The Southland Times MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1942. The Convoy Goes Through

Southland Times, Issue 24860, 28 September 1942, Page 4

The Southland Times MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1942. The Convoy Goes Through

THE MOST hazardous sea routes in the world today are those along which supplies are carried to Malta and to the ports of northern Russia. Malta has to be supplied so that it can remain Britain’s most advanced outpost in the Mediterranean, a haven for British ships, submarines and aircraft, and a constant and deadly threat to Axis communications between Italy and North Africa. Convoys have to make the journey to northern Russia so that Britain and the United States can fulfil their undertaking to supply their ally with materials of war. Were time, distance and shipping tonnage not the vital factors that they are, a much safer route could be used through the Indian Ocean and Persia. But it is imperative that the Soviet should be supplied promptly, that the transport of equipment for her armies should not tie up large tonnages of shipping for too long a time, and that the supplies should be landed at ports where they are most readily accessible. So, periodically, British sailors, airmen and merchant seamen have to submit to the terrible ordeal of passing through the zone to the north of Norway where the Germans can throw against them not only surface warships and submarines, but land-based aircraft. The report of the journey of the latest convoy to reach northern Russia—one of the biggest of all—makes thrilling reading. The convoy was of such a size that it required an escort of no fewer than 75 British, warships, including an aircraftcarrier; and these ships had to face almost continuous attacks by submarines and aircraft for a period of five days. The Nazis’ attack on this occasion was notable for their extensive use of torpedo-carrying aircraft. In one phase of the battle between 40 and 50 torpedo-carrying planes flew towards the convoy in line abreast and in close formation. This is an evident development of the Japanese tactics against the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, when a line of 60 aircraft laid down a “live” zone of torpedoes from which the British battleships could not escape. But against a heavilyescorted convoy the Germans do not appear to have achieved a similar measure of success. Inevitably there were losses among the British, American and Russian merchantmen which made up the convoy, but they do not seem to have been unduly high. Figures have not been given, but it has been stated that “the great majority” of the ships arrived safely at their destination. These survived not only repeated torpedo attacks from aircraft and submarines, but high and low level bombing and dive-bombing by scores of German planes. Concentration of Fire

The most gratifying feature of the engagement was the failure of the Germans to sink, or even to hit, the British aircraft-carrier. The Midway and Coral Sea battles showed that aircraft-carriers are extremely vulnerable to air attack. Their flight decks offer a broad target for bombs, and their size makes them difficult to manoeuvre rapidly in the event of torpedo attack. In these two battles American aircraft sank no fewer than six Japanese carriers, some with bombs and others with torpedoes; and the United States Navy lost two of its own carriers, the Lexington and the Yorktown, to Japanese planes. According to the official report on the Russiabound convoy, the German torpedocarrying aircraft selected the British carrier as the main target of theii’ second attack; but she was not hit. The rough weather and often poor visibility of the Arctic region no doubt gave the convoy some protection. (The report mentions that on the homeward journey a destroyer which had been torpedoed and was being towed was broken in two by bad weather.) These are conditions which certainly did not exist in the Coral Sea battle, although at Midway there was a good deal of drifting cloud and mist. But the principal factors in the convoy’s successful defence appear to have been the skill and daring of the British naval fighter pilots and the high concentration of anti-aircraft fire achieved by such a great number of warships. Admiral R. L. Burnett, who commanded the escorting forces, said in his report: “I will never forget the reckless gallantry of our naval fighter pilots in their determination to get among the enemy despite the solid mass of our defensive fire of every type.” The German attacks were so severe that they could not safely be left to the defending aircraft alone to deal with. A heavy concentration of anti-aircraft fire had to be maintained, and the British pilots had to take their chance of being hit by the barrage from their own ships. They did their work superbly, shooting down 40 enemy planes and damaging many others with only slight

losses among themselves. It was significant that the returning convoy, escorted by the same naval forces, was not attacked from the air at all. But although the fighter pilots were the heroes of the battle, no one will forget the less spectacular, but no less important, work of the merchant seamen. Whatever their route or destination, they continue taking their ships to sea. in face of the worst that submarine, hostile aircraft and commerce raider can do against them. Every voyage they make is dangerous; many of them have been rescued once, twice or three times from the sea, sometimes after fearful experiences of hardship. When they sign on for Malta or Archangel, they face the certainty of a prolonged and concentrated air assault in addition to all the terrors of' submarine attack and surface raid. But the convoys still go through.