Battle of Cape Matapan
Mavis Batey sat at a desk in the Government Code and Cypher School building at Bletchley Park during late March 1941. She read an Italian naval Enigma message that began with the cryptic phrase "Today's the day minus three." This single line of text revealed the sailing of an entire Italian battle fleet comprising one battleship, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and destroyers. The intelligence team knew they had to conceal this breakthrough from the Italians to maintain their advantage. They ensured there was a plausible reason for the Allies to have detected the fleet through visible means. A carefully directed reconnaissance plane provided that cover story for the interception. Without this deception, the Italian command might have realized their codes were compromised immediately.
Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham made a surreptitious exit after dark from a golf club in Alexandria on the evening of the 27th of March 1941. He avoided being seen boarding his flagship by arriving at the club earlier that afternoon with a suitcase as if for an overnight stay. An evening party on his flagship was advertised for that night but never took place. Cunningham spent time on the golf course within sight of the Japanese consul to create a false impression of his movements. Meanwhile, the Axis side suffered from incorrect intelligence regarding British strength. German sources told the Italians that the Mediterranean Fleet possessed only one operational battleship and no aircraft carriers. In reality, the Royal Navy had three battleships ready for action. The damaged carrier HMS Illustrious had been replaced by HMS Formidable before the battle began.
An IMAM Ro.43 floatplane launched by Vittorio Veneto spotted the British cruiser squadron at 06:35 on the 28th of March 1941. Admiral Pridham-Wippell's cruisers sailed south-east toward the Greek island of Gavdos when they encountered the Italian heavy cruisers at 07:55. The Italian ships opened fire at 08:12 from their main guns. Trieste fired 132 armour-piercing rounds while Trento fired 204 armour-piercing shells plus 10 explosive shells. Bolzano added another 189 armour-piercing shells during the exchange. Despite firing hundreds of rounds, the Italians experienced trouble with rangefinding equipment and scored no significant hits. An officer on Orion's bridge remarked to a companion about seeing an unknown battleship miles away. The Allied cruisers withdrew after suffering slight damage from shell fragments while the Italian fleet broke off the chase.
Cunningham's force launched Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers from HMS Formidable at 09:38 on the 28th of March 1941. Lieutenant-Commander John Dalyell-Stead flew his aircraft within 1,000 meters of Vittorio Veneto before releasing a torpedo that hit her outer port propeller. The impact caused flooding of approximately 600 tons inside the battleship. Dalyell-Stead and his crew were killed when their aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the Italian flagship. A second attack between 19:36 and 19:50 involved six Albacores and two Swordfish from naval air squadrons. Admiral Iachino deployed smoke screens and searchlights to protect his ships but one torpedo struck Pola instead. This blow knocked out five boilers and the main steam line causing Pola to lose electric power and drift to a stop. Lieutenant Grainger Williams received the Distinguished Service Cross for dropping the torpedo that disabled the cruiser.
Orion's radar picked up a ship six miles to port at 20:15 on the 28th of March 1941. The bulk of Allied forces detected the Italian squadron on radar shortly after 22:00 without being seen themselves. The Italian ships had no radar and could not detect British vessels by sight alone during darkness. At 22:20 they spotted the approaching squadron but mistook them for friendly Italian ships. Battleships Barham, Valiant, and Warspite closed to point-blank range before opening fire. Midshipman Prince Philip commanded searchlights aboard Valiant that illuminated the enemy cruisers. Fiume and Zara were destroyed within minutes of the engagement. Fiume sank at 23:30 while Zara was finished off by a torpedo from HMS Jervis at 02:40 on the 29th of March. Two Italian destroyers Vittorio Alfieri and Giosuè Carducci were sunk in the first five minutes of the night action.
Code breakers at GC&CS remained very rarely informed of operational effects until weeks after the battle concluded. Admiral Cunningham visited Bletchley Park to congratulate codebreaker Dilly Knox and his staff with positive impact on morale. Mavis Batey remembered feeling elation when Cunningham himself came down in person to thank them. For decades following World War II the involvement of GC&CS stayed secret regarding code-breaking methods used. A number of controversial theories emerged before records were eventually declassified in 1978. H. Montgomery Hyde published an account in 1966 alleging American spy Betty Thorpe seduced Admiral Alberto Lais to obtain a codebook. Hyde was found guilty of libelling the dead but evidence of actual decryption work remained hidden. Frederick Winterbotham falsely credited Luftwaffe Enigma traffic decryption in his 1974 book The Ultra Secret until official records corrected the historical record years later.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
What did Mavis Batey discover in the Italian naval Enigma message on the 27th of March 1941?
Mavis Batey discovered a sailing order for an entire Italian battle fleet comprising one battleship, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and destroyers. The message began with the phrase Today's the day minus three which revealed the departure date of the fleet.
How did Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham deceive the Italians about his movements before the Battle of Cape Matapan?
Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham made a surreptitious exit from a golf club in Alexandria on the evening of the 27th of March 1941 to avoid being seen boarding his flagship. He created a false impression by spending time on the golf course within sight of the Japanese consul while a planned party on his flagship was cancelled.
Which aircraft caused damage to the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto during the Battle of Cape Matapan?
A Fairey Albacore torpedo bomber flown by Lieutenant-Commander John Dalyell-Stead hit the outer port propeller of the Vittorio Veneto at 09:38 on the 28th of March 1941. The impact caused flooding of approximately 600 tons inside the battleship but resulted in the death of Dalyell-Stead and his crew when their aircraft was shot down.
What role did radar play in the Allied victory over the Italian fleet on the night of the 28th of March 1941?
Radar allowed British ships like Orion to detect Italian vessels six miles away at 20:15 without being seen themselves since the Italian ships lacked radar equipment. This technological advantage enabled Battleships Barham, Valiant, and Warspite to close to point-blank range and destroy cruisers Fiume and Zara before dawn.
How many sailors died during the Battle of Cape Matapan and which ships suffered the highest casualties?
Italian losses reached up to 2,303 sailors most of whom came from the crews of the heavy cruisers Zara and Fiume. The Allies rescued 1,015 survivors while an Italian hospital ship named Gradisca later recovered remaining men after Allied ships ceased rescue efforts due to air strike risks.