Evening star., 1943-06-16
Italian Navy
AIIegedIy Doomed
Major Eliot Says Ia Spezio
And Toronto Con Be Bombed
From Sicily and Sordinio
BIZ Mai. George Fielding Eliot

There is probably no fighting force
engaged in this war whose reputation
has fallen lower than that of the Italian
Navy. Its ships have spent most of
their time Snugly in port, and when they
have ventured to sea they invariably
have. avoided action even with greatly
inferior opposing forces. The losses sus-
tanned have been severe even so, but
formidable number Of ships still remains
in serviceable condition.
There are three large battleships at
La Spezia, one or more of which may
have sustained some damage In the re-
cent American air raid on that port
Three or four other battleships older
and smaller, are believed to be stationed
at Taranto. There is probably one 8-inch
gun cruiser left and about six 6-inch gun
cruisers. In addition to these there are
several recently completed small cruisers
Of the Regolo class, 40 to SO destroyers
and 81 or more submarines.
AS Italy's hour of final reckoning ap-
proaches, what use will be made of these
ships?
There have been repeated suggestions
from both Axis and Allied sources that
the Italian Navy Is being held back" for
the final defense OF Italy against inva-
sion. This would seem to suggest that
the ships will be sent out when the
invasion fleet Of transports and escort
Ing naval craft finally appears of Italian
shores. In the hands OF officers and men
imbued with the determination to strike
home regardless of cost, ships with the
hrepoWer and resistant qualities of the
Italian battleships might do a tremen-
dous lot OF damage in an attack on an
invasion fleet.
There Is, Of course, every reason to
doubt that the italian battleships will
be SO handled. Their commanders always
avoided action at sea when they had
good chances of success. and now that
they are i'll the presence OF crushingly
superior forces, and alter the moral dry
rot OF the past three years, 1t hardly
seems possible that the Italian Navy is
going 10 sacrifice itself OH the altar OF
a hopeless battle. Yet there Is such a
thing as the courage Of despair and
1t would be dangerous to assume too
readily that there is not to be found in
Italy at least one battleship captain who
Is willing to live and to die dangerously.
We may be quite certain that no such
rash assumption will be made by that
wise old sea dog, Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham. who
commands the Allied naval forces in the
Mediterranean. When the time for the
invasion OF Italy cor Of Sicily or Sar-
dlnlaI comes Cunningham will be there
with plenty OF naval force TO deal not
with the attacks the Italians are likely
to launch. but with any attack which
there Is the lemotest possibility Of their
launching. This does not mean that
despite naval superiority and air superb
GRITTY. Cunningham can guarantee that
none Of the Italian heavy ships can get
into a position to do serious damage to
the invading forces: 1t only means that
he will make every effort to do so, and
that the chances of his being able TO do
so are as favorable as the chances of
war possibly can be.
But, as have already remarked, there
. Is such thing as the courage of despair,
and 1t Is from despair that italian sea-
men must now draw such courage as
they may be able to muster. Once Sicily
and Sardinia are in Allied hands. the
position of the Italian Squadrons at La
Spezia and Taranto is hopeless From
Sardinia, La Spelia can be bombed to
ruin III matter Of days, as can any
other port on the west coast OF italy.
FOR the squadron to attempt to flee
through any of the narrow exits from
the Iyrrhenlan Sea would, In the pre-
sence Of superior air and sea power, be
equivalent to suicide. AS for the Taranto
squadron, 1t would be bombed with equal
severity from Sicily and an attempt to
withdraw it up the Adriatic PROBABLY
would result in its interception in the
Strait of Otronto Even If this did not
take place, it would be bottled up and
useless for the duration Of the war,
except as it might detain, on blockading
duty, few Allied warships.
There are therefore only two choices
before the italian Navy when the hour
Of Invasion is actually at hand - to
perish gloriouSly, or to perish miserably.
On the record. it seems likely that the
choice will be the latter.
Copyright, 1943. New York Tribune IncJ