My stepdad, who died in 2014, was a Leading Aircraftsman in the Fleet Air Arm and was on Pedestal on HMS Victorious. I record oral histories from WW2 Veterans for Bletchley Park but he wouldn’t let me record him about Pedestal. He only spoke about it once, when he did he had a thousand yard stare as he talked about it. I have left a gap before I quote him, because it is quite harrowing. He said “it was the worse time of my life. Imagine getting attacked by Stukas all day. Pushing a burning Hurricane off the flight deck that is fuelled and armed ... all while you are covered in your best friends brains”.
We can only imagine the courage and sacrifice of men like your stepfather. May he rest in the peace he gave so much to establish. All who have never experienced war owe much to men and women like these.
Today's folk have no idea what it was like in a convoy. My fathers ship was torpedoed and sunk he was lucky his face was only split in two and he would never talk about.
In 1968 I was 2nd mate of the owners first 100, 000 tons tanker. The master had been in Port Chalmers during Operation Pedestal. The owners of the new tanker (incidentally the owners of "Ohio") were determined to get photos of their new ship at sea, and so was the pilot of the hired aircraft, he came scarily close and I protested to the master, "Bob" who laconically replied, "Nah! I've seen 'em come closer than that wi' bombs an' miss!"
My grandfather was on Mediterranean convey duty during his time in the Royal Navy,he survived but never spoke his experiences either he served on HMS Q.E.
USS Wasp returned to Glasgow on 29 April 1942, where she loaded 47 Spitfires Mk Vc at King George V dock at Shieldhall. The condition of the aircraft was no better than it had been for Calendar; the essential long-range fuel tanks still fitted badly and, consequently, leaked. Wasp's captain, Reeves, refused to continue loading until the fault had been fixed on some tanks and then agreed to perform the remaining work with his own personnel. This fault had been notified to the British authorities as it had affected Calendar and its recurrence was a serious embarrassment. Wasp and her escorting force (Force W) sailed from Scapa Flow on 3 May. A further 17 Spitfires, delayed from previous "Club Runs", were transported by HMS Eagle, which joined Force W on 7/8 May from Gibraltar. On 9 May 1942, 64 Spitfires were flown off USS Wasp and HMS Eagle (61 arrived). One aircraft and its pilot was lost on takeoff. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bowery
@@sillyone52062 ,. The British kill me. Another source; In April 1942 the aircraft carrier United States Ship (USS) Wasp (CV-7), then part of the Atlantic Campaign, was attached to the British Home Fleet to deliver aircraft to Malta which was teetering on defeat after intense Italian and German bombing and military and civilian supply shortages. The Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill asked United States President Franklin Roosevelt for assistance to save Malta. www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/the-british-crown-colony-of-malta-under-siege-in-wwii/
@@sillyone52062 ,. This convoy wasn't until Aug, 1942. Its main purpose was to bring fuel to Malta. The oil tanker carried aviation fuel. It was an American tanker owned by Texas based Texaco.
Seemed more like a reckless job that destroyed tons of ships just to save an island that played no real role in operations. Britain should of let the people starve
Saving the Island is the right call. the other call was to evac the island and that would be more costly since each ship will be packed with soldiers and civilians.
Well yes, there's that, but more crucially evacuation of Malta would give the Axis total freedom to ship supplies and reinforcements to the Italo-German forces in North Afrika save the presence of the Royal Navy, but despite what you may think about the power and prestige of the British navy it was a huge risk to operate in the central Mediterranean. The Royal Navy couldn't just operate where it liked acting with total impunity. It was a huge risk and something the British didn't take lightly.
Robby House yep people forget the Royal Navy was effectively fighting on the 3 fronts as-well as having to conduct merchant fleet escort which is huge drain on resources, the Italian navy was actually more powerful than people think.
They would not evacuate Malta, it was too valuable to the allies. It had an airfield and a deep harbour for shipping and submarine base. It was prime real estate for Rommel.
The Ohio was so badly damaged that only reason she remained afloat to actual make port was the buoyancy of her cargo of oil, she settled in Malta harbour and broke up as her cargo was being discharged.
@@jankutac9753? How many merchantmen turned back? The main fleet turned back because it was only expecting to sail to that point. Beyond that point the close support group either made Malta, was badly damaged or sunk
As a maltese I am very grateful for all Merchant and Royal Navy personel who gave their lifes during Pedestal. Not least were RAF and all other branchies of the services who fought tooth and nail to save Malta, What is not mentioned in the video was the preseumably high cost of retaking the island if it was lost to the axis and if it was to be bypassed during Husky, what would had been the effect on the invasion in terms of time and lives.
My father was on the carrier HMS Furious. Up until his death in 2010, he was an honorary citizen of Malta and holder of the Maltese Cross. I believe everyone in the Santa Maria convoy (the Maltese name for it) received the Maltese Cross.
Almost No oil moved through the MED in WWII Certainly not until late 44. Of the ~7 Billion barrels of oil products used 6+ Billion came from the USA in WWII.
The US and Canada had all the oil the British could ever use and it was much safer and faster to send via the Atlantic than the Mediterranean. The Ohio came from the US, not the middle east. The Mediterranean was important because it provided a shortcut to link the rest of the Empire, India in particular. Not to diminish the importance or achievement of Malta. It signifies the importance of an island nation resisting oppression in a struggle, much like England resisted Nazism. "Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war" and all that......en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_was_their_finest_hour.
Dudley Mason got the George's Cross, the civilian equivalent of the Victoria's Cross, the highest decoration the UK could and still can award. But let's take a look at Malta's flag and the top left corner. Yup that's right. For what the population of Malta had to endure before Operation Pedestal took place THE WHOLE ISLAND was awarded the George's Cross.
actually an incredible honour only 1 of it's kind, I think it shows the immense respect the British have for the Maltese who though one of the smallest countries in Europe showed incredible courage and determination then let's say some other larger neighbours.
There is a 'replica' George Cross in the wall on the main Street in Valletta together with an explanation of what it truly represents, which is a most fitting tribute. In the Museum in Valletta is the fuselage of 'Hope' one of three Gloster Gladiator biplanes that flew in the defence of Malta, 'Charity' was taken out of service and used for spare parts early in the war. There is a saying on Malta, proudly made by the Maltese ' We lost CHARITY early in the war - But we NEVER lost 'HOPE' or 'FAITH' '. The story was featured on an early cover of The Victor, a comic from the c1958 era, it can be viewed by appointment at the British Library. Number 45-ish by memory...
Being half Maltese I'm so glad that the convoy got through Malta would have had to surrender without it. Malta at one point was the most bombed place on earth. I would have hated to see films of Italian and German soldiers swanning it around Valletta. So Mr Churchill a big thank you from me. 🇬🇧 🇲🇹
My father was the helmsman on SS Dorset when stupas blew the screws off with close misses. They were picked up by a destroyer that lashed itself onto the Ohio. The merchant seamen were all trained gunners so they gave the RN gunners a rest. The cliffs of Malta were lined with cheering people was rage Ohio was towed in. My father sat on the deck and dangled his feet in the sea. That is how close the Ohio was to sinking.
I think the brave people of Malta deserve a little credit too for being under siege with little or no supplies for so long , but another good video keep them coming.
George cross is a little credit I would say considering it is the highest British award for bravery given to civilians, and surely equivalent to military Victoria cross? Not forgotten as seemingly implied?
Personally I do think Operation Pedestal was an important piece in the war effort. For me the majority of the value of Malta comes in 2 major forms. 1, The influences it had on stopping The Axis from winning at El Alamein by lowering the supply able to reach the front line. 2, Speeding up & ensuring the Allies pushed Rommel back to Tripoli After El Alamein. Of course Im not the genius here, thats you, but I do have some of my own ideas. One of such is in regards to the "Axis Bottleneck" and more what Barnett had to say on them. Well I do agree that the axis supply lines were well overstretched, I also feel that part of that could be equated to the destruction of convoys. Some of which would likely be carrying trucks and tankers. Vital pieces of equipment for minimizing the bottleneck on land. How big of an impact Operation Pedestal had on El Alamein is hard to determine given there close time frame, but Malta as a whole absolutely would have played a tremendous part in ensuring that bottleneck on land was made tighter by the destruction of necessary equipment at sea even before El Alamein and especially after it too. After the re-recapture (I think it was the 3rd) of Tobruk The Axis supply lines would have ran all the way to Tripoli, the only functioning port they controlled. This longer tighter bottleneck, made worse by harassment from Egyptian based aviation, would only be more and more effected by the loss of every convoy as the opportunity to alleviate the situation would be cut down. Given the time in the war I do not know whether Pedestal itself was actually vital or not. But Malta itself absolutely was and if Pedestal esured it stayed in Allied hands I think it was worth it. The cost of losing Malta could be the Suez. The cost of keeping it was victory in North Africa. ADDAWAY I LOVE YOU
Ohio delivered the oil and aviation gas that the RAF needed to keep flying from Malta. There's almost no question that Malta would have been lost without the fuel for Ohio. The real value of Malta was as an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
@@sarjim4381 Not to mention an unsinkable submarine base for the resupply of RN submarines close to the Axis supply lines to North Africa. Without Malta submarines would have to sail to Alexandria in Egypt or back to Gibraltar loosing vital time on station close to the Axis convoy routes.
There was an SOE operation in Greece that killed a Important train bridge in regards to supplies flight the axis north African campaign. Funneling even more precious supplies that could make it through the Italian sea convoys. Making great targets for malta.
Captain Richard Hill of HMS Ledbury took his ship in the flaming seas around the exploded SS Waimarama (SS Waimarama is named after a small New Zealand coastal hamlet near where I was born and raised) during Pedestal, an incredble act that he later explained in his own words... "...The Admiral made to me, Rescue Survivors, but don't go into the flames. Now you've got to realise that I had been on PQ17, a convoy to Russia which had been ordered by the Admiralty to scatter because they thought the Tirpitz was about to attack. I was close escort of that convoy but the Admiral signalled to us and told us to take up station to protect him against submarines. We queried this and flashed at him, Could we go back to the convoy? But he said, No, take up your station. So we left the merchant ships at high speed and it was simply terrible. Something I have never ever got over in my life, not even now, That the Navy should leave the merchant navy. The merchant ships were nearly all sunk. And it was the Arctic and if a man was twenty seconds in the water he was dead. My crew had felt just as badly about this as I did. So when we were going with this convoy to Malta I said, “As long as theres a merchant ship afloat we'll stay alongside it and to hell with any signal we get from anybody.And I got all sorts of signals telling me to go back to Gibraltar and to do all sorts of things, but I just threw them over the side. I was determined to stay with these merchant ships. When the Waimarama blew up and I went into these flames I felt I was redeeming myself for the disgrace of leaving the ships on the Russian convoy. So we went towards the flames, I did not think anyone could have survived but as we approached there were heads bobbing about in the water, black with oil. I put down a whaler and she stayed outside the flames and picked up all the people she could find. I spoke to those we passed through a loudhailer, saying, I must get the ones near the fire first they shouted back, That's all right. I took the ship into the flames. The fire was spreading outwards over the sea, even to windward, and it was a grim race to pick up the men in the water before the flames reached them. When we got into the flames you couldn't see very much in all the fire and smoke and the heat was tremendous. Even on the bridge I had my hand over my beard because I thought it would catch on fire, I wondered how long my ship could stay there without blowing up. There was the odd survivor in the water and my sailors put a strap round their waists and jumped over the side and pulled these chaps into the landing nets. Terribly burnt, some of them. They were rushed along to the sickbay where the doctor looked after them..."
