Page "Savoia-Marchetti SM.79" Paragraph 47

The year ended with a total of nine Allied ships sunk and several damaged.

The Italians had lost fourteen torpedo bombers and sustained several damaged in action.

This was the best year for the Italian torpedo bombers and also the year when the SM. 84, the SM. 79's successor was introduced.

Overall, these numbers meant little in the war, and almost no other results were recorded by Italian bombers.

Horizontal bombing proved to be a failure and only dive bombers and torpedo-bombers achieved some results.

The damaging of the British cruisers was the most important result, but without German help, the Italians would have been unable to maintain a presence in the Mediterranean theatre.

The 25 Italian bomber wings were unable to trouble the British forces, as the Battle of Calabria demonstrated.

Almost all of the major British ships lost were due to U-Boat attacks, with the damaging of, and the sinking of and Ark Royal.

The British fleet was left without major ships in their Mediterranean fleet leaving the Axis better situated to control the sea.