RN Pola: Did More Than Explode at Cape Matapan (Barely)

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed it. Before anyone comments about the RN in the title, it’s Regia Navie or Royal Ship.

[@SeveralWeezelsInaTrenchcoat]

When a video on Gorizia?

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Definitely on the list, but pretty far down. If I were going to another video on the Regia Marina soon it would be on a Littorio class ship as I have recently picked up Bagnasco’s book on the class.

[@SeveralWeezelsInaTrenchcoat]

@@ImportantNavalHistory wha about Montecuccoli? "The Lucky Ship"

[@robertewing3114]

Punctuation perfect - we don't want place names etc spoken as locals say them except by locals, it is part of the international world to hear how different nations pronounce foreign names - it is good, not bad, so forget critics and enjoy your commentators.

[@anthonybicos602]

I subscribed months ago, to entertain my long fascination with world 🗺️ naval history thru every channel & video i can find (while being bedridden for long periods). This channel is definitely one of the best. But often the narration & pics proceed at a breakneck pace. I would watch if they lasted an hour - can’t process the descriptions & timelines fast enough, especially this one. Takes repeated viewings, which (unfortunately) i often have time for, but would generally prefer to move on. Maybe pause a bit more often? Is there some sort of KZbin advantage to remaining under 20 minutes, even for longer topics & engagements? Just wondering, fascinating otherwise…

[@lyedavide]

The action off Matapan was a demonstration of just how effective radar was. The British were able to detect the Italians with the latter none the wiser. The rest is history.

[@sandrodunatov485]

yep. After having abandoned the opportunity to lead the development of early radar in the early 20s (named 'radiotelemetro') after Marconi 1922 conference in the USA on the matter and subsequent (mostly secret) theory development by Ugo Tiberio and Nello Carrara (the latter coined the word 'microwave' in a 1932 article) for the Italian Navy, a rush (too little, too late) was made in the late 1930s to develop from the experimental EC-1 (1936) the EC-3 Gufo that was operative 1942 and on the first 8-16 ships only in 1943. The whole idea was considered too crazy , risky and expensive by the Navy, that reconsidered only when such aerials appeared on RN ships. Reportedly, no more than 30 people developed technologies and production in three companies, SAFAR (an early radio and television manufacturer, for the cathodic tube displays) , Magneti Marelli (for the electronics) and Galileo (an optical manufacturer, for the mountings). Production used around 100 people in all : it is a miracle that they managed to somehow have a working radar. It took Matapan to demonstrate there was no way back, even to the conservative Navy. Ugo Tiberio was a lab responsible and Nello Carrara was Physics professor at the Naval Academy in Livorno: the whole research was practically a school research project, both working to their mad gadget mostly in their sparetime from other 'proper' important work.

[@historynerd88]

Not true: the crippled Pola was picked up by radar, but the approaching cruisers were spotted optically. It was the overwhelming advantage the British enjoyed nighttime fight capability that made the difference, radar was just a help.

[@sandrodunatov485]

@@historynerd88 There was no proper "advantage" in nighttime fighting capability, simply because nighttime engagements by heavy cruisers were not allowed/existent in the Regia Marina, as there was no nighttime fire control or training. The Italian cruisers at Matapan were on a rescue mission, guns secured for the night, and the only ships with proper night fighting training, the four destroyers, were following the cruisers instead of scouting/leading ahead, as no enemy ships was supposed to be around. Yet, dark doubts loomed as why Admiral Iachino tasked the entire 1st cruiser division with something that should have required one or two ships and countless poisoned pages have been written on this matter. If he (as happened) suspected the enemy fleet to be near, one cruiser division or two would have been useless anyway: being inconceivable that carriers were involved and enemy active in action without line-of-battle units in pursuit. If the mission was really just rescuing the damaged Pola instead, six ships were way too many. As if he was already trying to defend himself from accusations of having lost one irreplaceable cruiser , doing nothing about it. So , salomonically, he cut the baby in two and rescued the bigger animal (the Vittorio Veneto, that was the strategic target from the start). Admiral Cattaneo, aboard Zara, seeing Pola dead in the water initially frantically asked to leave a destroyer division to take Pola in tow, only to be ordered to go back with the entire 1st cruiser division (Zara and Fiume) instead. It took one entire hour to Cattaneo to change course, and make way back to RN Pola , so if Iachino had doubts, he was not alone. Admiral Cunningham knew the Italian plan and acted , following on the same course, not by chance or radar, but because German and Italian radio transmissions were dutifully intercepted and timely decyphered. He knew perfectly well that Italian units were ahead, and where, then attacked, hoping to slow some beefy target. Spot on. Realizing the impossibility of the mission since the start (with an enemy that knows plans ahead of time), Supermarina handled no punishment for Iachino (that deserved removal) and simply refused any further German request to do something against the British with the intact battle fleet. In September 1943, Italy still had six battleship available.