Thanks for sharing that story. Convoy PQ17 was a naval disaster and should never have happened. Full credit to the Captain and his crew for having the courage to ignore signals telling him to leave and for staying with the merchant ships. I wonder if he was court martialed for disobeying orders.
" - towards the flames." Three words you do NOT expect to hear. Thanks for this detail; very sobering stuff, amazing that there were any survivors from a merchant ship that exploded.
The huge burden of leadership is to risk making the wrong decision. Hindsight is 20/20, but the heat of battle is the true test of any man or woman. Thanks for sharing the story.
Malta in the WWII was the most bombarded country, the people of the island where suffering. The convoy of St.Maria known to the maltese was a morale booster and a miracle which kept the Maltese fighting spirit from breaking.
Was it worth it? Ask your enemy. The fact that they still attacked Malta after operation Pedestal means that the Germans thought it was an issue that had to be resolved. And that will distract them from being elsewhere.
Agreed. Had Malta been allowed to fall, the Allies would have had to take it back before they could land in Sicily. That would have meant more bloodshed in the long run. As bloody as the fight was to hold Malta, it was nothing compared to the fight to retake it. Furthermore, if you look at a map of Allied airbases in the Mediterranean, you can see that Malta was the lynchpin of the entire convoy system to Alexandria. Remove Malta from the equation and that would mean every single convoy from Gibralter to Alex would have to run a gauntlet of hundreds of miles without air cover (there's no way the RN could spare a carrier for every convoy). Air cover from Malta provided convoy crews a period of much-needed relief during their voyages.
Here in Malta the arrival of the ohio was hugely celebrated and in some ways still celebrated today. My grandparents still shed a tear when recounting the story as after pedestal it drastically changed the prospects for the island.
I had an aunt who was evacuated from Malta earlier in the war. She was a nurse in England and met my uncle in a hospital where she worked, he was in the crew of a Hamden 2 engined bomber in about 1940. Returning from a raid on Germany one night the weather was bad and pilot lost his way and ran out of fuel. They crash landed in a field in England and everyone survived but my uncle was badly injured with a smashed hip, this of course finished his flying career. As I said he met his wife in hospital, she nursed him back to health, his hip was never set properly but he could walk, BARELY. They had two daughters. My uncle was my mother’s younger brother and grew up in his shadow, i was constantly told by my mother and sister that I was the spitting image of my uncle. He died in his 80s, he was a lovely man, I miss him and I remember my aunt as one of the most beautiful women I have ever known. A cruel twist of fate was that the rest of my uncles crew returned to active duty but none of them survived the war, my uncle was the only survivor Best wishes.
As a Maltese citizen, I can say that this video depiction is very accurate. We are very proud of our history, particularly what our ancestors had to endure during the war. Coincidentally the HMS Ohio entered the harbour on the fest of the assumption of Mary. Malta being a devout catholic country saw this as divine intervention and a miracle. We celebrate this event every year and it is a national holiday. Well done Historigraph!
@@markpace123 No trouble. Ohio's sister ship, SS Kentucky, was lost on a previous Malta convoy. Fleet carrier USS Wasp delivered Spitfires to Malta in April and May 1942.
Ohio is the name of a US state, from the Seneca people's word for "great river". Would be a bit odd for the British to name a ship that themselves, but makes perfect sense for Americans to name it that before loaning it to the British.
One of the most important convoys of WW2. I’ve been to Malta, and love its people and it’s beauty. Their are artifacts of the Ohio in museums. Manned by British seamen, made of Pennsylvania steel.
Merchant seamen played an unsung part in the defeat of the third Reich! The heroism of the Maltese was not only a tactical victory but an inspiration to other people's to resist and persevere.
Yes.....England expects every man to do his duty........it is your country you are supporting by your individual efforts and if you pay the supreme sacrifice you can rest with the knowledge you did your duty.
The Maltese nicknamed the convoy "Santa Maria" because Ohio entered harbour on August 15, the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. Thank you to the heroes of Operation Pedestal by all my Maltese compatriots.
@Jonas Lazaras Petrusevicius-Wilukas But the British didn't know about it, for all they know the French could be lying and had plans to let the Germans get their fleet or if they did decide to scuttle the ships it might be too late as the Germans could've possibly get those ships before the order came to scuttle them
The French were given 4 options 1. join the British 2. sail to Briton and join the free French 3. sail to French colonies in the Caribbean and take no more part in the war 4. scuttle the ship's. Unfortunately the French commander did not make up his mine in time and the Royal navy could not take the chance that those ships would fall in to German hands how ever slim that was as that would have changed the power in the Mediterranean. There is no saying that the Germans could not land in force and take the ships before the French could stop them.
@Jonas Lazaras Petrusevicius-Wilukas That is complete speculation on your part...and ridicolous considering how many colonial French and Vichy did in fact give the axis soldiers and arms
I would think there were two sides to the saving of Malta. Indeed without it the Allies would have lost the opportunity for interdicting Axis supplies to North Africa. But the greater was preventing the use the Axis could have made of Malta themselves. I think Churchill was right in his assessment.
I CANNOT BE ANY MORE THANKFULL TO ALL THAT DEDICATED THEIR SERVICE AND SACRIFICES TO SAVING MALTA, MY MUM WAS BORN IN OCTOBER OF 1942 IN MALTA, OUR GENERATION AND THOSE THAT FOLLOW COULD NEVER COMPREHEND WHAT THESE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WENT THROUGH TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF MALTA -THANKYOU FOR YOUR VIDEO
The Italian Navy was made to sail to Malta to surrender under guns of the fortress of Valletta. I had an aunt who was a refugee from Malta, although she had been evacuated from the island earlier in the war the SATISFACTION of seeing the defeated Italian Navy lying in the great port of Valletta cannot be imagined. Those brave people of Malta suffered greatly and their courage was beyond imagination. It was estimated that more bombs per square yard were dropped on Malta by the Axis than any other theater of the war.
well Malta was very lucky Rommel committed one of the worst strategic decisions in the whole war by choosing to divert the italo-german force for Operation C3 to go help him in Africa and leave malta.
@@stralabastro142 I can ASSURE you that the Maltese never considered themselves LUCKY. If my aunt was alive today she might have explained to you just how UNLUCKY the Maltese’s were, perhaps you missed the fact that I stated in my remarks that Malta was subjected to perhaps the heaviest bombardment of bombs by the Axis of any theater of war. Having known her I can assure you that her explanation would have left you in a LESS THAN COMFORTABLE STATE when she finished. In future consider your remarks before making them especially when you have NOT THE SLIGHTEST IDEA WHAT BEING BOMBED IS LIKE.
@@oldedwardian1778 Well you're right, a possible italian occupation ( maybe with the germans but not probably ) would have been a better situation for the Maltese population than actually being bombed by Italo-german aircrafts. Italians considered the maltese culture and population similar to theirs so they would have treaten them fairly. But the possible occupation of Malta would have meant the total loss of the mediterrean theatre for the Allies.
I went to the valetta war rooms once. This little gem is tucked away in the heart of the city and is run buy a small group of passionate guys with some amazing knowledge of the island fortress! It's a must see!
I was fortunate enough to spend my birthday last year in Malta. Anyone visiting Valetta should do themselves a favour and visit the Malta at War museum, they have an amazing exhibition on Operation Pedestal and on Malta's role in the war in general. To answer the question posed in the video, it certainly was worth it for the people of Malta and given what they went through during the war it was a much deserved victory.
Go to the War Museum on Valletta and touch 'HOPE' - it is the Fuselage of one of the 3 Gloster Gladiator biplanes that remained on Malta before Spits & Hurricanes returned, One was broken for spares early in the conflict - The Maltese have a famous saying about them - 'We lost CHARITY early on - but we NEVER lost HOPE or FAITH'.
Malta got the George cross for this and also they celebrate 15th August convoy Of St Mary's miracle.Cause they all thought they were doomed and only a miracle could get them trough the war.
My dad was on Operation Pedastal and the previous Operation Harpoon, also to Malta, as a gunner on the destroyer HMS Icarus. He wrote a daily report about both in a small note book which only came to our notice when he gave it to his grandson around 1990. He was an ordinary chap called up and sent to war, he was on many Russian and Atlantic convoys as well as the Bismarck chase and the evacuation of Spitzbergen, after D-Day he was sent to Glasgow in the Naval Police.
@@theholyhay1555 Many thanks, he went through the war with only one injury, a shipmate was loading 4.5 inch shells into the ready locker in a rough sea on the way to Canada to pickup supplies, in mid Atlantic a large wave hit and he lost his footing and hit dad in the face with the shell. They had to turn the ship back to Londonderry where he was based at the time, he was in the American Hopital a while but didn't complain as once he was fit he said he hadn't eaten so well for years and had all the icecream he wanted.
Thanks to your dad and other merchant shipmen we can appreciate our children and children's children my friend....My grandfather also served with the British Navy and lost his life that day but I 'm sure that all the sacrifices they made were not in vain....Lest we forget, but live and make their sacrifice worth.....
One of my aunts was Maltese and had been a little girl during the war. Her family moved to Canada after the conflict and she would eventually meet and marry my uncle. She was a kind and fun loving woman and always a favourite in the family. Every Summer, the thunderstorms would roll in and my aunt couldn't handle them at all. She's hide on the stairs to the basement, covering her head in her hands and needed to be left alone until the thunder had passed. Years later, as an adult, I finally understood why she did this. It wasn't a fear of thunder. It was the reminder of her childhood and the constant bombing raids, each rumble and crash of the thunder rolls reminding her of another bomb strike nearby.
