Battle of Calabria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Calabria
Part of the Battle of the Mediterranean of World War II
Italian battleship Giulio Cesare, 9 July 1940
Date 9 July 1940 (1940-07-09) Location Off Calabria, Mediterranean Sea 37°40′N 17°20′E / 37.667°N 17.333°E / 37.667; 17.333 Result Indecisive
Belligerents
United Kingdom  Australia	Italy
Commanders and leaders
Andrew Cunningham	Inigo Campioni
Strength
1 aircraft carrier 3 battleships 5 light cruisers 16 destroyers	2 battleships 6 heavy cruisers 8 light cruisers 16 destroyers
Casualties and losses
1 light cruiser damaged 2 destroyers damaged	1 battleship damaged 1 heavy cruiser damaged 1 destroyer damaged

The Battle of Calabria was an important naval battle during World War II. It happened on July 9, 1940, near Calabria, Italy. This battle was part of the larger Battle of the Mediterranean.

In this fight, ships from the Italian Navy, called the Regia Marina, faced off against ships from the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Both sides had many ships, making it one of the biggest naval battles in the Mediterranean during the war. Even though both sides said they won, the battle was actually a draw. All the ships returned safely to their bases.

Why the Battle Happened

When Italy joined World War II, its forces in Libya needed a lot of supplies. They weren't ready for big attacks. So, the Italian Navy had to send many supply ships, called convoys, to Libya. These convoys carried troops, tanks, vehicles, and fuel.

On July 6, 1940, an Italian convoy of four merchant ships left Naples. They were heading to Benghazi in Libya. Two more ships joined them later. The convoy had a strong escort of warships. This escort was led by Admiral Inigo Campioni.

The Italian escort force was split into three groups.

• The first group had four destroyers and six torpedo boats. They sailed right next to the cargo ships.
• A second group, with six heavy cruisers and four destroyers, sailed a bit further away.
• The main group had two powerful battleships, the Giulio Cesare and the Conte di Cavour. It also had eight light cruisers and 16 destroyers. Some destroyers couldn't join the fight due to mechanical issues or needing fuel.

Meanwhile, the British and Australian navies were also moving their own convoys. Their ships left Alexandria, Egypt, heading to Malta. They were delivering supplies and troops to Malta. They also planned to bring civilians and supplies from Malta back to Alexandria.

The Allied fleet had three main groups protecting their convoys.

• Force A had five cruisers and a destroyer.
• Force B included the battleship Warspite and five destroyers.
• Force C, the main battle group, had the battleships Royal Sovereign and Malaya. It also had the aircraft carrier Eagle and eleven destroyers. One destroyer, Imperial, had to go back early due to a broken steam pipe. All these Allied ships were under the command of Admiral Andrew Cunningham.

On July 8, Italian seaplanes spotted the British fleet. Admiral Campioni ordered his fleet to get ready for battle. However, the Italian Supreme Command didn't want a night battle. They told the fleet to avoid contact. Some Italian ships had mechanical problems and had to refuel. More destroyers were called in from Taranto to replace them.

The Allies also faced problems. Italian bombers attacked their fleet for several hours. These bombers flew very high. Even though many bombs were dropped, only one hit the British cruiser HMS Gloucester. This hit was serious, damaging the ship's bridge and killing many crew members. The ship had to be controlled from an emergency station for the rest of the battle.

Admiral Cunningham tried to cut off the Italian fleet's return path to Taranto. By the morning of July 9, the Italian command didn't know exactly where the British fleet was. Italian planes later spotted the British warships closer than expected. By late evening on July 8, the Italian supply convoy had safely reached Benghazi.

The Battle Begins

Cruiser Fight

At noon on July 9, the two fleets were about 90 miles apart. Admiral Cunningham's slower battleships couldn't catch the faster Italian ships. So, he sent the battleship Warspite ahead on its own. The British aircraft carrier Eagle launched planes to attack Italian cruisers, but they missed.

The Italian command told Admiral Campioni to engage the enemy. They wanted the battle to stay close to Italy, near their airbases. By 2:00 PM, Cunningham's plan to cut off the Italian fleet from Taranto had worked.

The Allied cruisers were in front of Warspite. At 3:15 PM, they saw the main Italian battle force. Both groups started firing at a very long distance. The Italian ships were better at figuring out the range. Their shots came dangerously close to the Allied cruisers.

