Operation EWL

'EWL' was the designation of Allied landing craft convoys (together with numerical and literal suffixes) plying the route from Southampton or the Isle of Wight to the Seine Bay, France, and as such reciprocals of the 'FWL' series (June/September 1944).

The convoys were associated with the development of the Allied offensive though north-western France after their break-out from the Normandy lodgement gained in 'Overlord' and then expanded in the following weeks. The 30 such convoys began with EWL.59B of 6 August 1944 with the 1,135-ton British Darst Creek, 2,370-ton British Empire Roseberry, 1,141-ton British Rio Bravo and 1,124-ton British Walnut Bend, and ended with EWL.101B of 19 September 1944 with the 3,738-ton British Empire Russell and 1,124-ton British Walnut Bend.