For those who remember, this is a remake of an older video. Since purchasing this new microphone (at the beginning of the year), I haven't been happy with the audio quality in some of the older videos. This is one that I wanted to rectify. So I hope you find it interesting and of better quality.
The survivors taken by cruiser Attilio Regolo and 3 destroyers to the nearest neutral landfall at Menorca in the Balearics were interned and cared for on the small hospital island Illa del Rey (built by the British centuries earlier) situated inside the deep Port Mahon harbour; many sailors succumbed to their wounds and are buried locally. The hospital building preserves a memorial room dedicated to the Roma, including a large scale model of the ship, and a life size replica of the Fritz X. The Italian navy today, when on official port calls, visit this memorial regularly.
That's the most detailed account of Roma's sinking I've yet heard. So many lives, and a ship which was really too beautiful to go to war at all. Warspite, that old, scarred pugilist, was incredibly fortunate to survive an almost identical onslaught
@ImportantNavalHistory there was really nothing lucky about warspite. It was an incredibly well Armoured battleship with a very well trained and experienced crew backed up by the biggest navy in the world at the time. If you look into the history of the warspite you will see several cases where it was actually pretty unlucky.
@konnerkramer329 Fortunate (not lucky), in that she survived was what I meant. It was a fairly close-run thing, the tow to Malta being a case in point. Have you seen the photograph of her underside, taken in Gibraltar? A double decker bus certainly could have passed through that enormous hole. And then mined in the Channel. Her structure must have been so compromised.
Over a thousand young men, who otherwise might have lived productive lives and enjoyed starting families, all wiped out by 2 bombs. God damn war and the old men who start them.
Oh please, enough of this “what are we fighting for” garbage. War is a natural state of the human species, no one is in favour of it but the choice is clear, one either opposes tyranny or submits and lives in a state of submission. Winston Churchill stood up to the bullies and mobilised the free world against evil. Is he to be condemned for this because he was an old man?
I'll put you things in perspective: it is about half of the lives lost, every day, in Ukraine, in the last three years, accounting for just the military personnel and not the civilians. Is it a very questionable waste? Yes! Is it particularly unique? Not even worth mentioning if not for the loss of a very well known ship.
@Ross-e9o he was also responsible for the treaty of Versaille and the creation of Yugoslavia, despite what was promised to Italy for its involvement in the war. Churchill and Wilson were the creators of those bullies you speak of. Old Men!
A dramatic and terrifying story, very well recounted. It must have been completely terrifying and bewildering for the sailors when the first bomb went off, only to be quickly followed by another cataclysmic hit. The single signalman who survived from the forward section reminds me of Ted Briggs from HMS Hood somewhat. It can't have been easy for the officers and men to be taking their ships into the hands of their former foes and some sailors would understandably have had mixed feelings. It's at times such as those that the officers have to provide strong and impeccable leadership to keep their crews steady and on track. The footage you included showed some of the beautifully-engineered components of the Italian ships - very interesting. Thank you for putting this together!
I think Ted Briggs is an interesting comparison, I'm sure they'd have a lot to talk about! But, talk about a tough situation for the officers of the Regia Marina. I know that when Giulio Cesare was being transferred there was a real threat of mutiny, it's shocking it wasn't rife across the fleet.
Ascolto con DISGUSTO ED AMAREZZA QUESTO RACCON TO. QUESTE DECISIONI FRUTTO DELLA RESA INCONDIZIONATA IMPOSTA ALL'ITALIA DA INGLESI E AMERICANI AL RE OF ITALY. VI AUGURO TUTTO IL MALE POSSIBILE!. ORA IN UCRAINA I MAIALI ASSASSINI VINCITORI DELLA WW2. Si ARRANGINO fra di Loro.
Officers and sailors was fully aware those planes was germans. That's why they ordered to not open fire against the bombers. After all they had surredered, cesed every hostile action against all. So they did expected all to not shoot at them in such conditions. The sinking of the Roma should be considered a violation of war rules and a war crime.
The Italian battlewagons may have been let down by their ammunition but you have to admit they did have style in their design... As to Roma a sad loss but it was old tech against the new technology coming through... Great video explaining the situation.
The Regia Marina was the only armed force among the three that was almost ready for combat in 1940. But some structural deficiencies, wrong strategies and obsolete doctrines exposed our fleet to bitter consequencies during the conflict. The losses were huge but the bulk remained almost intact denying Royal Navy the complete domination of Mediterranean sea for 39 months. Even without the Roma when Eisenhower saw the defiling of the fleet had the chills along his spine because could have put in serious trouble the landing of Salerno. Even in the final moments the italian fleet was a serious threat. The admirals and the crews were conscious that it would be the last mission, but the sense of duty and discipline never questioned the orders received. When the orders changed with the armistice was hard to digest knowing that the fleet must be handed over to the Allies. After harsh debates the oath to the king prevailed and the terms of armistice respected. The crews remained on the ships and the italian flag was not lowered. It was much different from the surrender of the imperial German fleet in 1919.
No matter the design, the size of armment or the ship itself, if the crew lacks aggression and fighting spirit, then all we have is floating hunks of metal..
@@princerupert6161 During WWII in any navy involved the discipline was very strict, and the crews observed long and severe tours of duty. The Regia Marina observed these rules too. No one of the escorts flew away but accepted the combat even in inferiority, even outgunned, to proctect the convoys and the losses were huge. The same was for the major units. So i don't understand your statement, that could seem correct, but in reality sounds false looking at the historical evidences.
The Italian crews and captains had the aggression but il Duce restricted the heavy naval units and there was also a shortage of bunker oil for the heavies to go to sea... so lack of practice etc hindered them in the long run...
Terrible loss of life. Warspite survived the explosion of one of these radio guided bombs and after repairs went on to bombard the German fortifications on D. Day.
Vittorio Veneto and Littorio too survived two direct hits of these bombs. Roma was hit on her santabarbara. The armory of the second turret. It was the classic "lucky strike". All the ammunitions of the second turret of the Roma exploded projecting the turret in the air and cutting in half the ship. Only the Germans could have had a lucky shoot on us during their downfall. -_- It's kinda like a divine persecution or something like that.
@@ImportantNavalHistory As an Italian I can say that your pronunciation in the video is on point so don't worry about it. And as always your videos are great, please keep up the good work
Video was fine, so was audio. The issue with the ROMA was as in the loss of almost all capital ships in WWII, lack of air cover. Had fighter protection been provided in a CAP, the German bombers would have been chased off like in other encounters in the Mediterranean theater.
