You can quibble all you want about the supposed condition of Maleme airfield, but the fact remains it was successully seized by the Germans from the air and supported, in your own words, the arrival of "reinforcements/supplies/heavyier equipment..... by Ju52's LANDING"
...supported
after IIRC four days.
What is your evidence that the condition of the airfields on Malta (all of which had apparently been used by Italian commercial aircraft before the war) was worse?
Worse? Well, the fact that the British lorried quarry rubble from the Luqa quarries and set it
all over the dry lake bed at Ti'Qali as natural "dragon's teeth" to prevent any landings on
any part of the circular lakebed, not JUST the runway...certainly makes it worse!
That's a THIRD of the suitable 1940 landing grounds removed.
I would refer you to the Operation Sea Lion plan for the invasion of the UK in September 1940 - a much more demanding objective than Malta at that time. This provided for 7th Flieger Division to make several drops, including the seizure of Lympne airfield, so that 22nd Air Landing Division could fly in. This, in itself, implies the necessary transport aircraft were thought to be available in September 1940.
In the SECOND version of the Sealion plans; in the
FIRST, the FJ were relegated
totally to the General Reserve for lack of transport. Even in the second version, they were relegated to TWO drops
only - behind Lympne and Hawkinge with the limited objective of holding the Royal Military Canal, rather than to seize forward landing grounds to "drive" the invasion as in Norway and Holland. These small operations, together with a number of small combat engineer "specific objective" glider drops on either side of the landing beaches - the Dover coastal gun emplacements. etc. - were ALL Student could get out of Hitler when he heard what was in the first version of the invasion plans while in his sickbed and sent officers to lobby for some role. He is recorded as being critical of the
limited use the FJ were to be put to, especially when he met with Göring at Karinhall after his discharge from hospital in August.
Interestingly - MacDonald points up
three other major problems for a prospective major airborne operation in the September 1940 period
(which was, after all, the period of the expected and planned-for Sealion...so all factors impinging on FJ performance
THERE apply to a September 1940 drop in the Med
TOO...)
"Nearly all the gliders had been used up in the assault on Eben Emael and there was also a serious shortage of parachute silk."
...and after the major losses in Norway and Holland
"...many of the new recruits had not completed their parachute training"
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yes, and that will free up ressources. However, it does not follow that those ressources would be deployed at Malta.
Likewise - it doesn't follow that once the British have word of a major offensive against Egypt and the Canal Zone being planned and forces moved for via one sea route...they would make no effort to interdict that route.
That's wishing TOO much inactivity from the British...and a PM who had driven the plan for mining Norwegian waters to - after all -
civilian German ore carriers...
Before you begin comparing the short-lived Force K with the Med fleet
No - I'm comparing them to the three 12-destroyer/one cruiser anti-invasion flotillas on the South and South-East coast of England in the summer fo 1940...gathered to do the same job, interdict a Sea Bridge.
Now you just need to demonstrate that Churchill indeed would have pressed hard for the re-deployment of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet to Malta in the event of the Germans shifting their attention south earlier than they did historically.
Jon, that redeployment is NOT what I'm talking about; I'm talking about and have done for several pages now is the redeployment of the
anti-invasion flotillas from the UK to the Med, including one or more to Malta.
And don't forget -
the Germans viewed this redeployment of forces as a real possibility Hitler to Mussolini, 20th January 1941 OTL -
"...England would then not have to bother further about a landing and could employ the bulk of her forces where she wanted on the periphery."
nor 2/ will Taranto have happened in this scenario.
Why?
All the preliminary events to a Taranto-style event will still be in place; increased traffic in the Med to/from Italy by the Axis in preparation for the offensive will require escort, will they not? The Italian Fleet WILL have to make a similar sortie at
some point to the July 1940 convoy escort -
"JULY 1940
9th - Action off Calabria or Battle of Punto Stila - On the 7th, Adm Cunningham sailed from Alexandria with battleships "Warspite", Malaya", Royal Sovereign", carrier "Eagle", cruisers and destroyers to cover convoys from Malta to Alexandria and to challenge the Italians to action. Next day - the 8th - two Italian battleships, 14 cruisers and 32 destroyers were reported in the Ionian Sea covering a convoy of their own to Benghazi in Libya..."
...for the
KM won't be there to escort troop convoys to North Africa
from the East Med Squadron - and there's no reason for the outcome to be different; the Italian Fleet pinned in harbour for x-number of months
and short of oil. Punto Stila wasn't fought by vessels based at Malta, nor was Taranto actioned by units based at
Malta ...
because 1/ there will be no Balkan & Soviet distractions pulling the Luftwaffe east
No, no Barbarossa...but no guarantee Mussolini can be kept in check in the Balkans.
The net effect of the Luftwaffe's arrival on the scene in January 1941 was that the central Mediterranean was closed off to British shipping
Jon, that's an exaggeration. if it was "closed" - then Cape matapan would never have happened, nor the March 1941 convoy made it to Malta, nor THIS -
APRIL 16th - Action of Sfax, Tunisia - Capt P. J. Mack with destroyers "Janus", "Jervis", "Mohawk" and "Nubian" sailing from Malta intercepted a German Afrika Korps convoy of five transports escorted by three Italian destroyers off Kerkennah Islands, east of Tunisia. All Axis ships were sunk including the destroyers "BALENO" (foundered next day), "LAMPO" (later salvaged) and "TARIGO". In the fighting "MOHAWK" was torpedoed by "Tarigo" and had to be scuttled.
