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WAR IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 85

Suez

Canal

Italian

fleet

Mediterranean

Fleet

Force H

Duisberg

Convoy 28–29 Mar 1941

Cape Matapan

9 Jul 1940

Calabria

Cape Spartivento

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Corsica
Sardinia
SICILY
Malta Crete
Cyprus
Kastellorizo
Dodecanese
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TRANSJORDAN
ARABIASAUDI
SYRIA
ALBANIA
PALESTINE
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ANDORRA Sofia
Istanbul
Ankara
Damascus
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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
Allied troop convoys to Greece
BATTLE OF CAPE MATAPAN
MARCH 28–29, 1941
On March 28, the Italians sent a small fleet to Crete to
intercept British convoys that were carrying troops
to Greece. However, the RAF spotted the Italian
ships, and the British Mediterranean Fleet moved in
from Alexandria and opened fire on their enemy. The
battle lasted into the night, and the British sank three
Italian cruisers, two destroyers, and damaged the
battleship Vittorio Veneto in a significant victory, after
which the Italian fleet avoided major battles.
4 THE AXIS POWERS IN THE ASCENDANT
DECEMBER 19–31, 1941
The Allies suffered a setback when ships returning to
Alexandria ran into a minefield off the coast of Tripoli
on December 19. Two ships were sunk and two were
badly damaged, reducing the Allies’ ability to threaten
the Axis convoys. Later that day, the Italians disabled
two battleships and damaged a destroyer in Alexandria
harbor. While the Royal Navy recovered, the Italian
fleet dominated the central and eastern Mediterranean.
6
Raid on Alexandria
Dec 19, 1941
Italian minefield
Axis convoy routes
STRIKING THE AXIS CONVOYS
APRIL–DECEMBER 1941
The nine warships lost to the Luftwaffe during the
defense and evacuation of Crete (see pp.82–83)
in May 1941 highlighted just how vulnerable the British
navy was in the eastern Mediterranean. However,
the Allies continued to strengthen their position
in the central Mediterranean, making several
successful attacks on Axis convoys—particularly in the
Battles of the Duisburg Convoy and Cape Bon—that
left the Axis powers in North Africa short of fuel.
5
NAVAL BATTLES
The Mediterranean was the site of the largest conventional sea battles
of the war outside the Pacific theater, as the British Royal Navy fought the
Italian and German fleets for control of the convoy routes taking
vital supplies and reinforcements to North Africa.
KEY
Areas controlled
by Vichy France, 1940
Areas controlled
by Italy, 1940
Areas under British
influence, 1940
Areas controlled
by Germany, 1940
Neutral / not yet
involved in the war
Borders, Dec 1940
Major battles
British fleets
Italian fleet
JAN 1940 JUL JAN 1941 JUL JAN 1942
2
3
4
5
6
1
TIMELINE
Nov 27, 1941
Battle of Cape
Spartivento; the
Italians attack a
convoy en route
to Malta.
Dec 13, 1941 Battle
of Cape Bon; two Italian
cruisers carrying supplies
to the Luftwaffe in
North Africa are sunk.
Nov 8–9, 1941 Battle
of Duisburg Convoy;
the Royal Navy sinks all
seven merchant ships
and a destroyer in a
German convoy.
Nov 25, 1941
HMS Barham is hit and
sunk by three torpedoes;
862 die and 449 survive.
Italian bombing raid
on Malta, Jun 11, 1940
British attack
on Italian convoy
THE BATTLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN BEGINS
JUNE 11–NOVEMBER 11, 1940
The Italians began the Battle of the Mediterranean with a
bombing raid on Malta on June 11, and the British scored
their first hit when they sank the Italian destroyer Espero,
which was escorting a convoy to Benghazi on June 28.
The first major clash between the Italian and British fleets
occurred on July 9 at the Battle of Calabria. Neither side
scored a decisive victory, and both avoided further
large-scale action until November.
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US_084-085_The_naval_war_in_the_mediterranean.indd 85 24/05/19 1:16 PM