Caporetto at sea: The Battle
of Cape Matapan, March 1941
David R. Higgins ©
2002
June 11, 1940- Italy enters the war with the axis
July 9, 1940- The Italian Fleet withdraws from Calabria after their flagship is hit by accurate British naval fire
October, 1940- Mussolini attacks Greece, but within three months the Italians are pushed back into Albania
October, 1940- Hitler tries, but fails to convince Franco to allow a German army group to advance through Spain to occupy Gibraltar, Algeria, and Tunisia
November 11, 1940- The first ever sea-borne attack in history as 21 torpedo planes from the HMS Illustrious attack the Italian Fleet at Taranto
November 27, 1940- A cautious attitude and an inadequate command structure between the Italian Air Force and Navy causes the Italians to miss an opportunity to destroy a weaker British force enroute to Force H near Cape Spartivento
January, 1941- Illustrious is damaged while supporting the Malta convoy EXCESS and is eventually moved to Alexandria and then the US for repairs
March 4- Operation LUSTRE commences with British convoys supplying Greece
March 8- 152,000 lbs. of Axis bombs fall on Malta
March 10- Formidable arrives in Alexandria as a replacement to the damaged Illustrious
March 15- Iachino is called to Rome and informed of the Italian Navy’s intention to interrupt British convoys into Greece
March 16- Royal Navy begins shelling installations in Berbera
March 17- Italian torpedo boat Andromeda is sunk off Albania by British bombers
March 19- The Italian Navy receives an erroneous German report detailing the presence of only one British battleship at sea
March 20- Cunningham’s battlefleet sets out to escort a Malta-bound convoy
March 24- Cunningham’s ships return to Alexandria
March 26- 6 fast, Italian torpedo boats damage the cruiser York at Suda Bay, Crete
Battle of Cape Matapan (March 27-29, 1941)
Friday, March 27:
1530- Formidable sets out from Alexandria and lands on planes from Dekheila airfield
1900- Cunningham’s battlefleet sets out from Alexandria
2100- Iachino’s flagship, Vittorio Veneto sets out from Naples
Saturday, March 28:
0400- Cunningham’s force is 200 miles from the Pridham-Whippell rendezvous zone
0530- Formidable’s air crews are briefed
0555- Formidable sends up reconnaissance planes
0600- Vittorio Veneto catapults its Ro.43 to scout plane ahead and then land at Leros
0615- Dawn
0630- Pridham-Whippell is at the Guado island rendezvous point
0643- Pridham-Whippell’s force is spotted by an Italian Ro.43 reconnaissance plane
0645- Pridham-Whippell orders a change of course and an increase of speed to confuse Italian intelligence
0720- Formidable’s TSR 5B reports sighting an enemy force of four cruisers and four destroyers
0728- Formidable receives Albacore 5B’s transmission
0739- Formidable TSR 5F reports an additional enemy force of four cruisers and six destroyers
0745- Orion’s lookouts sight the smoke astern to the north
0746- TSR 5B again reports sighting an enemy force of four cruisers and four destroyers
0755- Orion identifies the source as three cruisers and three destroyers
0758- Trieste spots Pridham-Whippell’s force...