Since publishing this web-site I gave a short talk on the subject as specified in the previous page and have now included
it in the site in case it may be of interest to some readers.
Over the past few years I have been studying the war in the Middle East with particular emphasis on the Mk1 and Mk2 LCTs
( called A Lighters) which went out to the Med. at the end of 1940 and through 1941 to form the Western Desert Lighter Force ( WDLF).
The purpose of my talk is to try to show you the extent to which the crews of these craft contributed to the defeat of the
Axis Forces in North Africa. To do this I must, of necessity, outline the land operations which took place during the period.
Italy declared war on the 10th June, 1940 and the Franco/German Armistice took place on the 22nd June, 1940. These happenings gave rise
to a complete change in the Balance of Power in the Med. so that it then became necessary for all transport ships for the
Imperial Army of the Nile to take the 12,000 mile route around the Cape.
After Dunkirk it was realised that to win the war we must land troops on the beaches of France and also we would probably need to make landings
elsewhere in the world. To do this Landing Craft would be required. A Directorate of Combined Operations was established to meet this requirement.
At this time I only have time to consider Major Landing Craft and to get things moving in this respect a meeting was held at
the Admiralty with representatives of the Army, Navy and the Directorate of Naval Construction (DNA).
Three days after the meeting the DNA representative returned with an outline drawing of the Mk1 LCT.
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