Operation Excess

Part of the Battle of the Mediterranean of World War II

A later image taken from Illustrious showing Valiant in the background. Both ships were part of Force A and the closest aircraft are Fulmar fighters of the type defending operation Excess.

Date	January 10–11, 1941
Location	South of Sicily Coordinates: 37°30′N 14°00′E / 37.500°N 14.000°E / 37.500; 14.000
Result	British victory

Belligerents

United Kingdom

Australia

Kingdom of Italy

Nazi Germany

Strength

1 aircraft carrier
2 battleships
3 cruisers
7 destroyers

2 destroyers
Unknown number of Stuka dive-bombers and fighters

Casualties and losses

1 aircraft carrier damaged
1 cruiser sunk
1 cruiser damaged
1 destroyer damaged beyond repair

1 torpedo boat sunk
8 aircraft shot down (British claim)

Operation Excess was a series of British supply convoys to Malta, Alexandria and Greece in January 1941. The operation encountered the first presence of Luftwaffe anti-shipping aircraft in the Mediterranean Sea. All the convoyed freighters reached their destinations. However, the destroyer Gallant was disabled by Italian mines; and Axis bombers severely damaged the cruiser Southampton and the aircraft carrier Illustrious.

Italy's declaration of War on 10 June 1940 brought World War II to the Mediterranean Sea and placed the Regia Aeronautica astride the traditional British sea route to Indian Ocean ports, while the Regia Marina roughly tripled the numbers of battleships, cruisers and submarines available to challenge British sea power. The Royal Navy had held the eastern Mediterranean and France the western Mediterranean but the Second Armistice at Compiègne removed the French navy from the alliance on 25 June 1940. From bases at Gibraltar and Alexandria, the Royal Navy attempted to convoy supplies to sustain Malta as a base in the central Mediterranean. As Italy attacked Egypt from Libya in September 1940 and Greece from Albania in October 1940, the Royal Navy maintained most of their Mediterranean Fleet at Alexandria while Force H at Gibraltar was used for raids. British successes in early November 1940 including halting the Italian offensive in Greece and disabling Italian battleships Littorio, Conte di Cavour and Caio Duilio at the Battle of Taranto provided incentive and opportunity to supply Malta and Greece.

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Wikipedia