Delivery by sea and to the fleet

Under the hour of the end of the Greek campaign and the beginning of a few months after the completion of the security of the line delivery through the Adriatic, the fleet was greeted with a significant strain. Винятково погана погода, перевантаженість албанських портів, неузгоджені, але завжди термінові вимоги, британський повітряний наступ, зростаюча активність ворожих підводних човнів, небезпека несподіваних нічних атак британських кораблів, вузькість акваторії в порівнянні з інтенсивністю руху на ній, величезні обсяги разом узяті змусили флот напружувати всі the forces that stained the mass of energy. The vanity of the dedaly grew more and more, the shards at the same time were virishuvati and іnshі, the least important terms of the zavdannya, the first of which were all growing transportation to Libya.

At the minds of the transport through the lower Adriatic, they had a large number of vantage ships of all rozmirivs, and they managed to get a great number of military ships, the Crimea was quiet, which victoriously escorted the convoys without a middle. The cruisers, based in Brindis and Taranto, had to patrol in the Otranstian protots with the least cargo, as well as during the passage of any military convoy. For skin reports about the appearance of a fortune-telling underwater chovn, intensive whispers followed for a few days. The appearance of minor barriers set up by British submarines put a heavy burden on the minesweepers. If the sea transportation was filled with life of an important character, the fleet without a harbor, having pressed for transportation, like their own ship, and ships, including cruisers and destroyers.

What about the diy fleet, all the stinks brought new success. You can call it a significant military success. The transfer of supplies and reinforcements to the Greek-Albanian front is small in scale, dosі nebacheni. Actually їhnіy povny obsyag dosi not vіdomy exactly. However, no matter what. all the difficulties and nebezpechenya, transportation was accompanied by minimal costs. Transport statistics from Italian ports on the Greek-Albanian coast to bring the goal. Turnarounds are not included up to the tsich numbers, like slandering the Greek campaign to the very young, that is, until April 30, 1941. Vіdsotok vtrat induced at the temples. Transportation included:

Special warehouse 516440 osib (0.18)

Viysk vantage 510688 tons (0.2)

Top and wild creatures 87092 heads (0)

Ganks, armored personnel carriers, cars 15951 pcs. (0.55)

For safe transportation, the Italian military ships made 1070 departures. Those not included come out with the method of indirect cover of the escort.

Here it should be noted that after the occupation of Greece in the fleet it is necessary to continue the transportation. In total, before the armistice was laid down from Italy, 895,441 people and 1,387,537 tons of baggage were transported to the Greek-Albanian theater. The total cost was minimal - 0.2% of people and 0.5% of materials.

For example, leaf fall, the fleet rose to help the army with new operations. These included parts of the shelling of the Greek and Albanian positions. In the Crimea, two anti-Greek ships and coastal objects began, as they saw off the Italian ships based on the Dodecanese Islands.

One of the highlights of the Greek campaign was the isolation of the Dodecanese Islands, which led the Italians. Residents of that Viysk garrison gradually began to hear a lack of different speeches that were urgently needed. The situation that had evolved robbed the supply of convoys with an especially important problem. For reasons of reason, the sprat was delivered by underwater trains. However, the shards of the submarines were too small, it became necessary to stop the other system. To this, three small motor ships - "Kalino", "Kalіtsia" and "Ramb III", leather with a water tonnage of about 1200 tons, were docked to break through the British blockade without escort.

The first to break at the Kalino route, which flooded Naples on 1 December 1940, and reached Leros after 5 days, without being seen by the enemy. The system seemed viable, and the flights of the blockaders were three, until Greece was paid off. There was no vtrat. The blockade workers launched 16 flights and transported 16,190 tons of cargo.

Prices at a higher price were accompanied by a thousand and one benefits, but the captain-lieutenant Giorgio Jobbe was hired more. At that very moment, if you pass through the Kaso channel, you will go to the Aegean Sea, remembering the British convoy near the boarding squall. The convoy is on the same course as the Italian ship. Lieutenant-Captain Jobbe, vikoristuyuchi filthy visibility and a great number of fortune-telling ships, arrived before the convoy and passed the Aegean Sea at once from it. In the first good weather, you slumped and safely got away.

Irrespective of the isolation and water difficulties that vineyards, surface ships and sub-water ducts, based on Leros, carried out a streak of gains, which is worrying, on the British lines between Egypt and the Aegean Sea.

Possibly, for some reason, in the last days of the fierce English, they tried to pay off the Italian island of Kastelorizzo, to restock between Rhodes and Cyprus. On the night of the 25th of the fierce, close to 500 British soldiers of a special assault squadron landed on the shore from a landing craft, which pretended to be a division of cruisers. Zhmenka sailors and mitniks, who had changed at Kastelorizzo, fought as hard as they could. At the mountainous part of the island, the stench set up a line of defense, and they asked for help by radio. In the afternoon, the Italian destroyers "Sella" and "Crispi" and the destroyers "Lupo" and "Linche", having taken on board 240 soldiers and sailors, left Rhodes. At night, the ships under the command of Admiral B'yansheri reached Kastelorizzo, "Lupo" took them to the small port and opened the landing of the viysk. Stronger praise, which was rising, was tempted to lay a landing and tempted the ship to turn to Rhodes. As soon as the weather allowed it, Lupo, Lynche and 2 torpedo boats turned to Kastelorizzo and hung a line of soldiers. Before sunset, the Englishmen were sharpened and drank under the shelling of the Italian ships. In an hour "Krispi" and "Sella" threw new soldiers to that detachment. The English soldiers surrendered to the offensive wound. Admiral Cunningham wrote in London, in truth, bad luck, that "Italians worked with marginal energy and acceptability." Vin, calling the whole operation "rotten right."

Zustrich near Merano

Nіmechchina and Italy up to that moment considered their military operations independent. If you don’t take to respect a few samples of spivpractice, if they were so symbolic and little more than propagandistic value, then the skin country waged war independently. In fact, the skin is diligently taking care of its plans in the taєmnitsi in the form of a partner. If the hopes of the Italians rose up for a short war, it became clear what they gave, how much more Italy was indebted as an ally, what supply of syrovina that threat, which Italy did not get. Proteo italiytsy continued vagatisya. A restless thought called out to them about the need for a closer fight with Nimechchina. Andje nіmtsі, zamіst vykonanny prokhanі іtalіytsіv about sending ozbroєnnya tehnika, proponuvali nadsilati povnistyu nіmetskiy parts, like X air corps and the African Corps. This policy is small, it’s quite obvious - to get into the Italian military car, to cherish it in German interests, as they often diverged from Italian ones. That Italian Supreme Command was faced with a dilemma - either it would be better to get more or less wide German introduction, or it would be necessary to provide material assistance, as it became more and more necessary.

Analogously, more and more lined battlefields were found in the Viysk-Marine region. Nіmechchina was not a pushy maritime power, and the Italian fleet, having respected the absurd and intolerant merger of nіmtsіv yogo, in exchange for obladnannya, like the fleet wanted to take from Nіmechchini. The presentation looked even more marvellous, vrakhovuyuchi, that the Italian fleet could not learn anything from German, Crimea and other technical innovations. Until this hour, contacts between the two fleets were exclusively superficial and were carried out through sea missions near Rome and Berlin. Prote, the members of these missions played the role of simple posterigachs.

At the beginning of 1941, the fate of the fleet was set aside by the offensive of the fleet to the nearest point of view at the link with the German offensive off Greece. Previously, the Germans paid back part of the Mediterranean coast. For the rest of the fleet, the fleets kept their operational independence. From its side, the Italian fleet supported, that new furnishing will help to overcome the problem of the safety of fire. In the middle of the fierce 1941 year, the chief of staff of the Italian fleet, Admiral Riccardi, and his German colleague, Admiral Raeder, were sighted at Merano. Negotiated for three days. The official method of sounding the exchange of ideas at the military authorities, but about the right reasons for the sounding, let’s say lower.

As it was predicted earlier, the Italian fleet broke out in war, looming 1,800,000 tons of oil. Irrespective of the savings, that exchange, which was introduced into the country, as soon as it became clear that the war would drag on, until the fierce 1941, 1,000,000 tons of this reserve was drained. This is the ninth month of war. For such a pace, the Italian fleet would have had a chance to be more active. Representatives of the fleet repeatedly turned the attention of the Supreme Command to this difficult problem, but the Germans did not get far enough to get home. To that, the Italians agreed that they had an uninterrupted talk with the German commander, who, as a professional, had a good understanding of the problem, and gave a satisfactory solution. True, Merano's chiming turned Raeder's respect to the point of a problem. In the spring of 1941, oil began to arrive from Nimechchini, but it did not begin to satisfy the minimum requirements. The supermarine was already frantic to surround the sixty-sixth fleet of fire with a fleet of 100,000 tons, which was half the fire needed to ensure operational freedom. In fact, for various reasons, the figure did not exceed 50,000 tons or one fourth consumption. Nadkhodzhennya paliva not only did not take care of normal operations, but the cob was seriously indicated at the operations that were being carried out.

In the turn of 1941, if less than 103,000 tons of oil arrived from Nimechchin, the reserves of the Italian fleet were exhausted. At that moment, the Italian fleet was disturbed and carried out operations only once, when the supply of oil was allowed. In the period, when the stench froze and broke, the activity of the fleet was completely paralyzed. Later, we succumbed to the crisis that swelled the collection of 1941, and right kaidan in the hands of the fleet in the middle of 1942.

At the Zustrich in Merano, the German representatives boasted of their great success in the Pivnichny Sea and fought the Italian fleet in an aggressive manner. However, the Italian representatives made it clear that the situation in the Pivnichny Sea is not similar to the Mediterranean one. The stench showed the need for the Italian fleet to wait for those lines of conduct, as they had chosen earlier. Vidhilennya in her vazhalas possible only in special vipadki, yakі dosi did not appear.

At the link, we should briefly note that the Supermarine is too small to receive the full directives and special orders, as they came to her from the Supreme Command. All these directives had one metaphor: do not attack the Italian battleships for false truths. Mussolini wants to sit for the style of peace negotiations, looming at his disposal a strong fleet. There is no place to discuss, how many of these directives have been thrown into the methods of maritime warfare, but the author is especially guilty of noticing that in a few cases, adopted in the first river of war, Mussolini directly poured into the Supermarine’s decision to be more careful.

The Germans in Merano hung the battle of Berlin, that the English could throw Greece a strong reinforcement. Obviously, this battle gave rise to the preparation by the Germans of a powerful invasion to Greece. For reasons of reason, the Germans proclaimed that the Italian fleet, having led a spear of strikes on British shipping between Egypt and Greece. Tsі dії added b attacks of the italian sub-water troops and light forces from the Dodecanese islands. Admiral Riccardi explained that it would be important for you to know a friendly attitude in order to achieve the greatest success in this region. Having indicated that due to the high efficiency of the British air surveillance and the great enemy, there is a serious chance to send your convoy earlier, the Italian ships will arrive lower. Nimtziv was pleased with the admiral's explanation, and the food was gone.

On the cob of the birch, Berlin has reminded Rome that intensive preparations are being made before operations on the Greek front, and having stepped in, so that the Italian fleet has been built, at any rate, so that the British can transport supplies to Greece. Acting on this political pressure, the Italian Supreme Command punished the fleet of viconates of the Germans. In fact, the fleet once again had a chance to reap the fruits of an ill-conceived enterprise, protesting against it earlier.

Vikonuyuchi order of the Supreme Command, Supermarine rozpochala kolka operations. There was an increase in the number of freshwater chandeliers at the rocky dovkol of Crete. Special assault troops were punished to re-attack the ships near Sudu Bay. Nareshti, the great ships were instructed to carry out the raid. The supermarine was reluctant to beat the punishments, vdchuvayuchi, scho risik, what a stench inflict, signifi- cantly outweigh the possibility of zahopit znenatska escort escort to Crete. Vtіm, the fleet without becoming vysuvat new zaperechen through political nasledki vіdmovi vіd conducted operation. The Germans showed a vindictive interest in the first undertaking, and they eased the sums of the Supermarine, arguing that the aircraft of the X air corps would be safe. They also said that the German torpedo bombers damaged two of the three British battleships on the 16th of March on the shores of Crete - as it was, it was an absolutely unsubstantiated statement.

The operation against the British lines was based on three absolutely necessary reconsiderations:

1. Raptovist.

2. Efficient airborne investigation, to allow Italian ships to quickly establish contact with possible purposes and escape all threats.

3. Efficiently cover ships, as if they were prophets of flying boats and protect ships from repeated attacks, shards will happen to them near the waters, which are under the control of British aviation.

I will help the aviation to help. The supermarine was told that the day before the beginning of operation X, the air corps conducted an intensive exploration of the similar and central Mediterranean, zdiisnit poured on Malta and recaptured be-yakі lіtaki, yakі can fly zvіdti. On Svitanka, if the Italian ships lean against Crete, the Italian aviation bombarded the airfields of the island, conducted a reconnaissance of the best British routes near Crete and to Oleksandriya itself, and also brought the ships to the meridian of Apollonia. At the same hour, the X air corps carried out a reconnaissance of the area between Kirenaykoy and Crete and tucked in the Italian ships mayzhe all day - until two years were left before sunset. Nareshti, the Italian UPU gave a warning that the blamers from Rhodes would accompany the ships all the morning, while the stench was resting near the area of ​​​​Crete. Looking back at such a support, once again, the risks of the sea operation become pleasant. All planned flights are described in detail in order to be able to equalize, which was richly victorious and in the same rank.

The operation took shape from the raid of cruisers, supported by the battleship Vittorio Veneto, which arrived on the 22nd of June to Naples from Spezia. The Germans wanted to make special arrangements with Admiral Yakino about the details of the German counter-trim, the fragments of the 10th air corps would need to interact with the Italian fleet. On the other hand, it was planned to carry out the launch of the escort and recognition of ships, radiating a large number of aircraft in a day, if the Italian route passes through the Messinskaya protoka.

On the evening of June 26, Italian ships sailed by the sea. From Naples viyshov "Vitorio Veneto" under the ensign of Admiral Yakino, who commanded the squadron, that 4 destroyers. The 1st division (Admiral Cattaneo), which was formed from the important cruisers "Zorya", "Pola", "Fiume" and 4 destroyers, sailed from Taranto. The 8th division (Admiral Lenyan) was deployed from Brindisi at the warehouse of the cruisers "Abruzzi", "Garibaldi" and 2 destroyers. On Svitanka 11, the Vitorio Veneto birch passes through the Messinskaya Canal. Ahead, at a distance of 10 miles, the 3rd division (Admiral Sansonetti) advanced. Vaughn was formed from the important cruisers Trento, Trieste and three destroyers, as if not long before that, they came from Messini. About 10.00, 60 miles from Augusta, the 1st division arrived before them, and at 11.00 - the 8th division.

From this moment it is not enough until 20.00 to collapse at the direct Apollonia (Kirenaїka). At this hour, perebubayuchi on long-term Crete, the 1st and 8th divisions were small hanging in the Yegeysk Sea, at the extreme turning point of Crete, as if the stench were small until 8.00. After that, it was necessary for them to turn back on their course and join from Vittorio Veneto about 15.00 for 90 miles on the first exit from Navarino in order to turn back at once to the base. Tim hourly, "Vitorio Veneto" and the 3rd Division of Guild were going to be spotted for 20 miles on a day from the small island of Gavdos, beating the coast of Crete. It is close to 7.00, if contact with the enemy is not made, he should lie down on a return course. Well, the method of both raids was the attack of the fortune-telling convoys of Russian ships. The main problem, especially for ships that enter the Aegean Sea, was the possibility of repeated attacks by the English from Crete and Greece.

Battles near Gavdos and Matapan

Early on the 27th of Birch, it was planned to start the resurrection of the repeated cover of the Italian ships, but the German pilot never showed up. On the following day, the general rehearsal was to be held, but the "great number" of litaks also did not show up. Natomist about 12.20 "Trіest" having told about the British seaplane "Sunderland", which was a whirlwind in the summer, and then a sign. Yogo radio transmission was hacked and badly deciphered. It turned out that Sunderland, through the filthy visibility, only mentioned the 3rd division and did not know anything about the Vittorio Veneto and the other two divisions that went behind. Tsey contact zruynuvav main rethinking operation - raptovist. The position of the 3rd division and the її course was ambiguously indicated on the її aggressive namіri.

Supermarine was then criticized through those who, after spending an element of incompetence, did not say the operation. Ale next of memory, that we did not react to the tactful situation that developed. Vіn buv zdіysneniya under zovnіshnіm vise, it is more important from political mirkuvan. Yakbi Supermarina turned the ship, otrimavshi allowed the Supreme Command, after a single and vertical contact, the decision could have a far-reaching legacy in the Italian-German political climate in Greece. Also, the Supermarine squadron did not call.

A day passed without benefits. About 19.00, the 1st and 8th divisions went to the Aegean Sea, and the "Vittorio Veneto" at once from the 3rd division destroyed the speck on the river Gavdos. About 22.00 Supermarina punished the first group not to salt the distance in the Aegean Sea, but instead to go with the other group and the offensive wound of the child. The protection of the decision to try all the forces at once was motivated by the daily presence of any information about the transfer of the opponent after contact with Sunderland.

