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84 GERMANY TRIUMPHANT 1939–1941

Suez

Canal

Italian

fleet

Mediterranean

Fleet

Force H

Duisberg

Convoy 28–29 Mar 1941

Cape Matapan

9 Jul 1940

Calabria

Cape Spartivento

A

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ti

c

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Se
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M e d i
t e r r a n e a
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S e
a
A e g e a n
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S
e
a
Corsica
Sardinia
SICILY
Malta Crete
Cyprus
Kastellorizo
Dodecanese
Islands
Ba
le
ar
ic^
Islands
TRANSJORDAN
ARABIASAUDI
SYRIA
ALBANIA
PALESTINE
T
U
N
IS
IA
GREECE
F
R
A
N
C
E
G R
E A
T
E
R
G E R
M
A
N
Y
P
O
R
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A
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ORO
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SWITZERLAND
BULG
AR
IA
T U R K
E
Y
I T A L Y A
L
G
E
R
I
A
E G Y
P
T
LIBYA
SPAIN
Ca
pe^ Bon
ANDORRA Sofia
Istanbul
Ankara
Damascus
Beirut
Amman
Cairo
Sidi Alexandria
Barrani
Benghazi Tobruk
El Agheila
Tripoli
Tunis
Algiers
Oran
Tangier
Gibraltar
Rabat
Madrid
Perpignan
Toulon
Nice
Milan
Munich
Paris
Berlin
La Spezia
Venice
Tirana
Taranto
Bari
Palermo
Cagliari
Naples
Rome
Messina
Valencia
Rhodes
Athens
Genoa
The Italians entered the war on June 10,
1940, with a totally modernized fleet,
replete with fast new battleships, cruisers,
and destroyers, which outmatched the
British Royal Navy’s capabilities in the
Mediterranean. They harbored high
ambitions in the region, wishing to oust
Britain from Egypt—where British troops
were stationed to protect the nation’s
financial and strategic interests—and
extend Mussolini’s “New Roman
Empire” into Nice, Corsica, Tunisia,
and the Balkans.
The British, meanwhile, sought
to hold the three key points in the
Mediterranean—Gibraltar, Malta, and
the Suez Canal—that would allow them
to keep open supply routes across the
Mediterranean and support Greece
and Turkey should they enter the war.
WAR IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN
From Italy’s entry into World War II until 1943, Allied and
Axis forces were engaged in a naval battle for control of the
Mediterranean. Each strove to destroy the other’s supply lines
while keeping their own open, and to inflict as much damage as
possible on their enemy’s ability to wage war at sea.
THE SUBMARINE WAR
British submarines played a vital role in
disrupting the Axis supply lines across
the Mediterranean, sinking over 440,000
tons (400,000 metric tons) of Axis shipping
between January 1941 and December 1942.
German U-boats joined Italian submarines in
September 1941 and destroyed 12 merchant
vessels, HMS Ark Royal, and HMS Barham
before the end of the year. However, the
U-boats were themselves in danger from
the Allies’ radar-equipped aircraft; none
survived the war in the Mediterranean.
◁ Air support
A Fairey Swordfish
biplane banks as it
prepares to land on
the British aircraft
Destruction of HMS Barham carrier HMS Ark Royal.
Malta, in particular, was crucial (see
pp.86–87). Sitting at the gateway to the
eastern Mediterranean, it provided a
stopping point for Allied convoys and
a base from which to attack the Axis
supply routes to North Africa.
Air power was vital in keeping the
convoys moving, and both sides were
able to take advantage of the short
distances from their bases in Europe
and North Africa, and of the good
visibility in the Mediterranean skies.
The Italians, however, lacked a fleet
air arm, while the British had several
aircraft carriers operating in the area.
For much of the first year, the
Allies had the upper hand in the
Mediterranean, but in December 1941,
they lost the advantage when the Italians
destroyed several of their battleships.
“This tiny island [Malta] is a vital feature in the defense
of our Middle East position.”
HASTINGS ISMAY, BRITISH GENERAL, 1942
THE MALTA CONVOYS
SEPTEMBER 29, 1940–DECEMBER 31, 1941
From September 29, British convoys supplied Malta
with food, supplies, reinforcements, and ammunition.
The convoys accessed the Mediterranean via the Suez
Canal in the east and through the Straits of Gibraltar
in the west. Each convoy was escorted by ships from
the Mediterranean Fleet or Force H; they were under
constant threat from the Italian navy and—from
1941—the German surface and U-boat fleets.
2
Convoy route from
Britain via Gibraltar
Convoy route via
Cape of Good Hope
and Suez Canal
U-boats sunk
Sep 21–Dec 31, 1941
British merchant
ships sunk by
German U-boats
Sep 21–Dec 31, 1941
Royal Navy ships sunk
by German U-boats
Sep 21–Dec 31, 1941
Attack on
Taranto
BRITISH ATTACK ON TARANTO
NOVEMBER 11, 1940
On the night of November 11, the British mounted an
air assault on the Italian fleet at Taranto. Two waves of
attacks were launched from the carrier HMS Illustrious.
The aircraft used were outdated biplanes—Fairey
Swordfish—built in the 1930s. Nonetheless, the bombs,
torpedoes, and flares dropped on Taranto severely
damaged half of the Italian fleet. The remainder of
the fleet retreated to Italy’s west coast, relieving the
pressure on the Malta convoys until March 1941.
3
Surviving
Italian fleet
US_084-085_The_naval_war_in_the_mediterranean.indd 84 19/03/19 5:39 PM