The Battle of Sirte (Sea Battles in Close-Up, No. 14)

144 pp. Two battles were fought in the Gulf of Sirte during World War II. The first was the brief encounter between British and Italian warships on December 17th, 1941. The second, the main subject of this book, was described by the British Naval C-in-C, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, as "one of the most brilliant actions of the war." It was fought on March 22nd, 1942 between a powerful Italian force of one battleship, two heavy cruisers, and a light cruiser, under Admiral Iachino, and a British force under Rear-Admiral Philip Vian who, with five light cruisers and a few destroyers, was to escort a vital convoy from Alexandria to Malta.--jacket