PANTELLERIA - More bombs than stones E-Book

Gaetano Schilirò

• Herausgeber: Youcanprint
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

PANTELLERIA costituisce l'unico caso al mondo in cui un'isola fortificata si sia arresa esclusivamente sotto il peso schiacciante di una enorme "forza aerea" nemica, quella statunitense. Su questo martoriato lembo di terra italiana nel 1943 furono sganciate oltre seimila tonnellate di bombe dal cielo, senza contare le cannonate sparate dal mare dalla "Mediterranean Fleet" britannica schierata tutt' intorno!

Leseprobe

TABLE of CONTENTS

PREFACE

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE – 1939

Hitler’s Plans

Churchill’s Position

Roosevelt’s Orders

The Consequences

CHAPTER TWO – 1940

Mussolini and Hitler

Declaration of War

The Consequences

CHAPTER THREE – 1941

The Afrika Korps

Pantelleria

The Consequences

CHAPTER FOUR – 1942

Pact of Washington

Axis Forces Counteroffensive

Churchill and Roosevelt

CHAPTER FIVE – 1943

Operation “Corkscrew”

The Casablanca Conference

Increased Efforts Against Pantelleria

CHAPTER SIX – 1943 “The day after” the conquest

CHAPTER SEVEN – 1943 – The island is an U.S. airbase

CHAPTER EIGHT – 2017 – PANTELLERIA as of today

Annex A - PANTELLERIA – Geographic aspects

Annex B – Operational aspects

Annex C - Glossary of Acronyms/Terms

Annex D - Military Equipment (by country)

American

British

German

Italian

Annex E - Aviation Ranks Equivalent

Annex F – American “press interest”

Schiliro-Brisson

Pantelleria

more bombs than stones

Preface

Pantelleria, the small Mediterranean island between North Africa and Sicily was being subjected to some of the most intense bombing in history.” It had been heavily fortified by Mussolini with a ring of gun emplacements around the coast but the Allies wanted to take it with minimum losses, a stepping stone on the way to Sicily. The Pantellaria rehearsal went according to plan. The air bombing was an impressive sight, and the reply of the batteries to the fire of the cruisers was wild in the extreme. It looked as though the Italian gun control arrangements had been knocked out. The reception of the M.T.B.s at the harbour entrance was feeble enough, and had we had a few hundred troops in landing-craft I believe we could have taken the island there and then. General Eisenhower and I were much encouraged, and in the event the island fell easily into our hands on June 11th, white flags being hoisted as the troops started to move shorewards in their landing craft. I need not describe it, as it had full publicity at the time; but the excuse given for surrender, i.e. that water was lacking, was incorrect. The truth was that the Italians, stunned by their defeat in Tunisia, had no stomach for further fighting.”

Viscount Cunningham: “A Sailor’s Odyssey”, London

Viscount Sir Admiral

Andrew Browne Cunningham

Commander of Mediterranean Naval Forces

Foreword

In reading this book, you will frequently see special remarks such as HISTORICAL REFERENCE, or OPERATIONS, or INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE, or CHRONICLE, or STATISTICS, as it is necessary to know in advance what exactly what will be introduced. For this reason, the authors thought it would be useful to collect them together under the following headings and with the definitions of each.

“The Axis” nations (Italy and Germany) and “The Allied” nations (USA, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and several other Countries) are totally opposite.

HISTORICAL REFERENCE: These remarks are like an “excursion” or step by step description of military policy followed by the Central Powers of both alliances. In this way, you can follow the political point of view and the strategic situation that is happening at world level, or at Mediterranean level.

OPERATIONS: Description of air operations only, described in general terms around the Mediterranean Sea and more specifically around the island of PANTELLERIA.

NAVAL OPERATIONS: This remark describes only the short history of naval operations developed around the island solely by British warships that heavily bombarded it from the sea with their large caliber guns. Different from an aerial bombardment, fire from a ship was easier and more accurate by using sophisticated optical devices and having the great advantage of firing from a stable platform, or at least semi-stable platform, with excellent capabilities to observe and adjust fire. From a historical point of view, the research related to the ammunition type, size and weight of the shells employed by British warships proved to be extremely difficult. So, the author apologizes for this lack of information related to the ammunition fired upon this Island.

INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE: Real events, as incredible as they may seem, but true, are recorded in this book. The war was utterly full of incredible happenings!

CHRONICLE: Reports of normal human activities that took place at that time, experienced day by day by people, who provided actual accounts of life at that time.

STATISTICS: A collection of the most interesting data regarding that time or established periods relating to units, people or places.