My Great Uncle was a conscientious objector. He did not believe that he had the right to kill another man in war due to his religious beliefs. He went before a government tribunal and they accepted this and he was able to avoid a combat duty. He therefore volunteered for non-combat duties as a merchant seaman. He was a radioman on ‘Troilus’ and was in the convoy on Operation Harpoon (the convoy prior to Pedestal). I knew him in his 80s and he spoke very little of the Malta convoy as it was his darkest time during the war. I do know one thing, and that is that he continued to have sleepless nights until the day he died. He was a gentle and kind man and I am incredibly proud of him. For my Great Uncle Ronald Lees.
The courage and perseverance shown by all, including the Maltese population, cannot be overstated. I had the opportunity to meet an eyewitness here in Malta, and he still had tears in his eyes when speaking of the Miracle of the Santa Marija Convoy.
I'm so grateful for this video! I have been trying to research my grandfathers history in the navy, I never knew him but have his service record. This has been a huge help in understanding his time in the war. He was on the HMS Manchester during this operation. I'm so proud to think he was one of the many brave men involved in this operation. Thankyou!
I've been to Malta many times and am fascinated by its history, I had the pleasure of researching and reuniting a Spitfire (PR) pilot (Harry Coldbeck) who retired to NZ with some relatives in the UK just before he passed away, he sent me some wonderful photographs of his time in Malta. August 15th is usually a 'feast' day in Malta if my memory serves me right and was given more significance with the arrival of the Ohio.Unfortunately the tanker was so badly damaged that it was scuttled shortly after unloading its precious cargo.
Great video My great uncle was a Seaman on the battleship HMS Rodney and so was involved in this operation. Also, my great grandfather was an anti-aircraft gunner on Malta, so when the convoy arrived they happened to meet up as brothers.
My Aunt was a nurse Sister at the Valletta military hospital. She was as upset as anyone at the cost of keeping them supplied but always said that saving Malta was absolutely worth it. Rommel certainly struggled to supply his front line but he only gave up when he ran out of supplies.
Good film, thanks! My Grandad was a Petty Officer on The Nigeria. She went off to Virginia to be repaired, and he loved his time there - to the point that when my mum was born two years later, she was given Virginia as her middle name. Typically, he'd never talk about his wartime experiences, Nigeria completed many Arctic Convoys and some fo the pictures we have are shocking. Respect - and thanks - to them all.
This fledging history channel is the best of them all. Perfect balance between information, achival footage, and visual representations. You should have 800k subs by now. Keep at it!
They took terrible loses but I like to believe it was worth it. I bet if you asked any of the Allies fighting in Africa if they thought it was worth it you would get a resounding YES. So yes, it was worth it. Malta was a thorn in the side of Axis powers throughout the war. It was difficult to even send transport planes from Italy to Africa because of the fighters parked on Malta.
I follow a great variety of history/battle depiction channel. I can, with clear conscious, tell that your channel is one of the best among them. Real high quality content and battle depictions are just awesome. Keep it up my man.
One only needs to look at the thousand of year history of Malta to understand its significance. Hindsight is 20/20 but taking Malta for such a high price was indeed cause worth dying for. One small change in the course of the war and Malta could have been the tipping point. Had the Axis taken Malta there are many ways the war could have played out differently. The threat of Germany securing the oil fields in Baku war very real. Had they managed to do so, Malta would have been one of the most strategic areas of the war.
That film has, in essence, been made and it was called the Malta Story and was released in 1953. It was built around a fictionalised story of an RAF pilot who fell in love with a Maltese woman, but it's all in the context of real events. Whilst the arrival of the Ohio is not the final end of the film, it's arrival marked the turning point, and in that sense the climax and the obvious saviour of the Island. The film ends with the Maria, the Maltese woman in question, reading a report of the defeat of the Afrika Corps at the 2nd battle of El Alamein whilst mourning the loss of her lover. The character of pilot was loosely based on the life of Adrian Warburton, whose exploits in Malta achieved near legendary status. He was killed in the latter part of WW II (but not in Malta). It's a fairly typical British war film of the era, with a lot of stiff upper lips on show and featuring actors like Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel. Muriel Pavlow, who played Maria, and was the last survivor from the cast of that film died, aged 97, in London in January 2019, less than three months before this was uploaded.
@@TheEulerID Malta Story could not have been further from the real siege if it tried. A truly godawful movie. Guinness' character was so unbelievably tedious I was rooting for the 109s by the end of it.
@@_BraisedIt Why resort to such ridiculous hyperbole? The broad outline was there. the Island was brutally bombed, the population neared starvation, much of the population of Valletta did survive the bombing living in underground shelters. The Ohio arrived under the most adverse of conditions and did play it's critical part in preventing the fall of Malta, which went on to become an effective base for interrupting Axis supplies to North Africa. You may not care for the sub-plot, but to say it could not have been further from the real siege is obviously ridiculous. It's not a documentary, and neither is it U-571.
@@TheEulerID Sorry if I seemed unduly harsh there, I just really, really hated that movie. And considering the struggles of the island were barely even a backdrop to the main plot of finding an *Italian* convoy, wrapped up in the stiffest and least convincing romance ever put on film, it saddens me when people recommend it, because it's a classic example of hack writers thinking they know a better story than the real events, and barely footnote them in favour of their own contrived melodrama. The siege deserves the Battle of Britain treatment, not the Pearl Harbor treatment that Malta Story went for.
My grandfather took part in this operation and was on the destroyer HMS Ledbury which helped to steer the damaged US tanker Ohio. He took pictures on the way and some show the ship picking up German pilots from the sea. Who knows, if Ledbury was hit I probably wouldn't be here writing this.
Thank you for posting this. You've succeeded in telling a complex story well. My father was a 19-year-old stoker on the HMS Quentin, one of the 32 destroyers that escorted the convoy. It was the defining campaign of his life and was clearly quite terrifying, but crucial. We can never fully grasp the sacrifice of those who have gone before us, but films like this help.
Thank you for this video. If Malta had fallen to the Axis powers there would have been no operation Husky, the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany. I am proud to say that my 96 year old father was probably the only Maltese to take part in Operation Husky and was with the British 8th Army from the Western Desert up to Berlin. That is why Churchill wanted to save Malta "at all cost"
@@oldedwardian1778 yes my father did the Atlantic and med plus others He would rarely talk about his time in the war. I watched the film cruel sea and asked him if they went through sailors in the water and he said YES and he never spoke about it again. Can you imagine how disturbing that must have been. Today's youngsters have no concept of terror or death and think its interesting
The merchant marine are the unsung heroes of the war who fulfilled a role more important than that of any infantryman or any pilot...and suffered worse causalities in some of the most inhospitable theaters of war.
@carmine paola While I admit that the Regina Marina performed better than the Italians' useless army I can think of several battles that they lost. The battles of Cape Spada, Cape Bon, Cape Passero and of course Cape Matapan spring to mind (I've already mentioned Taranto).
I read a very good book about this relief mission not long ago. Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942 by Max Hastings. It is a gripping tale of raw courage & determination to fulfill this vital voyage. I salute the Royal Navy, the Regia Marina & the merchant marines of the UK & US.
Whatever historians say, we, the maltese people are grateful for the sacrifice of so much lifes to save Malta from surrender. The George Cross Island will never forget the heroes of this convoy. In my opinion, this convoy was fundamental for the change from defense to attack. God bless the heroes and there families.
My Grandfather was one of the Merchant Captains on Pedestal. After he reached Malta, he had a silversmith make an Ink Blotter for his desk with two Maltese crowns embedded in it and the dates that he was there. His ship was one of the supply ships for HMS Nelson and Rodney. It was capable of keeping up with the battle-wagons and he carried the ammo as well as the food and other stores needed on the Battleships. His speed was one of the reasons why his ship survived, but many of his friends died. At the end of the war, he was offered a CBE for his services, but turned it down. Another unusual fact is that he was a first officer at the start of the war in 1939. His ship arrived at Valetta with supplies, but had to wait outside the harbour for the pilot to take them in. With a couple of ship's hands, he took a long boat and they started in towards the harbour to fetch the Pilot. He had not motored more than 100 yards from his ship when an Italian torpedo slammed into his ship and sank it. He spent a while in Malta until he was reassigned, but he was made Captain and then served on Pedestal. He was on a lot of convoys in the Atlantic, keeping pace with Rodney and Nelson whenever they were escorts. He once told me that he knew that if the Germans ever torpedoed his ship, he would not have known much about it. They carried an awful lot of ammo, included the charges for the main guns. When ammo ships were hit, they normally exploded immediately with the loss of all hands. That's why he lost so many friends. Most of them were carrying ammo. I had occasion to meet another sailor from WW2. He served on ocean-going tugs. So he was often sent out to recover ships that were badly damaged. He told me that he lost several ships and was once torpedoed by a U-boat. Thankfully he was rescued each time - then went straight back to work on another tug when he got home. Today's children moan about Climate Change. They don't know the real hardships that people who lived through the war suffered. Not just the constant fear that you might die, but also the hunger due to rationing. Britain has some marvellous people.
I read about this fascinating story from a book in my ships' library titled "At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II". The story gives vivid details about the harrowing experience by the military and merchant mariners involved in the convoy. The sad part is that American Merchant Marine crews failed to gain full recognition of their wartime service until the 1980's, long after the war had ended and many mariners had died. Even today, it is taking much effort by private citizens to get the Congressional Gold Medal through committee's in the American congress to recognize the few remaining living veteran mariners and the families of those who have since passed on. Freedom isn't free, as this video clearly has shown.
Wonderful job turning this story into a 10 min video. There's a really cool picture online of the HMS Ithuriel bearing down on the submarine Cobalto right before the ramming. Just Google "HMS Ithuriel and Cobalto".
Excellent video. No sensible commentator has denied the importance of Malta in winning the North African campaign. My father was a a merchant navy master during the war, and at times appointed as commodore on various convoys. He was not part of the Malta convoys, but knew many who were, some who perished and some who survived, and he knew how important all this was, as did Rommel and Kesselring, although they disagreed on priorities. Keep up the good work. Mike Rowland-Hill
As a Maltese person, not having experienced the war, 77 years today 15th August 2019, Operation Pedestal sealed my faith, probably my own existence. I remember my late father, a young boy at that time, relating the state of Malta at that particular time of the war. On this day, I give honour and respect to all those who gave their lives to save mine, as long as there is 1 Maltese person living, you will not be forgotten. But none the less respect to those that made it, they too risked their lives for Malta and us. Thank you. I am not going to go into the dilemma if the Convoy should or should not happened. I am not a historian nor very much learned about the subject. All I can say is this:- Great Britain awarded the island the Highest medal to the country and ALL it`s people, the George Cross. Surely at that time, it was felt that Malta deserved it. King George sent this letter in his own handwriting to the than Governor of Malta, Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie:- this is what the letter said, The Governor Malta To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history. George R.I. April 15th 1942
The story of the SS Ohio is well told in "At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II", the story of two US merchant mariners and how they almost single handedly fought off German and Italian aircraft after boarding Ohio when their own ship was sunk. The two sailors were determined that the Ohio was going to make it to Malta, and the story is a real page turner. It's available from Amazon as an e-book.
