De Courten acquitted himself well in the operations discussed, though this favorable assessment allows for possible faults that remain unspecified. His career supports the argument that the Regia Marina had professional competence it failed to use fully during the Second World War. Giving the more capable officers greater authority during the prewar years could have improved organization and wartime command, reducing the influence of political officers. That counterfactual still assumes an eventual Allied victory. In this scenario, better Italian leadership would have made the Mediterranean campaign more costly and harder fought for the Allies.
Notable Point · 5:54-6:36
Competence and political leadership in the Regia Marina
De Courten becomes a case study in the argument that capable Italian naval officers were available but used poorly before and during the war.