Cunningham described the command of the Mediterranean Fleet as "The finest command the Royal Navy has to offer" and he remarked in his memoirs that "I probably knew the Mediterranean as well as any Naval Officer of my generation". As such Cunningham had his fleet at a heightened state of readiness, so that when Italy did choose to enter into hostilities the British Fleet would be ready.
French Surrender (June 1940) In his role as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, Cunningham had to negotiate with the French Admiral
René-Émile Godfroy for the demilitarisation and internment of the
Force X, the French squadron at Alexandria, in June 1940, following the
Fall of France. Churchill had ordered Cunningham to prevent the French warships from leaving port, and to ensure that French warships did not pass into enemy hands. Stationed at the time at Alexandria, Cunningham entered into delicate negotiations with Godfroy to ensure his fleet, which consisted of the battleship , four cruisers, three destroyers and a submarine, posed no threat. The Admiralty ordered Cunningham to complete the negotiations on 3 July. Cunningham's negotiations succeeded and the French emptied their fuel
bunkers and removed the firing mechanisms from their guns. Cunningham in turn promised to repatriate the ships' crews.
Battle of Taranto (November 1940) Although the threat from the French Fleet had been neutralised, Cunningham was still aware of the threat posed by the Italian Fleet to British
North African operations, based in Egypt. Although the Royal Navy had won in several actions in the Mediterranean, considerably upsetting the
balance of power, the Italians who were following the theory of a
fleet in being had left their ships in harbour. This made the threat of a
sortie against the British Fleet a serious problem. The attack started at 21:00, 11 November 1940, when the first of two waves of
Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers took off from
Illustrious, followed by the second wave an hour later. The attack was a great success:
Battle of Cape Matapan (March 1941) At the end of March 1941, Hitler wanted the convoys supplying the
British Expeditionary force in Greece stopped, and the Italian Navy was the only force able to attempt this. Under pressure from Germany, the Italian Fleet planned to launch an attack on the British Fleet on 28 March 1941. The Italian commander, Admiral
Angelo Iachino, intended to carry out a surprise attack on the British Cruiser Squadron in the area (commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir
Henry Pridham-Wippell), executing a
pincer movement with the battleship . Cunningham though, was aware of Italian naval activity through
intercepts of Italian
Enigma messages. Although Italian intentions were unclear, Cunningham's staff believed an attack upon British troop convoys was likely and orders were issued to spoil the enemy plan and, if possible, intercept their fleet. Cunningham wished, however, to disguise his own activity and arranged for a game of golf and a fictitious evening gathering to mislead enemy agents (he was, in fact, overheard by the local Japanese Consul). After sunset, he boarded HMS
Warspite and left Alexandria. Cunningham, realising that an air attack could weaken the Italians, and Iachino, realising his fleet was vulnerable without air cover, ordered his forces to retire. Cunningham gave the order to pursue the Italian Fleet. The British lost only three aircrew when one torpedo bomber was shot down. Cunningham had lost his bet with Commander Power but he had won a strategic victory in the war in the Mediterranean.
Maleme airfield in western Crete fell to the Germans and enabled them to fly in heavy reinforcements and overwhelm the Allied forces.
Allied Expeditionary Force (1942–43) at the
Yalta Conference. Cunningham became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), "in recognition of the recent successful combined operations in the Middle East", in March 1941 and was created a baronet, of Bishop's Waltham in the County of Southampton, in July 1942. From late 1942 to early 1943, he served under
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made him Naval Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force. In this role Cunningham commanded the large fleet that covered the Anglo-American landings in North Africa (
Operation Torch). General Eisenhower said of him in his diary: On 21 January 1943, Cunningham was promoted to
Admiral of the Fleet. February 1943 saw him return to his post as Commander-in-Chief,
Mediterranean Fleet. Three months later, when Axis forces in North Africa were on the verge of surrender, he ordered that none should be allowed to escape. Entirely in keeping with his fiery character he signalled the fleet "Sink, burn and destroy: Let nothing pass".
First Sea Lord (1943-1946) In October 1943, Cunningham became
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, after the death of Sir
Dudley Pound. This promotion meant that he had to relinquish his coveted post of Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, recommending Admiral
John H. D. Cunningham as his successor. In the position of First Sea Lord, and as a member of the Chiefs of Staff committee, Cunningham was responsible for the overall strategic direction of the navy for the remainder of the war. He attended the major conferences at
Cairo,
Tehran,
Yalta and
Potsdam, ==Retirement==