On Svitanka 28, Vitorio Veneto reached the designated zone, the 3rd division was 10 miles in front of it, and the 1st and 8th divisions were 15 miles ahead of it. Close to 6.00 "Vitorio Veneto" and "Bolzano" catapulted their Ro.43 hydroplanes. About 6.35 hours from the Vittorio Venet, citing 4 British cruisers and 4 destroyers, which will take about 50 miles on a daily trip due to the Italian success. About 7.58 the 3rd division commemorated the British ships, later known as the cruisers "Orion", "Ajax", "Perth" and "Gloucester", and 4 destroyers of Admiral Prideham-Wippel. Admiral Sansonetti chased the English on December 8 at a distance of about 25,000 meters through the fire. So the bey rose up at Gavdos.

British cruisers were tried on the fly. Dorimuyuchis maximum swidkost, stench zumili vtrimatisya between the far-reachingness of the Italian znaryad. The Italians negainally concentrated the fire on the Gloucester, like a zigzag zigzag, but not enough to hit. But the skirmish at such a great distance, complicated by such a filthy visibility, did not bring a hit to either the Italian or the British side. (The English fired fire 15 times later for the Italians and fired sporadically.)

Approximately after the first year of the battle, about 8.50 Admiral Yakino ordered the 3rd division to turn back, and in one hour all the Italian forces turned back to their base. It is unlikely that it was true that the continuation of an aimless skirmish was true, especially since the Italian ships went far beyond Gavdos and were on the pivdoroz as far as Tobruk. More than that, it was logical to point out that, if any, the whistleblowers could begin to repeat the attacks of the English, but the guilty ones had not yet appeared. Until then, the Ro.43 explorers had not seen British convoys near, so it was possible to take care of the guards.

After that, as the third division began to set out on a pivnichny landing, the English cruisers followed it, wanting to keep trimming along the long-range distances of the її gunnery. At about 10:45 Admiral Yakino turned on the afternoon, although neither British ships nor aircraft had yet suspected the presence of the Vittorio Veneto. Vіn spodіvsya tsim maneuver to squeeze the british cruisers between the battleship and the 3rd division. About 10.50 "Vittorio Veneto" commemorating the ships Pridhem-Vippela, as if they were buried by a friend. Yakiv punished the 3rd division to turn around in order to kill the other half of the klishchi. About 10.56 "Vitorio Veneta" fired fire from its majestic banners from a distance of 25,000 meters.

The British cruisers flared up wildly and, on top of speed, went to the next retreat. Crouching with dim curtains, the stench ticked in a zigzag manner at the 381 mm shells, sometimes firing in volleys. The high level of security allowed them to fly into the battleship. In the official British lights, one shell lay close to the Orion, that the ship was seriously shaken. It seems like the “Gloucester” is “at a deadly insecurity” at the moment when the shooter was pinned.

The ticks, conceived by Admiral Yakino, did not go through the day of tactful air reconnaissance. Shards through the small radius of the Ro.43 had a chance to fly to Rhodes, the Italians had no more guessing about the position of the English. Those who fought from Vittorio Veneto could not serve as the basis for the incendiary visnovki, and the 3rd division was too far away to get in badly. Tom Prіdhem-Vіppel zumіv vysliznuti on pіvdenniy skhіd.

About 11.00, not long after that, like the "Vittorio Veneto" fired, 6 British torpedo bombers were commemorated, like Admiral Cunningham sent a negative attack, like only a few cruisers fell into an unsafe situation. Indeed, at that moment the ships of Prideham-Wippel were in serious trouble, the Italian battleship shells fired at their 381-mm garmat, and it was necessary to replace them. About 11.15 British torpedo bombers moved into position for the attack, and "Vittorio Veneto", which was already preparing to pick up a lot of stubble, to maneuver out of confusion, to elude the new threat. Zustrivshi strong anti-aircraft fire, the enemy airmen threw off their torpedoes at a distance of 2000 meters from the met, prote "Vittorio Veneto" masterfully sneered in front of them.

While the number of boats was being seen, a group of British cruisers, which had safely escaped the danger, left the stage at full speed and appeared over the horizon.

The hour approached 11.30, and Yakino was still on the day of Crete. There was no news about the fortune tellers. Repeated attacks began, no accusatory cover-up appeared. At the same hour, the British airfoils circled in the sky over the Italian squadron without interruption until the very sunset. Bulo itself hurry back, home, and about 11.30 the Italians headed for Taranto.

About 12.07, the 3rd division also recognized the attacks of torpedo bombers, but did not take it off. Between 2.30 pm and 5.00 pm, the British airmen carried out 9 attacks, luckily without result.

However, about 15.20 "Vitorio Veneto", having recognized the combined attacks of bombers and torpedo bombers, as little as serious attacks, the English first stopped this tactic, as it seemed to be a miraculous interplay between two types of aircraft. On the back, the bombers appeared and brought back the respect of the Italian anti-aircraft gunners. Immediately after that, 3 torpedo bombers entered the ship from the feed, flying literally with whimpers. Pіdіyshovshi to "Vіttorіo Veneto", і і 3 lіtaki suddenly changed course and threw off torpedoes from three different directions. One let it hit, but the majestic hull of the battleship was rickety on the floor, so that it could be wounded by three torpedoes thrown over a short distance. Blow zaznav gvintіv port side. For an hour the ship was collapsing, 4000 tons of water poured into the hole. Tse buv critical moment, ale nevdovzі ship anew giving head. Taranto was 420 miles away. Vikoristovuyuchi less than the starboard side, the battleship having increased the speed of 10 catches, and then step by step zbіlshuvav її i nareshti having crossed 20 knots. For a ship that had a similar station, there were great achievements. Follow closely to the technical mind and organization of the crew.

Yakino often and vainly repeating the vimogu of the vinischuvachi prikrittya. The headquarters of the X air corps, handed in a kind of Supermarine vimagal with a greater airiness, especially after the Vittorio Veneto torpedo attack, about 17.30 pm, which nothing could be done. The position of the British squadron was left unattended, and the German airmen could attack the Italians with mercy.

It would be logical to let the stones go, that the fortune-tellers will repeat the attacks until sunset, next to be afraid that the battleship will take away the youth - already with fatal consequences. Admiral Yakino sent the 8th division to Taranto, rested the rest of the ships in an extraordinary way, warehouses from five columns.

Vittorio Veneto is near the center, looming the destroyer along the nose and the destroyer along the stern. On the right, they walked in a column of the cruiser Cattaneo, the levoruch - the cruiser Sansonetti. The extreme colonies approved the destroyers.

Admiral Yakino still did not know that not only the cruiser Pridhem-Vippel, but the head forces of the Oleksandrinsky fleet were hanging on his tail, even if it was visible. The rest of the group was formed from the battleships "Worspite", "Barem", "Veliant", the aircraft carrier "Formidable" and 9 destroyers. Vaughn was quiet for the Italians and there is not a small chance of overtaking them, as the litaks cannot improve the enemy's sight. Therefore, Admiral Cunningham hung in the attack all the nayavnі litaki. Crying that "Vittorio Veneto" is not only torpedoing vranci, but also heavily bombarded by bombs a day (like the pilots were alerted), preparing for the sunset after the sun had set for a mortal blow to an Italian battleship in an artillery battle.

Supermarina and Yakino, from the other side, all their maneuvers were based on the coasts, which only the cruisers Prideham-Wippel are in the sea, but they also turned back to Oleksandriya. In fact, there was no specific information, as if it were true, similar admission. Also, there were some reasons to suspect that the enemy was preparing for a night battle against the Italians. Yakby only Supermarine and Yakino were given more respect to their suspicions, night battle, which would be described below, you could bury yourself, or if you want to change it, spend it.

In this order, on the evening of May 28, the Italian command, like at the coastal headquarters, and on ships near the sea, could not look up to the situation. Tsi pardons were small in the region of heavy nasledki, made stronger by the vipadkovy zbіgo obstavin.

About 18.00, having deciphered the order to Admiral Cunningham of Oleksandriya, Admiral Yakino realized that at the hour of sunset the British torpedo bombers would again attack the Italian ships. About 18.23 9 letaks were marked. Perebuvayuchi pose with a radius of dії anti-aircraft gunners, the stench of Mayzhe year calmly circled around the Italian squadron, watching the situation. The ships were powerless to recognize them. About 6:51 pm the sun set, and about 7:20 pm, with dark days, the fortune-tellers began to approach. At this moment, the Italian squadron set a dim curtain, and the cruisers raised their searchlights to blind the pilots. On 19.25, the Italian destroyers commemorated the approach of aircraft, and all ships fired intense anti-aircraft fire. Trival attack 20 hwilin. The ships maneuvered nicely in dima and darkness, although the stench was in the narrow and silent formation. The pilots of the prophetic torpedo-bombers were fiercely opposed, with which the Italians fought, and threw off the torpedoes on the fly. If the shooter stumbled, it seemed that the ship was ready to fire without suffering. Ale, it was unfortunate after all that it became clear that Paul, for example, attacked, having taken off a hit by a torpedo and having spent a head.

In the early hours of Supermarine, Admiral Iakin was informed that, due to radio direction finding data, about 17.45 the British squadron was 75 miles away from the current one. positions "Vitorio". On the occasion of this announcement, Admiral Yakino immediately raised visnovoks, who are present at the extreme slope of the British destroyers, as to conduct a nightly patrol. Supermarina passed on this information without any comments, which confirmed the assessment. Tom about 20.18 Yakiv having punished the 1st division of Admiral Cattaneo, having laid down the "Paul" to the extent possible, to go to the aid of the poshkodzhenny ship. This order came at once from the prohannya of Cattaneo to send 2 destroyers to help the cruiser. Tom about 20.38 Yakino confirmed his order and informed Cattaneo about the Supermarine radiogram at 17.45.

Oskіlki Admiral Cattaneo died in battle, causing, through yakі vin calling vikonati order, they lost their invisibility. Possibly, in the check in the "Pidlog" detailed information about the withdrawal of the fee. That's right, about 20:53 Vіn having taken off the inquiry about towing. Kіlka khvilin earlier, Admiral Cattaneo, having requested confirmation of the abrogation of orders and otrimán yoga on 21.05. After punishing Zora and Fiume and the destroyers Alfieri, Carducci, Oriani and Gioberti, turn to the aid of the Field. It seems that Admiral Cattaneo firmly changed his mind, that the British ships were far away, the shards of wine having chosen the way of the wake, and the destroyers flickered the column. Possibly, he himself ocholived the column, bazhayuchi the first to bash the “Polu”, so that I could immediately order the order of the cruiser in order.

Admiral Cunningham, having taken into account that "Vittorio", the Crimea took a day off from torpedoes and bombs, taking one more torpedo hit per hour of attack in a day. This is how the pilots of the torpedo bombers were told. The English admiral did not know that "Paul" was standing on the spot, having spent his head. From the other side, vіn pomilkovo vvazhav that "Vitorio" is now just a ruin, scho drifting. Therefore, after the present night of the wines, they sent their destroyers to explore with the order to torpedo and finish off the battleship. They supported the cruisers Prideham-Wippel. The british forces of the British squadron went behind, So the first of the bunches of fatal blows began, yak, they brought the result of a night battle to a tragic result for the Italians.

About 20.32 the radar of the cruiser "Ajax" described the silhouette of "Pidlogi" that stands on the spot. Pridhem-Vippel, respecting what the whole battleship is, having punished the destroyers to torpedo yogo. Himself guilty of his own cruisers, violating the pranks of other Italian ships. Through the lack of space in the system, the British destroyers did not go on the attack, which turned out to be fatal ... for the Italians! Natomist destroyers continued to collapse on the pivnich. Yakby stinks attacked the Paula, it would have scoffed at Admiral Cattaneo.

Cunningham at his side, having come to the area, de "Ajax" commemorating the "Floor", collapsing to the edge carefully, respecting that the cruiser had revealed the destroyers. About 22.03 radar "Velianta" aboard the cruiser "Pola", which is 8 miles away. The battleships of Cunningham turned straight ahead and prepared to fire. At the same time, the ships of Cattaneo, not knowing about the danger, prepared to help the wretched cruiser. Less than half of the team stayed at combat posts. On the Fiumi, they were already preparing towing kits.

Another fatal run of Cattaneo's graft to the "Field" at the very moment that Cunningham's battleships. visually. Another zbіg: "Paul" with dark silhouettes of British ships that were forging on the pivnіch, and, like the ships of the Italian 1st division, giving a signal with a red rocket, indicating their position. The ships of Cattaneo fired a rocket and realized that there were "Pidlogs". The Italians turned all their respect there, not knowing about the presence of British ships, as they now went on a parallel course from the other side.

On 22.28, the British destroyer Greyhound, which, having passed closer from other ships to the Italians, was visible by the searchlight of the cruiser Cattaneo. They also destroyed other British ships. Negaino, all 3 British battleships fired fire from their 381-mm garmat on the cruisers mayzhe vpritul. Destroyers arrived before them, as they fired on Italian destroyers with 120-mm garmat. More misunderstandings could not be revealed. "Zorya" and "Fiume" badly recognized the heavy ears, zupinilis and flailed. The British battleships fired more salvos, and then at 22.31 they turned to the right, so that they could get away from the torpedoes of the Italian destroyers, and they went on the attack. An unbelievable call of the Italian ships and British destroyers went down, for an hour the British ships did not suffer ice from the fire of their comrades.

"Fiume" having taken off a great roll, after a new wave of control, and the commander happened to be punished to leave the ship, which sank about 23.15. On the "Zora" they burned the fire so hard that it was not possible to break through to the garmat or fight the fire. I also had a chance to punish them to leave the ship. Sinking the cruiser, sinking over it completely, the senior guard from a group of volunteers went down to the cellar to feast them. Admiral Cattaneo and the commander of the ship were also left on board. Vibukhnuvshi about 00.30, "Zorya" took tsikh officers and rich sailors to the bottom at once with them.

On the destroyer "Alfieri", unaware of the heavy losses and the innumerable victims among the crew after the first volleys of the English, they tried to make a run. If the British destroyer was commended, they fired on him, nothing else was left to work. One of the torpedo launchers was miraculously successful in the midst of the Ulamkiv, and even the rozrahunok stood unpretentiously on its pestles. Zreshtoy midshipman zumiv fired three torpedoes at the British destroyer, and through the strong roll of the poshkodzhennogo ship, the stench passed through. Roll mustache zbіshuvavsya, and the commander having punished to deprive the ship. Totally calm, vіn vіdmovivsya go down to the ritual choven. Natomist vіn having lit a cigarette and helping to help injure. Vin having died at once from the ship.

On Karduchchi, after that, they broke into control, and the commander ordered to flood the ship. Vin is also stuck on board. "Oriani" having taken off the hit, it became one of the machines. Prote on one machine in the zoom to get out of the shelling. After the general suitability of swimming in zooms, the distance of Calabria. Only "Gioberti", which zamikav fret, nikiv poshkodzhenya midst zagalnoy desert. Win boldly pishov on the attack. Sipping with shells, literally under the muzzles of the fortune-telling garmats, the merciful ship set up a turmoil and dimzavisu I see, breaking into the enemy.

Tim, for an hour, "Paul" was left with a bezporadny peeping tragic vistavi. Otrimani ushkozhennya did not telephone or give a date, or send important bullets, or send ammunition to the middle artillery. Youmu was left with only a check, if the English came and tried to do it. Nareshti commander having punished vidkriti kingstones, and the crew to leave the ship. The English, however, still did not suspect the presence of an indestructible cruiser. Just about 00.20 ogo commemorating the destroyer "Hayvok", which was the leader of the one to attack. At 1.10 "Hayvok" approached again, once again from the destroyer grid. The stench fired a sprinkling of shells and reappeared. The cruiser, having sunk even more freely, through the darkness and into the cold water, may the entire crew of the "Pidlogi" dare to turn aboard for the better. Commander, bachachi yogo flow in the water, and also those that the ship does not roll, want to do it deeply, punishing the flooding, ochіkuyuchi, that you will still come to help.

Prote close to 3:00 British destroyers appeared again. The stinks were more radiating, swaying the self-sustaining and moving cruiser. Having already dropped the flag to the upper deck, half of the crew left the yoga, but the ensign was still hanging on the horseshoes. The flagship of the squadron "Jervis" went up to the board and took 258 people, including the commander (Version, supported by British propaganda and repeated by Admiral Cunningham, no one on board the "Pidlogi" panicked and summed up, absolutely unsupported.). The last Italian cruiser was sunk by two torpedoes. Thus ended the tragic stumbling block that took away the name of the battle at Misu Matapan, although it was 100 miles away for a full day.

Podії tsієї nights more rocks will be discussed by maritime historians, and then some moments so I will become unreasonable. Among them - the super eloquence of information and її clouding of both opponents. The Englishmen were firmly perekonanі (maybe, perekonanі and doninі) that they stenched the Colleoni-class cruiser, which was a special group of Zori. The stench stverdzhuvali, yogo fired, fired, and vіn vіdіyshov. The Italians knew for sure that such a ship could not be there. Moreover, the British declared that, in theory, that other group of Italian ships behind the Cattaneo squadron, they fired one on one. But in truth, the ships of Iakina did not just spit fire, the stench was more low for 50 miles from the battlefield - the decks are far away, so that all the noises of the cruisers of Pridhem-Wippel and the destroyers turned out to be unsuccessful. The crew of the "Pidlogi" declared that it was as if five ships were ready to burn. Who buv p'yatim? Chi tse boov secret cruiser, marked by the English? Who at the same time, like the Italians and the English, said that they did not recognize other expenses in this battle, apart from the other significant ones?