Man thanks for doing this video its one i have been anticipating this for ages. Good to see a country i have been in for most of my life get a bit of recognition. thanks man keep up the great work. i believe this convoy was also called the Santa Maria convoy which is a holiday here
@@PsilocybinCocktailActually the convoy or what was left of it arrived in Grand Harbour on 15th August the feast of Santa Maria!! At that time my father was serving as a stoker petty officer on HMS Sunset a mine sweeper!!!
Graham - I've only just discovered this video. My late father was onboard HMS Cairo when it was sunk by Axum. He was also on Harpoon, the june convoy that made it to Malta, and was extremely proud of his Maltese Cross. I've recently read Max Hastings' new book Operation Pedestal. Great book for anyone interested in this convoy.
Operation Pedestal was necessary , Malta was desperate for food water and petrel , there were many sad sacrifices with the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy I have read a lot of history on Malta. I have a book writen by George Borrow it is called Wild Wales and on the front cover stamped in gold print it said "Ward Room HMS Indomidable" she was one of the 4 Aircraft Carriers who was part of that Operation she had won 5 Major War Battles in W11. I also got to meet a Canadian Spitfire pilot his name was Jake Woolgar and flew Spitfires in Malta he came back to Yellowknife in the NWT and flew a Super Cub prospecting up here, Merlyn Williams.
Thanks for this fascinating vid. I have been fortunate enough to visit Malta three times since 2021, for six weeks in total. Like in Britain, the war seems to have made an indomitable impression on the people of Malta. Few of the wartime generation are left, but whenever you chat with the Maltese, family memories are vivid. To stand in the RAF cemetery is a truly humbling experience.
i went to Malta about six years ago, got talking to a guy at a bar one night he was probably in his sixites not much older. i mentioned in passing my grand father was in the merchant navy and played a role in the Mediterranean theatre . three hours later him and his brother were buying me drinks talking about operation pedestal and how Britain never gave up on the Maltese during their darkest hour. what a night!. rule brittania bla bla bla.......
The fact that the Axis devoted so much effort to trying to take Malta tells us how much it hurt them and the fact they tried to create an air bridge to supply everything including fuel from Italy to Rommel tells us the supply issue was much more significant than a trucking issue.
The start of the Allies re-gaining air superiority in the Med. The Italians and Germans couldn't sustain the rate of their attacks all across the region because of them losing control of the air space around Malta. Very much a key strategic victory for the Allies.
Love your work Historigraph. You, Bismarck and Military History Visualized are what documentaries should be about. If my Mrs didn't watch the telly I wouldn't bother with a TV licence. This account of Pedestal was great, second only to my favourite wartime autobiography of all, "The gave me a Seafire" by Commander Mike Crosely - who was aboard Eagle when she was sunk. Well worth reading :)
My great uncle once told me about the speech that one of the island's army Captains gave: "These bastards think they can beat us, Bully us and boss us around like a dog, people think we should roll over and die. People cry 'the sky is falling', I say let it fall so they can see how strong we are, Because the sky may fall and sea may boil, But Malta will stand tall and this island will not FALL!" It may not be Churchill but in such a desperate time when people thought the fall of Malta to the Axis was inevitable, the speech must of seem like a light shining in the darkness. From what I've heard, a cousin of my uncle was serving on the island and a fair few soldiers saw the siege as "and that's all she wrote..." so their Captain (I think) gave this speech to lift their spirits.
A bit like the tanker 'San Demetrio - London' (The Ship that Would Not Die - Victor comic #29, view it via the British Library), made into an Ealing Film. A 6' model of it is in The Imperial War Museum, 1st floor, London.
Honestly, the braves guys must have been the uboat U73 at the start. Driving into the middle of THAT convoy at still fire despite the situation takes a lot. They were eather brave as hell or didnt realise the full situation and were extreamly lucky :)
Just recently come back from Malta as my first visit. My grandfather earned his Africa Star and Italy Star via this amazing country. The relief of Malta cannot be underestimated, and the Maltese love of what the British did, facing incalculable odds, remains to this day in their war museum. This is a great explanation of one of the most audacious acts of WW2.
Malta,like Guadalcanal, shows the link between air, sea and land operations. Without Malta then El Alamein may not have been decisive as Rommel, with his LOC secured could have withdrawn in good order.
2.00 "The SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company (now Texaco). The ship was launched on 20 April 1940 at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania." Ohio with others of her class were the largest and fastest tankers produced up to that time. They were of welded construction. Sister ship SS Kentucky was scuttled on a previous convoy. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ohio
The Maltese people still consider this as the Miracle of Santa Maria (as 15th August is a public feast in Malta for Saint Mary). During the feast in some towns, they wail the war sirens and put a brilliant display of fireworks :) - arguably the best fireworks show is in the town of Imqabba.
Malta was absolutely important in the Med. Without it, the Axis would have been able to close down traffic to Alexandria, and with it the possibility of controlling the Suez Canal.
My Grandfather was the Vice Commodore (Merchant) on Pedestal, Captain Wm Charles Smith. His ship was the supply ship for HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson. He carried the ammunition and other supplies needed by these battlewagons. His ship was a fast merchant, able to keep up with the battleships. When Rodney and Nelson turned back, my Grandfather's ship carried on with the merchant convoy. They'd also loaded a significant amount of supplies for Malta. He arrived at Malta unscathed. One hit would have been terminal as they were loaded with ammo. He survived the entire war without being hit in that ship, but he did lose a lot of friends. Early on in the war, another Merchant ship he was first officer on arrived at Valletta harbor and waited for the pilot to come out. As he didn't turn up, my Grandfather took a ship's boat to go fetch the harbor pilot. His boat was 100 yards from his fully laden ship when a torpedo slammed into the side of it and he watched it sink at the harbor entrance. A submarine was nearby but never found. One of our proudest family heirlooms is a solid silver ink blotter than my Grandfather had made in Malta after the Operation. It has two Maltese Crowns and the words Malta 1942.
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
My stepdad, who died in 2014, was a Leading Aircraftsman in the Fleet Air Arm and was on Pedestal on HMS Victorious. I record oral histories from WW2 Veterans for Bletchley Park but he wouldn’t let me record him about Pedestal. He only spoke about it once, when he did he had a thousand yard stare as he talked about it. I have left a gap before I quote him, because it is quite harrowing.
He said “it was the worse time of my life. Imagine getting attacked by Stukas all day. Pushing a burning Hurricane off the flight deck that is fuelled and armed ... all while you are covered in your best friends brains”.
We can only imagine the courage and sacrifice of men like your stepfather. May he rest in the peace he gave so much to establish. All who have never experienced war owe much to men and women like these.
Today's folk have no idea what it was like in a convoy. My fathers ship was torpedoed and sunk he was lucky his face was only split in two and he would never talk about.
Stukas are terrifying
Brave man
In 1968 I was 2nd mate of the owners first 100, 000 tons tanker. The master had been in Port Chalmers during Operation Pedestal. The owners of the new tanker (incidentally the owners of "Ohio") were determined to get photos of their new ship at sea, and so was the pilot of the hired aircraft, he came scarily close and I protested to the master, "Bob" who laconically replied, "Nah! I've seen 'em come closer than that wi' bombs an' miss!"
My grandfather was on Mediterranean convey duty during his time in the Royal Navy,he survived but never spoke his experiences either he served on HMS Q.E.
One of the most inspiring events of WW2 in my opinion. Much respect to the Commonwealth and Maltese who lost their life in this siege.
Add this to the defense of Wake Island and the stand at Thermopylae.
USS Wasp returned to Glasgow on 29 April 1942, where she loaded 47 Spitfires Mk Vc at King George V dock at Shieldhall. The condition of the aircraft was no better than it had been for Calendar; the essential long-range fuel tanks still fitted badly and, consequently, leaked. Wasp's captain, Reeves, refused to continue loading until the fault had been fixed on some tanks and then agreed to perform the remaining work with his own personnel. This fault had been notified to the British authorities as it had affected Calendar and its recurrence was a serious embarrassment.
Wasp and her escorting force (Force W) sailed from Scapa Flow on 3 May. A further 17 Spitfires, delayed from previous "Club Runs", were transported by HMS Eagle, which joined Force W on 7/8 May from Gibraltar.
On 9 May 1942, 64 Spitfires were flown off USS Wasp and HMS Eagle (61 arrived). One aircraft and its pilot was lost on takeoff.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bowery
@@sillyone52062 ,. The British kill me.
Another source;
In April 1942 the aircraft carrier United States Ship (USS) Wasp (CV-7), then part of the Atlantic Campaign, was attached to the British Home Fleet to deliver aircraft to Malta which was teetering on defeat after intense Italian and German bombing and military and civilian supply shortages. The Prime Minister of England Winston Churchill asked United States President Franklin Roosevelt for assistance to save Malta.
www.ww2history.org/war-in-europe/the-british-crown-colony-of-malta-under-siege-in-wwii/
@@sillyone52062 ,. This convoy wasn't until Aug, 1942.
Its main purpose was to bring fuel to Malta.
The oil tanker carried aviation fuel.
It was an American tanker owned by Texas based Texaco.
Seemed more like a reckless job that destroyed tons of ships just to save an island that played no real role in operations. Britain should of let the people starve
Saving the Island is the right call. the other call was to evac the island and that would be more costly since each ship will be packed with soldiers and civilians.
Well yes, there's that, but more crucially evacuation of Malta would give the Axis total freedom to ship supplies and reinforcements to the Italo-German forces in North Afrika save the presence of the Royal Navy, but despite what you may think about the power and prestige of the British navy it was a huge risk to operate in the central Mediterranean. The Royal Navy couldn't just operate where it liked acting with total impunity. It was a huge risk and something the British didn't take lightly.
Robby House yep people forget the Royal Navy was effectively fighting on the 3 fronts as-well as having to conduct merchant fleet escort which is huge drain on resources, the Italian navy was actually more powerful than people think.
