III./ZG26, 11th January 1941

[Larry deZeng]

According to Shores, Cull and Malizia in Malta: The Hurricane Years 1940-41 (London: Grubb Street, 1987) pages 108-21, the answer to your question is "no".

The Stukas and the Italian S.79s flew the attacks of 10 and 11 January 1941 without escort. In their lengthy and very compreheisive account of both days' action against Illustrious and the other RN surface units, there is no mention of any fighter escort nor is their any mention in either the German or Italian after action reports. This is also confirmed in Karl Gundelach's Die deutsche Luftwaffe im Mittelmeer 1940-1945, 2 Bde (Frankfurt/M., 1981) as well as in the Gen.Qu.(6.Abt.) Verlustmeldungen.

From 9 to 14 January, III./ZG 26 was still en-route from Caen via Neubiberg and Treviso to Palermo but had not fully arrived yet. It flew its first mission on 16 January when 20 Bf 110s escorted 17 Ju 88s and 10 MC 200s and 10 CR 42s escorted 44 Stukas in an attack on Illustrious while she was under repair at Malta.

L.