Mediterranean
1940–1943: The war in the Mediterranean
June 1940 – September 1943 · 5 battles
On 10 June 1940 Mussolini’s Italy declared war on France and Britain, counting on easy gains at the side of victorious Germany. The Mediterranean became one of the main theatres of the war: the British fleet from Alexandria and Gibraltar fought the Italian navy for the routes to Egypt, the Suez Canal and on to India, while Malta, lying between Sicily and Africa and bombed from the first day, held out for more than two years as the base from which the convoys supplying the Axis forces in Africa were attacked. The fighting at sea, in the air and along the coasts went on until Italy’s surrender in September 1943.
- 11 June 1940 – 20 November 1942Key battleSiege of MaltaFrom June 1940 to November 1942 Italy and Germany bombed and blockaded Malta. The island held out and became a base for attacks on Axis convoys to Africa.
- 27–29 March 1941Key battleBattle of Cape Matapan27–29 March 1941. Forewarned by Bletchley Park, Cunningham’s fleet damaged the Vittorio Veneto and at night sank three Italian cruisers and two destroyers.
- 10–15 August 1942Key battleOperation PedestalOn 10–15 August 1942 the Pedestal convoy fought its way to Malta. Five of 14 ships arrived, including the tanker Ohio, and their cargo saved the island.
- 10 July – 17 August 1943Key battleAllied invasion of SicilyBetween 10 July and 17 August 1943 the Allies took Sicily. Mussolini fell, but the Germans and Italians got some 100,000 men out across the Strait of Messina.
- 8 September – 22 November 1943Dodecanese campaignBetween 8 September and 22 November 1943 the Germans took Rhodes, Kos, Leros and Samos from the British and Italians. Luftwaffe air supremacy decided it.