The Italian fleet lacked air cover, it's AA projectile could not reach the German bombers and had confusing ROE unsure whether to fire at the German before an hostile behaviour was observed
I suppose in a way the Italians Roma is their version of America's Arizona battleship... Both were horribly tragic losses of life, both were battleships destroyed by bombs. Both were extremely beautiful ships with great men serving on board them. Both wrecks and the loss of life deserve our respect, 😇
Thanks for sharing this interesting video! I closely study and share history about US battleships, but Roma has always stood out as one of my favorites of any nation during WWII… I like how you approach your videos, let me know if you want to collaborate one day!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! And definitely, reach out if you want to collaborate someday. I'm always looking for interesting historical topics to explore.
The war "had not necessarily developed in the direction" of Italy and Germany. This sounds like a subliminal quotation from the spavinned prose of the Emperor of Japan in the 1945 radio surrender. Nicely chosen words!
A single chapter about the "incling" / the intentions of command might have been apropiate. Personally, i think the commander knew what he was getting into.
La copertura aerea doveva essere assicurata dai caccia italiani in Sardegna, ma nel continuo accavallarsi di ordini, spesso confusi, su cosa fare con i tedeschi, non venne avvisata la squadriglia che la flotta sarebbe passata ad ovest della Corsica, così i caccia la cercarono inutilmente nel mar Tirreno ad est. Si è detto che le corazzate e gli incrociatori avrebbero potuto lanciare i Ro43 e i Reggiane 2000 per contrastare i Dornier tedeschi, ma non è così semplice come è stato raccontato. Gli ordini ricevuti erano chiari non potevi aprire il fuoco contro i tedeschi senza che avessero iniziato loro a sparare per primi, e non doveva essere aperto il fuoco contro gli aerei con insegne americane o britanniche per nessun motivo a meno che non avessero mostrato intenzioni ostili. Ora se ragioniamo un attimo. I Dornier 217 sono a 6000 metri di altitudine quando i bombardamenti venivano effettuati da 3000 metri hanno superato l'angolo di attacco di 60 gradi e sono quasi sulla verticale senza avere cambiato rotta. Nessuno sa della nuova arma in dotazione alla Luftwaffe. L'unica nave che aveva la centrale di tiro automatica per i cannoni antiaerei era proprio il Roma e il munizionamento con la spoletta a tempo era buono ma inferiore a quello delle navi della U.S. Navy. Gli aerei catapultabili per regolamento dovevano essere lanciati prima dell'inizio del combattimento, altrimenti venivano scaricati in mare perchè avrebbero ostacolato il tiro delle armi principali. Una volta lanciati invece non potevano essere più recuperati la maggior parte delle volte e dovevano atterrare autonomamente in aeroporti sicuri. Quando è inziato lo sgancio delle delle Ruhrsthal la contraerea della flotta italiana ha aperto un fuoco di sbarramento tale che l'aereo britannico di sorveglianza ha dovuto portarsi a quota zero per evitare di venire abbattuto. Quindi gli aerei imbarcati non erano utilizzabili. Ma facciamo una ipotesi. Ok riescono a lanciarli: decollano dal livello del mare e devono salire a 6000 metri, quanta strada hanno fatto nel frattempo i bombardieri nemici? Qualche ammiraglio da poltrona e tastiera ha detto che il radar delle navi da battaglia italiane poteva avvistare i bombardieri da 80 km di distanza! E' falso! Era un discreto radar, ma non era a livello di quelli della U.S. Navy ed era di poco inferiore a quelli della Royal Navy, ma non con le stesse capacità mancando di antenna rotante. In tutto questo caos solo i tedeschi avevano le idee chiare e gli ordini precisi, gli altri no. Nè gli Alleati nè tantomento le forze armate italiane che si stavano disgregando per mancanza di ordini dagli alti comandi. Solo la regia Marina trasmise ordini fino al 10 settembre del bunker di Santa Rosa a Nord di Roma grazie alle capacità organizzative dell'ammiraglio Sansonetti, il Re, De Courten, lo Stato maggiore generale e la corte erano fuggiti verso Pescara. Se ci pensiamo bene, non esiste nella storia delle marine mondiali una operazione portata a termine con tanto successo in condizioni così disperate. Si è salvata una intera flotta sottraendola ai nuovi nemici e affiancandola ai nuovi alleati. Poi il trattato di pace fu molto duro per l'Italia ma evitò una resa disastrosa come quella subita dalla Germania.
@@alessandronatoli6748 Than you for the clear and comprehensive explanation. The Italians were never particularly good at inter service co-ordination and they were not the only ones. The allies should have provided air cover but then the British were quite useless and could not even look after their own ships (similar attack on Warspite).....
@@garrymartin6474 No land bases available there should have been aircraft carriers. Surface ships in enemy controlled waters had been found to be a bad idea years before and at great cost of ships and men.
The one picture of the bright flame is reminiscent of descriptions of the flash shooting out of HMS HOOD. The destruction of Hood was far more complete. The blast broke the ship in two.and only 3 survived. Hood was attacked by weapons (38 cm AP shells) that the designers were aware. RM ROMA designers were thinking in terms of 38-40 cm guns and likely 500 kg AP bombs at most. Imagine if Germany started the war with the “Fritz X” in massive numbers and a 4 engine bomber to carry them. Sure, the. RN & RAF would’ve developed electronic countermeasures but would such have been in time before the Home Fleet was decimated or driven to Canada?
Warspite was not sunk. She was badly damaged by German radio-controlled glider bombs during the landings at Salerno and spent most of the next year under repair.
At 6,000 meters height... a free fall object should accelerate to at least 1,200 km/h, with a bomb mass of 250+ kg the impact energy is quite considerable, specially perpendicular to the thinner armor of a battleship (deck). That's less than half of a 16" Mk7 50 cal shell speed at 10 miles distance... but then again such a shell would hit the thickest armor, unless its the Japanese 18.1's which could swim and explode after hitting water (underneath target) Germany could have won the war, same for Japan... only thing stopping them was America
The saying that only America was able to stop the Axis powers is simply wrong and stupid. It was only possible together. Without the British, there would have been no safe harbor in Europe; without the high blood toll of the Poles and French in the resistance and the endless deaths of the Russians (24 million) and Chinese (20 million), the USA would never have managed it. And if someone claims that the Americans had the atomic bomb. The Germans weren't far off either. Without the other allies, they would probably have been faster.
#15 Thank You for this information! I believe the quick loss of this ship to new air technology was the cause of the US Navy to cancel the "Montana" class and divert resources to the Aircraft Carrier. The Day of the Battleship had Ended. Again Thank You!