The light of the searchlights, the sleepers of the garmat and far away abroad for the obrem bachiled on other Italian ships. The Cattaneo ships themselves could not transmit the same information about the battle. Tilki on the sweater came to the part of the commemoration of "Orian" and "Giobert". For reasons why, and also to the fact that "Vittorio" having taken a rich water, Admiral Yakino did not want to ruminate with new ships in order to clear up the camp. We went to Taranto, where we arrived after noon on the 29th of March.

Tim, at the battlefield, dozens of ratuvalny rafts were left, stuffed with them, who vryatuvavsya from the sunken ships. Admiral Cunningham nobly pleased Supermarine with these coordinates. Ale, through the filthy manifestations of the catastrophe, that, before the month of battle, it helped to show a fringed and zazniloy. The suffering of the whole is impossible to reveal, not to describe. Ignorantly on such a mind, all the stinks trembled with a miraculous vіdvagou, great rіshіstyu that indestructible faith. Last night nearly 3,000 Italians perished!

Let's zrobimo deyakі visnovki th fight. The whole operation was based on three admissions, which were not implemented. From the moment, when Sunderland commemorated the 3rd division of the battle of Sicily, the failure was spent. Political motives, which made the operation unbearable, we already guessed. Airborne surveillance is effective every day. Some of the inaccurate reports, which nevertheless happened to her, did not allow the Italian headquarters to paint a clear picture of the situation at sea. More than that, she couldn't figure out that the Mediterranean Fleet had sacked Oleksandriya and was not far from the Italian fleet. The inefficiency of the airborne survey was hampered by a filthy robotic radio signal, through which part of the information came over it.

Although a sprig of blame, it seems, appeared over the ships of Cattaneo in the other half of the day, more food, chi little їхнє short-hour vtruchanna hoch any effect. In every case, the British rozvіduvalnі lіtaki flew about italіyskogo spoluchennya the whole day 28 of the month without reshkod. Obviously, the result was serious and in that moment, yakby, everything ended with two torpedo hits at Vittorio and Paul. Ale, on the other hand, the very two torpedoes appeared as a critical element in the strategic success, which was the reach of Admiral Cunningham.

Irrespective of those who did not kill three keys, the operation had to be carried out at any cost. The day at Gavdos became an offensive part of the plan and the bula was vikonanated by the Italians brilliantly. Successfully hovering over them at the last moment, if we are in the hands of the wine, through the torpedo bombers at the same time. Under the attack of all the Italian ships at the other phase of the battle, under the hour of the fortune-telling repeated attacks, the attacks were the worst. "Vitorio" having taken off the last bit of self-sacrifice of the two British pilot. Even more kind and effective vyyavivsya zahisny mode, instantly obrati admiral Іakіna. The ships zoomed into dima and darkness. The crew of "Vitorio Veneto" showed the miracles of organization and mind. We traveled 420 miles, squirming in the face of repeated attacks, even though half of the cars did not work. The stern of the battleship may have been filled with water, and then the vines of the zooms will have deployed 20 knots.

Although the effective investigation was carried out during the day, the obvious information is due to the strewing of Supermarine and Admiral Yakino - even the British fleet is instantly close. Yakby is not enough space, the night battle did not become a b or end with not such important expenses. But the tactful success of Admiral Cunningham was reached in the main radar, about which the Italians did not suspect. Success was also the result of a whole lot of zbіgіv, which went one by one, which made the Italians spend more. Everything turned out otherwise, as if the British destroyers attacked the "Pola" negain, after that, having mentioned the "Ajax" about 20.33, or Cunningham, having arrived in the middle a little bit earlier for Cattaneo. From the other side, the next sign is the failure of the nightly searches by the English of the Italian ships. The battle of the 1st division was not a blame, to the one who was guilty of a thorough vipadkovistu. The sinking of the Italian battleship was the head mark of Admiral Cunningham, which he climbed to reach on the 28th of January. Yogo report knows that “the fact that“ Vitorio Veneto ”, even if it’s poshkogeny, was allowed to slither around us, calls out an overriding pity.”

As a rule, it should be noted that the behavior of the Italian crews during the course of the battle deserves high praise. It is a cold time to try in the secret of numbers, apply masculinity and self-sacrifice. But there are a lot of other good things, and even more marriage, the city does not allow to tell about them here.

On the cob of the head it was said that come in, the Italian fleet destroyed the transportation between Egypt and Greece, they included the exit of surface ships, as described above, and the operation of special assault air defense forces and water troops. On the night of June 27, 2 Italian destroyers from Leros overturned the Egeisk Jura and near the Judges launched 6 special vibukhovy boats. After 6 years of top-secret work, the creation of special types of zbroї їhnє before being stuck in the Court ended in success. Further on, the operation will be described, here you can guess that it ended with the sinking of the British cruiser York, the great tanker and 2 vintage ships near Sudu Bay.

The patrolling of the Italian undersea guards on the first day of Crete for a few days brought new ailments of success. "Ambra" on the evening of 30 June attacked from a surface camp and sank the British cruiser "Bonaventure". During those nights and in the same area, the Dagabur submarine boat successfully fired 2 torpedoes before the trial of the guardian convoy.

Secrecy of maritime operations

Dosvіd, otrimaniy as a result of operations for example birch, having caused a lot of specific results. Mussolin and the UPU have crossed paths, so that the fleet can take a lot of time to support the support of the aircraft carriers. That stench took a veto, a lot of fate was imposed on the life of aircraft carriers. The transatlantic liner "Roma" was changed into an aircraft carrier, which changed the name "Aquila". A later similar solution was praised for the Augustus transatlantic liner. Vіn mav become the aircraft carrier "Sparviero". Ale, through the death of the camp in the trades, the insults of the aircraft carriers did not shout like that. On the day of the signing of the armistice by Italy - 8 spring 1943 - the re-dominance of "Akvili" was practically completed, but they were not ready for the new one. To complete the work on "Sparviero", it will take another few months.

Tim for an hour, vrahuvavshi lessons Matapan, Italian Supreme Command timchasovo zaborone battleships children "posture with a radius of accusatory cover." The order dated 31 March 1941 further encircled the operational freedom of the Italian battleships. Literally, the battleships were literally paralyzed by darkness, the vinyatkas became sluggish, if the English went right up to the Italian coast.

An analysis of the fall of the last month of Bereznya revealed suspicions that the Italian plans were calling out to the enemy. After the war, the documents published by the English confirmed that the stench was spotted on the appearance of the Italians on the routes to Crete. It’s possible, as much as possible, that they knew about those that the Italian fleet had described a larger operation, even before that, like Sunderland, having mentioned the 3rd division.

Admiral Cunningham, in his official report, says that the Italians were based on an anonymous sign, starting from direct warnings - an airborne survey recorded the crossing of Vittorio Veneto to Naples. The incomparable strength of the developmental benefits of Oleksandriya was not lost. That is why, before the end of the announcement of the Sunderland’s vins, “having already punished the fleet of the fleet to raise the anchor on the evening of 27 birch”. Cunningham is also alive with other approaches to create the most favorable situation. All of these preparations, so precise and fluent, give firm evidence that Cunningham had specific information that came through the radio channels or through the radio transmission service. And here Cunningham maw colossal perevagu. Vіn mav mozhlivіst rozladnati be-like an operation of іtalіytsіv i deploy their shock forces, zokrema aviation, in advance. Significantly increased its efficiency. Such migrations were small and richly sided as a result of operations.

On the other hand, the next thing to know, that the English were taking away some information from the spies and services of deciphering about the terms of the cob of the operation of the Italians, they could not mother the victorious influx on the result of the night battle. Vіn becoming the purse of a whole lancet of zbіgіv, which can be more like looking at the whole operation as a whole. In fact, the night battle was the result of the circumstances that formed during the operation. The crooked essence was a vipadkovy zbіg of both opponents.

Looking at the nutrition of “espionage” in general, one can without a doubt affirm that the English were aware of the preparation and transfer of the Italian fleet, like the Supermarine. often knew about їhnі diї. For example, near Gibraltar, the Italian fleet is so great that it was known to the spy organization that only a dream can be about. But such a statement does not mean in any way that the English took most of the information for the help of spies. In all wars, always and everywhere, the successes of the enemy were liked to be attributed to obvious spyware. Today, we know for sure that the British fleet was somehow stupefied, that having taken information about the presence of the Italian fleet through its spies with Italian headquarters, it was actually the result of direct warnings and strategic analytics

Modern warfare has impersonal channels and methods of taking direct information, which - in the singing framework - gives the possibility of transferring. At the great hour of the day, you can give more information, more accurate and fresh insights, more recent information, more ambiguous information. For example, aerophotography, refurbishment of permanently improved equipment, gives miraculous results. At the time of their panuvannya in the line of the Luftwaffe, they sent their flying aircraft to the British Mediterranean ports practically every day, and to Malta - to fly girls for a day. The information, like the stench came, by itself allowed the Supermarine mother to post and detail information about everything that is happening in these areas and to tell about those that are planned. Even the Italians did not make small secret constructions in Malta

The remote listening of the British channels of radio communication also gave a lot of basic information. For example, as if the Italians marked the settlements of exchanges with radiograms of the same type between London and the British bases on the Mediterranean Sea, they served in advance, so that a new operation was initiated. Therefore, the Italians could get used to it by going against it. Radio transmission allowed the Italians to find out about the death of British ships or about the departure of the fleet by the sea. At times, the direction finding helped to determine the yoga position.

Another way to capture the most important operational information was to decipher the scrambled radiograms. Previously, we have shown many times how many Italian cryptographers have achieved success in such a work that we would have to work further. Wanting to sound the sea codes folded in such a way that it is important to decipher the code and extract the data during the operation, often the Italian cryptographers came up with such visible results that it is not possible to report it at once. Dali stench successfully deciphered - and non-gainly - announcing the British letters. The supermarine was often chided by the eyes of British pilots to get news about the situation at sea - those news that Italian pilots could not provide. Often vikoristovuyuchi only this method, Supermarina brought trouble in Italian zadnan.

In the Italian fleet, forward punishment to ships and convoys was by no means sent by radio. Moreover, for a variety of serious reasons, there is no need to reverse it here, it is absolutely unimaginable, so that the English at least once could decipher the radiogram, addressed to the ship at sea, and it would have helped him during the operation. However, the same cannot be said about the ciphers of the Italian UPUs, which were cracked like it was ridiculously simple. If the Italian and German aircraft began to actively take part in the sea war, it became absolutely necessary to inform Superaero and X air corps about the transfer of Italian ships by the sea. The other headquarters sent messages to their parts, vikoristovuyuchi ailment part of the radio. To that it is completely imovirno, that the English took away the operational character, deciphering the explanation, because of the weak part of the Italian system, the communication.

It is quite obvious that the enemy, having changed at a completely unknown number of operations, that they fought without aviation support. It is necessary to carry out special assault subdivisions, blockade raids in the Aegean Sea and the Atlantic and other special operations. That is why, in such vipadkas, Supermarine allowed children to work without the help of aviation. This gave a guarantee that all information would be lost in the middle of the naval structures and would not be transferred to parts, as if not under the control of Supermarine.

The second source of information is the analysis and distribution of various statements. With the help of deduction, it is often possible to uncover inconsistently important facts. For example, analyzing folding routes, like British ships passed through the Sicilian Canal, they could set up their right route, even though the shpiguns gave absolutely pardon. From this moment it became possible to reach serious successes, as will be described below.

The study of the details of the passage of British cruisers-minzagiv between Great Britain and Gibraltar not only allowed the Italians to accurately transfer, if such a ship would send messages through the Sicilian channel, but I gave the Supermarine the opportunity to achieve the ultimate success once. Tse became the first hour of the Tuniska campaign. Bulo was taken away no matter how much the news about the unknown ship, the notes at night on the afternoon from Sardinia. On the basis of the analysis of the front steps, the correct visnovok was made, that on this night the British minny fencer would put the mini exactly 12 miles away from the front of Ras-el-Koran (Tunisia). Italian convoy, which went straight ahead, which turned around in a negligent way, which turned out to be a kind of danger. The minesweepers later knew my field in exactly the same place, as they prophesied for the help of the pure deduction of Supermarine's analytics.

Do not forget any other information that does not fall into the category of "pure" spying. Pseudo-neutral representatives have always been a productive source of information for both adversaries. Get rid of the diplomatic and consular missions of the United States that worked in Italy, visit the main Italian ports until December 1941. Other similar representations worked in Italy without border crossings. It is logical to consider that such representations, victorious and diplomatic nedorcannist, gave the opponents rich valuable services. Tourists and correspondents from neutral lands often brought valuable news of a military nature. In other words, the press conference of the fortune-telling lands, navit їхніх official military communiqués, turned out to be a good source of information.

In the whole world, the organized organization of the current maritime operations for an hour made them uneasy in secret. For example, at the hour of the convoys in the Supermarine, it was possible to recall various details to dozens of naval, as well as stuffy and army headquarters, both Italian and German. Farther away, we had to work to bear the rіznim, not to tie a link between ourselves. How to override all people, as if they were right with such information, as from secretaries, postal workers, telegraphists, telephone operators and others, it is possible to see that information has become in the home of hundreds of people, rich from which it is not necessary to have access to it. Tse buv serious nedolіk, but through the folded and invisible organizational structure of the three types of armed forces of two different lands, Supermarine was not in the least able to improve secrecy.

To put it briefly, one can boldly assert that some Englishmen knew about the operations of the Italian fleet, just as Supermarine often knew about their operations. However, the provisions of the next may again be placed on the rahunok of non-Shpigunskiy dzherel іnformatsiї, as it is today, they change at the order, whether it be the country. From the other side, it is quite clear that the enemy did not know anything about our operations, as information about them was kept only in the middle of the naval structures.

Occupation of Dalmatia and Greece

On the Svitanka of the 5th of April, an attack was made near Yugoslavia. The Italian fleet needed a stronger escort of the Albanian convoys; Ale the natomist of Yugoslavia, having allowed and zakhopit their ships in good order, the Crimean destroyer "Zagreb", which of the officers pidirvav at the cost of his life. The Italian fleet tried to bring all the ships into the ship with their own crews. Esminets "Dubrovnik", "Belgrad" and "Ljubljana" were renamed to "Premuda", "Sebeniko and "Lublana" apparently. 4 shortest torpedo boats were combined into 24 flotilla Mas. The other Yugoslav ships were called unsuitable for service and gave more trouble with permanent repairs, lower coriste.

The occupation of hundreds of islands of the Dalmatian shore and the transportation of impersonal army troops as garrisons near the coastal town was the task of the Italian fleet. Naturally, he had a chance to pay off the Yugoslav sea-sea bases and the main ports, which they ate to the hands of the Italians, which practically did not suffer. The Italian fleet has established the activity of headquarters and services in these areas, which meant the placement of a special warehouse and possession, rented from other ports. The occupation of Yugoslavia did little for the strategic sensibilities to the fleet, which made it possible for some of the Adriatic convoys to direct the relief of the Dalmatian coast.

For example, the quarter, pointing out that the Greek axis-axis capitulated, the Italian fleet alive in the midst of the visits and seeing people and equipment at the ports of pivdenno-shidnoy Italy. At the same time, the favor of the German fleet was attacked, and the attack on Crete was launched. It's been proven that:

1. The Aegean Sea, obviously, the Crimea of ​​the Italian sector of the Dodecanese Islands, went under the control of the German fleet. It’s not enough to be the first to appear in the Mediterranean Sea. The German fleet can provide the work of all necessary services and provide crews for all ships buried there.

2. Drive to the port from Corinth is under the jurisdiction of the Italian fleet, which is valid for a similar capacity.

3. The Italian fleet trim in the Aegean Sea the core of the fleet - a cluster of 8 destroyers and 1 flotilla of torpedo boats - plus an additional vessel for spivpratsi z nіmtsy in operations in this sector. The Italian ships will be under the command of the Italian headquarters, which will appear in front of the Supermarine, and the German Admiral Schuster will be operational in the Aegean Sea.

The German Fleet was always ready to take care of these favors, which cannot be said about two other vicious forces of the German Empire, if the stench appeared on the stage.

Starting from the end of April to 20 May, the Italian fleet passed the occupation of the Onion Islands, all the Cyclades and various ports near the Sea. Obviously, as was the case in Yugoslavia and Kyrenaїtsi, the organization of port services to the fleet was longing for the redeployment to Greece of a large number of people, as well as the possession, equipment, and various supply of supplies, which in its turn longed for more transportation. The fleet will be completely victorious, which could be seen, and in a short time having created a highly efficient infrastructure in Greece. At Constanta (Romania) an Italian headquarters was created, to keep the Italian ships at bay, that at Chorne the sea through the Dardanelles.

The Swedish collapse of the Greek front forced the Oleksandriya fleet to conduct a term evacuation of the British troops from Greece to Crete. About 30,000 people were vivized, including at night. The losses of the opponent appeared to be rather small, to the fact that the German UPU were not small in number.

At the same time, the British armed forces were going through a deep crisis, both on land and on the sea.

