Admiral Andrew Cunningham steered HMS Warspite straight into the lion’s den,
gunning to corner the Italian Royal Navy in a fierce clash right off their own coastline.
It was a bold gamble that promised either a sweeping victory or a catastrophic defeat.
It was July 1940, and Italy had just entered the fray, turning the Mediterranean into a
powder keg. Cunningham was determined to deliver a knockout punch to the Italian fleet, looking
to shatter their resolve before they could pose a severe threat. Yet, he and his crew were about to
encounter more than they had bargained for. His fleet boasted the great battleships HMS
Warspite, Malaya, and Royal Sovereign, along with the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle and a robust
lineup of cruisers and destroyers. They faced an Italian armada under Admiral Inigo Campioni, which
included six battleships—highlighted by the newer, swifter Vittorio Veneto and Giulio Cesare—backed
by a cadre of cruisers and destroyers. Cunningham wasn’t the type to flinch or
even consider retreat; he was intent on instilling dread in the Italian sailors.
As the clash unfurled, with the fleets still a considerable distance apart,
he commanded the legendary gunners aboard Warspite to target the Italian flagship, Giulio Cesare.
The shot was virtually impossible by any naval measure—Giulio Cesare was 14 miles
away. It was like hitting a flea across a football field. Unfazed, the gun crews
meticulously calculated the trajectory, even accounting for the Earth’s curvature.
The 15-inch gun roared to life, the command boomed,
and the air was torn asunder as the longest naval shot ever made streaked across the sky. Not only
was a record about to be shattered that day but so too was the spirit and power of the Italian Navy…
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After declaring war on Britain and entering World War 2, Italy’s initial maneuver was to bolster
its forces in North Africa. On July 6, 1940, an Italian convoy, laden with troops, tanks,
vehicles, supplies, and fuel, embarked from Naples to Benghazi. This convoy was
crucial to Italy’s war strategy, aimed at reinforcing its troops stationed in Libya.
To protect this vital convoy, the Italian fleet under Admiral Inigo Campioni assembled
a powerful escort composed of several naval groups, including destroyers, cruisers,
and battleships—among them the mighty Vittorio Veneto and Giulio Cesare, some of the most
powerful vessels in the Mediterranean. Their primary mission was to shield the convoy from
Allied naval forces known to patrol the area. Meanwhile, the British Mediterranean Fleet,
commanded by Admiral Andrew Cunningham, was conducting its own convoy operations, focused on
reinforcing and resupplying Malta, a pivotal hub for Allied efforts. The battleships HMS Warspite,
Malaya, Royal Sovereign, the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, and a fleet of cruisers and
destroyers safeguarded the British convoys. This overlap of Italian and British convoy
operations near Calabria laid the groundwork for one of World War 2's initial Mediterranean naval
clashes. On July 8, Italian reconnaissance aircraft spotted the British fleet. Campioni,
perceiving an opportunity to thwart the British operations and secure his convoy, veered
eastward to gear up for the impending clash. Cunningham knew he was outgunned in terms
of sheer numbers and firepower, but he had aces up his sleeve: some of the most seasoned and
disciplined sailors in the world and the legendary battleship HMS Warspite. Instead of retreating,
he ordered his forces to intercept the Italian fleet, aiming to cut off their route back
to Taranto and keep them away from their air cover, putting them at a tactical disadvantage.
This was a perilous gamble. As it stood, the confrontation posed a daunting challenge
to the British, and should the Italians manage to regroup under the protection of
their land-based air forces, Cunningham’s fleet could suffer devastating losses.
However, if Cunningham could catch the Italians early, leveraging the superior experience of
his crew, he would have had a chance to deliver a crushing blow to the Italian Navy, which was just
weeks into their involvement in the war. Such a move could potentially cripple the Italian naval
capability for the remainder of the war, allowing the Royal Navy to dominate the Mediterranean.
What had started as routine convoy escort operations by both nations
thus escalated into one of the first major naval battles of the Mediterranean Theater.
The battle commenced with the Allied cruiser group clashing with the Italian heavy cruisers.
Despite the HMS Warspite’s sluggish pace compared to the swift Italian battleships, Vice Admiral
Cunningham boldly steered her into the fray solo while the Allied cruisers fanned out ahead.
Contrary to the historical portrayal of British naval superiority fueling their confidence,
newer records reveal a starkly different reality. Cunningham and his officers were
actually jarred by the remarkable performance of the Italian battleships and cruisers,
starkly contrasting with their own aging vessels. This sobering recognition led Cunningham to
urgently request reinforcements from the Admiralty, including two or three
additional battleships equipped with radar, a new carrier with an armored deck, and sufficient
smaller vessels to protect the central units. As the battle unfolded, it turned into a fierce
exchange of artillery, with the Italian cruiser Pola initiating the onslaught. The Allied forces
were quick to retaliate. Despite the Italians’ superior and swift range-finding abilities,
their shots were countered by the gun-laying of the Allies,
who managed to deliver more precise volleys. Within minutes, the engagement closed to around
20,000 yards, enhancing the effectiveness of the Allied guns. However, Italian shells began landing
perilously close to the Allied cruisers, prompting Vice Admiral John Tovey to order a disengagement.
The unrelenting barrages took their toll on the Allied cruiser Neptune, which sustained
significant damage when struck by a shell from the Italian cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi. The hit
rendered the catapult and reconnaissance aircraft inoperable. Despite the intense confrontation,
the cruisers eventually widened the gap, and by 3:30pm, the exchange of fire ceased temporarily.
