COMMAND OF THE SKIES

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXI, Issue 15235, 28 December 1942, Page 4

COMMAND OF THE SKIES

THE ROYAL NAVY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

In the earlier days of the war, both before and just after Italy threw in her lot with the Nazis, it was customary for the Italian Duce constantly to refer to the Mediterranean Sea as “Mare Nostrum”— from the Latin—“ Our Sea.” The Duce had very good reason for his confidence. Italian naval power has always been considerable; some of Italy’s modern cruisers were among th© fastest in the world, and her battleships of the “Littorio” class should have been able to engage the most powerful ships of the Royal Navy. Ital3 r has a sea- tradition—indeed, her sailors have always been better th : .n her soldiers. Moreover, Italy could concentrate her entire naval force in the Mediterranean and operate it from her own convenient home bases. But the results must have been a great disappointment for Mussolini.

Whenever the Italian Navy has been tempted to leave port to engage units of the Royal Navy, no matter how small, they hav© never secured a decisive victory. At Cape Matapan their defeat was absolute. They suffered grievous losses at their own harbour of Taranto when units o«f the Fleet Air Arm swept over the harbour and torpedoed Italian naval craft lying at anchor. Later, a British convoy, protected by light cruisers and destroyers, was s|X>tted by enemy aircraft. Next day the Italian Navy appeared in force, and at the height of the engagement the enemy mustered one 35,000-ton battleship of the “Littorio” class, two heavy cruisers, and four other cruisers accompanied by destroyers. To face them and protect the convoy the Royal Navy had a 0-inch-gun cruiser and antiaircraft cruisers with small guns, and 16 destroyers. In the whole convoy there was not one gun that could be expected to penetrate the armour of the Italian battleship. The Royal Naval Units, under the command of Rear-Admiral Vian, engaged the enemy in very heavy weather. Th© British Admiral threw a great smoke-screen across his ships, and th© destroyers, by darting in and out of the screen, were able to deliver their blows and be back again in the smoke screen before the enemy could get the range. The Italian battleship was torpedoed amidships, hit by a shell and set on fire. An Italian cruiser wa* damaged and another hit. The British convoy reached its destination with the loss of only on© merchant ship. Throughout its operations in the Mediterranean the Royal Navy has been ably supported by the Royal Air Force. Aircraft, from th© Bomber Command and the Fleet Air Arm have wreaked a terrible toll on enemey shipping; and Fighter Comi rr and has been in constant engagement against th© Luftwaffe attached to the German Afrika Korps.