Roma and the wider Littorio-class program illustrate the quality of Italian capital-ship design, although the discussion corrects the ship's commissioning date from 1941 to 1942. The Regia Marina is presented as the Axis coalition's most balanced all-round fleet before Japan enters the war. It could operate two battleships together routinely, unlike Germany's unrealized plan to concentrate Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau. Italy's central problem is the scale and support demands of its wartime missions rather than the quality of its individual designs.
Chapter · 10:06-12:05
The Regia Marina's unusually balanced Axis fleet
Italy combines strong warship designs with the Axis coalition's most balanced all-round fleet before Japan enters the war.