In the later stages of the battle, the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare took aim at Warspite
from a distance of 26,400 yards while Conte di Cavour held back, her silence part of a
tactical feint. The Italian commander, seizing the initiative, maneuvered his two battleships to
engage Warspite. Meanwhile, Malaya struggled to close the distance to support Warspite,
and Royal Sovereign lagged significantly behind. Warspite, facing the dual threat, divided her
firepower between the two Italian battleships, unaware that Conte di Cavour was merely a
decoy. During this tense moment, a round from Cesare narrowly missed
Warspite but struck the escorting destroyers Hereward and Decoy, inflicting minor damage.
From afar, Malaya launched rounds intended to sow confusion among the Italian ranks.
By 3:15pm, Italian heavy cruisers escalated their assault on Warspite. However, the arrival
of Allied cruisers disrupted their efforts, forcing them to withdraw from the skirmish.
That is when Cunningham attempted the impossible. Warspite targeted the flagship Giulio Cesare from
over 13 miles away. Knowing that his primary advantage in this battle was his gunner crews'
lethal precision and experience, the Admiral leveraged that advantage to full force.
Admiral Cunningham later clearly recounted this moment: (QUOTE) “The Warspite’s shooting
was consistently good. I had been watching the great splashes of our 15-inch salvos straddling
the target when, at 4:00 pm, I saw the great orange-colored flash of a heavy explosion at
the base of the enemy flagship’s funnels. It was followed by an upheaval of smoke,
and I knew that she had been heavily hit at the prodigious range of 13 miles.”
The shell had found its mark, triggering a series of explosions aboard the Italian battleship by
igniting the ammunition stored for anti-aircraft guns. The blast took the lives of two seamen
and wounded several others, marking one of the longest-range naval artillery hits in history.
After the hit, Giulio Cesare’s speed decreased, prompting Conte di Cavour to step up as the
lead combatant. Meanwhile, the Italian cruisers actively engaged the Allied cruisers. The heavy
cruiser Fiume initiated an offensive against the British cruiser Liverpool, soon supported by the
cruisers Zara, Bolzano, Pola, Gorizia, and Trento. This concerted effort led to a fierce exchange
with the Allied cruiser battle group, during which Bolzano suffered three hits from HMS Neptune.
Even though it had been just a single hit amidships, the shot on Giulio Cesare proved
decisive. Despite their numerical superiority, the Italians were demoralized by Warspite’s incredible
performance; their morale crumbled, prompting them to execute a hasty retreat behind smoke screens.
However, by 4:40pm, a swarm of 126 Italian aircraft descended upon the Allied forces,
inflicting reported damages on Warspite, Malaya,
and Eagle. Adding to the chaos of the scene, a segment of the Italian
Air Force mistakenly targeted their own ships due to a misunderstanding.
The Italian aircraft failed to penetrate the stalwart British defenses, as Warspite and
her allies stood their ground. The indomitable Warspite triumphantly returned to Alexandria
on July 13, her flag waving proudly. Admiral Cunningham’s reflection on the
encounter underscored the psychological impact of the engagement: (QUOTE) “Never
again would the Italian Navy willingly confront the fire of British battleships.”
Although Cunningham had failed to physically obliterate the Italian Navy,
a single record-breaking shot from Warspite had devastated the enemy’s morale and spirit to a
point where they would forever tread with fear, even in their own waters.
The aftermath of the Battle of Calabria had significant immediate and long-term implications
for the naval strategies of both Italy and Britain, influencing the broader Mediterranean
campaign. A critical immediate outcome was the demonstration of British maritime prowess despite
Italy’s numerical superiority in the region. Warspite’s incredible feat of striking
the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare at a range of approximately 23,000 yards
stands as one of the longest-range naval gunfire hits in history. This achievement
highlighted the superiority of the Royal Navy’s gunnery and fire control systems, casting a
demoralizing shadow over the Italian fleet. The battle illuminated critical deficiencies
for the Italian Navy, particularly in gunnery and armor. The engagement also spotlighted the
limitations of the Italian fleet’s operational tactics, which were overly cautious. As a result,
Italy shifted its war strategy in the Mediterranean to a more defensive posture,
focusing on protecting its convoys and steering clear of open battles against
the better-equipped British forces. This marked a significant pivot from Italy’s
previous strategy of asserting control over the Mediterranean through aggressive posturing.
On the British side, the battle underscored the strategic importance of maintaining naval
superiority in the Mediterranean. This dominance was essential for safeguarding sea lines of
communication and supporting ground operations in North Africa. The Royal Navy’s capacity to
challenge Italian movements directly influenced the broader Allied strategy in the region,
leading to ramped-up naval operations, including more assertive convoy escorts and raids on
Italian positions along the North African coast. In the larger scheme of the Mediterranean theater,
the Battle of Calabria acted as a harbinger for a series of naval battles that underscored the
ongoing struggle for maritime dominance. This confrontation set a precedent, emphasizing the
crucial role of air power in naval warfare, which led to a heightened integration of air and naval
operations as the conflict progressed. Following the Battle of Calabria,
Cunningham led the Mediterranean Fleet through several more significant naval engagements,
including the Battle of Taranto in November 1940 and the Battle of Cape Matapan in March
1941. His effective command and strategic decisions during these battles were crucial
in maintaining control over vital Mediterranean sea routes and supporting Allied operations in
North Africa and the Middle East. Cunningham’s career flourished,
and he was known for his bold and decisive leadership throughout the war.
He remained an influential figure in the Royal Navy until his retirement. He was eventually
promoted to First Sea Lord, the professional head of the entire British Royal Navy, in 1946.
Overall, the Battle of Calabria was a clear indicator of the evolving dynamics of naval
warfare, spotlighting the strategic use of naval forces to achieve broader military
objectives and the increasing importance of combined arms tactics in a theater of war.
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