That under the Italian fleet in the Aegean Sea could give miraculous results. Tim is not smaller, no attacks were crushed. For this carelessness, the fleet is especially criticized by those who were dissatisfied with yoga carelessness in the battle at Matapan. The fact that the British aviation in the similar Mediterranean at that moment was in a critical state, becoming the guide of the Italians richly pіznіshe. At that hour, won, like the aviation in Malta, already got stronger. Until then, the British carried out evacuation only on light ships. This is of little importance, the oskolki of the Oleksandriya fleet, having rested at a constant readiness until the exit, so that they could be a kind of evacuation opir. It should be noted that at this hour there were 3 battleships, then the Italians were less than 2. The next should also be noted that after the battle at Matapan, the Italian Supreme Command blocked the fleet of the operation with a radius of 2 vinischuvachiv. At the Aegean Sea, it is effective to attach ships to the lesser German IV air corps, which recently arrived from Nimechchyn. Yogo command vydkinulo propositions schodo spіvpratsі. Let the author suggest that the IV Air Corps did not help the Italians in the Aegean Sea, so that we could gain all the glory of the future victories.

Nezabara not the last time history repeated itself under the hour of the attack on Crete. I am glad the Italian fleet did not take part in this operation, so as not to promote the security of the absolutely necessary escort ships for the escort of military convoys. Wanting to jump into the air, having pressed the kіlka opportunities to win the strength of the fleet, the stench was wasted. Krіm zaznachenyh more reasons, the head was a firm statement to the IV air corps, scho vin z usіm vporaєtsya himself. In addition, the Germans decided to give more protection to the Italian ships. Moreover, the Germans declared that they did not bear the responsibility for any fluctuations, as if the Italian ships were to appear in the Aegean Sea. The stench was ahead, that the German pilots could attack the Italians, the shards of their pilots had not previously flown over the sea and could not strike the ships of the allies in the sight of fortune-tellers.

The blocking of the cihs was confirmed by the attack of a small Ju-87 against the Sagittario destroyer, which escorted the convoy from the German troops. Another group of Ju-87s attacked 5 Italian destroyers, as if they were carrying German troops. The rest only managed to get out of Piraeus, and it was said that they were covering them up with the help of German lanterns. In the wake of the attack, the destroyer Sella was seriously damaged. The second butt of a similar kind was the bombing of two Italian torpedo boats, which were straightened on a great swedish line by a large number of groups. In this case, the German pilots took them for 2 British submarines! The attacks were carried out on the middle of a broad day and without regard for those that the German pilots on the peninsula of Crete were bombed to attack with ships smaller than a cruiser. Nareshti, the fact that the Germans saved the plan of attack on Crete in the taєmnitsa from the Italian High Command, talking about those who didn’t want the mothers of the annual superniks at the roses of the laurels. To this, the Germans turned off the principle whether it was possible to cooperate with the Italian fleet. After all, the Italian fleet could not start the evacuation of the English from Crete, just like in Greece.

Closely po'yazanym іz podіyami on the Greek front, there was one risky undertaking of the English. On the cob of birch stench they tried to lead a convoy through the mustache of the Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar to Crete. On such an adventure, the stench was not bothered by 10 September. The English were embarrassed to report majestic zusils to cover the convoy. In order to prepare for the operation, 2 cruisers and 2 destroyers passed through the Sicilian Channel from Malta to Gibraltar. Qi ships flooded Malta in the dead of night and crossed the channel unmarked. On the eve of the coming day, the stench was attacked by 20 Italian bombers and 3 torpedo bombers, as well as a small number of German aircraft. They gave nothing to Alezi Zusilla. From the other side, the paracombi vessel, camouflaged under the French vessel Oued-Krum, sailed on the Italian mine, if it followed the Viysk ships. So, the British destroyer "Jervis" was sailing on the Italian mine, which left Malta.

On January 8, rozvіduvalny litak announced that the British Gibraltar squadron was escorting a convoy near Miss Bon. The Oleksandrinsky fleet is also a commemoration of the central Mediterranean. Just because of this, the manifestation of the British forces did not allow the Italian fleet to cross them, the first stink to go to the Sicilian channel. To this, the order of the night was to fire up the destroyers and torpedo boats. On the way to Trapani їs mali support two divisions of cruisers. Tim, in an hour, the Italian-Nimets aviation entered the bіy and damaged the British line cruiser "Rіnaun". Strong praise made the Italian destroyers carry out a rapt attack, during the night they felt vibuhi on the minefield of the Pantelery. The vranci was marked with ulamki, which was a clear sign of the shipwreck. You could let it go that the English spent on Italian mines taking 2 ships, One of them was crazy about the Banffshire ship, otherwise the ship didn’t get away. Another vintage ship - "Empire Song" - sank on a mine and sank in Malta. On the attacking wound, 9 May, 8 bombers near the rivers, 37 bombers and 13 dive bombers Ju-87 were sent to attack the British ships. The Chinese did not know the enemy, although the Ju-87s attacked others, but they did not reach the result. Nareshti, vranci On January 10, 1 cruiser and 4 destroyers were replaced on the port of Tunisia. The stench on the great shvidkost collapsed on the way. Qi ships escorted the convoy to Malta and now turned back, slipping through the unmarked Sicilian channel. To attack them, the Italians sent 21 letaks. Cruiser buv poshkodzheny. Tim an hour to attack the convoy, which is located near Crete, the Germans sent 15 letaks, the protesters did not show the convoy.

The Italian fleet did not take part in these operations for various reasons. Through the discovery of the wines, I could not cross the convoy to the exit from Sicily. Yakby ship wiyshli, shoyno Bulo otrimano podomlennya - in the evening of 8 May, - contact from the enemy could be made more at the other half of the day 9 May. Having become possible like this, the English yakby pobazhali to accept the bey and did not begin to shirk away for a day. Moreover, only the battleships "Cesare" and "Doria" were at the same time in the ranks, against which 3 battleships could have been deployed from Oleksandriya. The Italians absolutely could not rely on the support of the creed. It is quite obvious that the stench would have spent under the attack of the aircraft of the British aircraft carrier. Zagalom rizik biv significantly greater, lower sumnivnі results, yakі could bring such an undertaking. From the other side, revealing a droplet, Supermarine could transfer the turn of light forces, manifested on January 10. Hanging behind the cruising division, it was possible to cross the English on the coast of Tunisia.

Information taken from airborne surveys introduced Supermarine into Oman. There is no small manifestation that the battleship "Queen Elizabeth" at once broke through from the convoy to the exit. The presence of this ship near the similar Mediterranean was revealed only later and by other channels. It should be noted that the presence of two Cesare-class linkers in Taranto at the hour of the German landing on Crete caused the transfer of these reinforcements to the fleet, which already overturned the power of the Italian. The later transfer of the Queen Elizabeth to Oleksandriya, having created the core of the fleet of A battleships there, could have counteracted the operations of 2 Italian battleships.

Use the destroyers "Lupo" and "Sagittario"

The preparations for the attack on Crete were completed in mid-May, when the X air corps was transferring from Sicily to Greece, bringing the attack to Malta. Plans for the IV Air Corps were handed over to carry out a massive bombardment. Then the parachutists were small enough to call Kaniya and the airfields of Maleme, Heraklion, Retimo. At night, before Kanії may arrive a convoy from Piraeus, which was made up of two dozen other vintage and coastal ships from German troops on board. The escort escort destroyer "Lupo" of Captain 2nd rank Francesco Mimbelli. The convoy is also responsible for delivering the Italian regiment of San Marco (marine infantry) to bring it in order to occupy the bay of Sudu. On the coming night, a similar convoy, stunned by the destroyer Sagittario, is to blame for the visit of the Viysk in Heraklion. The operation was completed in 3 days.

Regardless of the relay training, the German paratroopers, thrown off to Crete on May 20, stooped down at an important camp. At Heraklion, the landing force was reduced. At Malemi, the Germans zumili zahopit less than a part of the airfield.

The same bad luck was checking їх і in Retimo. In the midst of serious mishaps, at the other half of the day on 21 January, the Germans ordered the convoy "Lupo" and "Sagittario". With this method, a landing with a battle was carried out - an operation, we were not ready for any war. Moreover, although hundreds of Osi planes patrolled around the island, they were not ahead of them about the passage of convoys. Therefore, the English were able to steal one convoy and steal the landing of another.

On the night of May 21, the convoy "Lupo" already remembered to take care of Crete. At that moment 3 British cruisers (Dido, Ajax, Orion) and 4 destroyers attacked. The soothsayers of the ship were suddenly revealed, "Lupo" placing a dimzavisa near the convoy and pishov at the attack. A heroic battle has begun with overwhelming forces. We fired at the destroyer, and then attacked the cruiser that was approaching. While the offending parties were firing, the destroyer launched two torpedoes from a total distance of 700 meters. Under a hail of shells, the captain of the 2nd rank Mimbelli pierced the enemy line between the cruisers Ajax and Orion. Vin slipped literally a few meters behind the stern of the Ajax, firing at the yog ogo znaryad and machine guns. The share of a small ship in this battle was boulder, ozozumіlo, vyrіshena in advance. "Lupo" having taken off the impersonal beams, ale Mimbelli, the vicarious zagalne zamіshannya, zooming in. The fortune-tellers of the ship found a hopeless kinny, for which they took a total of 3 judgments (all Italian). For an hour, the prote in the English metushni fired on one another, leading serious fires. Lupo's maneuvers were so quick and daring that the English vied, that they fought against dekilkom ships. "Lupo" provіv miraculous battle, especially yakscho vrahuvat, scho otrimiv not less than 18 hits of 152 mm shells. If you wanted to spend the crew more importantly, the ship was not sunk, regardless of the statement of Ajax, that the artillery had "smashed" the Italian ship.

For a sprat of years, the season of "Sagittario" has come. About 8.30 on May 22, this destroyer was in its convoy at Caniyu, if Lieutenant Giuseppe Chigala Fulgosi, having rejected the order to turn to Milos, the situation on land worsened. Shoino Chigala took a turn, as the dogs of the British ships appeared at the exit. Tse was an unacceptable surprise. Although their pilots were circling in the sky, some of them were not ahead of the presence of the enemy. Chigala, ordering about 30 convoy ships to go aknaishvidshe, and he began to put a dimzavisa to cover them. Let's take the place of the one who himself will hide himself in the dimzavisi, turning the nasustrich of the enemy.

Just like a British squadron, which was formed from 5 cruisers and 2 destroyers under the command of Admiral King, commemorated Sagittario, it fired fire from a distance of 12,000 meters. The soothsayers' shells fell like a torpedo-carrier, and a streaming zigzag added "Sagittario" into the flow through the blazing fire.

If the other cruiser was less than 8000 meters away, Chigala turned to the new one and fired her torpedoes. Sweat, mayuchi usir, the Englishmen filed in the convoy, and more quickly shortened the distance. Above the fortune-teller cruiser, a torpedo was fired at some kind of boulder, rising to the top of the dima, and Chigala virishiv, that he achieved the best. However, at that moment, the British ships pinned down the fire and turned to the pivdenny approach. Chigala fired more shells from the nearest destroyer and, with more satisfaction, turned back to return to the convoy again. I didn't care about anyone. But the testing of Sagittario has not yet ended. Dekilka Ju-87 attacked the destroyer five times, but, fortunately, they didn’t hit it. It is easy to understand that if Chigala turned to Piraeus, the German alpine arrows literally carried Yogo in their arms through the streets.

From the British reports, it became clear that Admiral King was right in his failure to fight the enemy attacks. However, it is clear that such an explanation does not fit the facts, and it was sharply criticized by the English themselves, as can be seen from Churchill's memoirs. And there is only one fact: the convoy, which pretends to be only one destroyer, was at the sight of the British narrators. 5 cruisers and 2 destroyers would have taken the entire convoy for a sprat of khvilin. The convoy was already an important method; At one time the British squadron was out, not meaning that there were unique attacks. Unexpectedly, after the arrival of the British squadron, which was heading straight to Tserich, was attacked by a Ju-87, as if it was in charge of serious fires on the cruisers "Niad" and "Carlisle". For the most part, you squeal that the British admiral has pardoned.

From the official British reports, it became clear that the Sagittario torpedoes had not been used up, but di Chigali called out serious reports. As soon as Admiral Cunningham knew that Admiral King, having allowed his good fortune to droop, having punished the battleships Worspite and Veliant, the cruisers Gloucester and Fiji and 7 destroyers sea, join with the squadron of Admiral King and know the convoy. If the united squadron went to the pivnіchniy skhіd, it recognized the baked attacks of the Ju-87, which seriously damaged the Warspite. Admiral King again commanded a stormy exit. However, this maneuver did not destroy the ship. Ju-87 aircraft sank the cruisers Gloucester and Fiji and the destroyer Greyhound. "Veliant" and other ships were damaged.

In an hour, right in Crete, they went badly, and the German commanders began to grant their pardon. Some litakiv appeared a little. The paratroopers themselves could not slander the opir of the English. Podії developed so badly, that on May 26 the 4th air corps was destroyed, that the operation failed and asked Berlin for permission to apply. Hitler vіdpovіv, її slud prodovzhuvat for any price - so the author of the Chuv at the German military-naval headquarters in Athens.

From the other side, behind the wondrous fortune, the English themselves at the same time vyrishili that they could no longer repair the opera, and began to develop a plan for the evacuation of the island. Yakby the English knew the camp of the enemy, the stench, perhaps, would have crushed the rest of the susilla and vtrimali Crete. But the German air force and paratroopers, under the order of Berlin, destroyed the natomist forces of the rest of the susilla. The stench was excruciatingly mercifully, prote, unimpressed in all їhnі zusillya, the camp continued to be left even more insignificant, the shards of parachuting recognized the stingy vtrat. Tі, hto vtsіlіv, literally fell from nіg out of exhaustion.

If the author arrived at the bay of the Sudna with his flotilla of torpedo boats on May 28, the paratroopers told you that in the past night “they could no longer stand on their feet.” The stinks also said that in the direction of the early attack, without a doubt, everyone would perish, but they would attack in order to vryatuvat their honor. The English did not know everything, and at the hour of the night truce they saw on the coast of Crete, to evacuate. To that, if on January 28 the Germans came and a self-destructive attack, the stench hit only a weak opir tilovyh barriers.

Under the hour of the operation, the Italian ships on the Dodecanese ships were not idle. While the destroyers ensured the occupation of the Cyclades, 5 torpedo boats patrolled near the Kaso protoci. On the night of May 20, the stench attacked the British cruiser-destroyer squadron. The attack was fierce fire, but the torpedo boats launched torpedoes and went without a hitch. Prote stink did not reach vluchen. In an hour on Rhodes, Admiral B'yansheri, although he had little strength, began to prepare an escort from auxiliary ships to carry out a landing in Sitia on the penny-shid coast of Crete. The convoy at the escort of 5 destroyers and a few torpedo boats left Rhodes at the other half of the day on May 27 and arrived without supplies to the snow in 24 years. The rest of the stage will be more expensive, because 3 British cruisers and 6 destroyers were detected nearby. Luckily, the British ships were occupied by air attacks and underwater channels, and they arrived to the Kaso channel, if only the landing was already in the water. The leaders of this improvised expedition left the part of Crete to the bay of Malea, later occupied by the Italians.

Landings in Sitiya were still sharpening, on Svitanka on May 29, an Italian torpedo bomber hit the British destroyer "Hirward", which had hit the head. If the Italian torpedo boats, as if they were patrolling in the same area, they went, to get a deadly blow, vibrating and sinking. He lost only a few of his brothers and the crew members who were turning around.

Describing the Krytsk operation, the next step is to guess the fate of the underwater vessel "Onyche". On the night of May 21, the won attacked 3 destroyers near the archetypal Kaso, and, perhaps, torpedoed one of them with a torpedo. Under the hour of the campaign Crete The Oleksandriya fleet was very active and wild, not brutally respectful of spending. Mayzhe zirvavshi nіmetsku attack of the island, vin zaznavshie victims, evakuuwshi most part of the English army from Crete. In order to secure the evacuation, Admiral Cunningham constantly trimmed 2 battleships at sea on a day off Crete from 15 to 28 May. However, this was the first and last fall in the history of the Mediterranean war, if the British fleet was stunned by the enemy for a complete panout of the enemy in the field. As a result, he recognized heavy losses. And yet, the Italian ships were in such a situation for almost the entire war. I show you the butt of what success can be achieved in the Mediterranean, yakby the Italian-Nimets air force managed to win the victory in the same way in the beginning of cooperation with the Italian fleet.

The German UPU said they sank a lot of ships off the waters near Crete. Before them, follow the results of the Italians. But the reality was despoiled in the face of many statements. For example, the Germans voiced that the important cruiser York was sunk in Suda Bay. In fact, it was almost 2 months ago that Italian special assault ships were added. British documents show that they were sunk: the cruisers "Fiji", "Gloucester" and "Calcutta"; destroyers "Juno", "Greyhound", "Kelli", "Kashmir", "Hirward" and "Imperial", as well as 10 additional ships. Buli poshkodzhenі: battleships "Worspite", "Veliant" and "Barem"; aircraft carrier "Formidable"; cruisers "Ajax", "Orion", "Niad" and "Carlisle" plus 10 destroyers. You definitely don’t see any merchant ships, but only 10 of them perished at the Vessel’s bay.

