TheCodeBreakers
On the night of the 13th, as expected, commandos dropped from the sky
and strike forces roared in from the east.
The waiting German and Italian forces massacred them. The carefully
planned operation failed almost completely. At the three North African
airports of Matruba, El Fetejak, and Barce, not a plane was touched; at
the K2 and K3 airfields, the British succeeded only in slightly damaging
eight craft, all of them repairable in a few days. At three other airfields
(Benina in North Africa and Heraklion and Castelli in Crete), where the
warnings were either not received or ignored, the British destroyed a total
of 18 planes and burned two hangars.
Next day, airplanes that had been saved from destruction by the
timely warning delivered heavy attacks upon the convoy from Alexandria,
sinking three destroyers and two merchant ships. A U-boat got a heavy
cruiser, and when heavy Italian forces sortied from Taranto, the convoy
annaabi.ee 