At 3:22 PM, Vice Admiral John Tovey decided to pull his cruisers back. Splinters from an Italian shell hit HMS Neptune, damaging its catapult and reconnaissance plane. The cruisers continued to move away, and firing stopped by 3:30 PM.

Battleship Fight

A group of Italian light cruisers came within range of the charging Warspite. Warspite's shots fell short, and the Italian cruisers Alberico da Barbiano and Alberto di Giussano were not hit. Warspite then turned to let the battleship Malaya catch up. The battleship Royal Sovereign was still far behind.

The Italian commander decided to attack Warspite. At 3:52 PM, Giulio Cesare opened fire from a very long distance. The other Italian battleship, Conte di Cavour, waited. Italian rules said battleships should fight one-on-one. This was to avoid confusion when aiming. Conte di Cavour was supposed to fight Malaya and Royal Sovereign, which were not yet in the battle.

Warspite fired at both Italian battleships. One of Giulio Cesare's shells missed Warspite but caused small damage to its escorting destroyers, Hereward and Decoy. At 3:54 PM, Malaya also started firing, even though it was out of range. The Italian heavy cruisers joined the fight but had to stop when the Allied cruisers returned fire.

At 3:59 PM, two shells from Giulio Cesare landed very close to Warspite. Almost immediately after, one of Warspite's 15-inch shells hit the back deck of Giulio Cesare. It exploded near the funnel, setting off ammunition for an anti-aircraft gun. Two sailors were killed, and several were wounded. Smoke went into the engine room, forcing half the boilers to shut down.

Giulio Cesares speed dropped quickly to 18 knots. Conte di Cavour took over the lead. The hit on Giulio Cesare was one of the longest-range naval artillery hits in history. Warspite was in a good position to hit the slowing Giulio Cesare again. But it made another sharp turn to let Malaya catch up. This stopped Warspites firing.

At 4:01 PM, the Italian destroyers made a smoke screen. The battleships moved behind it. Some people think the Italian battleships were leaving the battle. Others believe they were trying to launch torpedoes from within the smoke.

Final Actions

At 3:58 PM, the Italian cruiser Fiume started firing again at the British cruiser Liverpool. Soon, two groups of Italian cruisers joined the fight against the main Allied cruiser group. Firing continued as both sides tried to get into position. At 4:07 PM, the Italian cruiser Bolzano was hit three times by shells from HMS Neptune. This temporarily jammed its rudder and killed two sailors. An Italian destroyer, Vittorio Alfieri, also got minor damage from a near miss.

Meanwhile, mechanics on Giulio Cesare fixed two of the damaged boilers. This allowed the battleship to reach 22 knots. Admiral Campioni decided to pull his battleships back towards Messina. He worried that Conte di Cavour might have to face three enemy battleships and an aircraft carrier alone. Giulio Cesare needed 30 days of repairs after the battle.

For the next hour, both fleets tried to launch torpedoes from their destroyers, but none hit. At 4:40 PM, the Italian air force attacked with 126 planes. They claimed to have damaged Eagle, Warspite, and Malaya. However, 50 of these Italian planes accidentally attacked their own ships, but caused no damage. The battle ended at 4:50 PM, with both sides leaving.

One last ship was damaged the next day. The Italian destroyer Leone Pancaldo, which was heading to Sicily, was hit by a torpedo from a British Swordfish plane. It sank in shallow water but was later brought back up and repaired.

What Happened After

After the battle, both fleets went home. The Italians said they won because their cargo ships reached Libya safely. The Allied ships also returned to Alexandria. Even though the battle was a draw, Allied sources claimed that the British Royal Navy showed it was stronger than the Italian Navy.

However, other sources disagree. They point out that the two admirals felt very differently after the battle. Admiral Campioni felt that his fleet, even with older battleships, could fight the British on equal terms. Admiral Cunningham, on the other hand, was disappointed with his older, slower battleships. Their slow speed let the Italians control the battle. Their guns also couldn't shoot as far as the Italian battleships' or heavy cruisers' guns. Cunningham called Royal Sovereign a "constant source of anxiety." He asked for more modern battleships, a new aircraft carrier, and more smaller ships.

A big question is why Italy didn't send its two new battleships, Littorio and Vittorio Veneto, to the battle. These ships were almost ready and were only a few hours away. If they had joined, the Italian side would have been much stronger.

Even without these new ships, the fleets were quite evenly matched. The Italian air force had more planes nearby, but their attacks were not very effective. They only managed to damage Gloucester. Despite this, their reports claimed they had damaged half of the Allied fleet.