You type out of IDIOCY! THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS WARGAMES WHERE USN BB61 CREW TRAINING HAVE SNEAKED WITHIN HARPOON RANGE OF THE FLOATING TRAILORPARKS! KNOWN AS CARRIERS??? OR DIDNT YOU KNOW THIS!
What impresses me is the fact that the ship withstood the propellant exploding and launching 1200t of turret skyward. To be fair the British ships that suffered a magazine explosion usually broke in two and took all the crew with them…I’m thinking the battle cruisers in WW1 and hood in WW2. Allowed 500 to get off the ship at least.
You are right Susy, the Roma was unique among its class, was the state of the art of naval constructions in Italy at that time. Had advanced solutions for the crew confort, the admiral's conference room was a masterpiece of modern furniture design, was the only battleship that had on the tip of the bow the shield reprisenting the Capital of the Kingdom. Shield in red, with a golden crown and the golden words inside S.P.Q.R. (Senatus, Populusque, Quirinalis, Romanus)[The Senate and the people of Roman Quirinale (One of the seven hills of Rome, Until now is the site of the Presidential Palace of the Italian Republic)]. It was too much well built, but no armor in the world could have resisted the impact of a bomb superior to1000 lbs. The Ruhrsthal SD 1400 weighed over 3000 lbs with a warhead of 705 lbs of high explosive. From 19700 ft. a bomb like that impacted with a final speed near to barrier sound (MACH 1)
i would say this was more like Tirpitz than Hood, Roma didn't withstand this explosion she was already sinking, just didn't explode in two like Hood which was only a heavy cruiser.......... but i do agree i am surprised that she didn't utterly blow up like Yamato and musashi............. but neither did Tirpitz did she............. my guess is the explosion vented straight out of the barbette, but it is still very odd indeed.
Why is this not more common knowledge? The UK gets stick for sinking the French fleet at Mers-El-Kebir and the British gave them the option to capitulate. Germany bombs its own ally's fleet and not a squeak.
That’s a good question, I really don’t know why it isn’t more common knowledge. I suspect it’s because there are only a couple good sources in English that really detail the loss. The best one being Bagnasco and De Toro book.
the italians were no longer allies of the germans .. but watch or read captain corelli'e mandolin for more infromation on itlay v germany around this time
Since the time of the loss of Tunisia, German distrust towards Italy had taken on an increasingly concrete form. The first formalization of a plan, codenamed ALARICH, dates back to May 21, 1943, prepared in the previous months by the OKW concerning the movement of large forces of the Wehrmacht to the Italian peninsula, with the aim of dealing with a possible change of government. As the first consequence of the fall of the Italian regime, which occurred on July 25, 1943, the German Chancellor ordered the execution of the ALARICH plan. The following day, the German vanguard penetrated Italy as if into hostile territory, acquiring control of industrial infrastructures, power and telecommunications plants, railway stations and more, starting to forcefully impose a real regime to the point of even using a specific occupation currency. At the beginning of August, the Italian government initiated the first contacts with the representatives of the United Nations, explaining to the other side “the tragic situation of Italy occupied by German forces” and “the absolute necessity of immediate help to face the inevitable German reaction” in the event of an armistice being signed by Italy. The German plan, intended to gain full control of what was - at least formally - a close ally of Germany, was destined to culminate in an ultimatum to be signed by the German Chancellor on the morning of 9 September. The evidently unacceptable conditions of this diktat represented a true declaration of war, imposing on Italy, as an alternative, the de facto cession of all its sovereignty. The key points of the ultimatum, in the draft prepared by the OKW - the German Supreme Command - included the requests to: (a) complete freedom of movement for Wehrmacht troops, specifically aimed at overcoming Italian opposition to the presence of German troops in major ports and naval bases; (b) withdrawal of all Italian troops from the borders with Germany and their subordination, in the Po Valley, under the control of the German Army Group B; (c) creation of a front of the Italian Army in the south of the peninsula, behind which the German 10th Armee would take position, with mobile reserve functions (which would therefore have to be deployed in the Rome area); (d) coming under a joint (i.e. German) command of all the Armed Forces. In the event of refusal by the Italian side, the document specified that Germany "would have to adopt all measures deemed necessary to guarantee the safety of its troops". The ultimatum was not forwarded as a result of the proclamation of the armistice between Italy and the United Nations. The subsequent proclamation of the armistice itself, on the evening of 8 September, five days after Italy’s acceptance of the conditions dictated by the Allies and in the hours immediately preceding the landing at Salerno, gave the go-ahead, as expected, for the complete implementation of the German operations for the occupation of Italian territory envisaged by the ACHSE plan (this name had in the meantime come to indicate the entire complex of military operations in the area of interest). In the absence of naval forces, and in the impossibility of taking over the Italian fleet by capturing it through a land offensive, the decisive role in the operations against the Italian Navy was entrusted to the Luftwaffe.
this was a planned thing. the seizing or destruction of the italian fleet and the invasion of italy by the germans i mean. plans for the takeover of the country were made by germany as soon the allies landed in sicily... speaking of wich, there are records of vast ammount of violence inflicted by german troops on italian civilians, recorded by the italian army that could not really do anything about. keep in mind: this violence, killings, rapes, looting was inflicted months before italy surrendered, there was no excuse for that.
You deleted my last post because of "traitor"... ...unfortunately I can't think of a better term for the behavior of the Italian Navy Mers-el-Kébir, on the other hand, was certainly completely fine 😉 No matter - your content is definitely correct ✌
Sir, I definitely didn’t delete a comment on this video. It could’ve gotten flagged by the UA-cam bots. It’s happened in the past. I apologize, wish I could change that.
@@ImportantNavalHistory No problem, my comment was also very ironic Seriously: The High Seas Fleet scuttled itself back then + neither the Royal Navy nor the US Navy would carry out such an action as the Italians 😇
"The battleships of this generation could not have been conceived, designed and built to withstand such an attack from the air" The KGV ,South Dakota, Iowa and Yamato disagree.
The Yamato & the Mushashi did agree in practice. USS South Dakota & Iowa were completed after the experiences by the Roma & others who had known Herr Fritz, so must have incorporated in their structures adequate countermeasures. The most remarkable survival was by HMS Warspite.
I'm sorry, but there are some inaccuracies. The Fritz-X type bombs had a mass very similar to that of a 15-inch projectile. It was necessary to drop them from an altitude of 6,000 meters in order to reach such transonic speed as to be able to pierce the horizontal armor of a battleship. A normal 1000 or even 2000 pound bomb could never have overcome such armor if dropped from low altitude (dive bombers). On the other side, it would have been practically impossible to hit a moving ship dropping heavy bombs from 6,000 or higher altitude. The Fritz-X had solved the problem by combining a single bomb, of very high weight and terminal speed, with the high-altitude precision allowed by the guidance system.
