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ANNEX I.

HUST MOST SECRET.

From Governor and C.-in-C. malta.

To Admiralty.

Repeated C.-in-C. Mediterranean.

1935B/7th Nov.

Date 8.11.41.

Recd. 0110.

22

COSUP 1388.

consideration.

Following information is forwarded for

Meeting at Admiralty on Monday 27th October confirmed that Chiefs of Staff policy was to endeavour to import sufficient supplies into Malta so as to have 9 months' stocks in the fortress by 31st March 1942. Excluding stores in ASTROLOGER we estimate following stores will be required by date in question:- (a) 80,000 tons general stores of which main items are wheat 30,000 fodder - 20,000 coal - 18,000. (b) White oils benzine 5,000 kerosene 12,000 100 octane aviation spirit 10,500 (but see paragraph 3). (c) Services Stores 75,000 tons. This figure is based on previous expenditure of fortress and provides only bombs for present R.A.F. Squadrons for 4 weeks repeat weeks. (d) Black oils 40,000 furnace and 5,000 diesel (assumes small naval force based

say at Malta).

2.

To carry (a) and (c) we estimate at least 17 M.T. ships would be required. It is assumed that white oil tankers are not available to carry the 27,500 tons of white oils referred to in (b). We therefore estimate 7 more M.I. ships would be necessary. (a) requires 4 tankers. Thus, within the next 5 months 24 M.T. ships and 4 tankers are required. If 25% loss in convoy is accepted. These figures will be increased to about 30 M.I. ships and 5 tankers.

3

The figures I have given however provide only for the consumption of aviation spirit at the rate of 300 tons a week (note this is double the consumption of a fortnight ago). I have no repeat no information about future R.A.F. policy but if the consumption of aviation spirit continues to rise at the present rate, the number of M.T. ships referred to in paragraph 2 must be increased considerably. Further M.T. ships will be required to carry bombs and more benzine consumption of the latter is rising very rapidly as our bombing effort increases.

4.

From information in this telegram it will be appreciated that the total number of ships necessary to enable 9 months' stocks to be brought into the island by 31st March and to allow the R. A. F. bombing offensive to increase is so large as to make it necessary to weigh up which of these two aims is the more important. I must emphasize that this problem is not only one of providing

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