Force H off Gibraltar, 1940

“Force H off Gibraltar, 1940.” Oil on canvas by Rowland Langmaid.

#OTD 21 May 1941 Royal Navy cruisers intercept German convoy off Crete

HMS Dido, HMS Ajax, and HMS Orion in action off Crete, 21st May 1941. The three cruisers and four destroyers (Janus, Hasty, Hereward, Kimberley) formed “Force D” under Rear-Admiral I.G.Glennie. On the night of 21st May, an Axis convoy of twenty caïques escorted by the Italian destroyer-escort Lupo attempted to land German troops at Maleme.

Interception of enemy convoy off Crete, by Rowland Langmaid, collection of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

‘HMS Illustrious, Attack on Taranto’ by Rowland Langmaid

‘HMS Illustrious, Attack on Taranto’ by Rowland Langmaid. Painting in collection of Ministry of Defence.