@@minhthunguyendang9900 In the same combat of 9th september, the battleship Italia (former Littorio) was striken by a Fritz-X in the same position of Warspite, but survived without casualities, avoiding some other guided bombs by high speed manouvering and fighting against Luftwaffe attacks until evening. About KGV and other battleships: in 1941, three torpedo attacks hit battleship Vittorio Veneto, Bismarck and Prince of Wales, almost in the same position between propellers and rudders. Veneto was able to return to base at 19 kt, in stable asset. The sad fate of Bismarck and Prince of Wales was notoriusly different
@@GNMi79 The previous clashes of greater intensity fought in the Mediterranean, against naval formations on the high seas, can be traced back to the so-called battles of Mid-June and Mid-August 1942 (British operations "Harpoon" and "Pedestal"). The overall total in 12-15 June and 11-14 August amounted to 410 sorties by bombers, 16 by torpedo bombers, as well as 142 by Stukas. The hits were 15 bombs by the Ju 88s, 8 by the Ju 87s, and 3 torpedoes, with success rates of 4.2% for multi-engine aircraft and 5.6% for Stukas. The losses, 20 Ju 88s, 2 He 111s and 5 Ju 87s, conversely represented 5.1% of bombers and torpedo bombers, and 3.5% of Stukas. The Luftwaffe operations around Sicily, in July 1943 (Allied operation "Husky") amounted in 250 fighter-bomber sorties, 402 daytime and 1718 night bomber sorties (using flares for better targeting). The results, however, were not decisive: 6 bombs hit by Fighter-bombers (2.4%), 13 by day bombing (3.2%) and 18 in night actions (1%). The aircraft losses, 11 Fw 190 fighter-bombers (4.4%) and 106 bombers and torpedo bombers (5%), strictly demonstrate the increased effectiveness of the anti-aircraft defenses. The night bombing contained losses to the same percentages as the previous year, balanced by a measurable decrease in effectiveness; The Fw 190 fighter-bombers, replacing the vulnerable Ju 87 dive bombers, while reducing the attrition rate, led to a parallel decrease in the precision of the attacks. The remote-controlled anti-ship weapons are therefore the only game changer in an otherwise compromised operational situation. About effectiveness of Fritz-X against Italian ships: 4 hits at close range (19%), of which 3 direct hit (14%). Against the United Nations fleet off Salerno: 10 hits at close range (40%), of which 6 inflicting serious damage (24%). The greater precision against Allied ships was probably consequence of slow speed and maneuvering limits in the waters of Salerno. About the effectiveness of the other anti-ship guided weapon, the Hs 293, the term of comparison were the events of 25-27 August 1943, which saw the first operational use of this "missile". Two different German attacks were carried out against Anglo-Canadian anti-submarine groups, in the Bay of Biscay, by a total of 25 Do 217E-5 bombers. The first day, two sloop were badly damaged, the first one by two near miss, the other by an unexploded direct hit. The second German strike dmaged the Canadian destroyer Athabaskan and sink the British sloop Egret. The percentage of effective hits against warships was therefore, in those optimal conditions, of 20%. In Luftwaffe strike against the Regia Marina escort flottilla, in afternoon and evening of 9 September by aircraft of KG 100, only the destroyer Vivaldi was damaged, sailing isolated and with reduced maneuvering capabilities, as a consequence of the explosion of a bomb at close range. The best judgment on the effectiveness of the action by the Italian units, regardless of the high number of losses simultaneously suffered by the German fighter-bombers attaking, is evident in the report of the Kriegsmarine Information Service: "heavy anti-aircraft fire" and "based on experience, the use of the Hs 293 against fast targets, capable of large and rapid defensive maneuvers, appears inadequate."
@@GNMi79 "my ancestors were German" my God, i bet you have the percentage of the DNA test aswell. you have the MOST simplistic, baseless and completely deprived of sources view of the war I've ever seen. You must be american or something of the sort to have such a poor understanding. that's Just the attitude of a child , oversimplifying things because you're too lazy to do proper research. Germans good Italy bad hur dur Just so you know, Italy surrendered to the Allies and declared neutrality. Only when the Wehrmacht invaded their national soil, they declared war on Germany. So if anything Germany betrayed its allies
For those who remember, this is a remake of an older video. Since purchasing this new microphone (at the beginning of the year), I haven't been happy with the audio quality in some of the older videos. This is one that I wanted to rectify. So I hope you find it interesting and of better quality.
The survivors taken by cruiser Attilio Regolo and 3 destroyers to the nearest neutral landfall at Menorca in the Balearics were interned and cared for on the small hospital island Illa del Rey (built by the British centuries earlier) situated inside the deep Port Mahon harbour; many sailors succumbed to their wounds and are buried locally. The hospital building preserves a memorial room dedicated to the Roma, including a large scale model of the ship, and a life size replica of the Fritz X. The Italian navy today, when on official port calls, visit this memorial regularly.
That's the most detailed account of Roma's sinking I've yet heard. So many lives, and a ship which was really too beautiful to go to war at all.
Warspite, that old, scarred pugilist, was incredibly fortunate to survive an almost identical onslaught
I think that’s the thing about Warspite, and almost all legendary ships, they just have a bit of luck.
@@ImportantNavalHistory Yes. There's an infinitely fine line between "lucky" and "tragic".
@ImportantNavalHistory there was really nothing lucky about warspite. It was an incredibly well Armoured battleship with a very well trained and experienced crew backed up by the biggest navy in the world at the time. If you look into the history of the warspite you will see several cases where it was actually pretty unlucky.
@konnerkramer329 Fortunate (not lucky), in that she survived was what I meant. It was a fairly close-run thing, the tow to Malta being a case in point. Have you seen the photograph of her underside, taken in Gibraltar? A double decker bus certainly could have passed through that enormous hole. And then mined in the Channel. Her structure must have been so compromised.
Over a thousand young men, who otherwise might have lived productive lives and enjoyed starting families, all wiped out by 2 bombs. God damn war and the old men who start them.
Oh please, enough of this “what are we fighting for” garbage. War is a natural state of the human species, no one is in favour of it but the choice is clear, one either opposes tyranny or submits and lives in a state of submission. Winston Churchill stood up to the bullies and mobilised the free world against evil. Is he to be condemned for this because he was an old man?
I'll put you things in perspective: it is about half of the lives lost, every day, in Ukraine, in the last three years, accounting for just the military personnel and not the civilians.
