Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 9/4/2022 + 2560 more book reviews

When convoys crossed the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, sometimes 40-50 transports would be guarded by five or six warships. When the convoy to Malta passed into the Mediterranean there were 14 merchant ships, one of which was a huge tanker, and they were escorted by 45 war ships, including four aircraft carriers. What does that tell you? They knew they were heading into a deadly gauntlet, but Prime Minister Churchill knew it was worth the cost.

Consider this too, the men on the ships were not told where they were heading until they were at sea. This wasn't just to protect the secrecy of the convoy---actually the Axis forces knew they were coming---but to prevent men from deserting their ships. This was because they knew many of those ships would not arrive, and those that did would be heavily damaged, with numerous casualties. And they were right.

The Battle of Midway changed the war in the Pacific. The convoy to Malta may have determined who would win the war in Europe. This is not my opinion, but the opinion of many of the Allied leaders at that time. Only four transports and one tanker reached Malta safely, if you can call it that as they all suffered damage and casualties. The transports carried food and supplies for Malta's citizens and the military based there.The tanker was the important one, and it was heavily damaged, was sinking and had to be towed by three destroyers into port. If the tanker hadn't made it, Malta would be lost, as it carried fuel for the planes and British submarines which protected Malta and sunk the Axis ships taking supplies to the Axis forces in North Africa. It also carried cooking fuel for Malta's people. As the Governor-General of Malta stated, if those few ships hadn't made it in, Malta would have had to surrender within two weeks as the population would be out of food. I've read elsewhere that winters in Malta could be harsh. For over two years, there was little heating fuel and families all slept in the same bed so as to stay warm. It was also the most heavily bombed area in Europe during the war. It was for this reason that the King of Great Britain awarded the George Medal---that country's highest civilian award---to the entire country.

This was a convoy in which the courage of the merchant sailors and the men of the British Navy set new high standards, as well as some of them becoming cowards. The S.S. Ohio, the tanker, was an American ship with an American crew. It is a wonderful story which needs to be remembered.

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