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Pedestal: the Malta Convoy of August 1942 Paperback – April 1, 2004

by Peter C. Smith (Author)

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<DIV>In the summer of 1942 one of the main issues in the balance was the fate of Malta. The island was still a bastion of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean and a constant threat to the supply route for the enemy land forces in North Africa. It bravely resisted every onslaught of the Axis powers, but food supplies were desperately short and fuel oil running low. In August of that year Operation Pedestal was launched - a last attempt to relieve Malta. Fourteen merchant ships were allocated to it and the Royal Navy provided the most powerful force ever to escort a convoy including four aircraft carriers. Operating from Sardinia and Sicily, the Germans and Italians let fly with their shore-based aircraft on an unprecedented scale. The losses on the British side were appalling, but the objective was achieved and the blockade of Malta was finally lifted.</DIV>

Pedestal: the Malta Convoy of August 1942

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Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub & Wholesalers; 60 Ltd Anv edition (April 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0907579191
ISBN-13: 978-0907579199
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,355,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1903 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Transportation > History > Ships
- #3530 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Transportation > Ships
- #5278 in Books > History > Military > Naval

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The only problem with the book is that Smith managed to take a fascinating and little known subject and make it somewhat boring.

ByHowardon July 1, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Peter C. Smith's book is basically the standard text on the subject. The only problem with the book is that Smith managed to take a fascinating and little known subject and make it somewhat boring. The facts and figures are certainly there, but the details that can make any work of history so fascinating are largely absent. The reader cannot get a sense of what it was like, say, to fly a Sea Hurricane off of a British carrier, or what it was like to live on besieged Malta. The maps are almost illegible because they've been scanned and reprinted too many times. Many of the locations mentioned are not on the maps anyway. Smith assumes that the reader possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of both geography and the British Navy acronyms in use at the time. The latter are never explained, and too many of the former are very obscure and nowhere to be found on the maps.The photos, though (all 24 pages of them) are fascinating, truly memorable, and often incredible. Otherwise, the reader will certainly learn a lot about Pedestal, but the sledding is somewhat heavy.

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ByScott H. Lindemannon April 28, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Good book. I Googled pictures of the ships and maps of the route and found some photos of torpedo damage which was interesting. I kept waiting for the British to be the winners but that did not happen. Sometimes the bad guys win. It is reality. I was surprised when the British lost a carrier. The struggle of the Ohio tanker was heroic! Well anyway this fills a small hole of my knowledge of WWII.

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Excellent book

ByPaul Spiterion April 27, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Well written book was in perfect condition. Excellent supporting documents included. A fascinating story about a pivotal point in the war.

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A thorough job of research.

ByNed Middletonon January 9, 2009

Format: Paperback

There is something about Operation Pedestal which will continue to occupy the minds of those with an interest in the subject for many more years to come. Had the tanker "Ohio" not arrived in Malta with her cargo intact in August 1942 - and she barely did!, Malta would have capitulated within a few days. Viewed in a modern context, the fall of such a small country might appear insignificant. In the pre-jet aircraft and pre-missile days of WW2, however, Malta was the key to success in North Africa by either side.

This was a time when Axis aircraft controlled the entire northern shores of the Mediterranean. Unlike Gibraltar and Alexandria, Malta - with her central position in the Mediterranean, was completely dependent on re-supply by sea. In addition, whilst much has been written about the London Blitz where, for a period of 51 days, German aircraft bombed the British capital city, much less has been written about the Malta Blitz where Valetta suffered the same treatment for 150 days.

By August 1942, the plans for the surrender of Malta had been drawn up. The tiny island state would now survive for less than 30 days unless this convoy - codenamed Operation Pedestal, got through. Fourteen merchant ships were to be protected by the most powerful naval force (which included 4 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships and 3 cruisers) ever assigned to guard a fleet of ships. Against them was mounted a land-based air assault by combined German and Italian forces on an unprecedented scale, units of the Italian Navy and a series of coordinated submarine attacks.

British naval losses (which included one of those carriers) and damage were alarming, but 4 of those merchant ships eventually arrived in Malta. This included the all-important Ohio which was only kept afloat by having destroyers tied to her sides as she entered one of the most famous harbours in the world. Operation Pedestal had been a success and the Battle for Malta had been won.

In this book, first published in 1970, Peter Smith provides the reader with a first rate work. On the one hand, his research is impeccable and, of course, complete. On the other, he also produces an excellent read.

With a fascinating selection of historic photographs - mostly taken during the various naval actions, some maps and a vital selection of Appendices containing relevant data, this is, as I say, a complete work.

NM

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