They would not evacuate Malta, it was too valuable to the allies. It had an airfield and a deep harbour for shipping and submarine base. It was prime real estate for Rommel.
@@pvtjohntowle4081 Right...if the Axis were to occupy it, it would occur only after a very hard and bloody invasion.
Losing Malta might have meant losing the war in the Mediterranean. That was a risk the Brits were not ready to take.
Ohio midshipmen "Sir, we've been hit! We're going to sink!"
Ohio captain "Nah."
JJ Latham ten minute history is good too
Also Ohio's Captain : "we have flex tape no worries"
*_gets out and pushes_*
THE AXIS SAWED THIS BOAT IN HALF! AND I REPAIRED IT WITH ONLY FLEX TAPE!
Pulls out a reverse uno card
The Ohio was so badly damaged that only reason she remained afloat to actual make port was the buoyancy of her cargo of oil, she settled in Malta harbour and broke up as her cargo was being discharged.
She was actually supported by two British destroyers on the final leg of the journey. One hard up on either side.
Though refloated and used as a hulk for a few years
Why did more and more ships turn back instead of sticking together to the end?
@@jankutac9753? How many merchantmen turned back? The main fleet turned back because it was only expecting to sail to that point. Beyond that point the close support group either made Malta, was badly damaged or sunk
@@sobobwas6871 yeah that's what I mean. Why didn't all ships go all the way? Strength in numbers, more AA guns etc
As a maltese I am very grateful for all Merchant and Royal Navy personel who gave their lifes during Pedestal. Not least were RAF and all other branchies of the services who fought tooth and nail to save Malta, What is not mentioned in the video was the preseumably high cost of retaking the island if it was lost to the axis and if it was to be bypassed during Husky, what would had been the effect on the invasion in terms of time and lives.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Award_of_the_George_Cross_to_Malta. I think that says it all.
Malta was a vital strategic position; the UK government couldn't have cared less about the people of Malta.
Bloody wehraboo go cry about Dresden or something
@@vapeymcvape5000 Oh! You'd know that for a fact would you, Dopey McDope!
@@vapeymcvape5000 Sounds like a wehraboos war cry
My father was on the carrier HMS Furious. Up until his death in 2010, he was an honorary citizen of Malta and holder of the Maltese Cross. I believe everyone in the Santa Maria convoy (the Maltese name for it) received the Maltese Cross.
Amazing
No Malta, No Suez, No oil, no D-Day.
PS, They made Dunkirk, why not make this into a movie as well?
I think there is an old british movie of the 50s
Almost No oil moved through the MED in WWII Certainly not until late 44. Of the ~7 Billion barrels of oil products used 6+ Billion came from the USA in WWII.
'A Malta Story' starring Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins!
The US and Canada had all the oil the British could ever use and it was much safer and faster to send via the Atlantic than the Mediterranean. The Ohio came from the US, not the middle east. The Mediterranean was important because it provided a shortcut to link the rest of the Empire, India in particular. Not to diminish the importance or achievement of Malta. It signifies the importance of an island nation resisting oppression in a struggle, much like England resisted Nazism. "Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war" and all that......en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_was_their_finest_hour.
It would be a great movie if they stuck to the facts, and didn't Hollywood it up.
Dudley Mason got the George's Cross, the civilian equivalent of the Victoria's Cross, the highest decoration the UK could and still can award.
But let's take a look at Malta's flag and the top left corner. Yup that's right. For what the population of Malta had to endure before Operation Pedestal took place THE WHOLE ISLAND was awarded the George's Cross.
The most heavily bombed place on earth at the time. The people of Malta earnt that award the hard way.
actually an incredible honour only 1 of it's kind, I think it shows the immense respect the British have for the Maltese who though one of the smallest countries in Europe showed incredible courage and determination then let's say some other larger neighbours.
There is a 'replica' George Cross in the wall on the main Street in Valletta together with an explanation of what it truly represents, which is a most fitting tribute. In the Museum in Valletta is the fuselage of 'Hope' one of three Gloster Gladiator biplanes that flew in the defence of Malta, 'Charity' was taken out of service and used for spare parts early in the war. There is a saying on Malta, proudly made by the Maltese ' We lost CHARITY early in the war - But we NEVER lost 'HOPE' or 'FAITH' '. The story was featured on an early cover of The Victor, a comic from the c1958 era, it can be viewed by appointment at the British Library. Number 45-ish by memory...
Being half Maltese I'm so glad that the convoy got through Malta would have had to surrender without it. Malta at one point was the most bombed place on earth. I would have hated to see films of Italian and German soldiers swanning it around Valletta. So Mr Churchill a big thank you from me.
🇬🇧 🇲🇹
Fun fact: Operation Pedestal is called 'Santa Marija Konvoy' here in Malta because the event coincided with the Santa Marija feast.
From what I have read there was so little food available on Malta at the time that any feast would have been in name only.
@@markfryer9880 i know this will sound corny, but hope and few crumbs of bread are the right choice of dish after all misery they had been through.
My father was the helmsman on SS Dorset when stupas blew the screws off with close misses. They were picked up by a destroyer that lashed itself onto the Ohio. The merchant seamen were all trained gunners so they gave the RN gunners a rest. The cliffs of Malta were lined with cheering people was rage Ohio was towed in. My father sat on the deck and dangled his feet in the sea. That is how close the Ohio was to sinking.
I believe the Ohio arrived in Malta on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.
September 8th??
I think the brave people of Malta deserve a little credit too for being under siege with little or no supplies for so long , but another good video keep them coming.
*Starbuck. The population of Malta were awarded the George Cross, the highest British civilian award for bravery. Does that count as recognition?
Just look at their flag for the recognition they got
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Award_of_the_George_Cross_to_Malta
George cross is a little credit I would say considering it is the highest British award for bravery given to civilians, and surely equivalent to military Victoria cross?
Not forgotten as seemingly implied?
pfft when is Malta NOT under siege? its just another day for them
This has to be my favorite history channel
Glad to hear it!
Has to be a close call for me between this one and Kings and Generals.
"History channel"
Personally I do think Operation Pedestal was an important piece in the war effort. For me the majority of the value of Malta comes in 2 major forms. 1, The influences it had on stopping The Axis from winning at El Alamein by lowering the supply able to reach the front line. 2, Speeding up & ensuring the Allies pushed Rommel back to Tripoli After El Alamein. Of course Im not the genius here, thats you, but I do have some of my own ideas. One of such is in regards to the "Axis Bottleneck" and more what Barnett had to say on them. Well I do agree that the axis supply lines were well overstretched, I also feel that part of that could be equated to the destruction of convoys. Some of which would likely be carrying trucks and tankers. Vital pieces of equipment for minimizing the bottleneck on land. How big of an impact Operation Pedestal had on El Alamein is hard to determine given there close time frame, but Malta as a whole absolutely would have played a tremendous part in ensuring that bottleneck on land was made tighter by the destruction of necessary equipment at sea even before El Alamein and especially after it too. After the re-recapture (I think it was the 3rd) of Tobruk The Axis supply lines would have ran all the way to Tripoli, the only functioning port they controlled. This longer tighter bottleneck, made worse by harassment from Egyptian based aviation, would only be more and more effected by the loss of every convoy as the opportunity to alleviate the situation would be cut down. Given the time in the war I do not know whether Pedestal itself was actually vital or not. But Malta itself absolutely was and if Pedestal esured it stayed in Allied hands I think it was worth it. The cost of losing Malta could be the Suez. The cost of keeping it was victory in North Africa.
ADDAWAY I LOVE YOU
(San Toast, 2019, para.1)
Ohio delivered the oil and aviation gas that the RAF needed to keep flying from Malta. There's almost no question that Malta would have been lost without the fuel for Ohio. The real value of Malta was as an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
@@sarjim4381 Not to mention an unsinkable submarine base for the resupply of RN submarines close to the Axis supply lines to North Africa. Without Malta submarines would have to sail to Alexandria in Egypt or back to Gibraltar loosing vital time on station close to the Axis convoy routes.
@@markfryer9880 Quite so. It would have been difficult to nearly impossible to conduct naval or air operations in the Med without Malta.
There was an SOE operation in Greece that killed a Important train bridge in regards to supplies flight the axis north African campaign. Funneling even more precious supplies that could make it through the Italian sea convoys. Making great targets for malta.
Captain Richard Hill of HMS Ledbury took his ship in the flaming seas around the exploded SS Waimarama (SS Waimarama is named after a small New Zealand coastal hamlet near where I was born and raised) during Pedestal, an incredble act that he later explained in his own words...
"...The Admiral made to me, Rescue Survivors, but don't go into the flames. Now you've got to realise that I had been on PQ17, a convoy to Russia which had been ordered by the Admiralty to scatter because they thought the Tirpitz was about to attack. I was close escort of that convoy but the Admiral signalled to us and told us to take up station to protect him against submarines. We queried this and flashed at him, Could we go back to the convoy? But he said, No, take up your station. So we left the merchant ships at high speed and it was simply terrible. Something I have never ever got over in my life, not even now, That the Navy should leave the merchant navy. The merchant ships were nearly all sunk. And it was the Arctic and if a man was twenty seconds in the water he was dead.
My crew had felt just as badly about this as I did. So when we were going with this convoy to Malta I said, “As long as theres a merchant ship afloat we'll stay alongside it and to hell with any signal we get from anybody.And I got all sorts of signals telling me to go back to Gibraltar and to do all sorts of things, but I just threw them over the side. I was determined to stay with these merchant ships. When the Waimarama blew up and I went into these flames I felt I was redeeming myself for the disgrace of leaving the ships on the Russian convoy.
So we went towards the flames, I did not think anyone could have survived but as we approached there were heads bobbing about in the water, black with oil. I put down a whaler and she stayed outside the flames and picked up all the people she could find. I spoke to those we passed through a loudhailer, saying, I must get the ones near the fire first they shouted back, That's all right.
I took the ship into the flames. The fire was spreading outwards over the sea, even to windward, and it was a grim race to pick up the men in the water before the flames reached them. When we got into the flames you couldn't see very much in all the fire and smoke and the heat was tremendous. Even on the bridge I had my hand over my beard because I thought it would catch on fire, I wondered how long my ship could stay there without blowing up. There was the odd survivor in the water and my sailors put a strap round their waists and jumped over the side and pulled these chaps into the landing nets. Terribly burnt, some of them. They were rushed along to the sickbay where the doctor looked after them..."
Thanks for sharing that story. Convoy PQ17 was a naval disaster and should never have happened. Full credit to the Captain and his crew for having the courage to ignore signals telling him to leave and for staying with the merchant ships. I wonder if he was court martialed for disobeying orders.