Until tsikh vtrat next add rub the walnut fleet. Yogo ships were sunk either by German aviation in the ports, or by their own crews at the time of occupation of the ports by the Axis. Only the old armored cruiser "Aporoff", 2 destroyers, 8 destroyers and a small number of submarine vessels zoomed in to British ports.

Indirectly, the Cretan campaign caused the death of the Italian destroyers "Curtatone" and "Mirabello", as they escorted convoys to the Greek theater. Offensive torpedo boats were fired on May 20 on walnut mines.

E.B. Cunningham

Sailor's Odyssey

Until the third day of June 1941, we realized that the Germans would no longer make their offensive near Greece. Moreover, on the 25th of January it became a commemoration of the increased activity of surveying over the pivdenno-zahіdnoy Greece and Crete, we decided to try to conduct a survey of the harbor of Oleksandriya. The unparalleled arrogance, with which the enemy lashed out for the transfers of the Mediterranean fleet, made us think that the Italian fleet could be more serious.

Vorog mav rich vibir. Vіn a moment attack our conflicting convoys with a weak escort to transport military supplies to Greece. In a moment, send a convoy with a strong escort to the Dodecanese Islands. It was due to the imovirnist that the Italian fleet would begin a sabotage in order to cover the landing in Greece and Kyrenaici. Possible th general attack against Malti. From the last of these possibilities, the attack of our convoys, which went to Greece, was better for everything - on the day before Crete.

The most obvious way to prevent this was the deployment of the liner fleet to enter Crete. Forte, in the course of the fortune-telling, the airborne survey revealed it, and the Italian fleet carried out its operation until we were afraid to turn to Oleksandriya for refueling. In order for us to have a real chance to win over the Italians, we are responsible for providing reliable information about their trip by the sea. We ourselves should have gone out on the cob of the night, so that we would not be revealed by fortune-telling wounds. Yakby saved us at the taєmnitsa our way out of Oleksandriya, which would help the success of the operation. The transfer of our convoys in the Aegean Sea was good for the enemy, so it was not possible to change them, so as not to call out suspicion. At that very hour, tse meant the risk of an attack against them.

During the night of the 27th of June, one of our partners from Malta told about the launch of 3 cruisers and 1 destroyer 80 miles away on the way to the shore of Sicily. The stench was collapsing on a pivdenniy skhіd, approximately at the direct line of Crete. Visibility to the filth, and chauvin, scho litav, not a moment to follow the enemy, Mіzh me and my headquarters burned a baked superechka, which really means the appearance of Italian cruisers. These positions and the course clearly indicated that battleships were located nearby and that our Greek convoys would clearly be their method.

It so happened that on the 27th day there was only one convoy in the world. Vіn collapsed in Pіraeus, already guiding the white land of Crete. Youmu was punished to follow a colossal course, but turn back at the current darkness. The return convoy from Piraeus, having taken the order to get out of the exit.

I myself would be smarter to think that the Italians should not be obsessed. Later, we commemorated the "significant intensity of the Italian radio communications, and in the youth of the world we saw the future dark weather to go to the sea, so that our battleships oppose the enemy and this city, de vin ochіkuvav our convoy. captain of the 2nd rank Auer, so that we do not shoot the enemy.

Luckily, we were far ahead of us coming out after the darkness, the shards of the rain, and before the sun set over Oleksandria, the fortune-tellers of the rose-litaks appeared. The stench was reminded that the fleet was peacefully anchored.

I also foresaw my small tricks, so that our plans could be better captured. We knew that the Japanese consul in Oleksandriya could tell the navy about all the information, which, if it was not clear enough, to take away the enemy of this information at once, because it is of little value. I've beaten the fool of the gentleman. I hit the shore to play golf, take a bag with you, nіbi mav namіr will be left on the birch for the whole night. The Japanese consul spent half a day spending a half a day on golf holes. It’s important to confuse Yogo with Kim, it’s important - short, tovsty, with characteristic Asian appearances, so graciously folded that the head of staff called Yogo “stupid Osi”.

Having spratsyuvav a small trick, it seemed to pass. Throwing my bag, I turned to the "Worspite" after dark, and about 19.00 we went to sea.

That the Japanese consul, having thought and shrugged, if he had hit the empty harbor with an offensive wound, I didn’t cry anymore.

Occupying the harbor, the Worspite passed close to the muley bank, as if it had filled the condenser with mud. It was given as a sign of life, oskolki our shvidkіst is now surrounded by 20 knots. Nich passed calmly, we collapsed on the pivnіchny entry from the swede. The squadron was formed from the Warspite, Barem, Veliant and Formidebla, which were covered by the destroyers Jervis, Janus, Nubien, Mohawk, Stuart, Greyhound, Griffin, Hotspur and Hayvok.

As I said, one convoy was at sea in an unsafe zone, and he was ordered to change course late at night. Vice-Admiral Pridhem-Whippel, a kind of day in the Aegean Sea with the cruisers "Orion", "Ajax", "Perth", "Gloucester" and the destroyers "Ilex", "Hesti", "Hirward", "Vendetta", having taken the order to come to the point on pіvden vіd Gavdos on svіtanok 28 bereznya.

On the sail from the "Formidebla" there were a lot of flying boats, and about 7.40 one of them was called to fly 3 cruisers and a sprinkling of destroyers not far from that city, where our 4 cruisers were located. Obviously, we took them for the squadron of Predhem-Wilpel. Prote not long before 8.30 Pridhem-Vippel himself told him that 3 predictive cruisers and destroyers should be on the pivnochi. It became clear that the fortune-telling fleet of viishov was at the sea, to that I willingly paid the program 10 shillings.

The prote situation became confused, and it was important to understand, how many fortune tellers remembered the airmen. One reminder suggested “battleships”, and it was completely natural that the Italian cruisers were supported by a linear squadron. From the other side, we could not be at the other side. Earlier, the Italian cruisers and battleships strayed more than once.

The cruisers of Prideham-Wippel were about 90 miles ahead of us, to which we blamed that speed, as the instant of the Warspite, that there were no more than 22 knots due to the inadequacy of the refrigerators. Tim hour Pridhem-Vippel recognized the marked cruisers as important. Yak vin wrote: “Knowing that a ship type can have more high speed, and they are far-reaching, lower on my cruisers, which allows them to choose the distance of the battle, I have learned to get them closer to our battleships.”

Italian cruisers chased after him and about 8.12 fired fire from a distance of about 13 miles. A bunch of stench was in the middle of the fire on the Gloucester, and even now the shooter was finished with precision. "Gloucester" had a chance to "animate the snake", so as not to take a hit. About 8.29 the distance shortened by 1 mile, and the Gloucester itself fired 3 volleys of its 6 "garmats. All the stinks fell short. The enemy turned to the back and about 8.55, pinning the Pridham-Wippel fire, turning after him to save contact.

Not until 11.00 p.m. Predhem-Vippel commemorated the fortune-telling battleship at the pivnich, which negainously fired on the new accurate fire from a distance of 15 miles. Our cruisers returned to the ground under the cover of the air defenses and rushed off on the top speed. It was unacceptable to kill 15 shells under hail.

For us at the Vorspite, the situation was not too good for us. We knew that battleships of the Litorio building type could develop up to 31 knots, and at night Gloucester said that due to malfunctions in the machines of the wines, they could give no more than 24 knots. In addition, a strong cruising squadron was known on the pіvnіch vіd Pridhem-Wippel. Prote view of the fortune-telling battleship miraculously increased the speed of the Gloucester to 30 knots.

It was necessary to be agile, and "Veliant" having taken off the order for more security to go to the aid of Pridhem-Vippel. I tried to catch the attack of torpedo bombers until the moment when the battleships did not show up so close to our ships, that at the time of one of them, it’s sing-song, zumіemo to go overboard and vanish. Prote furnishing dictated the way. The shock wave was already in the air, and I punished Formideblu to send them to the point. The attack eased the pressure on the cruisers Pridhem-Vippel, the protesters, unfortunately, forced the fortune-teller battleship to turn away. We are about 80 miles from us. Tse meant that I would not be able to impose a bey on you before sunset, so that I would go away.

Tim, for an hour, the small speed of "Vorspite" called out to me with serious anxiety. I knew that the senior mechanic was sick on a birch tree, but I also knew that the flagship mechanic, engineer-captain 1st rank B.J.G. Wilkinson is on board. That is why I sent for him and punished him to be aggravated. Went down, and without delay I remembered with satisfaction that the "Veliant", which is astern on top of the wind, no longer presses on us. We left with one swedish bag.

Serious obstruction at that moment was called out by those that the wind was blowing right away, right from the feed. Tse meant that from time to time we could go straight to someone in order to allow Formideblu to hold polls. However, at 1J.30 it became clear that Pridhem-Vippel needed a lot of help, that “Formideble” was in charge, that they would carry out the watering independently, just like the liner fleet was to the point at full speed. "Formideble" was quickly seen, and I was a little worried, if I waved that torpedo bombers would attack him. With relief, we were beaten, that the torpedoes were gone.

Approximately close to noon, the shock air group turned around and told about one immovirne being taken to the battleship, like Buv Vittorio Veneto. Through a sprat of hvilin, the flying chauvin of the KVVS told about one fortune teller, which consists of 2 battleships of the Cavour type and a number of important cruisers. Battleship, attacks by aircraft of the VSF, there are no more destroyers. Prote, 20 miles away, a cruising squadron was in sight of the new one. The reports of the litakians indicated that the enemy was going to enter.

We commemorated our military cruisers at 12.30 p.m., and the Formideblu was ordered to give a blow to a friend in order to attack the Vittorio Venete, which was 65 miles ahead of us.

We started the chase, but it dawned on us that it would be long and fruitless, as only “Vittorio Veneto” would not be hurt by our repeated attacks and not reduce the speed. The chase dragged on even longer, which happened to reduce the speed to 21 knots, in order to allow Formideblu to come, and Barem to save his place in the ranks. Prote us still smiled success. The wind died down and the new calm set in with light gusts of wind from the sunset, which allowed the “Formidable” to carry out the polls, saving their mass from the ranks.

On the eve of 15.00 one of our pilots said that Vittorio Veneto was still 65 miles ahead and was falling to the rear. Another shock whistle started an attack and reported about 3 hits, and also that the speed of Vittorio Veneto fell to 8 hits. This miraculous novelty was overly optimistic, since our meta was still 60 miles away from us and went beyond 12-15 knots, so we could not cross it until the present darkness. A small group of "Suordfish" of the VSF from the Malemi airfield in Crete also attacked one of the cruising squadrons and told about the possibility of an attack. At the other half of the day, KVVS bombers from Greece also launched a number of strikes. Joden the ship did not take off the hit, wanting to get close.

Qi attacks were kinder to the Italians. It was especially pleasant for us that the stench took a portion of this hot potion, as if we were consuming for months.

Now it has become necessary to get out of direct contact with the ships of the enemy. Therefore, at 16.44, Vice Admiral Pridhem-Wippel took back the order to go to the top of the flight in order to establish visual contact with the enemy to enter. The destroyers "Nubien" and "Mohawk" were sent forward to provide visual communication between the cruisers of Prideham-Wippel and the line fleet. The situation was getting more and more tangled, for the whole other half of the day we continued to take care of the presence of another fortune teller, who was at his warehouse of battleships, on a pivnichny entry into Vittorio Veneto. Qi remembrances, as we knew better, were better. There was no longer any battleship in the sea.

Now we were not able to convey the plan of the night battle, shattered by us, the shards of darkness were approaching. They made a shock attack from 8 destroyers under the command of Captain 1st Rank Philip Mack on the Jervis. Yakby cruisers made contact from the Vittorio Veneto, the destroyers would attack yoga. At times, the consumers entered into the action of our battleships. The yakbi cruisers could not establish contact, I could describe the call on the pivnich and the pivnichny entry, to try on the svitanka vіdshukati and hop on "Vittorio Veneto". One hour "Formіdeblu" was punished for a day to attack the third wave of torpedo bombers.

But we needed an accurate picture, so about 17.45 the Worspite brought a flyer-reconnaissance report from the commander-in-chief, Lieutenant-Captain E. S. Bolt, on board to clarify the situation. Until 18.30, let us first remind the series of that known and well-known officer, who promptly told us everything that is necessary. The Vitorio Veneto was 45 miles away from the Worspite and about 15 hubs on the way. The entire Italian fleet took off together. The battleship was in the middle, on both sides there were colonies of cruisers and destroyers, and a curtain of destroyers was in front. Other airmen continued to inform about the arrival of battleships and important cruisers at the pivnichny entry.

Close to 19.30, when it was dark, the third wave of Worspite's torpedo bombers launched an attack. At the same hour, Pridhem-Wippel told me that the fortune-telling ships should be sent 9 miles away on the pivnichniy stop. Trohi later, the air group reported about one important event, although there were no exact reports that the battleship had taken new shortcomings.

A heavy moment of praise has come. I, as before, firmly perekonaniya, scho we went far over that, it would be just dumb, not to build a vagary for the wretchedness of Vittorio Veneto. At the same hour, it seemed like the Italian admiral miraculously knew about our position. Vіn mav impersonal cruisers and destroyers with escort, and if there was a British admiral on my mission, he wouldn’t dare to send all the ships to the attack from the new destroyer, supported by cruisers with torpedo tubes. Dehto in my headquarters stverdzhuvav, scho stupidly blinded behind the gate with our 3 important ships, looming in the hands of "Formideble", even on the wind we could lean against the blow of the fortune-telling dive bombers. I respectfully looked at this point of the dawn, prote the discussion that began, zbіglasya for an hour with my insult, I told the staff that I was guilty of the back, and then we wonder how I feel.

If I turn to the place, my spirit will be high, and I will punish the strike squadron of destroyers to know that attack the enemy. We destroyed the next, slightly hesitant, like 4 destroyers, which were left behind with battleships, can defeat the attack of the enemy destroyers, as if it were the Italians who attacked the enemy. At the same time, the fortune-telling fleet was 33 miles away from us, roblyachi, like before, 15 vuzliv.

Vice-Admiral Pridhem-Vippel mav his problems. Establish contact with Vittorio Veneto, cover with 3 squadrons of cruisers and 1 I destroyers, it was not an easy task, especially as to vrahuvat, that Prideham-Wippel is guilty of all of his 4 ships at once, ready to fight on the cob. І Pridhem-Vippel did not zoom to know the fortune-telling battleship.

About 21.11 we took away the warnings about the fortune-telling ship, which would stand without moving for 5 miles of left-handed radar. We continued chasing after the fleet of fortune-tellers and turned slightly to the left, so that we could get closer to the ship that was standing. "Worspite" is not a maw of the radar, but in 2L10 "Veliant" it was shown that this ship's radar hit the ship for 6 miles on the nose. That is a great ship. "Veliant" signified that yogo dozhina would move 600 feet.

Our hopes were raised. Tse moment buti Vittorio Veneto. The ships of the line turned to the left by 40° raptom. We were already at combat posts, and the head artillery was ready for battle. Bashti buli were roared at the right direction.

Rear Admiral Willis was not with us, and the new chief of staff, Commodore Edelsten, still needed to get a good deal. A quarter of the year later, about 10.25 pm, looking through the binoculars on the right side of the bow, calmly reminding me that 2 great cruisers and 1 small cruiser in front of them. The stench changed the course of our liner fleet right-handed. I marveled at my binoculars - the cruisers were right. Captain of the 2nd rank Power, a great submariner and unreversed fahivets at the known fortune-telling ships at first glance, stating that there are 2 cruisers of the Zorya type and a "red cruiser in front of them."

Vikoristovuyuchi transmitting with a small radius of air, the liner fleet roared at the wake of the column, and I, at once with the headquarters, rushed to the upper captain's place, the stars showed a miraculous all-round look. I will by no means forget the coming sprat of wheezing. There was a dead silence, it could be physical, it could only be a little voice of the artillerymen, as if they were transferring the znaryaddy to a new meta. It could be a little punishment, repeating in the KDP, what to stand behind and more for the place. Glancing ahead, you can bulo bachiti vezhі, scho turn around, they are 15 "garmaty, sho smoot the cruiser's fortune-tellers. Never in my life have I seen such a hvilyuvannya, like at that moment, if I felt a calm voice from the KDP: "Navidnik of the KDP to run the meth." Tse meant that they were ready to shoot, and that the finger should lie on the trigger.

The order to fire fire was given to the flagship gunner of the fleet, captain 2nd rank Jeffrey Barnard. It could be a little “day-day-day” of artillery gongs. Then came the majestic orange-colored sleepers and the shrill gurkit, if six important signs were fired at the same time. At the same moment, the Greyhound destroyer, as it entered the warehouse of the shelter, loomed with a searchlight one of the predicted cruisers, but from the darkness the vinik shone with a blazing silhouette. Our searchlights also fired after the first salvo until they gave outside light on the terrible picture. At the exchange of the searchlight, I fired our 6 shells, which were to fly by the window, 5 huts drank the troch below the upper deck of the cruiser and vibrated, swaying like a blind half-light. The Italians were burying the friend. These signs stood at zero. The stench was broken, the first time they could fix it at any cost. Captain 1st Rank Douglas Fisher, commander of Worspite, himself an artilleryman. If you have fired the results of the first volley, then in a voice that will spoven the wonder, casually saying: “Great God! Aje mi have been consumed!”

