Submarine pressure in the North African campaign

After 1942, stronger defenses, new construction, combat experience, and greater Allied concentration of force changed the balance. Greater concentration let the Allies dictate more of the timing and location of engagements instead of merely reacting. Even while largely reacting before 1942, the Royal Navy inflicted serious blows at Taranto and Cape Matapan. Between June 1941 and December 1942, the 10th Flotilla sank 412,575 tons of Axis shipping while usually fielding only six to eight serviceable submarines. Compared with the better-known German submarine successes in the Atlantic, the much smaller Malta force achieved a substantial result. More surviving hulls and cargoes would have given Axis forces in North Africa a stronger supply position.