Battle of Cape Matapan

A naval battle fought off southern Greece on 27–29 March 1941, in which the British Mediterranean Fleet defeated an Italian fleet and sank three heavy cruisers.

Battle of Gaudo: The daytime naval action on 28 March 1941 that preceded the night battle off Cape Matapan. It began the engagement when Italian and British forces clashed south of Crete.
Mediterranean Fleet: The Royal Navy formation responsible for British naval operations in the Mediterranean. Its ships and aircraft formed the British force at Cape Matapan.
Andrew Cunningham: A British admiral who commanded the Mediterranean Fleet during much of the Second World War. Cunningham directed the British fleet during the battle.
Italian battleship Littorio: An Italian battleship of the Littorio class, renamed Italia in 1943. Its participation showed that Italy committed major battleships to the operation despite the defeat.
Royal Navy radar: Radar systems used by the Royal Navy to detect and track ships and aircraft. British radar helped locate Italian ships during the night action.
Regia Marina: The Royal Italian Navy from the unification of Italy until the end of the monarchy in 1946. Its fleet sought to intercept British shipping but was surprised by the British response.
Angelo Iachino: An Italian admiral who commanded the fleet at Cape Matapan. Iachino led the Italian force and ordered its withdrawal after the air attacks.
Zara-class cruiser: A class of four Italian heavy cruisers built between the world wars. Three ships of the class—Zara, Fiume, and Pola—were sunk in the night attack.
Fairey Albacore: A British carrier-based torpedo bomber used by the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. Albacore torpedo strikes crippled the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto and slowed the fleet.
Greco-Italian War: The war between Italy and Greece from October 1940 to April 1941. Italian operations against Greece formed part of the strategic setting for the battle.

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