On This Day ... in 1900 & Others
An attempt by the Boers under Botha to retake the capital of the Transvaal, Pretoria, was defeated by British and Dominion forces twenty miles east of the city, at the Battle of Diamond Hill (Donkerhoek).
Forty-four years after the battle, British General Ian Hamilton opined in his memoirs that "the battle, which ensured that the Boers could not recapture Pretoria, was the turning point of the war". Hamilton credited Winston Churchill with recognizing that the key to victory would be in storming the summit, and risking his life to signal Hamilton accordingly
1940: Following the previous day's declaration of war by Italy, Bomber Command aircraft set out on their first raid against their country. 36 Whitley bombers refuelled in the Channel Islands before heading south across France, but 23 were unable to get past the Alps in bad weather. Of the others, nine bombed Turin and two bombed Genoa - there was not even a blackout at the latter, raids being so unexpected. Two Whitleys crashed in France.
The same day also saw the first Italian air raid on Malta. 55 Savoia SM79 bombers were launched from bases in Sicily, escorted by 21 Macchi MC200 fighters Their targets were the RAF airfield at Hal Far, the Naval dockyards at Valetta, and the RAF seaplane base at Kalafrana.
Other than the anti-aircraft batteries of the Royal Malta Artillery, the island's only air defences were a single radar set and a flight of six Sea Gladiator biplane fighters. The Fleet Air Arm had left twelve crated-up Sea Gladiators on the island as spares for one of its aircraft carriers. When it became clear that Italy was likely to enter the war, the RAF organised a local defence flight manned by pilots serving on other duties around the island. Six of the Gladiators were prepared for operations, while the other six were cannibalised for spares.
On 11 June 1940, three of the Gladiators were scrambled to intercept the Italian raid, and, despite the appalling odds of 25:1, attacked It was thought at the time that they succeeded in shooting down one Italian fighter, but this proved not to be the case. The bombers caused widespread but relatively minor damage. An Italian reconnaissance mission over the island was driven off by a Gladiator, and the afternoon saw a second bombing raid, which suffered several aircraft damaged by accurate anti-aircraft fire. Malta's ordeal, which was to last nearly two and a half years, had begun.
The Gladiator flight was rarely able to put more than three aircraft into the air at any one time, giving rise to the legend of Faith, Hope and Charity.
For 10 days (11 to 21 June) the Sea Gladiators represented the Island's sole air defence, before some Hurricanes were impressed into service. The Italians staged only three air raids on the island during this period. Due to a shortage of ammunition, the Sea Gladiators were used to break up the bomber formations, rather than pick off individual targets. Some months later, a Maltese newspaper published a report on the Sea Gladiators which ensured that the names Faith, Hope and Charity (never actually applied to the aircraft) entered aviation mythology.
A slightly different version is here
In the Western Desert, the British Army launched its first operation against the Italians Eighteen elderly Rolls-Royce armoured cars of the 11th Hussars broke through the barbed wire entanglements along the border between Libya and Egypt and conducted night patrols on the Italian side, successfully capturing seventy Italian troops in ambushes The Italian prisoners were understandably unhappy - their commanders had omitted to inform them that they were now at war with the British....
1944: Bomber Command launched a devastating attack on Dusseldorf, whilst a smaller force trialled new Pathfinder techniques over Munster.
1982: British forces successfully attacked Mount Harriet, Mount Longdon and Two Sisters in the Falklands
Comments
Those elderly but re-built armoured cars were 36 years old by the time they were in that desert action.
Good job our forces in Iraq today don't have to rely on refurbished vehicles from 1971! (refurbished vehicles from 1962 being more this government's style....)
Posted by: EX STAB | June 13, 2007 8:52 AM
Actually it is other forces that rely on refurbished UK army refurbished vehicles, called I think Mastiff, re furbed in south Africa by british aerospace, for the yanks, they were sold as scrap and were never used by our forces, there is an excellent blog called defence of the realm that has all the sordid details of this governments abject failure in this field, bastards.
Posted by: Chris Edwards | June 10, 2009 10:52 PM
Hmm - Diamond Hill is just up the road from me. I wasn't aware that Churchill had any input to that scrap.
As a child I played on the slopes op Struben Kop (the Eastern Redoubt in the ABW)
I've often wondered where the great man passed by on his way out of Pretoorsdorp.
Posted by: Vincent | June 11, 2009 7:06 PM