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{{Short description|Second world war sea blockade of Tunisia}}
{{for|the German bombing of Belgrade in April 1941|Operation Retribution (1941)}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict = Operation Retribution
|partof = the [[Tunisia Campaign]] of the [[World War II|Second World War]]
|image = Strait of Sicily map.png
|image_size = 250px
|caption = The Strait of Sicily and surrounding waters
|date = 8–13 May 1943
|place = [[Sicilian Channel]] and [[Cape Bon]], [[Tunisia]]
|coordinates = {{Coord|37|20|N|11|20|E|display=INLINE,title}}
|casus =
|territory =
|result = Allied victory
|combatant1 = {{flag|United Kingdom}}<br />{{flag|United States|1912}}
|combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}<br />{{flagcountry|Fascist Italy (1922–1943)}}
|commander1 = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]]
|commander2 = Unknown
|strength1 =
|strength2 =
|casualties1 =
|casualties2 =
|campaignbox={{Campaignbox Tunisia Campaign}}
}}

'''Operation Retribution''' was the [[Second World War]] air and naval blockade designed to prevent the seaborne evacuation of [[Axis powers|Axis forces]] from [[Tunisia]] to Sicily. Axis forces were isolated in northern Tunisia and faced a [[Operation Vulcan|final Allied assault]]. The equivalent blockade of air evacuation was [[Operation Flax]].

British Admiral [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]]—Allied naval commander—began the operation on 7 May 1943, with the colourful signal to "Sink, burn and destroy. Let nothing pass". He had also named the operation "Retribution" in recognition of the losses that his destroyer forces had endured during the [[Greek campaign|German occupations of Greece]] and [[Operation Mercury|Crete]].<ref name=tomblin>{{cite book |last=Tomblin |first=Barbara |date=31 October 2004 |title=With utmost spirit: Allied naval operations in the Mediterranean, 1942–1945 |publisher=[[The University Press of Kentucky]] |isbn=0-8131-2338-0 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XDqBUqnrFLYC&pg=PA119}}</ref> The Germans were unable to mount a significant rescue effort.

The Axis' predicament had been recognised earlier and a large scale effort to evacuate Axis personnel was expected. So, all available naval light forces<ref group=note>"Light forces" included cruisers and all smaller warships. There were 18 destroyers and several flotillas of torpedo boats available.</ref> were ordered to concentrate at [[Malta]] or [[Annaba|Bone]], with specified patrol areas. In order to achieve this, convoy movements were restricted to release their escorts. The Italian Fleet was expected to intervene, so the [[battleship]]s {{HMS|Nelson|28|6}} and {{HMS|Rodney|29|2}} and the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Formidable|67|6}} were moved to [[Algiers]] in readiness for a major action.<ref name=ike>{{cite web |last=Eisenhower |first=Dwight |author-link=Dwight Eisenhower |title=Report of the Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces ... |pages=47–48 |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/rep/TORCH/DDE-Torch.html#retribution |access-date=26 September 2022}}</ref>

In the event, the Italian Fleet did not leave port (due to the imposing threat of the British navy in much of the Mediterranean Sea) and there was no organised attempt to evacuate Axis forces by sea. Two supply ships en route to Tunisia were intercepted and sunk. Inshore flotillas of British [[Motor Torpedo Boat|MTBs]] and American [[PT boat]]s intercepted small craft and raided the waters around Ras Idda and [[Kelibia]].<ref name=tomblin/> The only significant threat to the sea forces were [[friendly fire]] attacks by Allied aircraft, after which red recognition patches were painted on the ships.<ref name=roskill>{{cite web |last=Roskill |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Roskill |title=THE AFRICAN CAMPAIGNS; 1st January - 31st May, 1943 |publisher=[[HyperWar Foundation]] |pages=441–442 |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-RN-II/UK-RN-II-19.html |access-date=27 September 2022}}</ref> The Allies captured 897 men, 653 Germans and Italians are thought to have escaped to Italy and an unknown number drowned.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Axis forces in north Africa, squeezed into a small area with minimal supplies and facing well-supplied opponents, surrendered on 13 May. The north African ports were rapidly cleared and readied to support the forthcoming invasions of southern Europe. The 12th, 13th and 14th Minesweeping Flotillas from Malta, two groups of minesweeping trawlers and smaller vessels cleared a channel through the minefields of the Sicilian Channel to [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], removing nearly 200 moored [[Naval mine|mines]]. On 15 May, Cunningham signalled that "the passage through the Mediterranean was clear" and that convoys from [[Gibraltar]] to [[Alexandria]] could be started at once. Thus the direct route between Gibraltar and Alexandria—closed since May 1941—was reopened with prodigious savings in shipping and their escorts.<ref name=roskill/>

==See also==

* [[List of classes of British ships of World War II]]
* [[:Category:World War II naval ships of the United States|Category:World War II naval ships of the United States]]
{{Portal|World War II}}
* [[North African campaign timeline]]

==Notes==
<References group=note/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{World War II}}

[[Category:Tunisian campaign]]
[[Category:Code names|Retribution]]
[[Category:May 1943 events]]
[[Category:1943 in Tunisia]]
[[Category:1943 in military history]]

Operation Retribution - Revision history

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