Regia Marina
At the time of Italy’s entry into World War Two, she possessed a modern and – on paper at least – highly effective fleet. Four battleships and eight heavy cruisers were available, with three more battleships being fitting out. However, there were no aircraft carriers, not least because the Regia Marina was intended to operate near to friendly air bases in Italy and Africa.
As might be expected from a force operating among the islands of the Mediterranean, light forces were quite numerous, including 14 light cruisers, 128 destroyers and 62 motor torpedo boats, which was a weapon favoured by the Italians and well suited to local conditions. No less than 115 submarines were available. The main Italian naval base was at Taranto, home of the battleship force. Lighter groups were based out of ports on the Italian mainland, Sicily and the Red Sea.
The Regia Marina failed to achieve much more during the course of the war, eventually surrendering to the Allies at Malta. Its personnel fought against their former allies towards the end of the war, losing a little over 4,000 men against Germany as opposed to just under 25,000 against the Allies.
It is interesting to speculate what the Regia Marina could have achieved had it been better led or handled. Italian enthusiasm for the war was noticeably lacking, and this led to lacklustre performances in the air, on the ground and at sea. The resulting reputation for lack of nerve is not deserved – Italian troops and ships at times fought bravely, especially for a commander or a cause they believed in – and in other wars of recent history there was nothing wrong with Italian courage or fighting ability.
It seems likely that, had the personnel of the Regia Marina really believed in their cause, their excellent battleships and cruisers might have covered themselves with glory. As Napoleon remarked: Morale is to the Physical as three to one.
At the time of Italy's entry into World War Two, she possessed a modern and ? on paper at least ? highly effective fleet. Four battleships and eight heavy cruisers were available, with three more battleships being fitted out. However, there were no aircraft carriers (initially), not least because the Regia Marina was intended to operate near to friendly air bases in Italy and Africa. As might be expected from a force operating among the islands of the Mediterranean, light forces were quite numerous, including 14 light cruisers, 128 destroyers and 62 motor torpedo boats, which was a weapon favoured by the Italians and well suited to local conditions. No less than 115 submarines were available. The main Italian naval base was at Taranto, home of the battleship force. Lighter groups were based out of ports on the Italian mainland, Sicily and the Red Sea. The Regia Marina was primarily tasked with interrupting British logistics and trade through the Mediterranean, and with keeping the Axis nations' links to North Africa open. Major actions with the Royal Navy were not desirable nor really necessary for this mission to be carried out.
Submarines: <br />Compared to a German Type VII C submarine, the Marcello-class were much larger, displacing 1,060 tons versus 769. Speed and range between the two classes were almost similar, but the Marcello-class had more torpedo tubes than the famous U-Boat. The Marcello-class should be considered one of the most successful produced by the Italian shipyards and showed very good qualities, being fast, structurally robust and relatively manoeuvrable. <br /><br />MTBs: <br />Capable of 45 knots, the Italian Motoscafo Armato Silurante (Armed Torpedo Boat) or MAS Boats were extremely active in the Mediterranean theatre. Though they were not well suited to rougher seas, they still achieved a great deal of note, including the torpedoing of HMS Capetown and an attack on the harbour of Malta, though the latter was a failure that cost two MAS Boats. Based on German S1 class S-Boats the Italians found in the port of Cattaro in Yugoslavia, the MS Boat was larger and far more seaworthy than the MAS designs. Though not as fast, it was far better suited to long-range patrols in the Mediterranean being more stable and more comfortable. It was an MS Boat that sank the largest vessel of any MTB in the war, HMS Manchester, in 1942.
The Battle for the Pacific was only the beginning. Victory at Sea is the game of naval combat during the Second World War. Throughout 1939-45, the nations of the world duelled across the oceans across the globe, only to discover the fundamental nature of naval warfare changing in the face of rapidly developing technologies. Now you can play out these confrontations on the tabletop with entire fleets drawn from the Royal Navy, US Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, German Kriegsmarine or any of the other nations featured in Victory at Sea. From skirmishes involving single destroyers hunting down merchantmen to the clashing of massive battleships, from invasions of islands across the Pacific to mastering waves of dive bombers, Victory at Sea enables you to fight exciting battles that take place on the oceans of World War II.
