Utente:Cstomaci/Sandbox/Operazione Calendar
| Operazione Calendar parte della seconda guerra mondiale | |||
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| Data | Aprile 1942 | ||
| Luogo | Mar Mediterraneo, Malta | ||
| Esito | Vittoria tattica alleata | ||
| Schieramenti | |||
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| Voci di guerre presenti su Wikipedia | |||
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L' Operation Calendar avvenuta nel 1942 fu una operazione congiunta Anglo-Americana, compresa tra quelle conosciute come Club Run, della Seconda guerra mondiale per trasferire caccia Supermarine Spitfire a Malta, con lo scopo di rafforzare le difese dell'isola sottoposta da mesi alle incursione delle forze aeree dell'Asse.
Premessa
Un'operazioni "Club Run" per inviare velivoli da caccia verso Malta, iniziava con il caricamento a bordo della portaerei dei caccia destinati a Malta, trasporto che avveniva solitamente nei porti britannici o a Gibilterra. Quindi la portaerei sotto la scorta di un'apposita formazione navale, iniziava la navigazione nel Mediterraneo occidentale fino a raggiungere la posizione entro il raggio di azione utile al decollo dei velivoli che avrebbero proseguito autonomamnte in volo in formazione verso Malta, preceduti da un n aereo guida (solitamente un idrovolante Short Sunderland, fino all'atterragio in uno degli aeroporti maltesi. nella primavera de 1942, la Royal Navy non aveva portaerei adatte allo scopo. L'Ark Royal era stata affondata nel novembre dell'anno prima, la Furious era in manutenzione a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania e la HMS Argus era troppo piccola per il numero di velivoli necessari.
There had been several earlier "Club Runs" but by this time, no suitable British carriers were available.Ark Royal had been sunk, Argus was too small for the needed numbers, Furious was undergoing emergency repairs and the lifts on more modern, larger carriers were too small for Spitfires (land based aircraft whose wings could not be folded to conserve space).The situation was urgent, so, after a personal request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill to the American President Franklin D Roosevelt, the American aircraft carrier Template:USS was loaned for a "Club Run".
Operazioni
Wasp collected 52 aircraft from Shieldhall on the River Clyde, from No. 601 Squadron RAF and No. 603 Squadron RAF, with pilots. The aircraft to be conveyed were Spitfire VBs fitted with external fuel tanks to extend their range. They were, however, inadequately prepared. The external tanks leaked badly, a fault that recurred on "Club Runs"; in addition, many of the aircraft's guns were faulty and most of their radios did not work Wasp sailed from Glasgow on 14 April 1942 with her escort, destroyers Template:USS and Template:USS, and was joined by the British battlecruiser Template:HMS and her escort.HMS Inglefield, Ithuriel, Echo and PartridgeWhen this squadron, codenamed Force W, passed Gibraltar overnight on 18–19 April, they were joined by cruisers Template:HMS and Template:HMS and destroyers Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS, Template:HMS and Template:HMS. During final preparations, the faults mentioned above were detected, but too late to be rectified. On 20 April, with Wasp's Grumman F4F Wildcats providing air cover, 48 Spitfires flew off
Conseguenze
This addition to Malta's defences was in vain. The Luftwaffe anticipated the Spitfires' arrival and bombed Ta'Qali airfield within minutes of their arrival. Most were caught on the ground and within 48 hours all were destroyed. Those that did fly were hampered by the faults with which they had arrived The island's Governor, Lieutenant General Sir William Dobbie, reported that the local condition was critical. He was soon replaced; the view was that he should have ensured adequate protection for the Spitfires and for an earlier convoy which had been sunk in harbour. Lord Gort was his replacement The loss of the Spitfires made the subsequent Operation Bowery even more essential.
Note
Fonti