Is it a very questionable waste? Yes!
Is it particularly unique? Not even worth mentioning if not for the loss of a very well known ship.
@Ross-e9o he was also responsible for the treaty of Versaille and the creation of Yugoslavia, despite what was promised to Italy for its involvement in the war.
Churchill and Wilson were the creators of those bullies you speak of.
Old Men!
@@LeptospirosiChurchill and Wilson are responsible for them. That's nonsense
@@Leptospirosi lol the mental gymnastics
A dramatic and terrifying story, very well recounted. It must have been completely terrifying and bewildering for the sailors when the first bomb went off, only to be quickly followed by another cataclysmic hit. The single signalman who survived from the forward section reminds me of Ted Briggs from HMS Hood somewhat.
It can't have been easy for the officers and men to be taking their ships into the hands of their former foes and some sailors would understandably have had mixed feelings. It's at times such as those that the officers have to provide strong and impeccable leadership to keep their crews steady and on track.
The footage you included showed some of the beautifully-engineered components of the Italian ships - very interesting.
Thank you for putting this together!
I think Ted Briggs is an interesting comparison, I'm sure they'd have a lot to talk about! But, talk about a tough situation for the officers of the Regia Marina. I know that when Giulio Cesare was being transferred there was a real threat of mutiny, it's shocking it wasn't rife across the fleet.
Ascolto con DISGUSTO ED AMAREZZA QUESTO RACCON TO. QUESTE DECISIONI FRUTTO DELLA RESA INCONDIZIONATA IMPOSTA
ALL'ITALIA DA INGLESI E
AMERICANI AL RE OF ITALY.
VI AUGURO TUTTO IL MALE
POSSIBILE!. ORA IN UCRAINA I MAIALI ASSASSINI
VINCITORI DELLA WW2. Si
ARRANGINO fra di Loro.
Officers and sailors was fully aware those planes was germans. That's why they ordered to not open fire against the bombers.
After all they had surredered, cesed every hostile action against all. So they did expected all to not shoot at them in such conditions.
The sinking of the Roma should be considered a violation of war rules and a war crime.
Indeed yes.
The Italian battlewagons may have been let down by their ammunition but you have to admit they did have style in their design... As to Roma a sad loss but it was old tech against the new technology coming through... Great video explaining the situation.
The Regia Marina was the only armed force among the three that was almost ready for combat in 1940. But some structural deficiencies, wrong strategies and obsolete doctrines exposed our fleet to bitter consequencies during the conflict. The losses were huge but the bulk remained almost intact denying Royal Navy the complete domination of Mediterranean sea for 39 months. Even without the Roma when Eisenhower saw the defiling of the fleet had the chills along his spine because could have put in serious trouble the landing of Salerno. Even in the final moments the italian fleet was a serious threat. The admirals and the crews were conscious that it would be the last mission, but the sense of duty and discipline never questioned the orders received. When the orders changed with the armistice was hard to digest knowing that the fleet must be handed over to the Allies. After harsh debates the oath to the king prevailed and the terms of armistice respected. The crews remained on the ships and the italian flag was not lowered. It was much different from the surrender of the imperial German fleet in 1919.
No matter the design, the size of armment or the ship itself, if the crew lacks aggression and fighting spirit, then all we have is floating hunks of metal..
@@princerupert6161 During WWII in any navy involved the discipline was very strict, and the crews observed long and severe tours of duty. The Regia Marina observed these rules too. No one of the escorts flew away but accepted the combat even in inferiority, even outgunned, to proctect the convoys and the losses were huge. The same was for the major units. So i don't understand your statement, that could seem correct, but in reality sounds false looking at the historical evidences.
The Italian crews and captains had the aggression but il Duce restricted the heavy naval units and there was also a shortage of bunker oil for the heavies to go to sea... so lack of practice etc hindered them in the long run...
Terrible loss of life. Warspite survived the explosion of one of these radio guided bombs and after repairs went on to bombard the German fortifications on D. Day.
Vittorio Veneto and Littorio too survived two direct hits of these bombs.
Roma was hit on her santabarbara. The armory of the second turret. It was the classic "lucky strike". All the ammunitions of the second turret of the Roma exploded projecting the turret in the air and cutting in half the ship.
Only the Germans could have had a lucky shoot on us during their downfall. -_-
It's kinda like a divine persecution or something like that.
@@danielefabbro822 It was probably the other way around, they for sure targeted weak spots, but only really hit the Roma and missed the others.
A: I don't speak Italian but sure sounds like you did a good job.
B: Man, the Littorio class were good looking ships.
I speak a decent bit of Spanish, and being a romance language there are some similarities. Granted the Italian viewers usually have something to say.
@@ImportantNavalHistorywhat’s that? An Italian with something to say?
@@ImportantNavalHistory As an Italian I can say that your pronunciation in the video is on point so don't worry about it.
And as always your videos are great, please keep up the good work
Video was fine, so was audio. The issue with the ROMA was as in the loss of almost all capital ships in WWII, lack of air cover. Had fighter protection been provided in a CAP, the German bombers would have been chased off like in other encounters in the Mediterranean theater.
ua-cam.com/video/dmP0BJOULWE/v-deo.html Another account of the sinking of the Roma
Amazing Video!
Thanks for the video. It's to this day one of our greatest tragedies at seas ❤
*Top notch! Thank you!!!*
Nicely done. Thank you from me and my history degree.
sad end to a beautiful ship
As a German…im sorry about this, not only the crew, the ship and so but about the complete campaign the Wehrmacht forget on Italy
@@GNMi79 i know. But the same crew thought 4 years Side by side with German Soldiers. It’s just a pity
"Punish not the sons for the sins of their fathers"
Don't worry, we forgive you 🙏
Apologizing for History is lame you were not there so get over your victim culture would be a good idea.
Thanks 👍
The Italian fleet lacked air cover, it's AA projectile could not reach the German bombers and had confusing ROE unsure whether to fire at the German before an hostile behaviour was observed
Idk 12 90mm with a range off 17km and 12 152mm
I suppose in a way the Italians Roma is their version of America's Arizona battleship... Both were horribly tragic losses of life, both were battleships destroyed by bombs.
Both were extremely beautiful ships with great men serving on board them.
Both wrecks and the loss of life deserve our respect, 😇
Thanks for sharing this interesting video! I closely study and share history about US battleships, but Roma has always stood out as one of my favorites of any nation during WWII… I like how you approach your videos, let me know if you want to collaborate one day!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! And definitely, reach out if you want to collaborate someday. I'm always looking for interesting historical topics to explore.
