Special 1: HMS Warspite
History of the Second World War
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The Battle of Calabria on July 9, 1940
The Malaya and Royal Sovereign had not gone through any modernization work in the 1930s, which put them at an extreme disadvantage. The Italians under the command of Admiral Capioni would have a more powerful force comprised of two modernized battleships, six heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers, and 20 destroyers. As soon as the location of the Italian ships was identified, the Eagle launched a strike, but would not be able to cause any real damage. Finally at around 3.30 PM, the Italian cruisers would come within range, but they would very quickly pop smoke and flee.
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