....nor THIS -
Malta - In the first week of April, "Ark Royal" escorted by Force H sailed from Gibraltar and flew off 12 Hurricanes for Malta. Three weeks later the operation was repeated with 20 more aircraft. From the other end of the Mediterranean, Alexandria-based battleships "Barham", "Valiant" and "Warspite" together with carrier "Formidable" covered the movement of fast transport "Breconshire" to Malta. On the 21st they bombarded Tripoli on their return
...nor THIS -
Royal Navy Operations in the Mediterranean - Early in the month (MAY, my mote), Force H and the Mediterranean Fleet carried out another series of complicated supply, reinforcement and offensive operations. (1) Five fast transports sailed from Gibraltar with tanks and supplies urgently needed for the Army of the Nile (Operation 'Tiger'). Four arrived safely. (2) On passage they were accompanied by battleship "Oueen Elizabeth" and two cruisers sailing to join the Mediterranean Fleet. (3) Two small convoys were escorted westward from Egypt to Malta. (4) Other units of the Mediterranean Fleet shelled Benghazi, Libya on the night of the 7th/8th. (5) After covering the 'Tiger' convoy, "Ark Royal" joined by carrier "Furious", was once again south of Sardinia and flying off a further 48 Hurricanes to Malta on the 21st.
...nor this -
JUNE 1941 - Malta - With German forces now in Greece and Crete the problems of supplying Malta were even greater. From airfields in Crete as well as Libya, the Luftwaffe and Italian Air force were as close to the eastern convoy routes from Alexandria, as Sardinia and Sicily were to the western ones through the Strait of Gibraltar. Nevertheless the men and material were fought through for the defence of Malta and its use as an offensive base. In the one month of June alone, carrier "Ark Royal" once on her own, at other times accompanied by "Furious" or "Victorious", flew off more than 140 aircraft for Malta. Meanwhile submarines carried in urgently needed fuel and stores.
...nor THIS -
JULY 21st-24th - Malta Convoy, Operation 'Substance' - 'Substance' set out from Gibraltar with six transports covered by Force H with "Ark Royal", battlecruiser "Renown", cruisers and destroyers. Battleship "Nelson", three cruisers and more destroyers reinforced Force H from the Home Fleet. On the 23rd, south of Sardinia, sustained Italian air attacks started. Cruiser "Manchester" was hit and destroyer "FEARLESS" sunk by aircraft torpedoes. Next day the transports reached Malta safely. On the 26th the Italians launched an attack on Grand Harbour with explosive motor-boats, human torpedoes and aircraft, but failed to reach the recently arrived ships. By the 27th, Force H and a return empty convoy were in Gibraltar. During this operation, Mediterranean Fleet carried out diversionary manoeuvres in the eastern basin.
...nor THIS -
AUGUST 1941 Malta Convoy - Operation 'Style' - Early in the month, two cruisers, cruiser-minelayer "Manxman" and two destroyers successfully carried reinforcements and supplies from Gibraltar to Malta. On the way, cruiser "Hermione" rammed and sank Italian submarine "TEMBIEN" southwest of Sicily on the 2nd.
....nor THIS -
DECEMBER 13th - Action off Cape Bon, Tunisia - Destroyers “Legion”, “Maori”, “Sikh” and Dutch “lsaac Sweers” under the command of Cdr G. H. Stokes sailed from Gibraltar to join the Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria. Off Cape Bon, Tunisia they sighted two Italian 6in cruisers, “DA BARBIANO” and “DI GIUSSANO” returning from an aborted mission to carry a deck cargo of petrol to Tripoli. In a short night action and without being seen, the destroyers quickly sank both cruisers with gunfire and torpedoes. Italian loss of life was heavy.
Need I go on with Operation HALBERD, or the Action off Cape Spartivento, etc.?
The Central Med was NEVER "closed". Yes, they took losses...
November 13th - As Force H returned to Gibraltar after flying off more Hurricanes from "Ark Royal" and "Argus" for Malta, the famous and much 'sunk' "ARK ROYAL" was hit by one torpedo from "U-81". Next day she foundered in tow only a few miles from home. One man was killed. "U-81" was one of four U-boats that had just passed into the Mediterranean
November 25th - Force K hunted for Italian convoys to North Africa supported by the Mediterranean Fleet with battleships "Barham", "Queen Elizabeth" and "Valiant". In the afternoon north of Sidi Barrani, "BARHAM" (right) was hit by three torpedoes from "U-331" and as she slowly turned over and capsized, split apart in an almighty explosion. Recorded on film her apparently calamitous end is often used in naval films and documentaries. Although over 800 men were lost with her, a remarkable number were saved. Just before this tragedy, Force K had sunk two more Axis supply ships west of Crete. At this stage 60 percent of Axis North African supplies were being lost to attacks by British aircraft, submarines and warships.
...etc. and the losses off Crete -
which arguably wouldn't happen without an Italian foray into the Balkans - and the losses at the end of the year off Sirte -
which AGAIN were down to the Italian Navy and NOT the Luftwaffe...