" - towards the flames." Three words you do NOT expect to hear. Thanks for this detail; very sobering stuff, amazing that there were any survivors from a merchant ship that exploded.
I read his book when I was at school, can't remember what it was called but an excellent book.
The huge burden of leadership is to risk making the wrong decision. Hindsight is 20/20, but the heat of battle is the true test of any man or woman. Thanks for sharing the story.
That's inspiring. Does the RN proud.
Malta in the WWII was the most bombarded country, the people of the island where suffering. The convoy of St.Maria known to the maltese was a morale booster and a miracle which kept the Maltese fighting spirit from breaking.
Some call the Axis campaign on Malta the Second Great Siege of Malta.
Was it worth it? Ask your enemy. The fact that they still attacked Malta after operation Pedestal means that the Germans thought it was an issue that had to be resolved. And that will distract them from being elsewhere.
Agreed. Had Malta been allowed to fall, the Allies would have had to take it back before they could land in Sicily. That would have meant more bloodshed in the long run. As bloody as the fight was to hold Malta, it was nothing compared to the fight to retake it.
Furthermore, if you look at a map of Allied airbases in the Mediterranean, you can see that Malta was the lynchpin of the entire convoy system to Alexandria. Remove Malta from the equation and that would mean every single convoy from Gibralter to Alex would have to run a gauntlet of hundreds of miles without air cover (there's no way the RN could spare a carrier for every convoy). Air cover from Malta provided convoy crews a period of much-needed relief during their voyages.
The courage of these men should never be forgotten.
Lest we forget 🇬🇧
Much respect for making a video about what quite literally saved my country during the war.
British pog
Here in Malta the arrival of the ohio was hugely celebrated and in some ways still celebrated today. My grandparents still shed a tear when recounting the story as after pedestal it drastically changed the prospects for the island.
I had an aunt who was evacuated from Malta earlier in the war.
She was a nurse in England and met my uncle in a hospital where she worked, he was in the crew of a Hamden 2 engined bomber in about 1940.
Returning from a raid on Germany one night the weather was bad and pilot lost his way and ran out of fuel.
They crash landed in a field in England and everyone survived but my uncle was badly injured with a smashed hip, this of course finished his flying career.
As I said he met his wife in hospital, she nursed him back to health, his hip was never set properly but he could walk, BARELY.
They had two daughters.
My uncle was my mother’s younger brother and grew up in his shadow, i was constantly told by my mother and sister that I was the spitting image of my uncle.
He died in his 80s, he was a lovely man, I miss him and I remember my aunt as one of the most beautiful women I have ever known.
A cruel twist of fate was that the rest of my uncles crew returned to active duty but none of them survived the war, my uncle was the only survivor
Best wishes.
5:00 Ohio:
"Sir, we have a fire!
Oh, nevermind. The hullbreach extinguished it."
Every game of FTL heh
As a Maltese citizen, I can say that this video depiction is very accurate. We are very proud of our history, particularly what our ancestors had to endure during the war. Coincidentally the HMS Ohio entered the harbour on the fest of the assumption of Mary. Malta being a devout catholic country saw this as divine intervention and a miracle. We celebrate this event every year and it is a national holiday.
Well done Historigraph!
SS Ohio, made in USA, on loan to Britain.
@@nickdanger3802 thank you for pointing it out to me :-) leant something new
@@markpace123 No trouble. Ohio's sister ship, SS Kentucky, was lost on a previous Malta convoy. Fleet carrier USS Wasp delivered Spitfires to Malta in April and May 1942.
Ohio is the name of a US state, from the Seneca people's word for "great river". Would be a bit odd for the British to name a ship that themselves, but makes perfect sense for Americans to name it that before loaning it to the British.
One of the most important convoys of WW2. I’ve been to Malta, and love its people and it’s beauty. Their are artifacts of the Ohio in museums. Manned by British seamen, made of Pennsylvania steel.
Merchant seamen played an unsung part in the defeat of the third Reich! The heroism of the Maltese was not only a tactical victory but an inspiration to other people's to resist and persevere.
Yes.....England expects every man to do his duty........it is your country you are supporting by your individual efforts and if you pay the supreme sacrifice you can rest with the knowledge you did your duty.
There is a reason why the national flag of Malta is the only one that bears the same George Cross awarded to Captain Dudley Mason.
Did Malta want to join the UK before its independence and the UK refused
The Maltese nicknamed the convoy "Santa Maria" because Ohio entered harbour on August 15, the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. Thank you to the heroes of Operation Pedestal by all my Maltese compatriots.
Indeed thank you to all who fought so gallantly to save the island.
Holding on to Malta was absolutely worth it. Any time you can harass enemy supply lines, it's the right call.
"Between Britain and France..."
Oh boy Attack on Mers-el-Kebir here we come
It was a sad fact, but it was necessary. There was just no way the British could trust the fascist Vichy French regime
@Jonas Lazaras Petrusevicius-Wilukas But the British didn't know about it, for all they know the French could be lying and had plans to let the Germans get their fleet or if they did decide to scuttle the ships it might be too late as the Germans could've possibly get those ships before the order came to scuttle them
The French were given 4 options 1. join the British 2. sail to Briton and join the free French 3. sail to French colonies in the Caribbean and take no more part in the war 4. scuttle the ship's. Unfortunately the French commander did not make up his mine in time and the Royal navy could not take the chance that those ships would fall in to German hands how ever slim that was as that would have changed the power in the Mediterranean. There is no saying that the Germans could not land in force and take the ships before the French could stop them.
@Jonas Lazaras Petrusevicius-Wilukas That is complete speculation on your part...and ridicolous considering how many colonial French and Vichy did in fact give the axis soldiers and arms
Gensoul was like a 1940s Karen
"I wan't to talk to the admiral"
When your convoy is a respectable fleet.
Tomartyr that moment when one convoy has more ships than the royal navy’s entire fleet today
@carmine paola It was the Germans they were worried about.
Those people had more determination saving my country than me making breakfast
I would think there were two sides to the saving of Malta. Indeed without it the Allies would have lost the opportunity for interdicting Axis supplies to North Africa. But the greater was preventing the use the Axis could have made of Malta themselves. I think Churchill was right in his assessment.
I love this video it shows the courage and bravery of unsung heroes of the merchant navy. Not all heroes have guns.
Keep up the good work.
I CANNOT BE ANY MORE THANKFULL TO ALL THAT DEDICATED THEIR SERVICE AND SACRIFICES TO SAVING MALTA, MY MUM WAS BORN IN OCTOBER OF 1942 IN MALTA, OUR GENERATION AND THOSE THAT FOLLOW COULD NEVER COMPREHEND WHAT THESE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN WENT THROUGH TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF MALTA -THANKYOU FOR YOUR VIDEO
The Italian Navy was made to sail to Malta to surrender under guns of the fortress of Valletta.
I had an aunt who was a refugee from Malta, although she had been evacuated from the island earlier in the war the SATISFACTION of seeing the defeated Italian Navy lying in the great port of Valletta cannot be imagined. Those brave people of Malta suffered greatly and their courage was beyond imagination.
It was estimated that more bombs per square yard were dropped on Malta by the Axis than any other theater of the war.
Old Edwardian nhbhhh(77(
well Malta was very lucky Rommel committed one of the worst strategic decisions in the whole war by choosing to divert the italo-german force for Operation C3 to go help him in Africa and leave malta.
@@stralabastro142 I can ASSURE you that the Maltese never considered themselves LUCKY.
If my aunt was alive today she might have explained to you just how UNLUCKY the Maltese’s were, perhaps you missed the fact that I stated in my remarks that Malta was subjected to perhaps the heaviest bombardment of bombs by the Axis of any theater of war.
Having known her I can assure you that her explanation would have left you in a LESS THAN COMFORTABLE STATE when she finished.
In future consider your remarks before making them especially when you have NOT THE SLIGHTEST IDEA WHAT BEING BOMBED IS LIKE.
@@oldedwardian1778 Well you're right, a possible italian occupation ( maybe with the germans but not probably ) would have been a better situation for the Maltese population than actually being bombed by Italo-german aircrafts. Italians considered the maltese culture and population similar to theirs so they would have treaten them fairly. But the possible occupation of Malta would have meant the total loss of the mediterrean theatre for the Allies.
@@stralabastro142 CORRECT, losing Malta would have been a TERRIBLE BLOW to the Allies war effort, there is no question about that.
I went to the valetta war rooms once. This little gem is tucked away in the heart of the city and is run buy a small group of passionate guys with some amazing knowledge of the island fortress! It's a must see!
I was fortunate enough to spend my birthday last year in Malta. Anyone visiting Valetta should do themselves a favour and visit the Malta at War museum, they have an amazing exhibition on Operation Pedestal and on Malta's role in the war in general. To answer the question posed in the video, it certainly was worth it for the people of Malta and given what they went through during the war it was a much deserved victory.
MALTA WON US THE WAR!!!!!
Go to the War Museum on Valletta and touch 'HOPE' - it is the Fuselage of one of the 3 Gloster Gladiator biplanes that remained on Malta before Spits & Hurricanes returned, One was broken for spares early in the conflict - The Maltese have a famous saying about them - 'We lost CHARITY early on - but we NEVER lost HOPE or FAITH'.
Malta got the George cross for this and also they celebrate 15th August convoy Of St Mary's miracle.Cause they all thought they were doomed and only a miracle could get them trough the war.
Less a miracle and more the intense hard work, bravery, and sacrifice of mortal seamen and sailors.
My dad was on Operation Pedastal and the previous Operation Harpoon, also to Malta, as a gunner on the destroyer HMS Icarus. He wrote a daily report about both in a small note book which only came to our notice when he gave it to his grandson around 1990. He was an ordinary chap called up and sent to war, he was on many Russian and Atlantic convoys as well as the Bismarck chase and the evacuation of Spitzbergen, after D-Day he was sent to Glasgow in the Naval Police.
Mike Swift that’s extremely cool, pretty lucky to live such an amazing life full of glory and doing his duty!
@@theholyhay1555
Many thanks, he went through the war with only one injury, a shipmate was loading 4.5 inch shells into the ready locker in a rough sea on the way to Canada to pickup supplies, in mid Atlantic a large wave hit and he lost his footing and hit dad in the face with the shell.
They had to turn the ship back to Londonderry where he was based at the time, he was in the American Hopital a while but didn't complain as once he was fit he said he hadn't eaten so well for years and had all the icecream he wanted.
