This activity will be solicited by the Germans, between 13 and 14 February 1941 with the military conference in Merano to which Admiral Riccardi (Chief of Staff of the Royal Navy) replied negatively, justifying himself for the considerable distance from the bases, high fuel consumption and difficulty of air coverage.
As the number of English convoys intensifies, the German naval representative in Rome, Vice Admiral Weichold, returns to insist with Supermarina that something be done to interrupt or at least damage the enemy traffic and this time the CSMRM responds positively on condition that the support of the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica.
Having had the insurance coverage on the air cover (turned out to be needed), between the evening of 26 and the early hours of 27 the naval fleet, led by Admiral Iachino, consisting of a battleship, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and thirteen destroyers who would have to make two simultaneous attacks to the north and south of the island of Crete. In the following hours, having noticed the lack of enemy convoys and the unavailability of the Air Force of the Dodecanese, they led to a change of plans providing for the attack on the south of the island only.
On the morning of the 28th, one of our scouts catapulted from the flagship, the battleship Vittorio Veneto, spots a group of eight English ships, four light cruisers and four destroyers in the waters of the islet of Gaudo (south of Crete). The meeting between these leads to battle but subsequently, given the element of surprise canceled, and having not yet had positive results from the artillery, our fleet changes course to return to base. During navigation it is still subjected to attacks by British aircraft which will damage the Vittorio Veneto.
This fact gives the beginning of the sad event of Cape Matapan as, during the clashes with the British planes, the heavy cruiser Pola is seriously hit, towards which it is ordered to reach it for rescue but, it is reached first by the British than later. having disembarked the personnel they sank it with two torpedoes. In the meantime, relief efforts arrive which, subjected to intense attack, will almost all be sunk.
In the end this disaster will count 2318 dead and the loss, in order, of the ships: Pola; River; Zara; Vittorio Alfieri and Giosuè Carducci.
The British will only count the loss of an air torpedo and the two pilots.
Source: Military Navy