"Veliant", which is behind us astern, fired fire at once with us. Vіn tezh having struck my meta, and if the "Worspite" transferred the fire to the other cruiser, I'm bachiv, like the "Veliant" to spread my meta to shmatochki. The swiftness of yoga shooter amazed me. I wouldn’t believe in any way that important znaryadya can shoot so fast. "Formidable" wriggled from the line to the right, ale "Barem", which followed the norm of "Velianta", having spit a hot fire.

The camp of the Italian cruisers was unimaginable. It is possible to have a lot of flowers and a lot of ulamkiv, which are golden in the air and swim by the sea. Unexpectedly, the ships themselves turned into ruins, which fell, stunned half-lights from bow to stern. The whole biy trivav lіchenі hvilini.

Our searchlights were still bright, and immediately after 22.30 we spun the levoruch on the nose of 3 Italian destroyers, which, obviously, followed the cruisers. The stench turned, you can bulo bachiti, if you take one by launching torpedoes, then the battleships turn to the right by 90 ° raptom, so that you can sneak up on them. Our destroyers entered the battle, as if they had changed on the divine site. "Worspite" shooting at the enemy with 15 "and 6" harmat. On my own, I bounced that one of our destroyers, the Hayvok, was hit by our shells. I was lucky that I died. "Formideblu" is also gone. If the battle has risen, the line has turned to the right on the upper side, then the artillery night battle is not the best place for an aircraft carrier. If you already knew 5 miles away from us, you put on the Worspite's searchlight, which nibbled at the whispers of the fortune-telling ships from the gunship's side. We felt that the commander of the 6" battery on the starboard side was ordered to harmonize, and they soon caught up with yoga.

4 of our destroyers supported the line fleet. They were “Stuart”, captain 1st rank G.M.L. Waller, KAF; Greyhound, Captain 2nd Rank W.R. Marshall-E "Dean; Hayvok, Lieutenant G.R.G. Watkins; Griffin, Lieutenant-Captain J. Li-Barber. pivnich, to give me the way. Mali shalenu nothing, and the stench sank one of the fortune-telling destroyers.

About 22.45 we fired an intensive shooter, illuminating shells that were tracing the spools on the pivdenny entry. Oskіlki on tsomu bearing not zhoden z our ships, it happened to us that the Italians were fighting one by one, or the destroyers of our strike force went on the attack. As soon as 23.00 I punished the forces of the army, which did not occupy the enemy's ranks, and entered the pivnichniy assembly. Yak me succumb at once, tsey signal buv filthy thoughts. I want to give our destroyers new freedom to attack any ship, any stench to remember, and at once it will be easier to pick up the enemy fleet. So it was said that the captain of the 1st rank Mac and yoga 8 destroyers, who are located 20 miles in front of us, will receive this signal as a direct order not to enter until the attack is completed. However, the same order, unfortunately, zmusiv vice-admiral Pridhem-Wippel to try to establish contact with Vittorio Veneta.

Through a sprat of hvilin, the Hayvok torpedoed the destroyer and finished it off with artillery fire, having advised that the battleship should be fired approximately in that area, de mi fought. The battleship was the lead method of Captain 1st rank Mack, and the announcement of Hayvok sent Mack's destroyers rushing back, although they were 60 miles away from the other city. Prote for a year "Hayvok" having corrected his report, conveying that he had shown not a battleship, but an important cruiser. Unforgettably after 3.00 pm, he added one more reminder, saying that pidijshov got to the “Field”. Ale oskelki Watkins earlier vitrativ us torpedoes, vіn zapituvav іnstructії - "take the cruiser for boarding or pіdіrvat stern with clay bombs?"

The Greyhound and the Griffin already arrived before the Hayvok, and then the captain of the 1st rank Mack went on the Jervis to the board of the Pidlog. The ship perebuvav at the station of the nevimovnogo bezladdya. Choked with panic, people were streaking overboard. On the pivbaku, littered with robes, special speeches and dances, I got drunk on the natovp. There was no such thing as order and discipline. Having taken the crew, Mack sank the ship with torpedoes. Zvichayno, "Pola" and the same ship, about which Pridhem-Vippel and "Veliant" were told between 21.00 and 22.00. Vіn standing without a move levoruch vіd our course. They didn’t shoot Yogo, they didn’t shoot him. However, a torpedo was consumed by the new one under the hour of the remaining attack in the daytime, and it was in full swing that he was in harmony.

Yogo drowning about 4.10 was the final act of the night vistavi.

Flyers-researchers flew to the Svitanka from Formidebla, additional flyers flew from Greece to Crete, the protesters did not show the sign of the enemy at the entrance. As we knew later, Vittorio Veneto zoomed in at night to increase the speed and vtik.

Our cruisers and destroyers streaked with the line fleet at the Svitanka. The shards of me were even more intoxicated, after the Worspite, at the hour of the night-time memorial, having sunk the esmenets, then, with praises, they took up their pidrakhunk. Before our non-violent relief, all 12 destroyers were present. I have a heartbeat.

Ranok buv miraculous. We turned to the area of ​​battle and pumped the calm sea, covered it with a ball of naphtha, full of boats, rafts and ulamks, faceless floating bodies. Mustaches of the destroyers, as I could see, began to order people. Usago, while respecting the crew of the "Pidlog", the British ships lied 900 people, even though some of them died later. At the rozpal of the ryatuvalnyh robots, they turned the respect of the Ju-88 kіlkoh. Tse guessed that stupidly zatrimuvatisya through drіbnitsі in the area, where we can know the hard hitting attacks. That is why we were frightened when we went to the exit, throwing hundreds of Italians near the water. The best we could do was to pass on the exact coordinates to the Italian Admiralty in a clear text. The hospital ship "Gradiska" was sent to the hospital, as it took 160 more people.

The prikra pardon made a flotilla of walnut destroyers take a part in the battle, in which, I'm sorry, the stench would be doubled. Esmints were sent through the Corinth Canal to Argostol with the best possible haste. The stench arrived at the bottom, to take a part in the battle, the protesters caught up with the brothers of the Italians.

For my friend, for half a day, my fleet was aware of baked repeated attacks. It was not easy to break through the cover of the "Formidebla" bombers, a sprat of bombs exploded near the aircraft carrier itself. We arrived at Oleksandriya without any further use for the middle of the evening at the week of the 30th of Bereznya. On the 1st of April, I punished the special service of the lads on board all ships in commemoration of our success at Matapan.

Unbeknownst to me, I saw the patriarch of the Orthodox Greek Church in Oleksandriya, who brought victory for the sake of victory, describing wine not only as a great order, but as a manifestation of God’s might, for God’s fault he himself and all the omnipotence of omnipotence. After the turn to the place of the wines, the fleet had an icon of the images of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and mandrivers, as it was placed at the Holy See at the ship's church "Worspite".

Having slithered the Vittorio Veneto, we sank 3 large cruisers - Zorya, Paula, Fiume - and 2 destroyers - Alfieri and Carducci. The Italians spent over 2,400 officers and sailors, from the artillery fire. "Fiume" having taken 2 - 15 "volley from "Vorspite" and 1 - from "Veliant"; "3 macaws" having taken 4 salvo from "Worspite", 5 - from "Veliant" and 5 - from "Barema". - i 8 harmonic volleys: such a leather shell, having weighed a ton, is impossible to describe.

The urochistity panned on the fleet. Our sailors really really appreciated that the stench paid too much for the constant bombardment, as if they were given an hour of sailing by the sea.

Our spending at Matapan was worthless, we spent only 1 liter from the crew.

Once again, first to complete the survey of the bey, I am obliged to give Dane's miracle robot PSF. I will quote my statement, published as an addendum to the London Gazette on 31 March 1947:

“The greatest ratings are due to the self-control of the pilots and the incompetent work of the Formidebla deck crew and the ground personnel in Malemi. With the butt of our officers, Lieutenant F.M.E. Torrens-Spence, so as not to be left out of the way, for a single fly with a torpedo from Elsusis in Malemi and, regardless of all the difficulties of exploration and filthy calls, he himself conducted the exploration. Pіznіshe vіn zletіv at once with another litakі and taking part in the attack of torpedo-bombers at the day".

Looking back at the battle, as now it’s officially seen as a battle near Matapan, I know my leg, which was right, if it was possible to vikonate more beautifully. However, a calm view of an object from a soft armchair, if there is real information about those that were seen, is strongly disturbed by the control of the battle at night from the ship’s place in the presence of (a friend. they move, they rush through the order, and the gurkit does not lighten their thoughts, because the fact that they woke up at night, the floors thicken the fog over the stage, that the dehto of the participants can be left out in total uncertainty when I will be right.

Tim is no less, we have achieved significant results. 3 important cruisers were well defended against 6 "shells and were a constant threat to our larger small and lightly armored ships. More important are those who are silent and passive behavior of the Italian fleet under the hour of distant evacuations of Greece and Crete was a direct result of a courageous blow .Matapana: Yakbi fortune-tellers of the surface ships intervened under the hour of these operations, ours and so importantly the task would have become unimaginable.

Admiral Angelo Yakino, who commanded the Italian fleet, ensign on Vittorio Veneto. I read a story about an operation in a night battle, I don’t have any doubts, that the air reconnaissance greatly led Yogo. It was a failure for us, the skulki knew, that the Italian flowers-rozvіdniki worked effectively in other weathers. However, like Admiral Iakino, the interaction between the Italian fleet and aviation in the gallery was weak tactics.

It seems that the stench relied on the reminding of the German aircraft, and the weather was very pleasant, unreasonably, why the airborne survey recognized bad luck. About 9.00 on 28 March, a German flyer defiantly spoke about aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, 9 cruisers and 14 destroyers, and about 7.45 there were some and such. For this reason, our fleet, which, according to the thought of Admiral Iakin, stood calmly at Oleksandriya for an hour. Prote, having looked at a respectful map, the admiral saw that the pilot had mercy and showed his fleet of power, about which he told Rhodes. Vin did not suspect that the British battleships were at sea until the rest of the moment.

On the evening of 28 birch, if "Paul" was under pressure for our repeated attack, that information, like Admiral Yakino, made me let go, that the British battleships were 90 miles astern, that's 4 years away. That decision to correct Zora and Fiume to help the poor cruiser should not be criticized. A little bit of a wrench, we’ll send the destroyers, and then we’ll see that only the admiral can take the mission, then take the “Pola” in tow or flood it. Ale, Rear Admiral Carlo Cattaneo, having died on the Zora, I can’t say anything.

In fact, the British battleships were not 90 miles away, but twice as close.

The result is known to us.

The book of Admiral Yakiv also reveals the unacceptable state of the total unpreparedness of the Italian fleet before the night battles. The stench stared at the possibility of a night battle between the great ships; Tse explain why the two "Zori" and "Fiume" stood at zero, if we were commemorated. The stench of small good ships, guns of missiles and torpedoes, half-moon gunpowder and a lot of other things, Ale to build their new ships did not make a radar, which so kindly reminded us, and the mysticism of the night battle of important ships was known on the same river, which we have 25 years. for the hours of the battle of Jutland.

The Chief of the Italian Naval General Staff, Admiral Riccardi, is even colder than Admiral Iakin. Mussolini, from the other side, not being so unfriendly and patiently listening to Yakino's scars on the filthy work of air surveillance. The results of this battle marked the courage of the Italians and roused an aircraft carrier to secure the fleet with powerful pilots. But I can guess that Italy did not get an aircraft carrier until the very capitulation at the spring of 1943.

Under the hour of the international crisis, as the spring of 1935 rocked the cob of the Ethiopian campaign, the Italian fleet was first mobilized in the hours of the First Holy War. After the completion of the operation in Ethiopia, a lot of additional services to the fleet were shortened, but for example, in 1936, the fleet became mobilized. Gromadyanskaya war in Spain, various international crises, Nareshti, occupation of Albania - all this rattled the fleet at the combat readiness station.

Similar podії, zvіsno, negatively injected into the preparation before the possible light conflict. The constant readiness of the ships led to the wear and tear of the mechanisms and the crew, obscured the long-term planning. More than that, the Italian ranks built up the brute force, so that the cob of war was transferred no earlier than 1942. This was confirmed on the hour of the signing of the contract "Osi" between Italy and Germany. The fleet having laid down its plans, going out of date.

On the 10th of Cherry, 1940, if the spring-time axis was opened, a lot of stockpiles of what is called “ready before war” had not yet been completed. For example, cob plans were given to encourage 4 new tight battleships and complete the re-modernization of 4 old ones until 1942. Such a core of the fleet was tempted to honor itself as an enemy. At the black 1940s, only "Cavour" and "Cesare" were changed in the ranks. Litorio, Vittorio Veneto, Duilio and Doria were completing their possession at the shipyards. To complete the production of the battleship "Roma" you need 2 more rocks, for the production of the "Impero" - take 3 (Actually, the "Roma" was produced in the spring of 1943, the work on the "Impero" was never completed). An early ear of military outposts near everyday life 12 light cruisers, silent destroyers, escort ships, underwater vessels and small ships. The cob of war has hung over their dobudova and equipment.

Crimea, dodatkovі 2 fates would have allowed us to lose some of the nedolіki from the technical equipment and the trained crews. This is especially worthy of the night fire, torpedo shooter, radar and asdika. The most powerful hit on the combat capability of the Italian ships was the presence of the radar. The fortune-telling ships and planes attacked the Italian ships at night, if they were practically blind. To that enemy, virobiv new tactical approaches, such an Italian fleet appeared not ready.

The technical principles of radar and asdika were introduced to the Italian Navy in 1936. Ale viyna interrupted the scientific work of these systems. In order to bring them to a practical zastosuvannya, would need expensive craftsmanship, especially for the radar. Summingly, the Italian fleet and craftsmanship reached significant results, to bring you on your own 2 fates. Prote the enemy, having spent the bi arrogance of the lack of support of their victory. Until the end of the war, it was far off to encourage less than a small amount of aircraft radars, and, rather, experimental installations.

At the end of the war, the Italian fleet, having paid dearly for qi and other rivers, yak often respected the victorious situation. Tim is no less, the Italian fleet was well prepared for the war and made a real contribution to the new cost.

Preparations for the arrival of the fleet included the accumulation of all kinds of supplies, and if the war broke out, the reserves of rich sights of delivery made it possible to please the mighty. For example, shipbuilding shipyards worked without hiccups throughout the war and after the truce mayzhe on pre-war stocks. Growing helpers of the Libyan Front zmushuval fleet repossessed deyakі spoilers - more than once - and virishuvat hour of failure of the task, going only to their reserves. Somehow the fleet beat down those other types of enemy forces.

The supply of paliva was called insufficient, and we were relieved, such a problem became a guest. The red 1940s have a fleet of less than 1,800,000 tons of oil, picked up literally by specks. At that hour, it was transferred, that schomisyachna vitrata under the hour of war becomes 200,000 tons. Tse meant that the naval reserves were to be drained for less than 9 months of war. Mussolini, however, having taken into account what more and less is enough for the “three-month war”. On yoga thought, it was impossible to drag on longer. Vykhodyachi z such allowance, vіn navit zmusiv fleet to transfer part of the reserves - a total of 300,000 tons - to the UPU and civil industry already after the cob of war. To that, the hour of the war has begun, the fleet of storms, between the transfer of ships, in order to speed up the oil. In the first quarter of 1943, yoga had a chance to reduce to a ridiculous figure of 24,000 tons per month. Paired with a cob estimate - 200,000 tons, as a necessary minimum, it is easy to understand, which is not enough to carry out operations.

All these nedolіki vrіvnovazhuvav miraculous spirit of officers and sailors. During the last 39 months of baked battles until the signing of a truce by Italy, the special warehouse of the Italian fleet repeatedly showed signs of mass and individual heroism. Inheriting its traditions, the navy carried out the planting of fascist political views. It is important to feel hatred for Britain, whose fleet is always respected as a natural ally.

Ale, if the foal was thrown, the fleet, kerovanie, almost a binding, starting a battle, exerting all their strength. Mighty adversaries stood against Yom, prote wines vitriam, having been tested by fire, out of honor that vіdvagoy.

On the cob of 1940, the fate was suspected that Italy would enter the war, they were already mooning at the window. However, Mussolini still did not say casually to the chiefs of staff of the three armed forces that we could get into conflict. In the first month of the fatal fate of the order, schob pіdtremati eksport, zmusiv fleet to sell Sweden 2 destroyers and 2 destroyers. This fact was quite naturally mindful by the fleet, as a sign of a lack of order to enter the war, at the next hour. Ale, a few days after the visit of von Ribbentrop to Mussolin in the birch of 1940, after which the visit of Sumner Welles was negligently, the order of the day before the war began to clear up. The decision was brought to the headquarters on April 6, 1940.

For many days, Marshal Badoglio - Chief of the General Staff - called to the delight of the three chiefs of staff of the armed forces and reminded them about "the firm decision of the Ducha to intervene at that hour and in that place, as if in choice." Badoglio said that war on land is carried out in the defensive key, and in the offensive - on the sea and in the field. Two days later, on April 11, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Cavagnari, sent his appointment in a letter to the announcement. In the midst of the worst of the times, it was difficult to make such entrances due to the enemy's strength and unfavorable strategic situation. This discouraged the offensive sea war. In addition, the British fleet is instantly recaptured! be-yakі spend. Cavagnari, declaring that it is impossible for the Italian fleet to lean against the critical camp without a hitch. The Admiral was ahead, that it would be impossible to reach the cob rapt, and that it was impossible to carry out operations against anti-shipping in the Mediterranean Sea, the shards of it were already pinned.

