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and slow division built around the old R class (top speed around 22 kn).
on Cesare back: the book have not date but there is a table with bimestral report of ready ship (the italian words are "pronte all'impiego" i think this would be that the ship are in the fleet is a decision of Admiral (the Squad (Corps) Admiral) the use: 1/7/40 BBs: 4, 1/9/40 BBs:4, 1/11/40 BBs:6, 1/1/41: BBs:3, 10 june 1940:2, this not help we already knewn that Cesare was back in operation to end of august.
The point is: the italian was preparing malta invasione since somewhere before of war, for ready in time almost from september '39, the british can be sure the invasion coming in that month or the follow month? so they postponed for ever the Manace operation? and Barham was sent for Manace w/o Manace you don't have Barham (but you've Ark Royal).
The italians, with their inherently innefficient interservice co-operation, and the need to requisition shipping and obtain foreeign help would need months or yeasrs to prepare for an assault like this. The Japanese were planning their amphibious operations for December 1941, as far back as July, planning for the Midway operation began in January 1942, and detailed planning was occuring from the middle of March. The amphibious excercises Ive been involved in take years to organize, but the actual planning for a brigade sized asault generally takes about 3 months to plan and prepare for.
On Omaha beach the defend unit was the 352nd divison, a rgt of 716th division was under of 352nd divison, on the beach there were III/726 and the I/916 btls. in the area there were the 3 rgt of 352nd division and the attached 726 of 716th, the Panzer Lehr division later was added to defend forces
On Omaha i've writed but obviously you can not read, there were 2 btls (III/726 and I/916) on the beach. Generally at time the german rgt were on 2 btls. i've the orbat on my laptop not here so i can not give info on what coy were where.
Just a minor point but I believe by 1940 the Rs were well down on speed and were around the 20 knot speed on a good day, they were all badly in need of new boilers and turbines.
Ill stand corrected on that, but its the type of armament that ships like Warspite were designed to withstand. I dont think they were invulnerable, not at all, but they were tougher and more resilient than their older Italian counterparts.
Its not impossible for the italians to win, but it is hard. They would need to be super aggressive and super resilient in a fight like this and prepared to take a lot of punishment to win the battle. If I were the Italians I would use my two new BBs to try and work the flanks of the British battle Line, whilst trying to keep them honest with the three old der modernised BBs. As the British, I would attach the Renown to the cruiser line and use her to try and thwart or stymie the Italian flanking moves. I would organize my main gun line into two divisions, a fast division (built around ships like the Warspite....top speed 24.5 knots) and slow division built around the old R class (top speed around 22 kn). The old ships would hang a beeline straight for the invasion fleet, no deviations, sabres drawn ready to cut it to pieces. Forces the italians to place their battle line in such a way as to protect the amphibs, and thereby place themselves at great risk.
I would not expect Italian airstrikes to be at all effective. They had no track record to suggest otherwise up to that point, and no great usage of torpedoes in their aircraft until the following year. Therer was some usage, but not extensive. RN Carriers, would consist of Ark Royal, Illustrious and Eagle, with Argus a possibility. That gives them a strike capability of around 50 a/c, well proven and able to inflict significant damage on the Italians.
Do we have any examples of amphibious assaults done with shorter preparation?
In regards to battleships, while the British would have 7 cappital ships, I can see them retaining one in Gibraltar, and not sending the entire Force H to Malta.
So just just for the sake of argument, suppose the British have 6 ships: Warspite, Malaya, Barham, Valiant, Resolution Renown.
How would they plan the operation? Would they try to intercept off the coast of Malta?
How would Italy plan to defeat a powerful British fleet, especially given the ineffective performance of airstrikes during battle the previous month?
Suppose that Italy did have 250 or so fighters available, how many could actually be held on station to escort/defend during the naval action at Malta?
Sorry, I know this thread is concerned with 1940, but it seems somewhat relevant.