The war "had not necessarily developed in the direction" of Italy and Germany. This sounds like a subliminal quotation from the spavinned prose of the Emperor of Japan in the 1945 radio surrender. Nicely chosen words!
Oh my goodness! Someone actually figured it out and didn’t just say I’m an idiot who’s understanding the situation. Thank you sir!
He moved to Sardinia against orders as a move to demonstrate reluctance to surrender to the British.
One correction, HMS Warspite wasn't sunk by FritzX
Oh I know, there was a comma there, didn’t really translate into the microphone. But, yes I know.
Italians make Beautiful things!
A single chapter about the "incling" / the intentions of command might have been apropiate.
Personally, i think the commander knew what he was getting into.
Sounds like what happened to the Roma was pretty close to what happened to the U S S Arizona except Roma was at sea
Hungary and Romania also have a lot of problems with the Roma.
13:56 >
Forgive my flippancy,
but I can’t help noticing at the base of the smoke column the
half-face of Hitler !
Omg
13:55
Where was the air cover???
La copertura aerea doveva essere assicurata dai caccia italiani in Sardegna, ma nel continuo accavallarsi di ordini, spesso confusi, su cosa fare con i tedeschi, non venne avvisata la squadriglia che la flotta sarebbe passata ad ovest della Corsica, così i caccia la cercarono inutilmente nel mar Tirreno ad est. Si è detto che le corazzate e gli incrociatori avrebbero potuto lanciare i Ro43 e i Reggiane 2000 per contrastare i Dornier tedeschi, ma non è così semplice come è stato raccontato. Gli ordini ricevuti erano chiari non potevi aprire il fuoco contro i tedeschi senza che avessero iniziato loro a sparare per primi, e non doveva essere aperto il fuoco contro gli aerei con insegne americane o britanniche per nessun motivo a meno che non avessero mostrato intenzioni ostili.
Ora se ragioniamo un attimo. I Dornier 217 sono a 6000 metri di altitudine quando i bombardamenti venivano effettuati da 3000 metri hanno superato l'angolo di attacco di 60 gradi e sono quasi sulla verticale senza avere cambiato rotta. Nessuno sa della nuova arma in dotazione alla Luftwaffe. L'unica nave che aveva la centrale di tiro automatica per i cannoni antiaerei era proprio il Roma e il munizionamento con la spoletta a tempo era buono ma inferiore a quello delle navi della U.S. Navy. Gli aerei catapultabili per regolamento dovevano essere lanciati prima dell'inizio del combattimento, altrimenti venivano scaricati in mare perchè avrebbero ostacolato il tiro delle armi principali. Una volta lanciati invece non potevano essere più recuperati la maggior parte delle volte e dovevano atterrare autonomamente in aeroporti sicuri. Quando è inziato lo sgancio delle delle Ruhrsthal la contraerea della flotta italiana ha aperto un fuoco di sbarramento tale che l'aereo britannico di sorveglianza ha dovuto portarsi a quota zero per evitare di venire abbattuto. Quindi gli aerei imbarcati non erano utilizzabili. Ma facciamo una ipotesi. Ok riescono a lanciarli: decollano dal livello del mare e devono salire a 6000 metri, quanta strada hanno fatto nel frattempo i bombardieri nemici?
Qualche ammiraglio da poltrona e tastiera ha detto che il radar delle navi da battaglia italiane poteva avvistare i bombardieri da 80 km di distanza! E' falso! Era un discreto radar, ma non era a livello di quelli della U.S. Navy ed era di poco inferiore a quelli della Royal Navy, ma non con le stesse capacità mancando di antenna rotante.
In tutto questo caos solo i tedeschi avevano le idee chiare e gli ordini precisi, gli altri no. Nè gli Alleati nè tantomento le forze armate italiane che si stavano disgregando per mancanza di ordini dagli alti comandi. Solo la regia Marina trasmise ordini fino al 10 settembre del bunker di Santa Rosa a Nord di Roma grazie alle capacità organizzative dell'ammiraglio Sansonetti, il Re, De Courten, lo Stato maggiore generale e la corte erano fuggiti verso Pescara.
Se ci pensiamo bene, non esiste nella storia delle marine mondiali una operazione portata a termine con tanto successo in condizioni così disperate. Si è salvata una intera flotta sottraendola ai nuovi nemici e affiancandola ai nuovi alleati. Poi il trattato di pace fu molto duro per l'Italia ma evitò una resa disastrosa come quella subita dalla Germania.
@@alessandronatoli6748 Than you for the clear and comprehensive explanation. The Italians were never particularly good at inter service co-ordination and they were not the only ones. The allies should have provided air cover but then the British were quite useless and could not even look after their own ships (similar attack on Warspite).....
@@BigAmp Flying which aircraft from which airbase exactly ?
@@garrymartin6474 No land bases available there should have been aircraft carriers. Surface ships in enemy controlled waters had been found to be a bad idea years before and at great cost of ships and men.
@@GNMi79 Protect the ships just in case the RN or the French could go on to use them (which would be easier said than done)?
Well Done! i have the book about the Littorio class Battleships that is the best publication for these ships.
The one picture of the bright flame is reminiscent of descriptions of the flash shooting out of HMS HOOD. The destruction of Hood was far more complete. The blast broke the ship in two.and only 3 survived. Hood was attacked by weapons (38 cm AP shells) that the designers were aware. RM ROMA designers were thinking in terms of 38-40 cm guns and likely 500 kg AP bombs at most.
Imagine if Germany started the war with the “Fritz X” in massive numbers and a 4 engine bomber to carry them. Sure, the. RN & RAF would’ve developed electronic countermeasures but would such have been in time before the Home Fleet was decimated or driven to Canada?
Warspite was not sunk.
She was badly damaged by German radio-controlled glider bombs during the landings at Salerno and spent most of the next year under repair.
Well aware. I’ve done plenty of videos on her and one on that subject. I said damaged or sunk, she was severely damaged due to the FX-1400.
What about Sinti?
The stranze fate for italians, to build extremely cool ships that turned in extremely hot ships and then in extremely wet ships...
mio nonno era capotimoniere di manovra sulla regia nave Roma
At 6,000 meters height... a free fall object should accelerate to at least 1,200 km/h, with a bomb mass of 250+ kg the impact energy is quite considerable, specially perpendicular to the thinner armor of a battleship (deck).
That's less than half of a 16" Mk7 50 cal shell speed at 10 miles distance... but then again such a shell would hit the thickest armor, unless its the Japanese 18.1's which could swim and explode after hitting water (underneath target)
Germany could have won the war, same for Japan... only thing stopping them was America
Lol
The saying that only America was able to stop the Axis powers is simply wrong and stupid.
