29.3 1941 Battle of Matapan

The greatest naval battle of the Second World War in the Mediterranean Sea is considered to be the Battle of Matapan. The British used an intelligence advantage to "scatter" the Italian fleet. The fighting lasted three days, ending on 29 March 1941.

On the eve of the battle, a large group of Italian ships led by the battleship "Vittorio Veneto" sailed from the ports of Tarento, Brindisi and Naples.to attack the British ships protecting the communications between Egypt and Greece, while carrying troops between the two countries as part of Operation Lustre. The Italians were forced to attack after pressure from Germany.

But the British were at a great intelligence advantage at the time and knew about the attack. Admiral Andrew Cuningham, who was based in Alexandria, Egypt, was able to read the radio dispatches that guided the Italian Navy's actions from February 1941. This advantage enabled the British to open fire at 8 a.m. on 28 March on Italian ships that, because of the distance, could not return the attack. The British succeeded in destroying a large part of the Italian fleet at Cape Matapan, virtually knocking it out for the rest of the year.

"The victory at Cape Matapan came at the right time. It relieved us of any threat that hung over the British navy at this critical time. dominance in the eastern Mediterranean," wrote British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his memoirs.

The success of the British Navy was that at Cape Matapan they were able to concentrate their forcesagainst part of the enemy fleet - the cruisers Fiume, Zara and Pola and the destroyers Gioberti, Oriani, Alfieri and Carducii. And this without the Italians registering their presence. In the end, in a very successful night surface action, they sank five of the seven enemy ships. Two destroyers escaped.

The great Italian warships did not venture to sea after their disastrous defeat at the Battle of Matapan. "The Italians lost three thousand sailors. Most of them died, the rest were captured by the enemy. In addition, the battleship Vittorio Veneto was badly hit," writes Eduard Čejka in Who Will Stop the Tide. Vittorio Veneto was an Italian battleship belonging to the Littorio/Vittorio Veneto class trio of battleships. She was sleek, heavily armed and armoured.

In contrast, none of the British vessels were damaged. The only loss was a downed plane and three dead airmen. The victory at Cape Matapan was of great significance to the British. The Italians reacted to the defeat by issuing an order that prevented battleships from engaging in combat beyond the range of fighter aircraft.

Sources:
Karel Pacner: Grandmasters of Espionage
Ian Sumner: The Royal Navy 1939-45
Eduard Čejka: Who Will Stop the Tide
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