Operation Pedestal August 1942

摘要

The sudden sinking of HMS Eagle the previous day, together with the dusk attack by German bombers, had left the convoy feeling extremely vulnerable. Now that daylight had broken and the ships were steaming within easy reach of the Italian airfields on Sardinia, there seemed every chance that 12th August would be a very difficult day. The Germans and the Italians, the latter using Cant Z.1007bis reconnaissance bombers from 51 Gruppo, had been putting up recce missions from Sardinia and Sicily since dawn, and then at 09.05 the sound of approaching Ju 88s could be heard. In fact, up to twenty four Ju 88 bombers from Ⅰ./LG.1 and Ⅱ./LG.1 were beginning their attack runs. However top cover patrols of defending fighters had been aloft since dawn, and such was the ferocity of their counter-attacks that many of the bombers ditched their munitions, and overall only a handful of near misses were recorded.The Royal Navy and the guns of the merchants had much the best of this first encounter of the day, claiming in total seventeen bombers either shot down, probable or damaged. LG.1 actually lost at least seven Ju 88s.