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.
