The Second World War was a dramatic defeat for Italy and consequently for the Italian Navy.
The reasons of the naval disaster are several:
a) Wrong attitudes of Supermarina (Naval Head Quarter) in conducting the war strategies - crews and Captains demonstrated every day an extraordinary courage and skill but their initiatives were always frustrated by Supermarina's too prudent policy;
b) absolutely poor coordination with the Air Force;
c) inadequate equipments in terms of radar lack and unsatisfactory precision of gun aiming systems;
d) fuel lack;
e) the enemy was the British Royal Navy, for centuries the most powerful armada of the world;
f) the Royal Navy was able to read for almost all conflict long the Italian encryipted message that should be kept secret.
Most of these reasons are the obvious consequences of the irresponsible political decision by the Mussolini's government to join the war, thinking it would be ended in few months with the victory of German ally on every front.
The Italian militaries had to obey to the orders of the government, and they went to a war well aware that there weren't chances of victory for them. They were successful in the '30s against Ethiopians and Spanish Republicans, but the enemy they were going to face was well different.
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9226/ww2.html
BUT WI....
The Italian Navy avoided ALL of the problems from A-F ?
Mussolini puts pressure to have the Navy perform more operations against the Brits in the North Atlantic to show Hitler he's not going to be a junior partner ?
Italian subs join with the Kriegsmarine in taking out Allied Shipping ?
Would America decide to stay out or enter the War earlier ?
The reasons of the naval disaster are several:
a) Wrong attitudes of Supermarina (Naval Head Quarter) in conducting the war strategies - crews and Captains demonstrated every day an extraordinary courage and skill but their initiatives were always frustrated by Supermarina's too prudent policy;
b) absolutely poor coordination with the Air Force;
c) inadequate equipments in terms of radar lack and unsatisfactory precision of gun aiming systems;
d) fuel lack;
e) the enemy was the British Royal Navy, for centuries the most powerful armada of the world;
f) the Royal Navy was able to read for almost all conflict long the Italian encryipted message that should be kept secret.
Most of these reasons are the obvious consequences of the irresponsible political decision by the Mussolini's government to join the war, thinking it would be ended in few months with the victory of German ally on every front.
The Italian militaries had to obey to the orders of the government, and they went to a war well aware that there weren't chances of victory for them. They were successful in the '30s against Ethiopians and Spanish Republicans, but the enemy they were going to face was well different.
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9226/ww2.html
BUT WI....
The Italian Navy avoided ALL of the problems from A-F ?
Mussolini puts pressure to have the Navy perform more operations against the Brits in the North Atlantic to show Hitler he's not going to be a junior partner ?
Italian subs join with the Kriegsmarine in taking out Allied Shipping ?
Would America decide to stay out or enter the War earlier ?
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