Admiral Cavagnari also wrote: “There are no chances for the strategic task of defeating the fortune-telling naval forces, entering the war with our initiative is not true. We can only conduct defensive operations.” True, history does not know examples, that the country, as it unleashed war, went over to the defense negainno.

Having shown the invisibility of the situation, in which the fleet will emerge through an inadequate support of naval operations, Admiral Cavagnari concluded his memorandum with such prophetic words: If peace talks start, Italy as a whole can show itself no less without territorial attachments, and without a fleet, perhaps without aviation. These words were not only prophetic, the stench hailed the thought of the Italian fleet. Mustache peredbachennya, crushed by Admiral Cavagnari on the other side, were completely true, except for one. Until the end of the war, Italy was left without an army and aviation, with powerful opponents, but it was still small to finish off a strong fleet.

On the second century of that, in the Adriatic Sea, the opposition of the Italian and Austrian fleets flared up. Until the end of the 19th century, the results of the war marked the development of the military-sea tactical doctrine and the design of military ships. The battle of the critical island of Lissa became the last battle of the naval forces of Sardinia and Naples and the first - for the new fleet of the single Italian state. The last criss-cross of harmonic volleys, the beautiful Sardinians, the Tuscans and the Neapolitans perceived themselves as Italians. For their adversaries, this battle became a quiet battle on the aphids of the wild bags of war, and also a sign that the Habsburgs can still protect their interests. What were the main forces of the Austro-Italian war on the sea and how did the military-marine forces, who took their fate?

In the 50s and 60s of the 19th century, after the raging dobi of the Napoleonic wars and revolutions, Italy and Germany became on the path of consolidation within the framework of the common powers. The swedish development of the Prussian economy gave Otto von Bismarck enough money and material resources to the “salary chancellor” to organize the unification of the various German lands under the rule of the Prussian king. Austria, also being a German power, claimed the role of a united German nation. Another significant force on the way to the national German power was the French Empire.

Otto von Bismarck. Portrait of the artist Christian Allers.
pinterest.com

The Sardinian kingdom acted as the political center of the unification of Italy. The Prime Minister of Sardinia, the brilliant diplomat and sensible politician Count Camillo Benso de Cavour vouched for his fight for the unity of Italy under the French Emperor Napoleon III.

Prime Minister of Italy Count Camillo Benso di Cavour.
britannica.com

From 1860 to 1862 all Italian lands, Crimea, Rome and Austrian Venice, were included in Sardinia. Now Prussia and Italy have been forced to take down the Opir of Austria, and the stench has gone to the heart of the country. On 17 Chernya, 1866, Prussia announced the fate of war; three days later, Italy also declared war on Austria. With the aims of the Prussians, the bula of the Viysk defeat of Austria and the adoption of the transfer from the її side in the united German lands to the name of Prussia. Italy, for the results of the war, is not enough to take over the Austrian Venetian region.

War on land

From 17 chernya to 26 linden 1866 Austria, in alliance with the other German powers, waged battles against Prussia and Italy. The organizational and technical advance of the Prussian army zoomed in on the war: 3 Austrian limes were beaten at Sadoviya, and the Prussian army suddenly went up to Vidnya. After having set the task, Bismarck did not want to risk the achieved results and was ready to lay the world out of Austria. On the 20th of the wormwood, the forces of the Italian army invaded the Venetian region; The defeat at Sadovіy zmusila Austria to throw significant forces pіvnіch. Having speeded up the cim, the Italians again went on the offensive, but they did not reach success.

Austrian lancers attack at the Battle of Custozzi. Artist - Kazimir Olshansky.
pinterest.com

On the 26th of the fall, Austria was ready to think ahead of the peace treaty from Prussia. Having lost all-time-on-all-time with a strong opponent, Italy went to a truce on the 10th of January, and on the 3rd of August took the Venetian region for the Vienna peace treaty. The war ended with the defeat of the Prussian-Italian alliance.

In the course of the war, it was important for the Austrians and Italians to ensure the safety of their shores and the safety of transportation by the Adriatic Sea. Vikonannya tsikh zavdan was the leading obov'yazkom of both fleets.

Commander of two fleets

In the Middle Ages, the Venetian Republic could not save Dalmatia, and the Adriatic Sea was a "Venetian lake". The politicians of the young Italian kingdom dreamed about the turning of these glorious hours, but without a strong fleet it was impossible to reach it. The presence in Italy of the single land routes of success made maritime communications irreplaceable, and at the same time it wielded the protection of the Viysk fleet.

Similar tasks: protidium landing landings, defense of the transport, trade and ribal fleets - stood in front of the military-sea forces of the Austrian Empire. In fact, given the situation in the Adriatic, the share of Austrian Volodya in the region lay.

Fleet of Italy

Since 1860, Italy has invested in the development of the fleet a great sum - close to 12 million pounds sterling more or less. In 1862, the current military minister of the sea, Admiral Carlo Pellion di Persano, adopted a strategic decision to act in the life of wooden ships as the main force of the fleet and go to manning with battleships. The trials of allied ships from France and the unpreparedness of the Italian industry to the term life of armored ships zoomed in on the engagement of ships beyond the cordon. Most of the new Italian battleships were designed on the basis of the French ones, which had already entered into force, and were at the shipyards of France. In addition, two ships were sent to the USA, and the British brought an armored ram.

Formally, the two most powerful Italian ships were wooden armored frigates of the American company Webb: "Re d'Italia" and "Don Luigi Re di Portogallo" (the short name "Re di Portogallo"). However, through the rotten quality of budding materials and the very spore of these ships, as well as the low nautical capacity, it is possible to grow visnovkas, but the skins from them are not shredded by 325,000 pounds sterling, paid by the Italian order. The maneuverability of the ships also left the baggage of the best, the small protei of the taman and the greater number of the first armadillos.

Italian armored frigate "Don Luigi Re di Portogallo".
kuk-marine-museum.net

Zalizny dvobashtovy armored ram "Affondatore" was prompted by the Great Britain at the Harrison shipyard - the Italians respected it as the most powerful ship in their fleet. When designing that life, the English tried to win over the entire duration of the Gromadyansky war in the USA, and they managed to bring the ship's seafaring to a level acceptable for the Mediterranean Sea. The shortfalls of the battering ram were tight on the nose for the flank of an important vestibule of the nasal casemate, as well as lack of maneuverability. Zakhist, similar to a five-inch armor belt, took off two towers of Captain Kolz's system. The deck of the bool is lined with 2-inch flat armor.

Italian armored ram "Affondatore".
marina.defesa.it

Four armadillos advancing behind the fighting intensity: "Regina Maria Pia", "Castelfidardo", "San Martino" and "Ancona" - were inspired by the project of French ships of the "Provence" type. The priority of the Italian conspiracy by the French can be seen behind the terms for the entry of ships from the diyu. Italy took the first three battleships as early as 1864, and the French fleet, having replenished with a trio of Provences, was only across the river. The main visual identity was evident in the presence of a clearly curved battering ram in Italian ships. The hulls of the Italian ships, on the basis of the French prototypes, bulged out of the bay and carried forged armor from them. Good sailing was balanced by bad seafaring and maneuverability. Ships of the type Regina Maria Pia became the core of the Italian fleet.

Italian armored corvette "Regina Maria Pia".
marina.defesa.it

The armored corvette Principe di Carignano became the first battleship in the Italian life. In 1866, there were two armadillos stationed near Budіvnitstvі, they were going to go to the fret like "Messina" (1867) and "Conte Verde" (1871). On the back, all ships of the series were laid down like wooden steam frigates, but at the hour of life they were redesigned on battleships.

"Principe di Carignano" - the only battleship of the Italian life.
marina.defesa.it

The first Italian battleships "Terribile" and "Formidabile" succumbed to small scales with garnoy maneuverability. In the architecture of these ships, which were sent to the French shipyard "La Seine", the first French seafaring battleship "Gluar" and the French armored batteries are infused.

A pair of Palestro and Varese, designed by the Italian engineer Giuseppe de Luca and brought to France at the La Seine shipyard, are classified as armored gunnery hulls or coastal defense ships with a saline hull. The stench was irritated by a small windshield and weak armor with good armor.

Italian armored gunboat Varese.
marina.defesa.it

The Crimean battleships of the Italians were small with steam-guided frigates, three steam-guided corvettes, as well as a large advice note and three gunboats.

As the fleet was equipped with new ships, great respect was attached to it, the organization of personnel training and the management structure were far from ideal. From one side, the fighting spirit of the Italian sailors was on high, from the other side, a serious lack of technical fahivtsiv was caused. Mechanics rottenly knew the material part, and steam engines tried at the filthy station. Shards of the armored fleet were created from scratch, the majority of the crews began to learn that significant practice, both in managing their ship, and in activities at the warehouse of the squadron. Shooting fire and sleepy maneuvering were not carried out, although for whom they saw fire, grub and ammunition. Among the officers from different, earlier independent areas, there was no unity, and the constant struggle of the admirals for graveyards planted and privileges did not allow the discipline of the officers' warehouse, not seeming already about simple sailors.

On the top of the kingdom of anarchy, standing a good politician, but not indifferent and not afraid of risking his camp, Admiral Carlo Pellion di Persano. In 1866, roci tsіy people were 59 roki, all the while serving in the Sardinian fleet: having taken part in the Austro-Sardinian war of 1848, the Crimean war of 1854–1855, in 1859 the roci Sicily. I didn’t mav especially reach them, but I didn’t slander myself with anything. At the glance of the Italian king, Persano was the only possible sailor for the fleet, and it turned out to be the main and unresolved problem.

It is necessary to say that there were people from the Italian officers, who gave their hopes, but for the minds of the Sardinian monarchy, they had little chance of changing the current camp. Without a doubt, the Italians can be called a nation of seafarers, and before joining the fleet, most of the recruits served as sailors on merchant ships in the Baltic Sea. The head problem was over the personnel, and the political system of the new power. The unparalleled victories of the Italian ships and the great potential of their crews were built up by the poor preparation of a special warehouse, weak discipline, low level command, and the military base of the Italian fleet was not high.

Fleet of Austria

At the sight of Italy, the core of the community - the Kingdom of Sardinia - is not very famous for the Viysk-sea traditions, the Austrian Empire became a land power and avenged the fleet on the Adriatic Sea only through the need to protect its own seaside. The Austrian maritime forces were not in any way distinguished by their special mission or by their reach - meanwhile, panyuchi in the differentiation of Italy and the border between the weak in the maritime relations of Turechchina, the empire is not small great consumption in a strong fleet.

The situation changed because of the threat of landing of the Sardinians and their French allies on the Adriatic coast. The greatest swede and the cheapest service among the citizens of the Habsburgs, just like in the Italians, was imposed by the sea and demanded a defense. The Austrian rank, which was in the distant view of the sea Vіdnі, would take an hour to understand. The lessons of the first wars for the fate of the naval forces (1848 r_k) were brought to the point that the Austrians gradually acquired glassy wooden corvettes behind the English flag, and then they were transferred to steam-driven ships. Nayimovіrnіshe, on which development of the imperial fleet and ended b, but the Austrians smiled at success. Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Habsburg was a man of talent, generously loving the sea, and, being the brother of Emperor Franz Josef I, he was quick to win rich food, omitting bureaucratic bands.

Ferdinand Maximilian Josip von Habsburg in 1864 roci.
flickr.com

Before the beginning of the war in Italy, the Austrian fleet was commanded by ethnic Italians from the Venetian region, and a regular warehouse was recruited from the coastal regions of the Italian Volodya of Austria, as well as the numerous Venetian colonies near Dalmatia. My service and business communication of sailors was Italian. After the war of 1848, the situation changed, and the Austrians began to be admitted to command posts, and the German language became obligatory for the officers of the fleet.

For the implementation of reforms and the creation of a modern military fleet from Denmark, the Danish captain Count Hans Birk von Dalerup and a small number of foreign officers who called on the replacements of the Italians, who sent these services, asked for requests. In 1854, Archduke Ferdinand Max became a member of the navy, and Dalerup changed his order without a middle order. Bula vikonana great work on the reorganization of the entire fleet, including the improvement of discipline, the improvement of the training system, the base and life of ships. The main achievement of the Archduke was the victory over the vast thought of the country, as he did not understand the importance of the creation of the military fleet.

Until 1864, when Ferdinand Max had abandoned his estate, a healthy atmosphere was created on the fleet, which allowed talented people to realize their feats and work their way through the service. Officers and sailors took practical time to travel by the Mediterranean Sea and to the coast of Pivdenny America.

Another significant achievement was the operation of the fleet at the national shipyards from high quality materials under the project of the talented Austrian ship engineer Josip von Romako. The Austrians were planning to build a fleet based on wooden steam frigates, while the Italians built armadillos and survived the first naval battles of the Gromadyanskaya war against the United States, they were forced to place their stake on armored ships.

Minorly hardened by the Reichstag, Ferdinand Max, having repaired the shipyard of Trieste, first pair of armadillos: "Salamander" and "Drach", moreover, the first of them began to work out less than 15 months after the beginning of everyday life. Being modified copies of the French "Gluar", these ships became a constructive standard and became the basis for the development of the project in the next two series (type "Kaiser Max" and "Ferdinand Max"). There were a few wooden armored frigates, up to an ear of fighting, in this world of readiness: "Drach", "Salamander", "Kaiser Max", "Prince Eugen", "Juan de Austria", "Ferdinand Max" that " Habsburg". In addition, one steam liner ship, five steam-driven screw frigates and two steam corvettes entered the warehouse for the fleet.

Austrian armored corvette "Drach" in 1866 (before modernization).
history.navy.mil

The shortcomings of the Austrian armadillos were the weakness of the steam engines and the rotten maneuverability, the protoships were built with the strength of the possible relay, from the poorest materials and from the stagnation of the impersonal constructive solutions, the good okremoy rosepovid. Mayzhe has become a textbook defense against corrosion of the exterior cladding, armor and a change in the fire safety of wooden buildings. The hull was covered with a ball of lead beaters, then upholstered with thin lead plates, and a rubber ball was applied over them. After that, on galvanized bolts, plates of reinforced armor, made at the factories of Styria, were fastened. The ships were built with old smooth-bore 48-pound garmats, and Krupp's designs for 210-mm steel arbitrarily garmats were trimmed by the Prussian order immediately after the cob of war.

Austrian armored frigate "Habsburg".
history.navy.mil

After the rebellion near Venice, the army of Italian officers and the reforms carried out, the officer corps of the fleet was laid down by Austrians, Germans, Scandinavians and an insignificant number of Italians. The cross warehouse was recruited from the inhabitants of Dalmatia and the Italian regions of Venice and the Trieste, to which the good fortune was forever deprived of food. The situation was vryatuval vplyad Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff. Yakby didn’t have the reforms of Ferdinand Max, Austria would hardly have been able to create a fleet, and without Tegetthoff there is little chance of winning.

Army traditions of this Tegetthof brought Yogo to military service. Vibіr having fallen on the Naval Cadet Corps near Venice. Zhorstka discipline in s_m'ї and material problems swayed zhorstka pіpriєmliviy character of the future admiral. After five years of teaching Tegetthoff, having served as a midshipman, having learned foreign movements and specialties of the fleets of France and England. We will drag this person into a German nationalist, a hoarder of the imperial power and the unification of the German lands under the rule of Austria.

After the strangulation of the national revolutions of 1848, when the empire burned in half a century of national rebellions, the time for career growth began for Tegetthof. In 1854, at the rank of lieutenant, he took command of the schooner "Elizabeth". Then there was the service behind the cordon, vikonannya secret missions, acquaintance with Archduke Ferdinand Max and in 1857 he was appointed head of the fleet headquarters. Zhovtnya 1862 Tegetthoff commanded a division that consisted of a frigate, a corvette and two gunboats. During this period, it has become especially important to correctly assess the political, economic and military situation and activities with high efficiency. The curiosity signified the supreme goodness and guilt of the officer. In 1864, commanders, commanding two steam frigates, were assigned to the wars of Austria and Prussia against Denmark, zooming in on two larger Danish frigates and one corvette. After the death of Archduke Ferdinand Max, Admiral Tegetthoff had impersonal opponents - we were in front, through his unglamorous temperament and baked super-chickens with ceramics. Regardless of the price, after the arrival of Austrian troops from Italy and Prussia, Tegetthof was appointed commander of the fleet.

Especially the organization of the Austrian fleet was those who were the independent kind of viysk, and the order of the ground forces. On the possibilities of victorious warships, it was seen very negatively. There was nothing at the seaside right, the land generals did their best not to risk the ships, like they were vowed with the expensive toys of the late Ferdinand Max. Nobody wanted to take over the landing of the commander of the fleet, to those who cared that the Italians on the sea could not be overcome, that and nothing. The very energetic admiral Tegetthof was far away from becoming a member of the imperial military-naval forces.

