MALTA-BOUND CONVOY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 42, 18 August 1942, Page 5

MALTA-BOUND CONVOY

LONDON, Aug. 17

Admiral Har wood's strategy fooled the Axis tacticians who planned the attack against the Malta-bound convoy. The enemy, it is believed, knew that the convoy had left Gibraltar, but not until it was within a few hours' steaming of its destination did he realise that it was bound for Malta and not Alexandria.

Admiral Harwood, by ordering bomber attacks against the four Italian cruisers at Navarino, an air and sea bombardment of the island of Rhodes, and increased R.A.F. attacks on air bases on the Libyan coast; gave the impression to the- enemy that the attacks were designed to cripple his immediate, striking power against the convoy as it nearcd Alexandria. The attacks compelled the Axis to maintain forces in the east Mediterranean which might temporarily be diverted to increase the strength of the sea and air assault against the convoy. When the convoy entered the Sicilian channel it expected to meet large numbers of stukas and heavy German bombers, but thanks to the presence of Spitfires from Malta the attack was not onequarter as hot as was thought possible. Magnificent work was also done by Fleet Air Arm fighters, which smashed up attack after attack. Hundreds of Axis planes attacked the convoy, but most of the bombs exploded harmlessly in the sea.