Overall, the Allied ships were better at hitting their targets with their guns. The Italian shots were too spread out due to technical issues that were not fixed until later in the war.

Ships in the Battle

(F) means the main ship for the commander, (FD) means the main ship for a division, (FS) means the main ship for a squadron.

Allies

Force A – Led by Vice Admiral John Tovey

• 7th Cruiser Squadron
  • 5 light cruisers: Orion (FS), Neptune (damaged), HMAS Sydney, Gloucester (damaged), and Liverpool.

Force B – Led by Vice Admiral Andrew Cunningham (Commander in Chief Mediterranean Fleet)

• 1 battleship: Warspite (F)
• 6 destroyers: Nubian, Mohawk, Hero, Hereward (damaged), Decoy (damaged), HMAS Stuart.

Force C – Led by Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Pridham-Wippell.

• 1st Battle Squadron
  • 2 battleships: Malaya, and Royal Sovereign (FS).
• 1 aircraft carrier: Eagle.
• 10 destroyers: Hyperion, Hostile, Hasty, Ilex, Dainty, Defender, Juno, Janus, HMAS Vampire, and HMAS Voyager.

(In total, 3 battleships, 1 aircraft carrier, 5 light cruisers, and 16 destroyers took part in the battle for the Allies.)

Regia Marina (Italian Navy)

Italian force led by Admiral Inigo Campioni. Pola (F)

Convoy Close Escort

• 2nd Light Cruiser Division
  • Led by Vice-Admiral Ferdinando Casardi
    • 2 light cruisers: Giovanni delle Bande Nere, Bartolomeo Colleoni
• 10th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Franco Garofalo
    • 4 destroyers: Maestrale, Libeccio, Grecale, Scirocco
• 6 Torpedo Boats: Rosolino Pilo, Giuseppe Cesare Abba, Pegaso, Procione, Orsa, Orione

1st Fleet Led by Admiral Inigo Campioni

• 5th Battleship Division
  • Led by Vice Admiral Bruto Brivonesi
    • 2 battleships: Conte di Cavour (F), Giulio Cesare (damaged)
• 4th (Light) Cruiser Division
  • Led by Vice-Admiral Alberto Marenco di Moriondo
    • 4 light cruisers: Alberico da Barbiano (F), Alberto di Giussano, Luigi Cadorna, Armando Diaz
• 8th (Light) Cruiser Division
  • Led by Vice-Admiral Antonio Legnani
    • 2 light cruisers: Luigi di Savoia Duca degli Abruzzi (FD), Giuseppe Garibaldi
• 7th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Commander Amleto Baldo
    • 4 destroyers: Freccia (FS), Saetta, Dardo, Strale
• 8th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Commander Luigi Liannazza
    • 4 destroyers: Folgore (FS), Fulmine, Baleno, Lampo
• 15th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Paolo Melodia
    • 2 destroyers: Antonio Pigafetta (FS), Nicolò Zeno
• 16th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Ugo Salvadori
    • 3 destroyers: Nicoloso da Recco (FS), Antoniotto Usodimare, Emanuele Pessagno
• 14th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Giovanni Galati
    • 3 destroyers: Ugolino Vivaldi (FS), Leone Pancaldo, Antonio da Noli

2nd Fleet Led by Admiral Riccardo Paladini

• 1st (Heavy) Cruiser Division
  • Led by Vice-Admiral Pellegrino Matteucci
    • 3 heavy cruisers: Fiume (FD), Zara, Gorizia
• 3rd (Heavy) Cruiser Division
  • Led by Vice-Admiral Carlo Cattaneo
    • 3 heavy cruisers: Pola (F), Trento, Bolzano (damaged)
• 7th (Light) Cruiser Division
  • Led by Vice-Admiral Luigi Sansonetti
    • 4 light cruisers: Eugenio di Savoia (FD), Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta, Muzio Attendolo, Raimondo Montecuccoli
• 9th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Lorenzo Daretti
    • 4 destroyers: Vittorio Alfieri (FS) (damaged), Alfredo Oriani, Giosuè Carducci, Vincenzo Gioberti
• 11th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Carlo Margottini
    • 4 destroyers: Artigliere (FS), Camicia Nera, Aviere, Geniere
• 12th Destroyer Squadron
  • Led by Captain Carmine D'Arienzo
    • 4 destroyers: Lanciere (FS), Carabiniere, Corazziere, Ascari

(In total, 2 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 8 light cruisers, and 23 destroyers took part in the battle for Italy.)