Attack!

At the end of 1940, Britain was in a sorry state. Churchill had only held the reins for a few months and reverses were everywhere. The Battle of France ended with his troops pushed into the sea at Dunkirk and the Battle of the Atlantic was cranking up as German submarines sank ship after precious ship bringing food and arms from the USA and Canada. The Royal Air Force had beaten back and humiliated Goring and so far everything had been defensive. Britain and its Empire stood alone against Germany, American isolationists prevented their overt involvement at this stage.

Civilisation was hanging in the balance. After the defeat of Dunkirk, Churchill circulated a directive demanding that the machinery of war not be concentrated on a defensive footing, he wanted us to attack! As soon as the fall of France was complete, Italy declared war on Britain and on November 11, she sent bombers and fighters to sink shipping in the English Channel. Italy had, on paper at least, a far greater air force and army to hold North Africa than the British.

Egypt was vital. To defend the Suez Canal, it must be held. Italy had previously showed that she was at least as ruthless as Germany when she attacked helpless, spear armed Abyssinia. But the tide was about to turn. Italy was soon to discover that fighting British and Australian troops, was a very different proposition. In obedience to the Churchill directive, Admiral Cunningham deployed the aircraft carrier Illustrious from Alexandria and shortly after dark, she released her Swordfish aircraft to attack the Italian fleet at harbour at Taranto, Italy.

The Swordfish at first glance was an unlikely hero of this battle. It looked like an aircraft from the first war and like most two winged aircraft it was slow and underpowered. But slung underneath each one was a powerful torpedo. Its slow speed made it vulnerable to all kinds of attack, even from rifles on the ground, but that also meant its torpedoes could be accurately placed for maximum effect. Air battles last for only as long as fuel does and this one raged for an hour. At the end only two Swordfish were lost, the Battleship Cavour was sunk, two others were put out of action for a year as well as substantial damage to the port itself.

At the same time General Wavell was preparing an attack on the Italian Army bent on taking Egypt. When that battle was concluded much of the entire Italian army were dead, wounded, captured or running away. At one point on the first day a Coldstream Battalion signalled that the prisoners were too great to count, there being 'about five acres of officers and two hundred acres of other ranks. The Italian Army was effectively destroyed as a fighting force. By the 5th of January, 1941 some 45,000 prisoners were taken and 462 field guns captured.

From this point on, Hitler and Mussolini were faced with an enemy who could not only defend but attack too. They were about to discover the ramifications of this fact.