Operation Pedestal 1942: The Battle for Malta’s Lifeline

Osprey Campaign #394

by Angus Konstam, Graham Turner (Illustrator)

A fascinating story of a key turning point in the War in the Mediterranean, as the island of Malta was thrown a vital lifeline.

Since 1940, the island of Malta had been a thorn in the Axis' side. It sat astride the direct sea route between Italy and its North African colonies, and from 1941 the Royal Navy had used the island as a base for its attacks on Axis convoys. The island, though, relied on convoys to survive, and from early 1941 these came under increasingly heavy air and submarine attack. As the situation became critical in 1942, the decision was made to send through a heavily protected convoy, carrying fuel and supplies, in an effort to save the island. This mission was codenamed Operation Pedestal .

This fascinating work describes how, after leaving Britain on 2 August 1942, the convoy was repeatedly pummeled by Axis air and submarine attacks as it ground its way towards Malta, with most of the merchant ships sunk during the passage, along with an aircraft carrier and two cruisers. It also explores how despite this grim toll, the sacrifice was worth it.

The specially commissioned illustrations in this work cover the progress of the convoy step by step, the submarine and surface naval actions during Pedestal 's voyage, the Stuka attack on the carrier Indomitable and the air attacks against the convoy, and the broader strategic situation in the Western Mediterranean. The result is a unique visual exploration of one of the most famous episodes of the war in this theatre.

Genres: History, World War II, Military History

96 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky]

OPERATION PEDESTAL 1942 was launched by the British in an attempt to save Malta from falling into Axis hands. Situated in the central Mediterranean, just south of Sicily and north of Libya, this important British naval base was surrounded by Axis territory. Italian and German bombers were attempting to pound this little island into submission, while from Malta's airfields and harbor British bombers and submarines were making an effort to sink Axis supply ships supplying Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Corps in Libya. It was sort of a matter of who would blink first.

It finally reached a point where it looked like Malta was going to run out of food as well as fuel and other critical supplies. Therefore, the British Admiralty decided that if they weren't going to lose the island they had to get a substantial supply convoy through. Other attempts had either failed to get through or were too meager to really make a difference. This time it would be different.

As the supply ships were loaded it became obvious that security was definitely lacking. Supply crates being loaded were marked 'Malta.' The stevedores loading the ships told the convoy captains what their destination was. As the convoy set sail Spanish fishing boats passed the information on to the Axis.

This was to be some convoy! Four aircraft carriers, two battleships and a host of destroyers and minesweepers were to escort the convoy from Gibraltar to Malta. Opposing them were German and Italian aircraft, submarines, small torpedo boats and a naval minefield. The British Battleships were going along in case the Italian fleet made a sortie.

The book told of the fierce naval battles that occurred. Actually, it was more like one long running battle. The critical supplies were spread out among the various merchant ships in the convoy as losses were expected. One ship carrying aviation fuel was hit and the explosion was so powerful that it took two enemy planes with it! Of all the heroics that were involved trying to get the supplies through, one that really stood out was the SS Ohio. She was also carrying fuel, and when she was hit, the fact that the fuel was in drums instead of a huge tank saved her. But then an attacking German Stuka dive bomber crashed into her when gunners shot it down. Then another plane also crashed into her. Near misses from bombs buckled her plates and her engines were knocked out. Probably by using duct tape and bubble gum they somehow kept her afloat. She was the last ship to struggle into Malta to the cheers of those ashore.

This book is jam packed like those merchant ships with text, photos, maps, and color plates. Like the SS Ohio, a couple of bad reviews wouldn't sink her.

[Martin Koenigsberg]

In the early part of WWII, the British Empire was able to stay in the Desert War in North Africa, dodging blows from the Italian Fascists and their Nazi allies. One of their aces in the hole in this poker match was the Island fortress of Malta, in the center of the Mediterranean, halfway between the Italian bases in Sicily and the coast of Libya . As long as it was kept supplied, aircraft, torpedo boats and submarines based on Malta stood a good chance of interdicting the axis supply lines. That was itself a huge challenge in late 1941 and early 1942. During the summer of 1942, the British felt they had to get a massive convoy of much needed supplies to the Island, and it is this battle that Angus Konstam, the Naval Historian discusses in Operation Pedestal 1942. It's book 394 of the Osprey Publishing Campaign Series, so it is filled with photos, diagrams, maps and some great colour plates of key actions.

If you ever get to Valetta, the Capital of Malta- be sure to go to the Military Museum, where this story is told in an amazing display of artifacts from the battle. The Museum is in English/Maltese, and not Italian or German, so take that as a bit of a spoiler. The British were willing to risk and lose capital ships in order to keep their base - and its population, fed, and powered. Enough supplies and fuel arrived to keep the lights burning until the Alamein victory could begin to change the flow of the war. Reading the story of this harrowing struggle is a very interesting insight into the Battle of the Mediterranean- and the history of a beautiful island.

There are a few adult themes, but little graphic injury content, so this is book for the Junior Reader over 11/12 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this is a font of information. The gamer gets more than enough information to break this up into Blood Red Skies/Aces High Aerial battles and Victory At Sea/Cruel Seas/Naval Games- or combine them all into one campaign. The Modeler gets a tonne of build and diorama ideas- but may need more colour sources. The Military Enthusiast gets a good short introduction to a key battle in WWII - one that was purely fought to keep a logistical lifeline open. The general audience reader will get that, too- a complex battle explained simply.

[Patrick Link]

Harrowing WWII mission to resupply Malta when it was in the middle of the Axis supply lines to North Africa. The convoy kept going despite many attacks from aircraft, submarines, and torpedo boats. Enough made it through to keep Malta going.