World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseRoma was commissioned into the Italian Navy in mid-1942, but by then Italy was already showing signs of a fuel shortage, thus this powerful warship remained in port often. As according to the secret Short Military Armistice signed on 3 Sep 1943 between General Dwight Eisenhower and Marshal Pietro Badoglio, the Italian fleet was to surrender to the Allies. After Italy announced her surrender in the evening of 9 Sep, an Italian fleet centered around battleships Roma (flagship of Admiral Carlo Bergamini), Vittorio Veneto, and Italia left La Maddalena. At 0800 next morning, the fleet was spotted by German reconnaissance, and Admiral Meendsen Bohlken reported to Berlin that "[t]he Italian fleet has departed during the night to surrender itself to the enemy". Berlin's response was clear in retrospect; the Italian fleet was to be destroyed to deprive the Allies of usage of those ships. At 1400, while in Gulf of Asinara near Sardinia, German aircraft began appearing and dropped some bombs, though all missed. At 1530, fifteen Do 217 attack aircraft began their attack with the new type FX-1400 "Fritz X" rocket-propelled and guided bombs. At 1545, Roma was hit on the port side, amidships between 90mm AA gun mounts, piercing deck and side; the first hit reduced her speed to 10 knots. Five minutes later, she was struck by a second FX-1400 bomb between turret #2 and conning tower, causing a fire that exploded the main magazine, killing many men including Bergamini his staff. At 1612, she turned upside down, broke into two pieces, and sank. 1,350 officers and sailors were lost in the inferno.

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1.  Hobilar says:
1 Sep 2007 11:41:31 AM

For some weeks the Elite Luftwaffe unit Kampfeschwader 100 had been operating a new anti-shipping weapon with some considerable success. Early in the morning of the 9th of September 1943, Major Bernhard Jope of the third Gruppe (IIIKG 100) led a strike force of eleven Dornier Do.217K-2 bombers, each armed with two underwing Fritz-X Command guided bombs in an attack on the modern Italian Battleships Roma, Italia and Vittorio Veneta, en-route to Malta to surrender. A near miss jammed the rudder of the Italia and a few minutes later a direct hit was made on the Roma. The Romas speed dropped to 16 knots and the mighty battleship began to list to starboard.

Oberleutnant Heinrich Schmetz with Feldwebel Oscar Huhn as observer, then attacked the stricken vessel. Their Felix-X slammed into the ship squarely in front of her bridge, piercing deep inside her vitals before detonating. The resultant uncontrollable fire reached a magazine and with a violent explosion the Roma broke into two, taking 622 officers and ratings to their deaths. The Italia also took a second hit on her bow, but despite taking in about 800 tons of water was able to limp into Malta unaided.