From Red Tobruk: Memoirs of a World War II Destroyer Commander Bless Our Ship: : Captain Eric Bush
On the 21st March a convoy of four merchant ships had set out from Alexandria to bring relief to Malta. Intelligence indicated that the Italian fleet would attempt to attack at some point. The heavy escort of Royal Navy ships was therefore somewhat prepared when on the afternoon of 22nd March 1942 'a thin wisp of smoke' appeared on the horizon. Frank Gregory-Smith records that he felt curiously relaxed at this point, even though the next more detailed report suggested they faced three battleships. As a matter of routine they could also expect to come under air attack from both bombers and torpedo bombers.
Vice Admiral Vian had prepared a plan that involved shielding the convoy with some of his force of destroyers, whilst constantly threatening the Italian fleet with a torpedo attack from other destroyers – a plan that very largely succeeded.
Captain Frank Gregory-Smith was on HMS Eridge:
A series of flashes in the smoke followed by a dull, rumbling boom announced the opening of the surface engagement. As if this was a signal, a formation of torpedo bombers flew into sight, skimming just above the sea. Simultaneously an even larger group of high level bombers were briefly glimpsed through the smoke and clouds on the opposite side of the convoy. Escorts to port and astem of the convoy immediately engaged the high formation, leaving the torpedo bombers to HMS Southwold, HMS Dulverton and HMS Eridge.
The ship shuddered under the opening salvoes and high explosive started to burst around the low flying aircraft. Their crews, obviously surprised by such a heavy concentration from so few ships, promptly split into smaller groups and tried to penetrate the screen on a broader front. Even then gunfire continued to harass them, forcing them into individual units which dropped their torpedoes haphazardly and at such long range that all ships had time to tum towards their tracks, just as bombs from the high formation exploded in a compact mass well astern of the supply ships.
Meanwhile, the two surface forces, exchanging rapid fire as they rolled, twisted and plunged through the heavy seas, were closing at a relative speed of fifty knots. The British were already partially hidden by smoke, which the Italians would have to penetrate if they were to get within range of the supply ships. Just before reaching effective gun range, the Italian Admiral swung his ships to port. To prevent him stealing the weather gauge, the British followed his movements and stretched at high speed eastwards.
On this course, British smoke drifted rapidly to leeward and, when its outer fringes reached the Italians, their Admiral, fearing a torpedo attack, edged his ships further to port. But the smoke still thickened around his ships, harassing them until the Italian Admiral suddenly lost his nerve and swung his cruisers, followed by a division of destroyers which had unexpectedly appeared astem, in a broad sweep to the northward. Rear Admiral Vian held on until satisfied that the enemy was definitely retiring and then turned towards the convoy; some twenty miles to the south-westward.
It was not all over. A very short time later another force appeared. Captain Eric Bush was in command of HMS Euryalus:
The enemy, as we know now, was in two groups at this stage, the nearer, about nine miles away, consisting ofthe two eight-inch and one six-inch cruisers and four destroyers we had met before, and the second group, at a distance of fifteen miles, comprising the modern battleship Littorio and four destroyers. We were in for something now, all right! I knew that Admiral Vian would never leave the convoy to its fate, so if needs be we would be fighting to the end.
In the next two hours the fate of our whole force was in the balance. With the powerful ships at his disposal the Italian admiral could easily have wiped us out, but he could not bring himself to enter the smoke-screen knowing that we were waiting for him on the other side.
HMS CLEOPATRA throws out smoke to shield the convoy as HMS EURYALUS elevates her forward 5.25 inch guns to shell the Italian Fleet.
An ammunition supply party bringing up shells for the 5.25 inch guns, during a lull in the action, on board HMS EURYALUS, on convoy duty in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Italian battleship Littorio outranged and outgunned all of the Royal Navy ships but dared not penetrate the British smokescreen. When darkness fell, without radar, she was forced to withdraw.