The Mysterious Air Attack on Tripoli, May 3, 1941

[sergey]

Colleagues, your help is needed to solve a historical mystery.
In serata, infine, ebbe inizio un attacco aereo britannico sul porto. Uno degli aerei attaccanti (probabilmente dei Vickers Wellington del 257th Wing della Royal Air Force, di base in Nordafrica) sorvolò più volte la Canopo; l’equipaggio della torpediniera ne sentiva il rumore prodotto dai motori, ma non riuscì ad avvistarlo. Alla fine, il velivolo avversario sganciò una bomba, che cadde sul lato sinistro, a proravia del fumaiolo.
https://conlapelleappesaaunchiodo.bl...05/canopo.html
This is the Italian description of the attack that resulted in the sinking of the torpedo boat Canopo in Tripoli harbor on May 3, 1941. The Admiralty War Diaries for May 3 and the night of May 3/4 mention only Wellingtons air raids on Benghazi; there are no reports of aircraft attacks from Malta on Tripoli. Nevertheless, the Italians unequivocally state that the cause of their ship's destruction was a bomb dropped by a British aircraft.
I would like to determine which squadron attacked Tripoli and who sank the Canopus.

sergey

[AndreasB]

The Admiralty War Diary is incomplete. The German port diary also mentions Canopo sunk due to an incendiary bomb. The 204 Group instructions note that for 2 and 3 May Wellingtons had to load a share of incendiaries. Having noted that, the North African Wellingtons only noted ops against Benina and Benghazi that night, so whatever it was must have come from Malta.

The 5a Squadra war diary doesn't mention any attacks on Tripoli.

All the best

Andreas

[Nick Beale]

The German report on the Mediterranean situation here says for enemy activity:

On the night of 2/3 May enemy aircraft attacked Barce, Benghazi, the airfield at El Feteja Uadi (?) and Tripoli. 3 ships damaged.

On the night of 3/4 May enemy aircraft attacked Derna and Benghazi. 2 Ju 88s and 1 Ju 52 were damaged on the airfield at Benina.

[sergey]

The Malta War Diary also makes no mention of operations against Tripoli on 3 and 4 May 1941, other than a mine-laying sortie by 3 Swordfish of 830 Squadron.

[sergey]

In early May 1941, Malta was subjected to intense German air raids. There were no Wellingtons there at the time—only six Blenheims from 21 Squadron, Marylands from 69 Squadron, and Swordfish from 830 Squadron. There is no information about their bombing raids on Tripoli harbor.

[AndreasB]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

El Feteja Uadi

Should be Derna.

On the sinking of Canopo

The attack is in the German port commander's war diary for the time 2250-2340 (Berlin) on 3 May.

Bombing attack. Italian torpedo boat Canopo exploded and sank due to incendiary bomb.

The Italian story is that she was hit by a single bomb near the stack, and then a fire developed. Apparently a single raider.

https://www.trentoincina.it/torpedin...nopo-e-perseo/ (some pictures of the wreck and first-hand accounts)

I have now checked the Malta Swordfish report, and intriguingly, a/c 'C' reported to have dropped its mine 'less than a cable off the northern-most ship of the outer group', so under 185m from the ship. As this would have been dropped at a low height of maybe 500ft, it is quite possible that this mine hit Canopo and exploded on impact.

Given that we can rule out anyone else I would be inclined to give credit to S/Lt Smith (pilot) and S/Lt Gordon-Smith (observer) of Swordfish C of 830 Sqn FAA.


All the best

Andreas

[sergey]

In support of this theory, a question: From which North African airfields could British bombers have attacked Tripoli in early May 1941? But there are other questions: what type of mines were the Swordfish laying, and could these mines have functioned as impact-detonated bombs?

[AndreasB]

Wellingtons used Fuka as a jumping-off point and that would have enabled them to reach Tripoli. (I think - Edit: checked and no Tripoli missions from either Fuka or L.G. 09, a new forward LG they occupied during May, which enabled them to go to Greece.)

But the 38 Sqn ORB is clear that it wasn't them, and 37 Sqn detachment still operating in Egypt doesn't report sorties that evening.

Agree on your next question.

As a note, it could have been the other crew, I thought the aircraft listing was alphabetically, but apparently that isn't the case. That crew was S/Lt Holmes (pilot) and L/A Evans (air gunner)

All the best

Andreas

[AndreasB]

Gonna guess the answer is 'yes it could'

https://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAM...launched_Mines

All the best

Andreas

[sergey]

Andreas. Thank you for your help. The mine dropped by 830 Squadron's Swordfish (most likely a magnetic one) is the only explanation for the sinking of the Canopo. However, it's surprising that the aircraft crew didn't record the explosion upon impact; otherwise, it would have been mentioned in the Malta War Diary.