![]() ![]() ![]() Perhaps even more frustrating, the Italian airmen frequently bombed their own ships as well as British vessels. The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) repeatedly made its appearance at the end of a battle. ![]() Cooperation between the various branches of the Italian armed forces was nonexistent. He could only request Italian and German aircraft through Italian naval headquarters, a fatal division of command for the mission. From the beginning, Iachino was disturbed by the dependence of the operation upon forces outside his control, namely air support. The plan called for a strong naval force to patrol the area north and south of Crete, sinking any British convoys or escort warships it might encounter. In fact, Operation Gaudo, a plan to sweep the Royal Navy from the waters surrounding Crete, was intended to demonstrate, after a number of one-sided encounters, that the Italians were still a force to be reckoned with.Īdmiral Angelo Iachino, an experienced and intelligent naval officer, was given command of the operation. It was called Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) by Benito Mussolini and his Fascist stalwarts, but the Italian navy, or Regia Marina, still understood it was an open question as to who would rule the Mediterranean in 1941. ![]()
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