aircraft sank a total of 57 Axis merchant ships and 53 military vessels worth 74,617 and 9,626 tons respectively in the Mediterranean. The RAF’s portion of this total consisted of 27 vessels worth 28,800 tons sunk solely by British aircraft and 46 further vessels worth 10,061 tons sunk in conjunction with American aircraft. Amongst these losses, RAF bombers sank the destroyer *Freccia* at Genoa, USAAF aircraft sank the corvette *Cicogna* and the torpedo boat *Pallade* at Messina and Naples respectively and British and American aircraft combined to sink the German escor.



drop your comment in the comment section 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Two boys in this photograph from the early 1900s, taken by Dr. Allan Warner of the Isolation Hospital in Leicester

Two boys in this photograph from the early 1900s, taken by Dr. Allan Warner of the Isolation Hospital in Leicester, UK, had been exposed to the same source of smallpox.  One of them had received the smallpox vaccine, while the other had not. Dr. Warner captured these images as part of his study on the disease. The smallpox vaccine holds historical significance as the first vaccine developed to combat a contagious disease.  In 1796, British doctor Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the milder cowpox virus could provide immunity against the deadly smallpox virus.  Cowpox acted as a natural vaccine until the modern smallpox vaccine became available in the 20th century. From 1958 to 1977, the World Health Organization led a global vaccination campaign that successfully eradicated smallpox, marking it as the only human disease to be completely eliminated. Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Post a Comment
Read more

THE LEGEND OF TRAPPER NELSON.

THE LEGEND OF TRAPPER NELSON. As you ride up the Loxahatchee River from its mouth in Jupiter, the canopy of slash pines and cabbage palms eventually starts to close in on you. Wildlife hides in the gnarled thickets of mangrove.  Everything about this place feels prehistoric. The turns become more and more hairpin, deceiving and disorienting you, as turtles and alligators eye you wearily before slipping beneath the murky water. Nearly eight miles up the northwest fork of the river, a weathered, wooden boathouse juts out into the dark water: the first sign of human existence seen for miles.  Alongside it is a dock that leads through a bamboo thicket into what was once the heart of wild Florida: Trapper Nelson’s homestead, zoo and jungle garden. The biggest attraction, though, was Trapper himself. Known as Tarzan of the Loxahatchee, he’d wrestle alligators, trap wildcats, and dazzle guests with his infallible good looks and stories of the wild.   He was a man who lived witho...
Post a Comment
Read more

During the Vietnam War, one of the most dangerous jobs was undertaken by a select few known as "tunnel rats."

During the Vietnam War, one of the most dangerous jobs was undertaken by a select few known as "tunnel rats." These unsung heroes were American, Australian, and New Zealand soldiers specially trained as combat engineers, who crawled through Viet Cong underground tunnels to perform perilous covert search and destroy missions.⁠ ⁠ Tunnel rats gently prodded for armed mines in order to disarm them — and prayed that they survived with both their legs intact. Most men were volunteers and tended to be of smaller stature, making it easier for them to maneuver through the cramped subterranean spaces Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Post a Comment
Read more