It was only possible together. Without the British, there would have been no safe harbor in Europe; without the high blood toll of the Poles and French in the resistance and the endless deaths of the Russians (24 million) and Chinese (20 million), the USA would never have managed it. And if someone claims that the Americans had the atomic bomb. The Germans weren't far off either. Without the other allies, they would probably have been faster.
Ba-doh-leo. Emphasis on the second syllable. 🙂
#15 Thank You for this information! I believe the quick loss of this ship to new air technology was the cause of the US Navy to cancel the "Montana" class and divert resources to the Aircraft Carrier. The Day of the Battleship had Ended. Again Thank You!
You type out of IDIOCY! THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS WARGAMES WHERE USN BB61 CREW TRAINING HAVE SNEAKED WITHIN HARPOON RANGE OF THE FLOATING TRAILORPARKS! KNOWN AS CARRIERS??? OR DIDNT YOU KNOW THIS!
The Montanas were cancelled on 21 July, 1943. Roma was sunk on 9 September, 1943.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 Yup! I stand corrected. See what happens when you don't check your sources.
ua-cam.com/video/dmP0BJOULWE/v-deo.html Another account of the sinking of the Roma
H M S Warspite was not sunk
What impresses me is the fact that the ship withstood the propellant exploding and launching 1200t of turret skyward. To be fair the British ships that suffered a magazine explosion usually broke in two and took all the crew with them…I’m thinking the battle cruisers in WW1 and hood in WW2. Allowed 500 to get off the ship at least.
You are right Susy, the Roma was unique among its class, was the state of the art of naval constructions in Italy at that time. Had advanced solutions for the crew confort, the admiral's conference room was a masterpiece of modern furniture design, was the only battleship that had on the tip of the bow the shield reprisenting the Capital of the Kingdom. Shield in red, with a golden crown and the golden words inside S.P.Q.R. (Senatus, Populusque, Quirinalis, Romanus)[The Senate and the people of Roman Quirinale (One of the seven hills of Rome, Until now is the site of the Presidential Palace of the Italian Republic)]. It was too much well built, but no armor in the world could have resisted the impact of a bomb superior to1000 lbs. The Ruhrsthal SD 1400 weighed over 3000 lbs with a warhead of 705 lbs of high explosive. From 19700 ft. a bomb like that impacted with a final speed near to barrier sound (MACH 1)
i would say this was more like Tirpitz than Hood, Roma didn't withstand this explosion she was already sinking, just didn't explode in two like Hood which was only a heavy cruiser.......... but i do agree i am surprised that she didn't utterly blow up like Yamato and musashi............. but neither did Tirpitz did she............. my guess is the explosion vented straight out of the barbette, but it is still very odd indeed.
Thank u & goodBYE : world record in vocal fryyyyy.
An "expedient." You mean a lie.
Why is this not more common knowledge? The UK gets stick for sinking the French fleet at Mers-El-Kebir and the British gave them the option to capitulate. Germany bombs its own ally's fleet and not a squeak.
That’s a good question, I really don’t know why it isn’t more common knowledge. I suspect it’s because there are only a couple good sources in English that really detail the loss. The best one being Bagnasco and De Toro book.
the italians were no longer allies of the germans .. but watch or read captain corelli'e mandolin for more infromation on itlay v germany around this time
Since the time of the loss of Tunisia, German distrust towards Italy had taken on an increasingly concrete form.
The first formalization of a plan, codenamed ALARICH, dates back to May 21, 1943, prepared in the previous months by the OKW concerning the movement of large forces of the Wehrmacht to the Italian peninsula, with the aim of dealing with a possible change of government.
As the first consequence of the fall of the Italian regime, which occurred on July 25, 1943, the German Chancellor ordered the execution of the ALARICH plan.
The following day, the German vanguard penetrated Italy as if into hostile territory, acquiring control of industrial infrastructures, power and telecommunications plants, railway stations and more, starting to forcefully impose a real regime to the point of even using a specific occupation currency.
At the beginning of August, the Italian government initiated the first contacts with the representatives of the United Nations, explaining to the other side “the tragic situation of Italy occupied by German forces” and “the absolute necessity of immediate help to face the inevitable German reaction” in the event of an armistice being signed by Italy.
The German plan, intended to gain full control of what was - at least formally - a close ally of Germany, was destined to culminate in an ultimatum to be signed by the German Chancellor on the morning of 9 September. The evidently unacceptable conditions of this diktat represented a true declaration of war, imposing on Italy, as an alternative, the de facto cession of all its sovereignty. The key points of the ultimatum, in the draft prepared by the OKW - the German Supreme Command - included the requests to:
(a) complete freedom of movement for Wehrmacht troops, specifically aimed at overcoming Italian opposition to the presence of German troops in major ports and naval bases;
(b) withdrawal of all Italian troops from the borders with Germany and their subordination, in the Po Valley, under the control of the German Army Group B;
(c) creation of a front of the Italian Army in the south of the peninsula, behind which the German 10th Armee would take position, with mobile reserve functions (which would therefore have to be deployed in the Rome area);
(d) coming under a joint (i.e. German) command of all the Armed Forces.
In the event of refusal by the Italian side, the document specified that Germany "would have to adopt all measures deemed necessary to guarantee the safety of its troops". The ultimatum was not forwarded as a result of the proclamation of the armistice between Italy and the United Nations.
The subsequent proclamation of the armistice itself, on the evening of 8 September, five days after Italy’s acceptance of the conditions dictated by the Allies and in the hours immediately preceding the landing at Salerno, gave the go-ahead, as expected, for the complete implementation of the German operations for the occupation of Italian territory envisaged by the ACHSE plan (this name had in the meantime come to indicate the entire complex of military operations in the area of interest).
In the absence of naval forces, and in the impossibility of taking over the Italian fleet by capturing it through a land offensive, the decisive role in the operations against the Italian Navy was entrusted to the Luftwaffe.
this was a planned thing. the seizing or destruction of the italian fleet and the invasion of italy by the germans i mean. plans for the takeover of the country were made by germany as soon the allies landed in sicily... speaking of wich, there are records of vast ammount of violence inflicted by german troops on italian civilians, recorded by the italian army that could not really do anything about. keep in mind: this violence, killings, rapes, looting was inflicted months before italy surrendered, there was no excuse for that.
when benito begged for 50 divisions in order to defend Italy, Hitler responded with sending 5 to occupy it... and fight the Allies to a stalemate.
You deleted my last post because of "traitor"...
