Word: ionian
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1940-1949
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Battle of the Ionian...
...reconnaissance to have divided into a northern squadron-two battleships covered by cruisers and destroyers -and a southern squadron-one battleship similarly covered. The Orion was to try to decoy the southern squadron into a night trap. Toward evening the main British force followed the flagship Warspite into the Ionian Sea between Sicily and Greece toward the hoped-for area of conflict. A few light Greek vessels put out to join them...
...British communiques clarified what happened last fortnight south of Crete where Italian airmen claimed they sank a British cruiser on July 8. The cruiser was the Gloucester (9,300 tons) and her commander, Captain Frederick Rodney Garside, was killed, but she was able to join next day in the Ionian Sea "boat race...
...battleship and an aircraft carrier, sank a cruiser. Meantime, an Italian battle squadron put out to protect other Italian warships which were returning from a convoy trip to Libya and evidently were the target of the British raiders from the East. Next day, in an engagement in the Ionian Sea off Cape Spartivento (toe of the Italian "boot") lasting from mid-afternoon until nightfall, the Italian warships (said the Italians) "drove the British back from a threatened attack on important Italian coast positions." When night came, the British ran southeast and pursuing Italian units lost track of them. During this...
...Admiral Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, Commander in Chief of Britain's Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria, these casualty admissions were welcome news, for his view and version of the Ionian Sea encounter differed widely from the Italian. To make a sweep along the Italian south coast at a moment when the Italians might suppose him preoccupied with disarming surrendered French units at Alexandria, Sir Andrew took his squadron, led by his flagship, the War spite, and two sister battleships on a full-speed dash westward. To scour the sea carefully and not reveal his full force, it was natural...