Angus Konstam, Royal Navy Force H 1940-42 (Osprey, 2025)
Created in Summer 1940, Force H was a Royal Naval task force based in Gibraltar that reported directly to the Admiralty. They therefore had the location and opportunity to act in the Mediterranean, against the Italians, and in the Atlantic, against the Germans. It hunted the Bismarck in the Atlantic and escorted convoys to Malta in the most trying circumstances. However, the Force’s most infamous action was the destruction of the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir in July 1940. In Royal Navy Force H, Angus Konstam narrates the story of this unique Royal Navy fleet.
Konstam expands on the mission for Force H in the wake of the fall of France. He notes that in addition to the situation with the French, Italian, and German fleets, Force H also had a watching brief over the Spanish and Portuguese fleets in case they joined the Axis. As for the fleet itself, Konstam calls it a ‘powerful fleet in miniature’ because of the array of ships involved, including battleships, carriers, cruisers, and many destroyers. This was also an interchangeable fleet, with ships joining and leaving as circumstances warranted. Konstam considers the wide variety of weapons that this fleet could bring to bear, though the Royal Navy was late to the show when it came to anti-aircraft defences. That said, Konstam argues that the game-changer was the fleet’s deployment of radar, which gave them an edge against enemy aircraft. For its own aerial purposes, the fleet carried Skuas, Fulmars, and the iconic Swordfish. Konstam turns to how the fleet operated, with considerations of command and organization, intelligence, communications, including the use of deception to deceive spies around Gibraltar, logistics, and facilities. He adds an interesting vignette on life at Gibraltar. Then we are into the fleets’ combat highlights, beginning with the attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir, the surprise attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto, the bombardment of Genoa, convoy support operations, hunting the Bismarck, and club runs to take aircraft to Malta. The loss of the carrier HMS Ark Royal in November 1941 signalled the beginning of the end of Force H, which was soon subsumed into the Operation Ironclad invasion fleet. Konstam concludes that Force H proved to be a powerful threat to the Axis in the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
Royal Navy Force H is an excellent addition to Osprey’s Fleet series. Konstam is a dependable writer on naval affairs, and this is a solid example of his work. His text is informative and covers all the bases, including box-out texts for club runs, hunting the Bismarck, Gibraltar and its accompanying strait, and escorting the Halberd convoy in September 1941. Konstam’s survey provides a sound base for further reading on the naval war in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, including the hunt for the Bismarck. His text is well-supported by Osprey’s usual high quality artwork and selection of photos. Naval history readers, especially those that focus on World War II, will enjoy this book, as will anyone interested in military history.