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

@@historynerd88 Other sources indicate that the approaching ships were picked up by radar first. In any case - the Italians had no radar and didn't know the British were there until they were hit. .

[@1089maul]

Great presentation. Thanks, Bob

[@Italian_Military_Archives]

Thank you for covering these subjects in much more detail than other channels in english language do. The Italian Navy is not getting anywhere the same attention as the Krigsmarine or IJN, and when it gets some, usually is quite unprecise and biased by myths. Congrats again

[@1089maul]

Well said Giulio!

[@jeebusk]

Their ships were fine, ammo qc not so much...

[@Italian_Military_Archives]

@@jeebusk actually this is more a myth.. On my channel I made two videos on the Littorio class (in english) where I explain this

[@geordiedog1749]

I think you could write a very interesting history book about how the history of Italy in WW2 has been presented. From Anglo-Saxon quasi racism to revisionist delusions it’s primarily a bloody mess.

[@anthonygreen2100]

​@@geordiedog1749 Racism: you mean like that practiced by Mussolini against Italian Jews? Or perhaps his imperial ambitions in Abysinnia, Libya and Albania. The British knew that if you traded blows sooner or later they would take a hit. But they kept on fighting. Cunningham commented that Admiral Riccardi had proudly shown him a book on Nelson beside his bed on his battleship during a tour of his palatial rooms on the ship when an Italian Squadron visited Malta in 1938. Cunningham commented that Riccardi certainly hadn't by his wartime endeavours profited during the war by reading the book. And the Germans were also less than complimentary about the performance of the RM - and they were allies. Not racism - just a keen appreciation of the poor calibre of one's enemy and the contempt that naturally provoked.

[@stephenrichards339]

Brilliant video thank you

[@antoniodemunari3335]

I really like how the pola looks, more than her sisters. I like that bridge design

[@madsaadsa7647]

Yet another outstanding upload. I have again learnt so much from your channel. The building of Polo and it's comparisons with the Taranto class was most illuminating (like the Greyhound did, you could say). Looking forward to more. 👍🤩

[@jameswade4097]

Much of the Royal Navy by ww2 was still ww1 vintage Warspite- Barham- etc { with some upgrades } a 15in shell is still a15in shell. Good of the Brits to take those men off Pola before sinking her.

[@stephenhargreaves9324]

Both the Royal Navy and the US Navy were relying on WW1 rebuilds, the last new US battleship commission before WW2 was USS West Virginia (BB 45) on the 1st of December 1923. The Royal Navy's last battleship commissioned before the WW2 was HMS Rodney on the 10th November 1927. The fact is the Japanese, Germans and Italians played the Washington Treaty like a fiddle.

[@psymons9133]

Another great job!!!

[@thunderK5]

As with many heavy cruisers, the Zaras are interesting for their design decisions and how their navy saw their role.

[@jeebusk]

the intro mentioned 8" guns and 150mm (6") armor, sounds like they were going up against ships with over double the diameter shell and armor.

[@dgoodey]

Almost irrelevant given that they never fired a shot and were ambushed in the dark as they were not trained to fight at night and naively thought the British didn't either.

[@lolloblue9646]

Yup. No heavy cruiser could handle point-blank fire from three battleships

[@BrianWMay]

What a magnificent looking ship . . . what a shame . . .

[@nemosis9449]

My dad was on Hms Warspite at the time on the port side 6" guns and said he felt the broadsides going out at the Pola but didn't see anything till his mates after said "she just disappeared"

[@historynerd88]

Fail, because HMS Warspite didn't fire at Pola ever; she fired at her sister ships.

[@dgoodey]

Absolutely. Pola was only shot at by the Destroyers (to no effect) and was then sunk by torpedoes. (Fiume and Zara were battered to pulp by the three battleships). My father was on HMS Havock in this action.

[@davidnickson7468]

Nice video. Small correction, though, HMS Phoenix was a P-Class submarine, not a torpedo boat. Really enjoying this series. Keep up the good work!

[@johnjephcote7636]

Berwick is pronounced 'Berrick' (just saying).

[@jeebusk]

​@@johnjephcote7636it's misspelled...

[@jeebusk]

Technically, a sub is a torpedo boat :)

[@oreticeric8730]

@@jeebusk: Technicaly , Your Grandpa is a Your Grandma . Diferrent is in Pants😂😂😂

[@rogerwolstenholme2710]

Prince Phillip { The Queens Husband to be. } was in charge of some of the searchlights on HMS Valiant.

