Gibraltar
Publié le 22/02/2012
Extrait du document
A rocky projection from the coast of southern
Spain, Gibraltar became a British colony in 1704
and, from the end of the Battle of France to
1943, was the only toehold left to the Allies on the
European continent. Some 25 miles of tunnels and
subterranean chambers were excavated into the
rock, which furnished warehouse space, munitions
storage, living quarters, and military headquarters
for the Allies. It was from such a bunkerlike headquarters
on Gibraltar that General Dwight David
Eisenhower directed Operation Torch, the
Allied landings at the commencement of the
North African Campaigns. Some 600 aircraft
operated from an airstrip at Gibraltar to provide
close air support for Operation Torch.
Gibraltar functioned as the base for the Royal
Navy's small fleet designated Force H and for the
British Naval Contraband Control Service, which
boarded and searched neutral shipping. Gibraltar
was also vital to the convoy system as the point
at which many convoys assembled and started
their journeys. During the Siege of Malta, that
island was sustained by supplies convoyed from
Gibraltar. Gibraltar also functioned as a way station
for Allied airmen who had been shot down
and were either evading capture or had escaped
from captivity.
Gibraltar was variously targeted by the Italians
and the Vichy French. However, Spain's dictator,
Francisco Franco, blocked a German attempt to
capture the base because he saw such an operation
as a threat to Spanish neutrality. Not wishing to
alienate a friendly fascist "neutral," Adolf Hitler
reluctantly withdrew plans for attack.
Liens utiles
- La prise de Gibraltar
- de Gibraltar et fait route vers le nord-est.
- En 711, les Maures conduits par Tariq passent le détroit de Gibraltar.
- Gibraltar.
- Gibraltar, détroit de.