ww2 Italian Navy

Luigi Cadorna, Armando Diaz. The first six ships of the “Condotierri” large group, among which the Luigi Cadorna class, were also the first postwar Italian cruisers to see service. Both classes were different in some points but also shared many similarities, like a 5000+ tons displacement, whereas the following D’Aosta group would almost double that, … Read more

4 ships (1930) Giussano, Barbiano, Colleoni, Bande Nere. The famous “Condotierri” cruiser class was an invention from postwar authors, trying to group a serie of light cruisers named after ancient Italian warlords but built for various purposes. The first of these were also the first post-WWI Italian cruisers to see service. Five classes followed one … Read more

Midget Italian Torpedo boats: MT, MTS, MTL The MAS inheritance During the WW1 and WW2 superstars of the “naval dust” deployed by the Regia Marina were the MAS (For Motoscafo armato silurante) or “torpedo armed motorboat”. They gave all satisfaction during the great war in the confines of the Adriatic, but less so during WW2 … Read more

About 113 submersibles The Regia Marina in 1939 had far more submarines than Germany, 116 (107 for other sources) versus 72 (and still more than the IJN, about 70 in 1941), so topping the Axis. This fact must be recalled before going further. Like other navies, the Regia Marina divided these in two classes, oceanic … Read more

Regia Marina – Light Cruisers (1936) Duca degli Abruzzi, Garibaldi The last Condottiere: This class also counting the Guiseppe Garibaldi was built by OTO shipyards in La Spezia, the lead ship being named after Luigi Amedeo, Duke of Abruzzo, Italian explorer and Admiral of the First World War. The Duca degli Abruzzi class cruisers were … Read more

Italy (1916-43) – About 60 ships Overview: WW2 Italian Destroyers were still called cacciatorpediniere, “torpedo boat hunters”, the equivalent of French contre-torpilleur or general torpedo-boat destroyer, later simpified as “destroyer”. Part of these were dating back from WW1, and were reclassified as torpedo-boats due to their range, tonnage and armement, while others, 1918 to 1921 … Read more

Italy (1923) Seaplane Carrier Italy’s ww2 seaplane carrier: De Facto naval rivalry between France and Italy was traduced on an almost ship-to-ship basis: To the Giuseppe Miraglia, first Italian seaplane carrier modified as such in 1923, answered the French Commandant Teste, which was larger and built as a dedicated ship in 1929. The Miraglia was … Read more