Admiral A. B. Cunningham (ABC) 1941 Hand Signed Card & H. M. Ships Envelope WWII

Description

Admiral A. B. Cunningham (ABC) 1941 Hand Signed Card & Envelope WWII
Andrew Browne Cunningham, (born January 7, 1883, Dublin, Ireland)died June 12, 1963, London, England), British naval officer who was an outstanding combat commander early in World War II and served as first sea lord of the Admiralty from 1943 to 1946.
Cunningham became a naval cadet on HMS Britannia in 1897, rose steadily through the ranks in the following years, and commanded the British destroyer HMS Scorpion during World War I. He was promoted to vice admiral in 1936, and he was serving as commander in chief of the Mediterranean fleet when World War II began in September 1939. Though his forces were heavily outnumbered by the Italian navy from June 1940 (when Italy entered the war), Cunningham set out to establish British naval supremacy in the Mediterranean. With France knocked out of the war, he was able to secure the disarming of Admiral René Godfroy
'
s French squadron at Alexandria, Egypt. Cunningham then went on the offensive against the Italian navy. His air attacks on the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto (November 1940) put three Italian battleships out of action, and in the Battle of Cape Matapan (March 28, 1941) his forces sank three of Italy
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s largest cruisers.
With British dominance over the Italian navy firmly established by 1941, Cunningham
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s principal opponent became the Luftwaffe (German air force), which inflicted heavy losses on his ships in operations around Crete and Malta and on British convoys bound for North Africa. After spending several months (June-October 1942) in Washington, D.C., as the Royal Navy's representative to the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff Committee, Cunningham returned to combat command as naval commander of the Allied expeditionary force in the Mediterranean. Acting as General Dwight D. Eisenhower's naval deputy, Cunningham commanded the large fleet that covered the Anglo-American landings in North Africa (Operation Torch; November 1942) and then commanded the naval forces used in the joint Anglo-American amphibious invasions of Sicily (July 1943) and Italy (September 1943).
Having been promoted (January 1943) to admiral of the fleet, Cunningham returned to London in October 1943 to serve as first sea lord and chief of naval staff, the highest post in the Royal Navy and one in which he reported directly to Prime Minister Winston Churchill through the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He was responsible for overall strategic direction of the navy for the remainder of the war. In 1945 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cunningham of Hyndhope, and in 1946, the year of his retirement, he was made a viscount. A Sailor
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s Odyssey (1951) is his autobiography.
Lot comprised by:
a) 5" x 6" Card with hand written message and autograph by the famed British Admiral of the Allied Fleet, A. B. Cunningham. He signs here, then writes "Admiral" and finally "H.M.S. ..." and where the name of the ship should be placed, there's a portion of the card trimmed out. Possibly an action from the war censorship in order not to give information as per what ship was the Admiral on board. This card was sent shortly before the important battle of Catapan, in which the Admiral forces sank 3 Italian battleships ensuring the Naval predominance on the Mediterranean Sea at this time. Coincidentally, the postal envelope accompanying the card has the arrival postmark in Montevideo, March 28, 1941, the very same day of that battle. Condition: Excellent- (Considering the trimmed portion of the card does not detract the grading since it most certainly it's due to the war censorship)
b) Front cover and partial back cover of envelope used to ship the card, posted on board of H.M. Ships, and with arrival date to Montevideo  Uruguay, on March 28, 1941. Letter shows war censorship paper band. Condition: Very Good (Small surface tears on back from dismounting)
REF #:
AZ-42
Provenance:
From the collection of Alejandro Zorrilla de San Martin (birth: Montevideo, Uruguay, September 21, 1880 - death: Montevideo, Uruguay: December 12, 1941), who spent over 20 years collecting autographs mainly from prominent political figures worldwide. He used to send blank cards with a newspaper or magazine clipped photo of the person, attaching a letter asking for an autograph and including a self-addressed envelope.
Important
:
We only deal on vintage original collectible papers. As such these are not a modern reproductions or computer generated prints.
Shipping
:
Price are based upon actual costs, we ship from Uruguay through FedEx International Priority which offers a fantastic shipping record in all senses.
So shipping cost is as follows:
1 up to 100 similar items via FedEx International Priority:
US$ 20 to USA, CANADA and Americas
US$ 25 to EUROPE
US$ 30 to the rest of the World