This revisionist history convincingly argues that the Regia Marina Italiana (the Royal Italian Navy) has been neglected and maligned in assessments of its contributions to the Axis effort in World War II. After all, Italy was the major Axis player in the Mediterranean, and it was the Italian navy and air force, with only sporadic help from their German ally, that stymied the British navy and air force for most of the thirty-nine months that Italy was a belligerent. It was the Royal Italian Navy that provided the many convoys that kept the Axis war effort in Africa alive by repeatedly braving attack by aircraft, submarine, and surface vessels. If doomed by its own technical weaknesses and Ultra (the top-secret British decoding device), the Italian navy still fought a tenacious and gallant war; and if it did not win that war, it avoided defeat for thirty-nine, long, frustrating months.
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Editorial Reviews
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“This is a book that should be part of any World War II reading list and is sure to spark reaction from those to whom the Italians were an invisible component of the Mediterranean war.”–The Journal of Military History
“...a book full of scholarly detail and provocative insights...”–New York Military Affairs Symposium
“...a book full of scholarly detail and provocative insights...”–
About the Author
JAMES J. SADKOVICH is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Southern Mississippi. His two previous books are Reevaluating Major Naval Combatants of World War II (Greenwood, 1990) and Italian Support of Croatian Separatism, 1927-1937 (1987).
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A well researched chronology of the RMI's limitations in WW2,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Italian Navy in World War II (Contributions in Military Studies) (Hardcover)
The naval war in the Mediterranean is often overshadowed by the land war waged by the Italo-German forces in North Africa, and Hitler's relentless effort to conquer Russia. As a result, little attention has been given to exploring the dynamics which determined the dismal outcome for Italian naval forces in the Middle Sea and that of the Axis powers on the whole. In his book "The Italian Navy in World War II," James Sadkovich attempts to transform the negative perception attached to the performance of the Italian Navy by revealing the difficulties under which that service operated.The "Italian Navy in World War II" represents a technical approach to understanding the RMI's inherent limitations in WW II. Sadkovich details the material and technological disadvantages faced by the Italian Navy; as well as Hitler's failure to see the RMI's surface fleet as nothing more than escort vessels for supply ships bound to North Africa. Well researched, and supported by myriad tables and statistics, his argument follows the chronology of naval battles in the Mediterranean and offers a provocative rendition. Sadkovich explores Mussolini's lack of vision, Italy's weak industrial capabilities, the effect of losing the "battle for radar" and the devastating result of German neglect that manifested chiefly in the RMI's perpetual lack of fuel. Due attention is also given to the exceptional performance of the officers and crew of the RMI, as well as the success of Italy's smaller "insidious" craft. Revisionist histories often suffer from a lack of substance and they frequently represent an opinion rather than an approach. Sadkovich's technical method, however, lends immense credibility to his thesis and thus constitutes a palatable revisionist history. An excellent companion to Sadkovich's work can be found in that of Italian torpedo boat commander Marc Antonio Bragadin. Less conditional than Sadkovich's work, Bragadin's text is a primary source which offers personal ! insight and places a large share of the RMI's failure within the Italian armed forces itself.
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First Sentence:
Although its participation in World War II has been ignored by Anglo-American historians, the defeat of Regia Marina Itallana (RMI, Royal Italian Navy) has preoccupied European authors, many of whom have rejected as superficial assertions that the Italian navy was led by a general staff "paralyzed" by fear of a British navy that enjoyed a "moral ascendancy" over its opponent. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
italiani nella seconda guerra mondiale, dago navy, secondo conflitto mondiale, italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale, convoy effort, merchantmen totalling, more fuel oil, major fleet units, gamma men, light naval vessels, ten merchantmen, della marina militare, five torpedo boats, two merchantmen, seven merchantmen, due guerre mondiali, six merchantmen, deck armor, two torpedo boats, torpedo bombers, four torpedo boats, four merchantmen, merchantmen sunk, repeated air attacks, five merchantmen Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
North Africa, World War, Vittorio Veneto, Hurricane Years, Air Sicily, Cape Matapan, Ark Royal, Punta Stilo, Sicilian Channel, Bande Nere, National Archives, New York, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Kerkenah Banks, Cape Bon, Cape Spada, Marsa Matruh, Spitfire Year, Air Sardinia, Cape Teulada, Royal Navy, Sirte Gulf, Empire Hope, Air Sardo New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Although its participation in World War II has been ignored by Anglo-American historians, the defeat of Regia Marina Itallana (RMI, Royal Italian Navy) has preoccupied European authors, many of whom have rejected as superficial assertions that the Italian navy was led by a general staff "paralyzed" by fear of a British navy that enjoyed a "moral ascendancy" over its opponent. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
italiani nella seconda guerra mondiale, dago navy, secondo conflitto mondiale, italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale, convoy effort, merchantmen totalling, more fuel oil, major fleet units, gamma men, light naval vessels, ten merchantmen, della marina militare, five torpedo boats, two merchantmen, seven merchantmen, due guerre mondiali, six merchantmen, deck armor, two torpedo boats, torpedo bombers, four torpedo boats, four merchantmen, merchantmen sunk, repeated air attacks, five merchantmen Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
North Africa, World War, Vittorio Veneto, Hurricane Years, Air Sicily, Cape Matapan, Ark Royal, Punta Stilo, Sicilian Channel, Bande Nere, National Archives, New York, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Kerkenah Banks, Cape Bon, Cape Spada, Marsa Matruh, Spitfire Year, Air Sardinia, Cape Teulada, Royal Navy, Sirte Gulf, Empire Hope, Air Sardo New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 28
books:
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7
books
cite this book:
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- Hurricane Years by Hawley Cameron on 6 pages
- The Second World War, Volume 3: The Grand Alliance by Winston S. Churchill on 5 pages
- The United States (Countries) by Bob Italia on 4 pages
- Submarines of World War Two by Erminio Bagnasco on page 21, page 22, and Back Matter
- Italy and the Allies by Norman Kogan on page 265, and Back Matter
See all 28 books this book cites
- The Black Prince And The Sea Devils: The Story Of Valerio Borghese And The Elite Units Of The Decima Mas by Jack Greene in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Second World War (Twentieth-Century Wars (Palgrave Paperback)) by Spencer Tucker in Back Matter
- Technological Change and the United States Navy, 1865-1945 (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) by William M. McBride in Back Matter
- Reevaluating Major Naval Combatants of World War II: (Contributions in Military Studies) by James J. Sadkovich in Table of Contents
- European Warfare 1815-2000 (Problems in Focus) by Jeremy Black in Back Matter
See all 7 books citing this book
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