The admiral was famous for his justice, for his honor to the right people regardless of his nationality and respect for all the duties of the service. Winning with all his might, having wanted a special initiative, having learned to listen to someone else’s thoughts, he attached great respect to the combat and tactful training. Navit in the minds of the constant non-stall of Tegetthof's ships robbed maneuvers under pairs and vitrils, carried out initial firing and tried different tactical battle schemes. On board the flagship battleship "Ferdinand Max" carried out a number of fights and plans to wage war against the Italians. No less difficult was the struggle from the land command: the generals respected that the fleet had enough to protect the keys of the harbor and to cover the flank of the army, which it had tried at Venice. Tegetgof, blaming on the possibility of active battles in the Adriatic Sea and the emplacement of the Italian fleet at the victorious battle, without respecting the enemy’s tonnage and artillery three times over on May.

2 × 10” OD - two side muzzle-loading harmatons caliber 10 inches.

26 × 6.4 ”ND - battery with 26 external muzzle-loading projectiles with a caliber of 6.4 inches.

Irrespective of the number and quality of the special and ship warehouse of the two fleets, at the time of the cob of war in the same enemy there were no obvious gains.

List of literature:

1. Pemsel G. Wilhelm von Tegetthoff (at the book "Great Admirals"). Prov. from English - M: AST, 2002
2. Wilson H. Battleships in battle. Prov. from English - M: EKSMO, 2003
3. Granovsky Y. Fight at Fox // "Flotomaster", 1997 No. 2.
4. Petrov M. A. An overview of the most important campaigns and battles of the steam fleet. - L., 1927.
5. Poluyan V.V. Battleships of the Austro-Ugric Empire. Part 1. - St. Petersburg, 2007
6. Shtenzel A. History of the military at sea. Prov. with him. - M: EKSMO, 2002.
7. Antonicelli A. I cannoni di Lissa // "Storia Militare", 2012, No. 223 .
8. Bargoni F. Esploratori, Fregate, Corvette ed Avvisi Italiani 1861-1968 - Roma: USMM, 1969.
9. Bargoni F., Gay F., Gay V.M. Navi a vela e navi miste italiane 1861-1887. – Roma: USMM, 2001.
10. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905. - London: Conway Maritime Press, 1979.
11. Dassano F. La Battaglia di Lissa in Literature Pier Carlo Boggio // "L'Arduino", 2013.
12. Giorgerini F., Nani A. Gli incrociatori italiani 1861-1967. - Roma: USMM, 1967.
13. Giorgerini G., Nani A. Le navi di linea italiani 1861-1969. - Roma: USMM, 1969.
14. Gogg K. Österreich Kriegsmarine 1848-1918. - Salzburg: Bergland Buch, 1974.
15. Green J. The "Re D'Italia" / / "Warship International", 1976, no. four.
16. Green J., Massignani A. Ironclads at War. - Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 1998.
17. Lengnick A., von Klimburg R. Unsere Wehrmacht zur See. – Wien: L.W. Seidel & Sohn, 1904.
18. Schelma de Heere R.F. Austro-Hungarian Battleships // "Warship International", 1973, No.1.

Italian Fleet at Another World War

Italian fleet ahead of war

Opposition to the Fleet of the Rise of War and Yoga of the First Plan

On the cob of 1940, the fate was suspected that Italy would enter the war, they were already mooning at the window. However, Mussolini still did not say casually to the chiefs of staff of the three armed forces that we could get into conflict. In the first month of the fatal fate of the order, schob pіdtremati eksport, zmusiv fleet to sell Sweden 2 destroyers and 2 destroyers. This fact was quite naturally mindful by the fleet, as a sign of a lack of order to enter the war, at the next hour. Ale, a few days after the visit of von Ribbentrop to Mussolin in the birch of 1940, after which the visit of Sumner Welles was negligently, the order of the day before the war began to clear up. The decision was brought to the headquarters on April 6, 1940.

For many days, Marshal Badoglio - Chief of the General Staff - called to the delight of the three chiefs of staff of the armed forces and reminded them about "the firm decision of the Ducha to intervene at that hour and in that place, as if in choice." Badoglio said that war on land is carried out in the defensive key, and in the offensive - on the sea and in the field. Two days later, on April 11, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Cavagnari, sent his appointment in a letter to the announcement. In the midst of the worst of the times, it was difficult to make such entrances due to the enemy's strength and unfavorable strategic situation. This discouraged the offensive sea war. In addition, the British fleet is instantly recaptured! be-yakі spend. Cavagnari, declaring that it is impossible for the Italian fleet to lean against the critical camp without a hitch. The Admiral was ahead, that it would be impossible to reach the cob rapt, and that it was impossible to carry out operations against anti-shipping in the Mediterranean Sea, the shards of it were already pinned.

Admiral Cavagnari also wrote: “There are no chances for the strategic task of defeating the fortune-telling naval forces, entering the war with our initiative is not true. We can only conduct defensive operations.” True, history does not know examples, that the country, as it unleashed war, went over to the defense negainno.

Having shown the invisibility of the situation, in which the fleet will emerge through an inadequate support of naval operations, Admiral Cavagnari concluded his memorandum with such prophetic words: If peace talks start, Italy as a whole can show itself no less without territorial attachments, and without a fleet, perhaps without aviation. These words were not only prophetic, the stench hailed the thought of the Italian fleet. Mustache peredbachennya, crushed by Admiral Cavagnari on the other side, were completely true, except for one. Until the end of the war, Italy was left without an army and aviation, with powerful opponents, but it was still small to finish off a strong fleet.

Mussolini, fearing that the world will turn back to Europe earlier, lower Italy will say your word without turning to the guard. More than that, the wines are simply aware of them, relying on their own commitment, that the winter days will be even shorter - no more than three months. However, the Italian fleet was preparing before the war on the basis of operational plans, which had been discussed more than once before. You can shortly spell it like this: trim the sea forces for the sake of separating the maximum defensive and offensive tension; as a legacy - take part in the defense of the commercial shipping industry of the Crimea with special rare vipadkivs; get rid of the idea of ​​posting Libya through a strategic situation. Mayuchi France with his enemy, it was considered impossible to conduct judges through the Mediterranean Sea.

Mussolini did not quarrel with other concepts. Letting it go, so that the conflict does not drag on, coastal shipping can be speeded up, and Libya spends six months on quiet reserves, which are taken there. It turned out that all of Mussolin's assumptions were wrong. The Italian fleet, having shown that it would take trouble to take care of them, that it could not be robbed. Exactly 3 days after the cob of wine to Rome from Libya came the help of the term to deliver the hospitality that was needed. I tsі vimogi, yakі zrostali z formidable swedishness, had a chance to win, it's clear rіch, the fleet.

On June 16, 1940, the underwater vessel "Zoea" announced the procurement of ammunition for delivery to Tobruk. Through the proximity of the base to the line to the front, and її far from other Italian bases, the command did not want to send transport there, to get an escort from the escort. Underwater choven viyshov by the sea 19 worms. Tse buv the first of the indistinguishable campaign to Africa.

These operations, carried out under the pressure of conditions, became the main occupation of the Italian fleet, although not the most favorite. The stench was called to a serious breakdown of forces. On the 20th of the red flotilla of destroyers on board the "Artillere" sailed from Augusta to Benghazi, to transport anti-tank missiles and artillerymen. After 5 days, the first convoy, which is being guarded, is from Naples to Tripoli, carrying various luggage and 1727 soldiers. On the same day, the underwater chauvin "Bragadin" was sailed by the sea with the vantage of materials for the Tripoli airport. Put it clearly to show how far the “self-supply” of Libya was secured. The Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Badoglio, under the command of Admiral Cavagnari, sent the first 3 or 4 convoys to Libya, singing firmly that there was a rebellion.

The feeling that the war will end in three months, rose up without a hitch. Mussolini was introduced into Oman by Hitler's propaganda about landing in England. As a matter of fact, for example, in the fall of 1940, the fate of the Italian Supreme Command, on the basis of information received from Berlin, had a chance to be punished to get ready for a protracted war, like a trivatime of a sprat of fate.

In misfortune for the Italian fleet, the reasons for those who had grounded their operational planning turned out to be fundamentally wrong. Tim is no less, the fleet stubbornly fought for 39 months with the most important - and some hopeless - minds and heading heavy losses to a mighty enemy. Regardless of the bloody trials, the Italian sailors, from the admiral to the rest of the sailor, always took care of their shoes, the spirit of self-sacrifice and the constant vigil. Today’s recollection was simply miraculous, the shards were not blindly subjugated, but by manifesting an informed will, which was confirmed at the skin stage of the struggle.

On the cob of war, the core of the Italian fleet was formed from 2 old, but modernized battleships and 19 cruisers. English and French 11 battleships, 3 aircraft carriers and 23 cruisers stationed near the Mediterranean Sea. And without that, the majestic victory of the allies became simply more important, as if they were strengthening their posture by the Mediterranean theater, as they could be victorious as reinforcement and for increasing expenses. Roughly seeming, Italy is small, the Viysk fleet with a total water tonnage of close to 690,000 tons, and the enemy has more of the Chotiri.

It is important to look at the deployment of the fleets of the parties that are fighting. Anglo-French forces were based near Toulon, Gibraltar, Bizerte and Oleksandriya. At that hour there were no ships in Malta. Italian ships were importantly spread between Naples and Taranto, and some cruisers were based on the Sicilian ports. Qi forces could unite, vikoristovuyuchi Messinskaya duct, wanting to attack the lack of attacks, passing її. At the peninsular part of the Tyrrhenian Sea, there were only a few underwater ships and a few torpedo boats for coastal defense.

The Adriatic was an inland sea; Tobruk was a hanging outpost near the fortune lines, so light patrol ships were based there. The Dodecanese islands and the main base on Leros actually appeared to be blockaded, the shards of the Greek waters could not be considered neutral. Here, only patrols and sabotage squadrons could be based. The Massawa base near the Red Sea, de bula group of old destroyers, freshwater vessels and torpedo boats, was mostly insulated from the cob of war and had little obezzhene value.

It can be said that the deployment of the Italian fleet matched the geographic factor. Heads of forces were rebuked near the center of the Mediterranean Sea, others - at the lower peripheral points. The situation on the cob of the war did not show any negainny zіtknen, as only insults against the fleet did not take a clearly aggressive position. The Italian fleet of which did not grow up in a moment, as it was shown earlier, it could not be brought to us. Prote, as declared by the enemy, his fleet is conducting an offensive war, especially the one commanded by Admiral Sir Andrew Brown Cunningham.

Go to the sea

The plans for the defense of Sicily were given, that the submarine lines and torpedo boats would strike the airborne squadrons and outrun the lines of posting bridgeheads. All the ships fought for the second time, so the very same as the special assault ships were lifted, they did not work so loudly, but in rich areas. Until what hour there were not so many Italian mid-water chandeliers. After 3 years of war in the Mediterranean Sea, about 40 individuals were left behind, it was quiet for a little wine, as if there were special tasks. Three quarters were repaired no less than full. For the defense of Sicily, it was possible to win no more than 12 chovnіv, for that it was not possible to vouch for other victories near the Aegean and Tyrrhenian seas. And then a dozen after the cob of intrusion quickly scurried away through the expenses that were taken away in the course of operations.

With the help of German submarines, the floorings are bad. At the middle line, only 3-4 ranks were exchanged, and the stench was only around the western Mediterranean (At the time of the signing of the truce, 53 German sub-water ranks, transferred to the Mediterranean Sea, 38 were sunk.). The English also recognized the heavy losses in the underwater war, especially after the introduction of new Italian corvettes and myslivtsiv, which appeared in the other half of 1942, into the future. Less than for the rest of the war, the English spent 15 fresh water hours on the Mediterranean Sea.

The situation with the great (Ms) and small (Mas) torpedo boats was just as deplorable. Just two and a half months before the Sicilian campaign, 18 ships of this class were sunk. Ushі stink, krіm one, it was undermined by the fortune-teller aviation. Part of the vtsililih could not be seen from other regions, the stench was wearing the necessary clothes, which could not be put on ships of other classes. Moreover, after three years of military service, if the boats had to win over a lot of important missions - often those for which they were not assigned to the stench, the stench appeared to be very worn and practically could not be more victorious for offensive operations. In haste, after having repaired it, having thrown it from other regions, it was possible to scrape together 6 - 8 boats for children near the Sicilian waters, and an hour and a half rushed. German torpedo boats were in exactly the same position.

The strikes of the Italian torpedo boats were intense and courageous. They were commanded by the most famous and the most famous officers, under the heady ceremonies of the captain of the 1st rank Mimbelli, who became famous during the hour of the Cretan campaign as the commander of the destroyer "Lupo". These boats, which may have shone the shores of the lost Sicily, may have sounded the fortune tellers of the great ships, the shards of the English trimmings near the shore more than a day. Natomist Italian boats often stuck with British and American boats and recognized great losses in people and ships for an hour baked stuff at a distance of a pistol shot.

On the 15th sickle Ms-31 and -73, turning from the night patrol, hit Syracuse, about 5.00 am, 2 British destroyers commemorated the Miss Spartivento. Irrespective of the strong fire, like their enemy, the boats went on the attack, and Ms-31 fired a torpedo into one of the destroyers, like a negligently pinned to shoot. Another British ship rushed to help a comrade, and the Italian boats slithered, not taking off their welcome.

A large number of enemy ships, like the English were in operation, became a deadly threat to the Italian submarine ships. For an underwater chovn, who went on the attack, the chances of being detected were 9 out of 10, and if they were, the chances of being killed reached 99 out of 100. Tim is not less, but the security forces did not call out the Italian submariners. The stench rushed into the battle, ready to perish, and in the first 3 days of the battle of the safe coast of Sicily, 4 of our waterways were sunk.

We already looked at the reasons why the Italian fleet did not have a chance to overthrow the fortune-telling amphibious assault on the day off Sicily. But there were no reasons to call a yakby, the information about the transfer of the enemy was delayed, which would cause the fleet to immediately enter the battle. Navit yakbi ships were rebuked in readiness until the Negai sailing into the sea during the first three days (9 linden close to 19.00), the stench would not have reached the area of ​​Augusti before the 11 linden. Ale, at that hour, the landing on the shore was already completed. There was another reason why the fleet did not take part in the operation. The ships had a chance to pass through the Mesіnsk Canal. The air force of the allies clogged up the neck of the throat, and the Italian air force was powerless.

Tim is no less, Supermarine has seen the possibility of carrying out a raid of light forces against allied ships, which are based off the heavily slumped Palermo. Oskіlki kіlkіst kіlkіst nayavnіh korablіv bula zamezhena, for nabіgu bіg it was vyrіshe vіkoristovuvat 2 cruisers without an accompaniment - ships and aircrafts. Crime of the most significant difficulties in the security of the secret was repeatedly violated in the light of the method of protecting the increased secrecy. Guilty ships arrived to Palermo with the first change of sun and went to the Italian coast, the first lower gate could be driven. The key factor in the raid was the emergence of new failures. Tom Supermarine punished vikonuvat operation, only as the cruiser zoom arrives to the point of invisibility. In fact, the operation had to be carried out after a day of moral reconciliation, shards for the most favorable result of the accumulation of 2 cruisers were seriously thrown into the Sicilian campaign.

"Eugenio di Savoia" and "Montecuccoli" under the command of Admiral Oliva came out on Spezia's evening of 4 sick days. Passing on the way to Corsica, the stench arrived to Maddaleni on the 5th sickle. In the evening, the cruisers again went to sea, until they were marked by the enemy. Prote at 4.28, if the cruisers were passing the island of Ustik, already suffocated by the Americans, the stench remembered in the darkness the silhouettes of three uninhabited ships. Italian cruisers fired fire. Wanting to burn one of the fortune-telling ships, the shooter alarmed everything. Interrupted by radiograms, they overran Admiral Oliva, who was known by the enemy's radar. Before arriving at Palermo, it took another second year, and in an hour the allies, sing-songly, caught up to get ready to get ready. Oskіlki element nepod_vanki was spent, admiral virіshiv kasuvati nabіg. The cruisers turned to Naples, and then to La Spezia. Behind the island of Tuscany, the stench was attacked by a fortune-teller aircraft, ale zumili, and on the night of 7 sickles safely arrived at the base.

Wanting to gain without giving results, the plan of operation, splitting by the Supermarine on the basis of exact knowledge of the method of repeating the exploration of the allies, spratsyuvav vіdminno. To that, Supermarine, not checking the turn of these cruisers, ordered the cruisers Garibaldi and Aosta under the command of Admiral Fioravantso to repeat the attack. The stench left Genoa on the evening of the 6th and after the day's stop in Maddalena, in the evening they straightened to Palermo. For the first time, the allied air reconnaissance caught sight of the night crossings of cruisers. After the war, it became clear that 2 American cruisers and 2 destroyers were sent from Palermo to the conversion of Italian ships. Mіzh 2.00 і 3.00 Admiral Fіoravanzo having taken notice of the German aircraft, equipped with radar, that he had mentioned the 3 "great ships" of the battle of Palermo and the convoy of the battle of San Vito. For information, the admiral has planted a visnovok, which is the enemy of revelations and on the alert. Moreover, a thick fog obscured visibility, plus Garibald's cars began to junk. For these reasons, Admiral Fioravantso virishiv, that the situation no longer supported the rapt raid and ordered the cruisers to turn back to the base. The British submarine chauvin fired 4 torpedoes at them, if the stench approached Genoa. The cruisers were built, and the destroyer "Gioberti", like a viyshov їm nazustrich, took off the hit and sank.