[@timgosling6189]

Nice summary. Minor points only but Phoenix was a sub, unfortunately lost later that year, and HMS 'Berwick' is pronounced 'berrick'.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Errmm, we need to have a word about your pronunciation. Berwick is not pronounced "Burr-wick" but "Berrick", the W being silent, as in the pronunciation of many other British places that contain "wick", thus Warwick is "Warrick", Alnwick is "Annick", etc. You're welcome. 😊

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thanks for the correction. But, at this point there is a chance I might pronounce some British ships or cities as a bit off just to ruffle some feathers. I promise it’s not malicious but I’ve had so many rude comments about pronunciations when I’ve tried in the past that I might be a bit jaded.

[@princerupert6161]

Why nit pick? The correct pronunciation for Berlin is.. Bear leen. Not how most English speakers do... Bur lyn.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

@@princerupert6161 Because it grates on British ears. No-one has heard of a place called "Burr-wick", and by mispronouncing the ship named after the town it insults the memory of those who served aboard it. How would Americans like it if (for example) we called their ships "USS Tex-ass", or "USS Alay-bummer" ?

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

@@Kevin-mx1vi I mean to be fair those examples are literally how some regional dialects pronounce those places. But, on a serious note I understand where you’re coming from on proper pronunciations, it’s not exactly fun listening to a British person stumble through American place names. I try my best but sometimes the reaction I get in the comments (mostly from the Brits) is just so condescending and snarky that I really feel quite jaded on the subject. I should clarify that I am not talking about you.

[@dmforsyth]

Nonsense. Overall, your pronunciation is very good. Nobody is perfect, and you're doing way better than most. Great job!

[@geordiedog1749]

I don’t think anyone really thinks the problem with the RM was in the ships themselves.

[@juansintierra2590]

In spite of having a strong and modern Navy, the Italians went from fiasco to fiasco whenever they met British warships....If the Germans had had those same formidable italian ships, they would have dominated the whole Mediterranean, and Rommel's Afrika korps had not been deprived of supplies as it always was during the campaign.

[@alessandroandreazza4784]

it would have been the same result...I would suggest you better get more information and data from different sources as it appears yours are not so accurate. One of the main reason of the heavy losses Regia Marina suffered, was Enigma (made in Germany) ,granted to be used by the Kriegsmarine to the Regia Marina...already deciphered but kept by Ultra as a TOP TOP secret till 1978 . Capo Matapan was a success for the Royal Navy thanks to the fact they knew the plans of the Italian fleet in advance but there were also for sure big mistakes on the line of command , leading till today to deep discussions within the Italian experts and historians, for example what was the reason why Iachino ordered Cattaneo for sending the 1st Cruiser Division to rescue the Pola....so as you can see if our ships would have been manned by Germans , the results would have been exactly the same. In regards to the supplies to the DAK too, just to give you some figures, between 1940 and 1943 of the total supplies shipped of 2.245.380 tons, 1.929.955 reached Libya, representing the 85.9%. Whilst in terms of troops, in the same period: 206.402 men departed Vs. 189.162 men arrived, meaning 91.6%. Please refrain in the future to make such comments. ;)

[@lolloblue9646]

Keep dreaming. The Kriegsmarine sucked ass. And the Italo-German troops in Africa received 85-90% of supplies throughout most of the campaign. It was Rommel's failures that cost the front, not some alleged "muh eyetie fiasco"

[@Backwardlooking]

👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸

[@tonygarcia0072]

Surely "RM" (Reggia Marina), not "RN" (Royal Navy)?

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

It’s Regia Navie or Royal Ship when discussing a Regia Marina vessel.

[@tonygarcia0072]

@@ImportantNavalHistory Appreciate the clarification, many thanks I seem to have missed your pinned comment below.

[@brownwrench]

We'll shoot a bit and miss a lot

[@ryklatortuga4146]

Dare at every deed

[@waynesworldofsci-tech]

Didn’t matter who won. I lost cousins either way. Nice ships. Too bad Mussolini tied up with Germany. Italy was in a horrible geopolitical position.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

Italians should have stuck to making pizzas 😂

[@stephenhargreaves9324]

Idiot.

[@alessandronatoli6748]

Your humour, is dumb and unkind. You have no idea about how many men lost their lives in Mediterranean sea (not to mention other theaters) during WWII. No matter which nationality they belonged. Soldiers, pilots, seamen, civilians, died in a horrible way, and if you trivialize war, you can show only your ignorance about the facts and no respect at all for those were compelled to go to war. The great majority, were civilians fitted with uniforms and trained to kill other men on the opposite side. And if you order a pizza with pineapples i hope you may choke with it, because you don't understand good italian food either!

[@lolloblue9646]

Ignorance, @Eric-kn4yn is thy name