Who would win if the Italian fleet came out to fight the Royal Navy?
Short answerItaly might do well in a daylight battleship duel, but British carrier attacks and night-fighting skill would probably decide a full fleet action in the Royal Navy's favour.
NotesItalian battleships had a plausible advantage in a simple daylight gun duel, while British training improved the Royal Navy's chances at night. Cunningham would avoid treating the encounter as a fair battleship contest and use carrier strikes to damage or slow the Italians first. The preferred sequence resembles Matapan. Air power would shape the target before the surface fleet closed under conditions suited to British strengths.