Thanks to your dad and other merchant shipmen we can appreciate our children and children's children my friend....My grandfather also served with the British Navy and lost his life that day but I 'm sure that all the sacrifices they made were not in vain....Lest we forget, but live and make their sacrifice worth.....
One of my aunts was Maltese and had been a little girl during the war. Her family moved to Canada after the conflict and she would eventually meet and marry my uncle. She was a kind and fun loving woman and always a favourite in the family.
Every Summer, the thunderstorms would roll in and my aunt couldn't handle them at all. She's hide on the stairs to the basement, covering her head in her hands and needed to be left alone until the thunder had passed. Years later, as an adult, I finally understood why she did this. It wasn't a fear of thunder. It was the reminder of her childhood and the constant bombing raids, each rumble and crash of the thunder rolls reminding her of another bomb strike nearby.
Malta was critical to operations in the Mediterranean, North Africa and The Scrap Iron Flotilla 😊
Should germany have taken malta before attacking North Africa?
@@jagsdomain203 problay as it can expand the range of submarines and destroyers
My Great Uncle was a conscientious objector. He did not believe that he had the right to kill another man in war due to his religious beliefs. He went before a government tribunal and they accepted this and he was able to avoid a combat duty.
He therefore volunteered for non-combat duties as a merchant seaman. He was a radioman on ‘Troilus’ and was in the convoy on Operation Harpoon (the convoy prior to Pedestal).
I knew him in his 80s and he spoke very little of the Malta convoy as it was his darkest time during the war. I do know one thing, and that is that he continued to have sleepless nights until the day he died. He was a gentle and kind man and I am incredibly proud of him.
For my Great Uncle Ronald Lees.
The courage and perseverance shown by all, including the Maltese population, cannot be overstated. I had the opportunity to meet an eyewitness here in Malta, and he still had tears in his eyes when speaking of the Miracle of the Santa Marija Convoy.
I'm so grateful for this video! I have been trying to research my grandfathers history in the navy, I never knew him but have his service record. This has been a huge help in understanding his time in the war. He was on the HMS Manchester during this operation. I'm so proud to think he was one of the many brave men involved in this operation.
Thankyou!
I've been to Malta many times and am fascinated by its history, I had the pleasure of researching and reuniting a Spitfire (PR) pilot (Harry Coldbeck) who retired to NZ with some relatives in the UK just before he passed away, he sent me some wonderful photographs of his time in Malta. August 15th is usually a 'feast' day in Malta if my memory serves me right and was given more significance with the arrival of the Ohio.Unfortunately the tanker was so badly damaged that it was scuttled shortly after unloading its precious cargo.
Great video
My great uncle was a Seaman on the battleship HMS Rodney and so was involved in this operation. Also, my great grandfather was an anti-aircraft gunner on Malta, so when the convoy arrived they happened to meet up as brothers.
My Aunt was a nurse Sister at the Valletta military hospital. She was as upset as anyone at the cost of keeping them supplied but always said that saving Malta was absolutely worth it.
Rommel certainly struggled to supply his front line but he only gave up when he ran out of supplies.
Good film, thanks! My Grandad was a Petty Officer on The Nigeria. She went off to Virginia to be repaired, and he loved his time there - to the point that when my mum was born two years later, she was given Virginia as her middle name. Typically, he'd never talk about his wartime experiences, Nigeria completed many Arctic Convoys and some fo the pictures we have are shocking.
Respect - and thanks - to them all.
This fledging history channel is the best of them all. Perfect balance between information, achival footage, and visual representations. You should have 800k subs by now. Keep at it!
They took terrible loses but I like to believe it was worth it. I bet if you asked any of the Allies fighting in Africa if they thought it was worth it you would get a resounding YES. So yes, it was worth it. Malta was a thorn in the side of Axis powers throughout the war. It was difficult to even send transport planes from Italy to Africa because of the fighters parked on Malta.
I follow a great variety of history/battle depiction channel. I can, with clear conscious, tell that your channel is one of the best among them. Real high quality content and battle depictions are just awesome. Keep it up my man.
One only needs to look at the thousand of year history of Malta to understand its significance. Hindsight is 20/20 but taking Malta for such a high price was indeed cause worth dying for. One small change in the course of the war and Malta could have been the tipping point. Had the Axis taken Malta there are many ways the war could have played out differently.
The threat of Germany securing the oil fields in Baku war very real. Had they managed to do so, Malta would have been one of the most strategic areas of the war.
If I could make just one war epic of my own, it would be about the Siege of Malta, with Pedestal as its climax.
Definitely under-represented in movies
That film has, in essence, been made and it was called the Malta Story and was released in 1953. It was built around a fictionalised story of an RAF pilot who fell in love with a Maltese woman, but it's all in the context of real events. Whilst the arrival of the Ohio is not the final end of the film, it's arrival marked the turning point, and in that sense the climax and the obvious saviour of the Island. The film ends with the Maria, the Maltese woman in question, reading a report of the defeat of the Afrika Corps at the 2nd battle of El Alamein whilst mourning the loss of her lover.
The character of pilot was loosely based on the life of Adrian Warburton, whose exploits in Malta achieved near legendary status. He was killed in the latter part of WW II (but not in Malta).
It's a fairly typical British war film of the era, with a lot of stiff upper lips on show and featuring actors like Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel. Muriel Pavlow, who played Maria, and was the last survivor from the cast of that film died, aged 97, in London in January 2019, less than three months before this was uploaded.
@@TheEulerID Malta Story could not have been further from the real siege if it tried. A truly godawful movie. Guinness' character was so unbelievably tedious I was rooting for the 109s by the end of it.
@@_BraisedIt Why resort to such ridiculous hyperbole? The broad outline was there. the Island was brutally bombed, the population neared starvation, much of the population of Valletta did survive the bombing living in underground shelters. The Ohio arrived under the most adverse of conditions and did play it's critical part in preventing the fall of Malta, which went on to become an effective base for interrupting Axis supplies to North Africa.
You may not care for the sub-plot, but to say it could not have been further from the real siege is obviously ridiculous. It's not a documentary, and neither is it U-571.
@@TheEulerID Sorry if I seemed unduly harsh there, I just really, really hated that movie. And considering the struggles of the island were barely even a backdrop to the main plot of finding an *Italian* convoy, wrapped up in the stiffest and least convincing romance ever put on film, it saddens me when people recommend it, because it's a classic example of hack writers thinking they know a better story than the real events, and barely footnote them in favour of their own contrived melodrama. The siege deserves the Battle of Britain treatment, not the Pearl Harbor treatment that Malta Story went for.
My grandfather took part in this operation and was on the destroyer HMS Ledbury which helped to steer the damaged US tanker Ohio. He took pictures on the way and some show the ship picking up German pilots from the sea. Who knows, if Ledbury was hit I probably wouldn't be here writing this.
Do you plan on ever re-uploading those old Battle of France videos?
Not unless I decide to remake them at the level of quality of my current videos
@@historigraph Can you put them on a archives channel?
@@historigraph why were they even taken down?
@@saladbruh2625
They weren't taken down, were they? They're on the channel Addaway.
Historigraph what happened to your battle of the bulge video
Thank you for posting this. You've succeeded in telling a complex story well. My father was a 19-year-old stoker on the HMS Quentin, one of the 32 destroyers that escorted the convoy. It was the defining campaign of his life and was clearly quite terrifying, but crucial. We can never fully grasp the sacrifice of those who have gone before us, but films like this help.
Thank you for this video. If Malta had fallen to the Axis powers there would have been no operation Husky, the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany. I am proud to say that my 96 year old father was probably the only Maltese to take part in Operation Husky and was with the British 8th Army from the Western Desert up to Berlin. That is why Churchill wanted to save Malta "at all cost"
I am Maltese and I love you for doing something about Malta
🇬🇧♥️🇲🇹
Wow who knew a convoy was this interesting.
Ethan Republic The men who fought the ships through to Malta did NOT describe their experience as INTERESTING.
@@oldedwardian1778 of course not they probably found it exciting or scary. What I'm trying to say is that this story was interesting to learn about.
@@oldedwardian1778 yes my father did the Atlantic and med plus others He would rarely talk about his time in the war. I watched the film cruel sea and asked him if they went through sailors in the water and he said YES and he never spoke about it again. Can you imagine how disturbing that must have been. Today's youngsters have no concept of terror or death and think its interesting
The merchant marine are the unsung heroes of the war who fulfilled a role more important than that of any infantryman or any pilot...and suffered worse causalities in some of the most inhospitable theaters of war.
So glad you finally got to make this video, been waiting for it
Absolutely worth it. Rommels' supply line on land was starved, not ineffective.
@carmine paola If Malta had fallen to the Axis powers there would have been no operation Husky
@carmine paola Neither of which they managed so what's your bloody point?
@carmine paola While I admit that the Regina Marina performed better than the Italians' useless army I can think of several battles that they lost. The battles of Cape Spada, Cape Bon, Cape Passero and of course Cape Matapan spring to mind (I've already mentioned Taranto).
I read a very good book about this relief mission not long ago. Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942 by Max Hastings. It is a gripping tale of raw courage & determination to fulfill this vital voyage. I salute the Royal Navy, the Regia Marina & the merchant marines of the UK & US.
Whatever historians say, we, the maltese people are grateful for the sacrifice of so much lifes to save Malta from surrender. The George Cross Island will never forget the heroes of this convoy. In my opinion, this convoy was fundamental for the change from defense to attack. God bless the heroes and there families.
My Grandfather was one of the Merchant Captains on Pedestal. After he reached Malta, he had a silversmith make an Ink Blotter for his desk with two Maltese crowns embedded in it and the dates that he was there. His ship was one of the supply ships for HMS Nelson and Rodney. It was capable of keeping up with the battle-wagons and he carried the ammo as well as the food and other stores needed on the Battleships. His speed was one of the reasons why his ship survived, but many of his friends died. At the end of the war, he was offered a CBE for his services, but turned it down.
Another unusual fact is that he was a first officer at the start of the war in 1939. His ship arrived at Valetta with supplies, but had to wait outside the harbour for the pilot to take them in. With a couple of ship's hands, he took a long boat and they started in towards the harbour to fetch the Pilot. He had not motored more than 100 yards from his ship when an Italian torpedo slammed into his ship and sank it. He spent a while in Malta until he was reassigned, but he was made Captain and then served on Pedestal.
He was on a lot of convoys in the Atlantic, keeping pace with Rodney and Nelson whenever they were escorts. He once told me that he knew that if the Germans ever torpedoed his ship, he would not have known much about it. They carried an awful lot of ammo, included the charges for the main guns. When ammo ships were hit, they normally exploded immediately with the loss of all hands. That's why he lost so many friends. Most of them were carrying ammo.