No doubt that Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, Lampedusa and PANTELLERIA developed an undisputed role as the main protagonists during the air-naval war in the Western Mediterranean Sea, from 1940 to 1943, during the Second World War. Other smaller islands nevertheless, as Linosa, Comino, Gozo, Favignana and the Eolie Islands had been unintentional participants - and often victims - of many incidents directly involving them. Together with Lampedusa, PANTELLERIA was the seat of one “Freya” radio direction finder (RDF) stations of sufficient power to detect the movement of aircraft not only over adjacent waters of the Central Mediterranean but over the plains of eastern Tunisia as well. Both had observation posts which took note of practically every ship that passed between them and the shores of North Africa. Moreover, aircraft based on PANTELLERIA would be a serious threat to Allied bombers in their assault upon Sicily. Since it was estimated that the “Margana” airfield there could accommodate as many as 80, or maybe more, single-engine planes; neutralization of these fighters would be essential. Its capture also would provide a solution to the problem of providing fighter protection for shipping and ground troops during the initial stages of the upcoming invasion. The stationing of a few squadrons on PANTELLERIA therefore would improve the situation. Because PANTELLERIA had contributed to the perils of those waters hosting in caves and grottoes along its shores converted into shelters and refueling points for patrol of MAS (Motorboats anti submarines) and submarines too. Its airfield was used by Italian bombers that preyed upon shipping. Furthermore, it would serve as base for launches engaged in air-sea rescue. So, it was thought that with careful planning, Operation “CORKSCREW” (assault on PANTELLERIA) could be brought to a conclusion within the period allotted to the campaign.

This "daily diary of the air war” over that small island, recalls in the mind of readers, those which were the historical background that determined the conflict, which were the political-military lapels and which were consequences of the operational plan. Frequent "Historical references", flashes of "Chronicle" and some histories called "Unbelievable but True" help the Reader of this book to better understand what really happened in 1943 over that small island, too small for so large a war.

This historical research is mainly addressed to the Italian and American people in that - in quite different positions - were victimsby bombings by the first and by being bombed by the second, but both of them were directly involved as protagonists in a bloody conflict.

Town hall before the war

Downtown before the war

The harbor before the war

The old castle

Two bunkers are bored inside the hill

CR-42 inside the hangar “Nervi”

Introduction

During the first years of the Second World War, PANTELLERIA was never called upon to participate directly in air-naval combat in the Mediterranean. Seldom was it considered for emergency landings of British aircraft or for refueling of Italian and German ones. Nevertheless, due to the personal intention of Benito Mussolini, it was strongly reinforced like an important advanced base in the Mediterranean. On the other hand, it was neglected by the Naval and Air Force General Staffs that never thought of its utility as an advanced observation point between Sicily and Tunisia! Nobody was so open minded as to see this island as a large aircraft carrier in the middle of the Mediterranean! Nevertheless, Mussolini ordered digging in, reinforcing and concealing over 100 major gun emplacements on the mountainous heights and at strategic points across the island. The beaches and harbor were defended by a series of well-positioned pillboxes and other defensive positions. Communications wiring had been laid and command centers had been built and covered in concrete to conceal and protect the defenses against any type of invasion. An airfield was located on the island to help with the defense - the Italians no doubt hoped that they could hold on to PANTELLERIA as the British had done at nearby Malta. As early as the latter half of 1940, Col Geoffrey Keyes, Chief of Staff, 2nd Armored Division (US) all but persuaded Churchill that the taking of PANTELLERIA by amphibious landing was feasible. It would restore UK control of the waters in the East/Central Mediterranean and would facilitate the resupply of the vital base at MALTA. This was a time when a journey to Port Said was judged unsafe by the direct Mediterranean route and the alternative, around the Cape of Good Hope, was four times the distance - a round trip of 25,000 miles as opposed to 6,300. After careful strategic consideration, many military experts considered the island to be nearly impregnable at worst or, at best, a serious challenge where huge forces would be required, with victory attained only after heavy casualties. However, Churchill and Eisenhower saw PANTELLERIA as a possible staging base for their fighters employed in escorting bombers taking off from North Africa to bomb Sicily and southern Italy. In fact, allied fighters did not have the capability to escort bombers at full range from Africa and only a limited capability to escort them from MALTA to and from Sicily. Malta was so small it could not to provide all the necessary escorts and PANTELLERIA would be a perfect additional jumping off point for such escorts.

The hangar “Nervi”

Chapter 1 - 1939

January 1st, Wednesday

HISTORICAL REFERENCE: In Berlin, Hitler dispatched a message to the Wermacht (German Unified Armed Forces) in which he affirmed that during the upcoming 1941 offensive, the German Heer (Land Component), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe (Air Force) will become so strengthened by such significant improvements as to provoke an early end to the war, opening the way to the realization of a new way of life, world order and improvement of cohabitation among the world’s people. It concluded by insuring the certainty of final victory for Germany and Italy.