MEMORABLE DAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 September 1943, Page 3

MEMORABLE DAY

IN HISTORY OF BRITISH NAVY “ ARRIVAL OF ITALIAN FLEET AT MALTA. WATCHED BY ALLIED COMMANDERS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 12. Reuter’s correspondent aboard the destroyer H.M.S. Hambleton in the Mediterranean said that yesterday marked one of the most spectacular periods in the history of the British Navy when Admiral Cunningham authorised the issue of his statement. Admiral Cunningham, with General Eisenhower, on Friday stood on the compass platform on the bridge of this destroyer’ steaming along the North African coast, and watched a four years’ task drawing to a close. Not since the German Fleet steamed into Scapa Flow at the end of the last war has the world seen such an event. Moving toward Malta in impressive array were the ships which form the backbone of the Italian Navy. There were two battleships, five cruisers and four destroyers sailing from Spezia on a course that had been prescribed _in the armistice terms, and each Italian ship flew a black pennant, showing that she was complying with the armistice terms. In the van of the fleet were two mighty British battleships, H.M.S. Warspite and Valiant, under a screen of six destroyers ahead, and on either side were the long lines of battleships and cruisers. It was evidence of Germany’s flat-footed surprise. She made a des'perate daylight attempt to destroy the Italian fleet, whose departure she was too late to forestall, but apart , from sinking one battleship—the Roma —she was unsuccessful. Admiral Cunningham ( in an interview said: "These are not the only Italian ships coming in. There are others from Taranto and other points on the east coast. Some have already been reported at Malta and other places. and there are submarines popping up all over the place. The Italians are fulfilling the instructions to the letter.” OTHER MEETINGS RECALLED. Turning to watch the Italian ships., Admiral Cunningham said: “We have met some of these twice before. Tm glad to see the Warspite leading them in.” The Admiral referred to Taranto, where the Fleet Air Arm badly damaged one Italian battleship, and to Matapan, where another was badl?

damaged and where the Warspite, which was then his flagship, “hit the Italian flagship in the stomach at 25,000 yards.” He added: “This is a great day for us, and a very useful day. I always thought it might end something like this, though we would have been glad to see these ships at any time in the last four years. The Mediterranean was black with ships in June, 1940, but we chased them home. Looking back on the whole battle, they were not so tough. The Italians were nearly gone at the end of 1940. but the Germans came in and stiffened them up. MEDITERRANEAN CLEARED. ‘Now the whole of the Mediterranean is cleared. It will release many ships for use against the Japanese and elsewhere, Also, these ships which are now added to our strength are first class. Tfie battleships are very good, and the cruisers are all good, too, especially the two new ones.” Admiral Cunningham, replying to a question, said there was only one British officer on the Italian ships. He was on the leading cruiser to “make sure they don’t take the wrong turning.” Another message says that the Italian naval units which arrived at Malta included four battleships, seven cruisers and six destroyers. Twelve units of the fleet have also arrived in the Balearic Islands, at Palma, Majorca. According to an official Allied statement, more Italian warships are expected to reach Malta and other Allied harbours. Reports from neutral sources say that the greater part of the Italian Navy has escaped from the Germans, but some of the ships at Trieste fell into German hands after hard fighting. THE ROMA’S BATTLE. Reuter’s Algiers correspondent says that Allied planes protected the Italian warships making for Malta as soon as they were within range of our longrange fighters. The correspondent adds that the crew of all R.A.F. Marauder watched a half-hour battle between the Lufwaffe and Italian warships between Corsica and Sardinia. There were tremendous explosions as bombs hit an Italian battleship and smoke rose 4000 ft. The stern of the battleship sank under the water and the bows rose, and the battleship appeared to break in two and fold up. Cruisers and destroyers circled the spreading oil patch and picked up many survivors from the battleship. The Germans failed to secure other hits. The warships put up a heavy barrage, and one German plane fell out of control. The Algiers radio says that reports from the Mediterranean show that 23 of the Italian Navy’s 35 warships have reached Allied or neutral ports. Warships ranging from battleships to des-

troyers voluntarily steamed into Allied ports. Seventeen of these, including four battleships, had to run the gauntlet of German air attacks to reach Malta. Of nine cruisers which Italy possessed in 1942, seven are now at Malta, and two at Gibraltar. There are also two aircraft-carriers at Malta. MET BY AIRCRAFT.

Spitfires from Malta flew out and met the Italian battleships and cruisers and escorted them into Malta’s harbours, states a message from the island. The Spitfires were led by Squadron Leader Wood, D.F.C. and bar, of Vancouver, who fought in the Malta blitzes in 1942 against both Germans and Italians.

“We saw a line of ships,” said Wood, “and when we got closer we found that a little British destroyer was leading the Italians. We went down to look and. flew past the ships. Some of the Italian sailors waved at us. When we reached the leading battleship, we 'found the whole crew lined up on deck. They stood rigidly to attention as we passed, and an officer at the bow saluted us.”

Three more Italian destroyers arrived at Malta this morning. - It was reported on Friday that two Italian light cruisers, two destroyers, and two auxiliary aircraft-carriers had arrived (it Gibraltar and surrendered-to the Allied forces. The people of Malta crowded vantage points to watch the magnificently impressive sight. An observer says that the Maltese seemed tto be dazed. They do not yet fully realise the tremendous significance of the event. In this, the greatest naval event since Scapa Flow, the Italians, unlike those Germans, kept the terms of the armistice and did not attempt to scuttle the ships. General Eisenhower sent the following message to Admiral Cunningham: “My congratulations to you and all the forces under your command on the happy and conclusive ending to your three years’ campaign against the Italian Navy.” The Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Fleet formally surrendered at Malta at 4.30 p.m. yesterday. Correspondents say he did not seem unhappy; he smiled as he shook hands with, Admiral Cunningham’s chief of staff, and, when he was with Admiral Cunningham shortly afterward, victor and vanquished posed for newsreel photographers.