I had occasion to meet another sailor from WW2. He served on ocean-going tugs. So he was often sent out to recover ships that were badly damaged. He told me that he lost several ships and was once torpedoed by a U-boat. Thankfully he was rescued each time - then went straight back to work on another tug when he got home.
Today's children moan about Climate Change. They don't know the real hardships that people who lived through the war suffered. Not just the constant fear that you might die, but also the hunger due to rationing. Britain has some marvellous people.
Like the Knights before her; Malta holds the siege! Hussa!
I read about this fascinating story from a book in my ships' library titled "At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II". The story gives vivid details about the harrowing experience by the military and merchant mariners involved in the convoy. The sad part is that American Merchant Marine crews failed to gain full recognition of their wartime service until the 1980's, long after the war had ended and many mariners had died. Even today, it is taking much effort by private citizens to get the Congressional Gold Medal through committee's in the American congress to recognize the few remaining living veteran mariners and the families of those who have since passed on. Freedom isn't free, as this video clearly has shown.
Visited the Museum in Valletta ,Malta which holds Ohio's Wheel and name plate and the captains medals.
Very cool channel. I enjoy learning about what everyone else was doing during the war, not just the US. This one sounds like one hell a of fight.
Wonderful job turning this story into a 10 min video.
There's a really cool picture online of the HMS Ithuriel bearing down on the submarine Cobalto right before the ramming. Just Google "HMS Ithuriel and Cobalto".
There's an actual photograph of the incident here:
maltagc70.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/cobalto-sinking.jpg
Excellent video.
No sensible commentator has denied the importance of Malta in winning the North African campaign.
My father was a a merchant navy master during the war, and at times appointed as commodore on various convoys.
He was not part of the Malta convoys, but knew many who were, some who perished and some who survived, and he knew how important all this was, as did Rommel and Kesselring, although they disagreed on priorities.
Keep up the good work.
Mike Rowland-Hill
As a Maltese person, not having experienced the war, 77 years today 15th August 2019, Operation Pedestal sealed my faith, probably my own existence. I remember my late father, a young boy at that time, relating the state of Malta at that particular time of the war. On this day, I give honour and respect to all those who gave their lives to save mine, as long as there is 1 Maltese person living, you will not be forgotten. But none the less respect to those that made it, they too risked their lives for Malta and us. Thank you. I am not going to go into the dilemma if the Convoy should or should not happened. I am not a historian nor very much learned about the subject. All I can say is this:- Great Britain awarded the island the Highest medal to the country and ALL it`s people, the George Cross. Surely at that time, it was felt that Malta deserved it.
King George sent this letter in his own handwriting to the than Governor of Malta, Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie:- this is what the letter said,
The Governor
Malta
To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.
George R.I.
April 15th 1942
THIS IS A INCRENDEBLE CHANNEL KEEP ON DOING THIS SO LIL VIDEOS BUT ITS INCERNDEBLE
KEEP ON DOING THE GOOD CONTENT
The story of the SS Ohio is well told in "At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II", the story of two US merchant mariners and how they almost single handedly fought off German and Italian aircraft after boarding Ohio when their own ship was sunk. The two sailors were determined that the Ohio was going to make it to Malta, and the story is a real page turner. It's available from Amazon as an e-book.
Man thanks for doing this video its one i have been anticipating this for ages. Good to see a country i have been in for most of my life get a bit of recognition. thanks man keep up the great work.
i believe this convoy was also called the Santa Maria convoy which is a holiday here
Im from Malta and legend says that Saint Mary her could be seen in one of the ships holes and she is the reason the ship stayed afloat
X ghandna kugin?
Formally, this is "Operation Pedestal". To the Maltese population at the time and since, it was known as the "Santa Maria Convoy".
@@PsilocybinCocktailActually the convoy or what was left of it arrived in Grand Harbour on 15th August the feast of Santa Maria!! At that time my father was serving as a stoker petty officer on HMS Sunset a mine sweeper!!!
Graham - I've only just discovered this video. My late father was onboard HMS Cairo when it was sunk by Axum. He was also on Harpoon, the june convoy that made it to Malta, and was extremely proud of his Maltese Cross. I've recently read Max Hastings' new book Operation Pedestal. Great book for anyone interested in this convoy.
Wow, what a fleet that must have been impressibe !
Great video. Operation Pedestal is a over looked act of bravery. Great animations, Historigraph, no one should never forget history. Thank you.
There is a reason His Majesty George VI bestowed the George Cross on the entirety of the Island and people of Malta
Operation Pedestal was necessary , Malta was desperate for food water and petrel , there were many sad sacrifices with the Merchant Navy and the Royal Navy I have read a lot of history on Malta. I have a book writen by George Borrow it is called Wild Wales and on the front cover stamped in gold print it said "Ward Room HMS Indomidable" she was one of the 4 Aircraft Carriers who was part of that Operation she had won 5 Major War Battles in W11. I also got to meet a Canadian Spitfire pilot his name was Jake Woolgar and flew Spitfires in Malta he came back to Yellowknife in the NWT and flew a Super Cub prospecting up here, Merlyn Williams.
My dad was on the eagle when she was torpedoed. i have often wondered what were the details, as he never spoke about it. Now I know thank you
Thanks for this fascinating vid. I have been fortunate enough to visit Malta three times since 2021, for six weeks in total. Like in Britain, the war seems to have made an indomitable impression on the people of Malta. Few of the wartime generation are left, but whenever you chat with the Maltese, family memories are vivid. To stand in the RAF cemetery is a truly humbling experience.
i went to Malta about six years ago, got talking to a guy at a bar one night he was probably in his sixites not much older. i mentioned in passing my grand father was in the merchant navy and played a role in the Mediterranean theatre . three hours later him and his brother were buying me drinks talking about operation pedestal and how Britain never gave up on the Maltese during their darkest hour. what a night!. rule brittania bla bla bla.......
The fact that the Axis devoted so much effort to trying to take Malta tells us how much it hurt them and the fact they tried to create an air bridge to supply everything including fuel from Italy to Rommel tells us the supply issue was much more significant than a trucking issue.
The start of the Allies re-gaining air superiority in the Med. The Italians and Germans couldn't sustain the rate of their attacks all across the region because of them losing control of the air space around Malta. Very much a key strategic victory for the Allies.
Operation pedestal is a huge victory by Italian navi. It is incredible to me how history can be manipulate by propaganda
Love your work Historigraph. You, Bismarck and Military History Visualized are what documentaries should be about. If my Mrs didn't watch the telly I wouldn't bother with a TV licence. This account of Pedestal was great, second only to my favourite wartime autobiography of all, "The gave me a Seafire" by Commander Mike Crosely - who was aboard Eagle when she was sunk. Well worth reading :)
My great uncle once told me about the speech that one of the island's army Captains gave:
"These bastards think they can beat us,
Bully us and boss us around like a dog,
people think we should roll over and die.
People cry 'the sky is falling',
I say let it fall so they can see how strong we are,
Because the sky may fall and sea may boil,
But Malta will stand tall and this island will not FALL!"
It may not be Churchill but in such a desperate time when people thought the fall of Malta to the Axis was inevitable, the speech must of seem like a light shining in the darkness. From what I've heard, a cousin of my uncle was serving on the island and a fair few soldiers saw the siege as "and that's all she wrote..." so their Captain (I think) gave this speech to lift their spirits.
Thank you, I've learned something new today! Keep 'em comin'!!
It is my understanding that the order to abandon ship was issued multiple times but it refused to sink so they boarded it again. Amazing really.
A bit like the tanker 'San Demetrio - London' (The Ship that Would Not Die - Victor comic #29, view it via the British Library), made into an Ealing Film. A 6' model of it is in The Imperial War Museum, 1st floor, London.
Excellent video and insightful comments from viewers.
Axis: We will destroy Malta and take the Mediterranean!!
My Maltese ancestors and the British: Hold my pint.....
You couldn't make up a story like this!....Fascinating. Great video.
You can build more ships, you can’t build a new island base.
It was an essential effort with a positive strategic outcome, particularly following the loss of other assets in the med!
Honestly, the braves guys must have been the uboat U73 at the start. Driving into the middle of THAT convoy at still fire despite the situation takes a lot.
They were eather brave as hell or didnt realise the full situation and were extreamly lucky :)
Just recently come back from Malta as my first visit. My grandfather earned his Africa Star and Italy Star via this amazing country. The relief of Malta cannot be underestimated, and the Maltese love of what the British did, facing incalculable odds, remains to this day in their war museum. This is a great explanation of one of the most audacious acts of WW2.
Malta,like Guadalcanal, shows the link between air, sea and land operations. Without Malta then El Alamein may not have been decisive as Rommel, with his LOC secured could have withdrawn in good order.
2.00 "The SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company (now Texaco). The ship was launched on 20 April 1940 at the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Chester, Pennsylvania." Ohio with others of her class were the largest and fastest tankers produced up to that time. They were of welded construction. Sister ship SS Kentucky was scuttled on a previous convoy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Ohio
They still celebrate the “Santa Maria Convoy” to this day.
Yes it is celebrated on the 15th August each year that's in a few days time!!
The Maltese people still consider this as the Miracle of Santa Maria (as 15th August is a public feast in Malta for Saint Mary). During the feast in some towns, they wail the war sirens and put a brilliant display of fireworks :) - arguably the best fireworks show is in the town of Imqabba.
Malta was absolutely important in the Med. Without it, the Axis would have been able to close down traffic to Alexandria, and with it the possibility of controlling the Suez Canal.
My Grandfather was the Vice Commodore (Merchant) on Pedestal, Captain Wm Charles Smith. His ship was the supply ship for HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson. He carried the ammunition and other supplies needed by these battlewagons. His ship was a fast merchant, able to keep up with the battleships.
When Rodney and Nelson turned back, my Grandfather's ship carried on with the merchant convoy. They'd also loaded a significant amount of supplies for Malta. He arrived at Malta unscathed. One hit would have been terminal as they were loaded with ammo. He survived the entire war without being hit in that ship, but he did lose a lot of friends.
Early on in the war, another Merchant ship he was first officer on arrived at Valletta harbor and waited for the pilot to come out. As he didn't turn up, my Grandfather took a ship's boat to go fetch the harbor pilot. His boat was 100 yards from his fully laden ship when a torpedo slammed into the side of it and he watched it sink at the harbor entrance. A submarine was nearby but never found.
One of our proudest family heirlooms is a solid silver ink blotter than my Grandfather had made in Malta after the Operation. It has two Maltese Crowns and the words Malta 1942.