The Littorio class was the first new Italian battleship class for nearly a decade when design work began in 1930. Initially designed to remain within the 35,000-ton Washington Treaty limit, the final displacement was just over 40,000 tons. As well as being good-looking ships, the Littorio-class included a number of new features including high-velocity guns. They were probably the first of the "fast battleships" that would come to dominate capital ship design in the late 1930s and onward. Vittorio Veneto saw extensive service in World War Two, participating in the Battles of Cape Spartivento in November 1940 and Cape Matapan in March 1941. Though struck by a torpedo at this latter engagement and again later courtesy of a British submarine, she would escape unscathed from the British raid on Taranto of November 1940. 1941 and early 1942 was spent attempting to attack British convoys en route to Malta until fuel shortages forced the end of such activity. In the armistice of 1943, she was surrendered to the Allies after Italy withdrew from the war, spending the next three years under British control in Egypt. Thereafter she was allocated to Britain as a war prize and was scrapped.
Regia Marina Fleet Box (WGVS-742411003)
At the time of Italy's entry into World War Two, she possessed a modern and ? on paper at least ? highly effective fleet. Four battleships and eight heavy cruisers were available, with three more battleships being fitted out. However, there were no aircraft carriers (initially), not least because the Regia Marina was intended to operate near to friendly air bases in Italy and Africa. As might be expected from a force operating among the islands of the Mediterranean, light forces were quite numerous, including 14 light cruisers, 128 destroyers and 62 motor torpedo boats, which was a weapon favoured by the Italians and well suited to local conditions. No less than 115 submarines were available. The main Italian naval base was at Taranto, home of the battleship force. Lighter groups were based out of ports on the Italian mainland, Sicily and the Red Sea. The Regia Marina was primarily tasked with interrupting British logistics and trade through the Mediterranean, and with keeping the Axis nations' links to North Africa open. Major actions with the Royal Navy were not desirable nor really necessary for this mission to be carried out.
Regia Marina Submarines And MTB Sections (WGVS-743211009)
Submarines: <br />Compared to a German Type VII C submarine, the Marcello-class were much larger, displacing 1,060 tons versus 769. Speed and range between the two classes were almost similar, but the Marcello-class had more torpedo tubes than the famous U-Boat. The Marcello-class should be considered one of the most successful produced by the Italian shipyards and showed very good qualities, being fast, structurally robust and relatively manoeuvrable. <br /><br />MTBs: <br />Capable of 45 knots, the Italian Motoscafo Armato Silurante (Armed Torpedo Boat) or MAS Boats were extremely active in the Mediterranean theatre. Though they were not well suited to rougher seas, they still achieved a great deal of note, including the torpedoing of HMS Capetown and an attack on the harbour of Malta, though the latter was a failure that cost two MAS Boats. Based on German S1 class S-Boats the Italians found in the port of Cattaro in Yugoslavia, the MS Boat was larger and far more seaworthy than the MAS designs. Though not as fast, it was far better suited to long-range patrols in the Mediterranean being more stable and more comfortable. It was an MS Boat that sank the largest vessel of any MTB in the war, HMS Manchester, in 1942.
Victory at Sea Hardback Book (WGVS-741010001)
The Battle for the Pacific was only the beginning. Victory at Sea is the game of naval combat during the Second World War. Throughout 1939-45, the nations of the world duelled across the oceans across the globe, only to discover the fundamental nature of naval warfare changing in the face of rapidly developing technologies. Now you can play out these confrontations on the tabletop with entire fleets drawn from the Royal Navy, US Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, German Kriegsmarine or any of the other nations featured in Victory at Sea. From skirmishes involving single destroyers hunting down merchantmen to the clashing of massive battleships, from invasions of islands across the Pacific to mastering waves of dive bombers, Victory at Sea enables you to fight exciting battles that take place on the oceans of World War II.
Vittorio Veneto Battleship (WGVS-742411090)
The Littorio class was the first new Italian battleship class for nearly a decade when design work began in 1930. Initially designed to remain within the 35,000-ton Washington Treaty limit, the final displacement was just over 40,000 tons. As well as being good-looking ships, the Littorio-class included a number of new features including high-velocity guns. They were probably the first of the "fast battleships" that would come to dominate capital ship design in the late 1930s and onward. Vittorio Veneto saw extensive service in World War Two, participating in the Battles of Cape Spartivento in November 1940 and Cape Matapan in March 1941. Though struck by a torpedo at this latter engagement and again later courtesy of a British submarine, she would escape unscathed from the British raid on Taranto of November 1940. 1941 and early 1942 was spent attempting to attack British convoys en route to Malta until fuel shortages forced the end of such activity. In the armistice of 1943, she was surrendered to the Allies after Italy withdrew from the war, spending the next three years under British control in Egypt. Thereafter she was allocated to Britain as a war prize and was scrapped.
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