During the struggle for the Mediterranean in World War II, British and Italian battleships entered combat on three occasions in 1940 and 1941. In this fully illustrated account of these battles, historian Mark Stille assesses the technology, crews, doctrine, and combat record of the capital ships that took part.

During World War II's battle for control of the Mediterranean, both the British and Italian navies planned to bring their battle fleets into play. At the center of both of these fleets was a core of battleships which both sides expected to play a decisive role in the conflict.

On July 9, 1940, the two navies met in the central Mediterranean, as two Italian battleships faced off against three of their British counterparts. Christened the Battle of Calabria, the action allowed the ships to play to their strengths, engaging in a long-range gunnery duel, the very thing they had been designed for. Though both sides shot well, the only hit was scored by Warspite on the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare. The Italians were forced to withdraw, and the action ended up being indecisive, but it was the largest fleet action fought in the Mediterranean during the war. As well as this battle, there were other occasions during the war when both British and Italian battleships were present and influential, but during which they never engaged each other directly--the Battle of Spartivento on November 27, 1940, and the Battle of Cape Matapan on March 28--29, 1941.

Packed with full-color artwork, carefully selected archive photographs, and expert analysis, this title explores in detail the role played by British and Italian battleships in these encounters and their influence in the Mediterranean theater of World War II.

About the Authors

Mark Stille is the author of numerous Osprey titles focusing on naval history in the Pacific. He recently concluded a nearly 40-year career in the intelligence community, including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff and on US Navy ships. He received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College.

Alan Gilliland, a contributor to more than 70 Osprey titles, notably in the Weapon series, writes, illustrates and publishes fiction (www.ravensquill.com), as well as illustrating for a variety of publishers (alangillilandillustration.blogspot.com).

Paul Wright has painted ships of all kinds for most of his career, specializing in steel and steam warships from the late 19th century to the present day. Paul's art has illustrated the works of Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope and C.S. Forester amongst others, and hangs in many corporate and private collections all over the world. A Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, Paul lives and works in Surrey.

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