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The War in the Mediterranean Kindle Edition

by Bernard Ireland (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
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A military history of World War II in the Mediterranean Sea, from Italy’s declaration of war to the last surrender of Axis forces.

For 1,000 days the Allied and Axis armies fought for the domination of the North African shores knowing that defeat would bring disastrous consequences. Much has been written about the conduct of the land battles and the commanders who faced each other yet, as the main protagonists realised at the time, success or failure rested on the effectiveness of their seaborne supply chain. Control of the Mediterranean was therefore crucial. In the final analysis it was the Allies’ ability to dominate the Mediterranean that bought them victory but there is no denying that it was a ‘damned close run thing’. In this authoritative study, Bernard Ireland brings a fresh clarity to the complexities and factors at play during this critical period.
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  1. Print length
    361 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Military
  5. Publication date
    July 22, 2003
  6. File size
    18627 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ireland's modest monograph, a popular but sound piece of military history, covers the war in the Mediterranean from Italy's declaration of war in 1940 to the surrender of the last Axis forces in Tunisia in May_ 1943. The orientation is primarily British and justifiably so, since the period covered was a time and the theater of action a place in which the British bore the lion's share of the burden. Ireland also emphasizes the naval side of the campaign, again justly, for the single most critical victory lay in the Royal Navy's ability to keep open supply lines to Malta, which accomplishment facilitated fatal damage to the supply lines to Axis ground forces. Ireland's successful effort to cover a large territory fairly compactly makes for a worthwhile addition to most World War II collections. Roland Green

Review

"The author had an extensive career with the Royal Navy and brings his expertise to bear in this new book. The narrative switched smoothly from the strategic down to the tactical level as he describes the various actions the Mediterranean played host to during the war."
WWII History Magazine

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KIXWLAG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Military (July 22, 2003)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 22, 2003
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 18627 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 361 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

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Bernard Ireland

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
43 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

mike j labauve
5.0 out of 5 stars very little known part of ww2
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
england was fighting a 2000 mile war, and unkown to most , us convoys was keeping the 8th army armed in north africa,
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D. G.
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
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A very interesting history of the North African campaign and the struggle at sea. Many interesting facts I wasn't aware of. An easy read.
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J. L. McPherson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Husband loved (loves) this book. Good to find it on Amazon
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Bayard B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, especially for the naval war in 1940 - 1942. Some interesting tidbits of new information.
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019
Very good. Chapters 1 - 8 were the best, I felt. They describe the early naval war between Britain and Italy and the first battles in North Africa in December 1940 - February 1941. There is a good discussion of the ill effects that the British diversion of troops and ships to Greece had on the Egypt / Libya campaign. Chapter 4 describes this as "In one of the most short-sighted strategic decisions of the war, 100 000 battle-hardened troops were earmarked for transfer to Greece. If only [Wavell] has pressed on to take Tripoli, the Germans would not have been able to land [in North Africa] in the first place." I have read this assessment in other books published in the late 1990s / early 2000s and since. It has been increasingly recognized, I think, that Churchill made some really awful decisions in 1940-1941.

Chapter 3 includes a discussion of the Royal Navy FAA night attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto. Page 50 contains an erroneous statement that one sometimes encounters in books on this attack. It states "The low speed and open cockpits of the Swordfish [torpedo bombers] were a decided asset in that the aircraft could be steered around and between the [barrage] ballon cables." This is totally false. Several authors over the years have reviewed the pilots' war reports and there are no statements to support this claim. In fact, the pilots reported that they couldn't even see the cables, which should be no surprise as the attack was conducted at night. They just steered beneath the barrage balloons and hoped for the best. None of them hit a barrage ballon cable.

There is a interesting statement on page 57 that in the December 1940 attack against the Italian army by General O'Connor, he outran his supply organization. The Royal Navy "Inshore Squadron" came to his aid by carrying stores and ammunition to his troops. This is the first I have ever read of the RN supplying the Western Desert Force via coastal shipping. I would be interested in more detailed information in how this was accomplished. Landing craft such the later LCVP, LCI, LST, and LSI didn't exist at that time, so how did the Navy unload the cargo ships and get the supplies ashore? There were no ports in that part of Egypt and Libya; it must have taken real work to transport supplies from ship to shore.

Page 136 provides a brief discussion of the proposed German - Italian "Operation Herkules" to invade Malta in April - June 1942.

There are also discussions on the Italian shipping and supply efforts to North Africa. It was far more successful than most American or British texts lead one to realize. Per page 192, about 2.25 million tons of supplies and fuel were transported to the Italian and German armies in North Africa, of which 86% were delivered. The Italians lost 1.3 million GRT of shipping, representing 60% of the shipping that was available at the opening of hostilities.

Chapters 9 - 12 describe the British and then American advances across North Africa and Algeria to the ultimate victory in Tunisia in October 1942 to May of 1943. There are a great many books on this subject; I suppose it is needed in this book to complete the story. No new information or analyses are offered here.
6 people found this helpful
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Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2020
During the war in the Mediterranean, the combatants went through ships, aircraft, and crews with non-stop, wholesale attrition. This is the story of how it happened and it's incredible. It's the best book on the subject I've read thus far. A thorough reckoning of everything that went on would be a multiple volume set. Ireland stay focused on the main thrust of things, making for a relatively short, but highly effective narrative.
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Top reviews from other countries

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田舎艦艇ファン
2.0 out of 5 stars 読み物としては価値あり
Reviewed in Japan on April 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
1940年から43年までの地中海周辺の戦闘（陸海空戦闘全般）に関する記述がほとんどです。特に北アフリカ戦線に関しての記述が多く、海上戦闘に関しては予想したほど詳しくはありませんでした。また表題のとおり1943年のチュニジア戦までなのでそれ以後のシチリア、イタリア本土戦関連は網羅していません。なお写真、地図などのビジュアル資料はほとんどありませんのでそれを目的にしている方にはお勧めできません。
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Glyn Truscott
5.0 out of 5 stars Delighted
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2020
Verified Purchase
Another brilliant book to add to my collection.
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