More than two million tons of Axis merchant shipping were lost in the Mediterranean between September 1939 and September 1943. One submarine flotilla accounted for roughly a fifth of that total, although surface forces also played a major part. Supplies that never reached North Africa could not sustain or extend an offensive, and sea control shaped the tempo and reach of the land campaign. The tonnage figure matters because it measures what Axis armies were unable to use, rather than simply the number of ships sunk.
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Submarines and the Axis supply war
Royal Navy submarines helped cut Axis merchant traffic to North Africa, limiting how far Axis land offensives could be sustained.