Naval operation
Battle of Cape Matapan
27 Mar 1941 – 29 Mar 1941 · Off the south-west Peloponnese
The Battle of Cape Matapan was fought from 27 to 29 March 1941 off Greece's south-western Peloponnese coast between the British and Australian navies, led by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, and the Italian fleet under Admiral Angelo Iachino. Italy lost three heavy cruisers (Zara, Fiume and Pola) and two destroyers, and the battleship Vittorio Veneto was damaged by a British aircraft torpedo. Decrypted Italian naval Enigma messages revealed the Italian sortie in advance, and British radar detected the crippled Pola at night. The Italian fleet stayed out of the Eastern Mediterranean until the fall of Crete.
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- [1]Battle of Cape Matapan
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