Free The Whale Has Wings Vol 2 - Taranto to Singapore by David Row

the ones that were helping defend Northern England and Scotland). The fighters will go by carrier through Gibraltar, the fly on to Malta. They will then use overflow tanks to fly direct to Egypt. The RAF is reluctant to release Blenheims, stating that they are needed for bombing Germany, but it is pointed out that at least two squadrons worth that are no longer considered viable in the fighter role (these were originally intended for use as night fighters, but have been replaced by faster aircraft) can be sent immediately. Churchill orders these two squadrons to be sent at once.
     
    25th November
    In Greece, Italian forces reach the river Kalamas, near Epirus. Italian aircraft also bomb Salonika and islands of Corfu and Crete. 300 people are killed in bombing attacks on Piraeus.
    The Royal Navy registers its first success at sweeping the new acoustic mine; three are exploded.
    In a setback to Hitler, Bulgaria responds to Soviet pressure and refuses to join the Axis pact.
     
    26th November
    Churchill telegrams to Wavell:
    Re:- Operation Compass... am having a Staff study made of possibilities open to us, if all goes well, for moving troops and also reserve forward by sea in long hops along the coast, and setting up new supply bases to which pursuing armoured vehicles and units might resort.
    As a result of this Wavell consults with Cunningham to get his opinion on this (he feels that staff studies in London often deal with the real situation on the ground incorrectly). In fact Cunningham is quite supportive, as he sees any action by the light units of the Italian Navy as an excuse to sink them. However he warns that there will be issues over minefields, and also air cover will be needed.
    In Moscow, Stalin informs the German ambassador that Russia is prepared to join the four-power pact provided that:
    1. German troops are immediately withdrawn from Finland.
    2. That within the next few months the security of the Soviet Union in the Straits is assured by the conclusion of a mutual-assistance pact with Bulgaria, ... and by the establishment of a base for land and naval forces by the Soviet Union within range of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.
    3. That the area south of Batum and Baku in the general direction of the Persian Gulf is recognised as the centre of the aspirations of the Soviet Union.
    4. That Japan renounces her rights to concessions for coal and oil in northern Sakhalin.
    In Africa, the Belgian Congo declares war on Italy.
    In the Western Desert, the British Western Desert Force begins 'Training exercise No 1', which is a dress rehearsal for Operation Compass.
     
    28th November
    A small fast British convoy which has been escorted through the Mediterranean by Force H splits; two ships enter Malta, the other is escorted by units of the Mediterranean fleet to Alexandria. In addition to supplies, the convoy delivers nearly 1,400 RAF technicians.
    Less than two weeks after crossing the Greek border in strength, the Italian army is retreating in total disarray. The Italian commander, General Visconti Prasca, has been sacked and Mussolini's crack 'Julia' alpine division routed with huge losses in men and equipment. The Italians have been taken completely by surprise by the speed and ferocity of the Greeks. Six days after the Italian invasion, Greece's General Papagos ordered the first counterattack. A small Greek force crossed the Albanian frontier and took Pissoderi, a mountain near the captured town of Koritsa. The main road out of Koritsa was cut by another Greek force. With their superior knowledge of the terrain, the tough and well-trained Greeks have abandoned the valleys and taken to the mountains from whence they can infiltrate enemy positions.
    Fighting at an altitude of over 5,000 feet - in the most severe winter for years - Papagos's single division has proved more than a match for the numerically superior Italians whose armour is confined to the lower ground. The Italians have paid the penalty for having