In mid-1942, the war was going badly for the Allies. During the first six months U-Boats sank 3,250,000 tons of shipping in the Atlantic an average freighter was 7,000 tons). Rommel rolled through Northern Africa, threatening the Suez Canal, but stopped 35 miles short of Alexandria, Egypt, because of a shortage of supplies. The Nazi war machine reached Stalingrad, with plans to head through the Caucasus for the Middle East oil fields. The Allies had Gibraltar, Malta, and Egypt. The Axis controlled France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, and most of northern Africa. A few countries were neutral (Turkey), or pro-Axis (Spain).

Malta's strategic airfield was key to holding the Mediterranean, but food and oil had to get through past German and Italian bombers. The 250,000 Maltese and 20,000 British defenders were dependent on imported food and oil. In September of 1941, 8 of 9 merchant ships arrived in Malta bringing 85,000 tons of supplies. A February 1942 convoy of 3 ships from Alexandria was unsuccessful -- no supplies reached Malta. A March 1942 convoy of 3 merchant ships plus a Navy oiler, was accompanied by 4 cruisers and 16 destroyers, while another cruiser and its covering force sailed from Malta to meet them. This escort succeeded in keeping an Italian battleship carrying nine 15-inch guns, 3 cruisers and 10 destroyers away from the convoy, but the freighters faced Germans bombers near Malta. One ship was sunk just 20 miles from Malta. The oiler sank within 8 miles of Malta. The remaining two ships arrived to cheers by the Maltese, but were sunk in the harbor with only a fraction of their cargo unloaded.

Great Britain had no tankers capable of 16 knots, so President Roosevelt turned over the SS Kentucky and SS Ohio to Britain for use in supplying Malta. The tanker SS Ohio was launched on April 20, 1940 at Sun Shipbuilding Yard in Chester, Pennsylvania for Texas Oil Company (now Texaco). In anticipation of war and due to unofficial conversations between the American military and the oil company, the Ohio was the largest tanker built at that time. At 9,263 tons, 485 feet long, she and her sister ships, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Colorado, Montana, Georgia, Delaware, Indiana held 170,000 barrels of oil.

A June 1942 convoy sent 6 ships including SS Kentucky, escorted part way by a battleship, 2 aircraft carriers and 4 cruisers east from Gibraltar, Simultaneously, 11 merchant ships escorted by 8 cruisers and 40 others headed west from Alexandria. The capital ships withdrew before the narrow channel between Sicily and Africa, leaving the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Cairo and 13 escorts. The results: 6 merchant ships sunk, 3 damaged, 7 turned back to Alexandria, 2 supply ships arrived in Malta; British Navy - 5 cruisers damaged, 4 destroyers sunk and 1 damaged. No fuel oil got through.

Operation Pedestal in August 1942 was the final effort to supply Malta before she was forced to surrender.

August 10-11 night: Entered Gibraltar in heavy fog

August 11: 4 torpedoes from German U-73 sink carrier Eagle, 260 men lost, all but 4 planes lost. Carrier Furious flies off 36 planes for Malta, turns back as planned. Destroyer rams and sinks Italian submarine. 40 German bombers attack convoy.

August 12: 20 Junker 88s attack convoy. Submarine attacks 100 German & Italian planes attack - Deucalion sunk by aerial torpedo; dud hits carrier Victorious. Italian submarine forced to surface by depth charges. 30 Junker 87s attack. carrier Indomitable hit three times; destroyer Foresight damaged by aerial torpedo and had to be sunk. Cruisers Cairo and Nigeria torpedoed by Italian submarines: Cairo abandoned, Nigeria returns to Gibraltar. Ohio torpedoed by Italian submarine and on fire. Manages 13 knots after repair. 20 Junkers 88s attack. Gunners on Almeria Lykes shoot down 2 planes. Empire Hope bombed, high octane gas on fire, abandoned and sunk by escort. Clan Ferguson hit and explodes, Italian sub rescues 53 survivors. Brisbane Star crippled by aerial torpedo. Cruiser Kenya damaged by torpedo from Italian submarine.

August 13: Passed through minefields between Africa and Sicily around midnight. 8 Italian torpedo boats make 15 attacks: cruiser Manchester hit, sinks by evening; Santa Elisa (US) hit by torpedo, entire ship on fire and abandoned; Almeria Lykes (US) torpedoed, sinks immediately; British Wairangi and Glenorchy torpedoed, on fire, no survivors from Glenorchy; Rochester Castle torpedoed but keeps going. It is now 4 AM. Fighters from Malta fired on by convoy because communications out. 12 Junkers 88s attack. Waimarana hit, aviation gas on deck bursts into fire, ship explodes and sinks, 80 of 107 crew killed. Wreckage starts fires on Melbourne Star. 60 Stuka dive bombers attack, focus on Ohio. Near-miss buckles plates and forward tank fills with water. Junkers 88 crashes onto Ohio. Junkers 87 bounces off the water, crashes onto Ohio. Ohio avoids mines, torpedoes and circling torpedoes, 2 bombs straddle her, lift her out of the water. Boilers blown, she is dead in the water at 10:50 AM. Dorset disabled by 3 near misses, engine room flooded, high octane gas on fire, abandoned. 12 Italian torpedo bombers attack, Port Chalmers catches torpedo in paravane (submerged floats meant to catch mines). Bomb nearby sets Kenya's forward engine room on fire; fire put out. Fighters from Malta provide some air cover. Rochester Castle, Port Castle, Melbourne Star steam on to meet escort from Malta, reach Grand Harbour in Valetta at 6 PM. Junkers 88 attacks on Ohio. Destroyer tries to tow Ohio, but Ohio wants to go sideways. Ohio nearly split in two as bomb hits in same area as torpedo. Crew abandons ship. Italian torpedo bombers attack.

August 14: Brisbane Star arrives Malta Frederick Larsen, Jr., third mate and Francis Dales, Cadet-Midshipman from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, crew members on the Santa Elisa volunteer to man guns on Ohio during tow. [Text of Distinguished Service Medal Citation below] Weight of Ohio keeps breaking tow lines. Constant air attacks by 20 bombers. Bomb destroys rudder and makes hole in stern of Ohio. Decks awash. Finally, successfully towed while "sandwiched" by two destroyers.

August 15: Ohio arrives Grand Harbour 9:30 AM to cheering crowds. The convoy is known as "Il-Konvoj ta Santa Marija" because it arrived on St. Mary's feast day, according to our correspondent in Malta.

August 17: Germany reports that all the tankers in a recent Mediterranean convoy were sunk and not one of the transports reached their destination in Egypt.

In August 1942, 35% of Axis convoys to North Africa did not get through.

In September 1942, Allied forces sank 100,000 tons of Axis shipping, including 24,000 tons of fuel destined for Rommel, leaving him desperately short of supplies during his assault at El Alamein on October 26, 1942.

(Source: US Merchant Marine)

Map and counters

- 53 counters: 1 convoy, 12 German planes, 18 Italian planes, 6 German submarines, 12 Italian submarines and 4 options.
- 1 map representing the path of the convoy from Gibraltar to Malta.

Rules (1 player)

- Original idea by Lloyd Krassner from his web site. The rules of Operation Pedestal were written by Lysimachus.

Specific links

- From the BBC: Saving Malta
- Vae Victis 69
- On Wikipedia: in English, in French, in Italian

-