by Mark Stille (Author), Alan Gilliland (Illustrator), Paul Wright (Illustrator)
During the struggle for the
Mediterranean in World War II, British and Italian battleships entered
combat on three occasions in 1940 and 1941. In this fully illustrated
account of these battles, historian Mark Stille assesses the technology,
crews, doctrine, and combat record of the capital ships that took part.
During World War II's battle for control of the
Mediterranean, both the British and Italian navies planned to bring
their battle fleets into play. At the center of both of these fleets was
a core of battleships which both sides expected to play a decisive role
in the conflict.
On July 9, 1940, the two navies met in the
central Mediterranean, as two Italian battleships faced off against
three of their British counterparts. Christened the Battle of Calabria,
the action allowed the ships to play to their strengths, engaging in a
long-range gunnery duel, the very thing they had been designed for.
Though both sides shot well, the only hit was scored by Warspite on the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare. The
Italians were forced to withdraw, and the action ended up being
indecisive, but it was the largest fleet action fought in the
Mediterranean during the war. As well as this battle, there were other
occasions during the war when both British and Italian battleships were
present and influential, but during which they never engaged each other
directly--the Battle of Spartivento on November 27, 1940, and the Battle
of Cape Matapan on March 28--29, 1941.
Packed with full-color
artwork, carefully selected archive photographs, and expert analysis,
this title explores in detail the role played by British and Italian
battleships in these encounters and their influence in the Mediterranean
theater of World War II.