...unfortunately I can't think of a better term for the behavior of the Italian Navy
Mers-el-Kébir, on the other hand, was certainly completely fine 😉
No matter - your content is definitely correct ✌
Sir, I definitely didn’t delete a comment on this video. It could’ve gotten flagged by the UA-cam bots. It’s happened in the past. I apologize, wish I could change that.
@@ImportantNavalHistory No problem, my comment was also very ironic
Seriously: The High Seas Fleet scuttled itself back then + neither the Royal Navy nor the US Navy would carry out such an action as the Italians 😇
Warspite was not sunk. she was paid of in 1947.
Well aware, she was damaged by the Fritz X, I’ve even made a video on that.
Incoherent.
"The battleships of this generation could not have been conceived, designed and built to withstand such an attack from the air"
The KGV ,South Dakota, Iowa and Yamato disagree.
The Yamato & the Mushashi did agree in practice.
USS South Dakota & Iowa were completed after the experiences by the Roma & others who had known Herr Fritz, so must have incorporated in their structures
adequate countermeasures.
The most remarkable survival was by HMS Warspite.
I'm sorry, but there are some inaccuracies.
The Fritz-X type bombs had a mass very similar to that of a 15-inch projectile. It was necessary to drop them from an altitude of 6,000 meters in order to reach such transonic speed as to be able to pierce the horizontal armor of a battleship.
A normal 1000 or even 2000 pound bomb could never have overcome such armor if dropped from low altitude (dive bombers). On the other side, it would have been practically impossible to hit a moving ship dropping heavy bombs from 6,000 or higher altitude. The Fritz-X had solved the problem by combining a single bomb, of very high weight and terminal speed, with the high-altitude precision allowed by the guidance system.
@@minhthunguyendang9900 In the same combat of 9th september, the battleship Italia (former Littorio) was striken by a Fritz-X in the same position of Warspite, but survived without casualities, avoiding some other guided bombs by high speed manouvering and fighting against Luftwaffe attacks until evening.
About KGV and other battleships: in 1941, three torpedo attacks hit battleship Vittorio Veneto, Bismarck and Prince of Wales, almost in the same position between propellers and rudders. Veneto was able to return to base at 19 kt, in stable asset. The sad fate of Bismarck and Prince of Wales was notoriusly different
@@marcosciarretta4516
HMS Warspite was of WW1 vintage.
@@GNMi79 The previous clashes of greater intensity fought in the Mediterranean, against naval formations on the high seas, can be traced back to the so-called battles of Mid-June and Mid-August 1942 (British operations "Harpoon" and "Pedestal").
The overall total in 12-15 June and 11-14 August amounted to 410 sorties by bombers, 16 by torpedo bombers, as well as 142 by Stukas.
The hits were 15 bombs by the Ju 88s, 8 by the Ju 87s, and 3 torpedoes, with success rates of 4.2% for multi-engine aircraft and 5.6% for Stukas. The losses, 20 Ju 88s, 2 He 111s and 5 Ju 87s, conversely represented 5.1% of bombers and torpedo bombers, and 3.5% of Stukas.
The Luftwaffe operations around Sicily, in July 1943 (Allied operation "Husky") amounted in 250 fighter-bomber sorties, 402 daytime and 1718 night bomber sorties (using flares for better targeting). The results, however, were not decisive: 6 bombs hit by Fighter-bombers (2.4%), 13 by day bombing (3.2%) and 18 in night actions (1%).
The aircraft losses, 11 Fw 190 fighter-bombers (4.4%) and 106 bombers and torpedo bombers (5%), strictly demonstrate the increased effectiveness of the anti-aircraft defenses. The night bombing contained losses to the same percentages as the previous year, balanced by a measurable decrease in effectiveness; The Fw 190 fighter-bombers, replacing the vulnerable Ju 87 dive bombers, while reducing the attrition rate, led to a parallel decrease in the precision of the attacks.
The remote-controlled anti-ship weapons are therefore the only game changer in an otherwise compromised operational situation.
About effectiveness of Fritz-X against Italian ships: 4 hits at close range (19%), of which 3 direct hit (14%). Against the United Nations fleet off Salerno: 10 hits at close range (40%), of which 6 inflicting serious damage (24%). The greater precision against Allied ships was probably consequence of slow speed and maneuvering limits in the waters of Salerno.
About the effectiveness of the other anti-ship guided weapon, the Hs 293, the term of comparison were the events of 25-27 August 1943, which saw the first operational use of this "missile". Two different German attacks were carried out against Anglo-Canadian anti-submarine groups, in the Bay of Biscay, by a total of 25 Do 217E-5 bombers. The first day, two sloop were badly damaged, the first one by two near miss, the other by an unexploded direct hit. The second German strike dmaged the Canadian destroyer Athabaskan and sink the British sloop Egret. The percentage of effective hits against warships was therefore, in those optimal conditions, of 20%.
In Luftwaffe strike against the Regia Marina escort flottilla, in afternoon and evening of 9 September by aircraft of KG 100, only the destroyer Vivaldi was damaged, sailing isolated and with reduced maneuvering capabilities, as a consequence of the explosion of a bomb at close range. The best judgment on the effectiveness of the action by the Italian units, regardless of the high number of losses simultaneously suffered by the German fighter-bombers attaking, is evident in the report of the Kriegsmarine Information Service: "heavy anti-aircraft fire" and "based on experience, the use of the Hs 293 against fast targets, capable of large and rapid defensive maneuvers, appears inadequate."
😳What an awful narrative. Get AI
Thanks for the comment, have a great week :)
@@ImportantNavalHistory😂🤣😂 excellent response
In ww2 all what was italian was a disaster ,ships , soldiers , commanders ,everything !
Ive found the two twelve years old in the comment section
@@GNMi79 saying something like your original comment denotes your immaturity aswell as lack of knowledge on the subject
@@GNMi79 "my ancestors were German" my God, i bet you have the percentage of the DNA test aswell. you have the MOST simplistic, baseless and completely deprived of sources view of the war I've ever seen. You must be american or something of the sort to have such a poor understanding. that's Just the attitude of a child , oversimplifying things because you're too lazy to do proper research. Germans good Italy bad hur dur
Just so you know, Italy surrendered to the Allies and declared neutrality. Only when the Wehrmacht invaded their national soil, they declared war on Germany. So if anything Germany betrayed its allies
wozu brauchten die Italiener eine Marine, die waren doch zu feige, aus den Häfen auszulaufen !!!!!!!!
You should study history, before insulting people.
@@LevPicarescohe can't help it..congenital problem.
You sound like a genuine coward as well as a tw-t.