The 'Plywood Navy' in action
15th November 1943: A Torpedo boat duels with a plane in the seas off Italy
In the Mediterranean, the Allies were increasingly asserting themselves at sea. The days of struggling to get convoys through were past, but even with the Italian Navy out of the fight, they were still not dominant. In the east, the Royal Navy was still having a bad time in the Dodecanese islands. But gradually, they were pushing the Germans back.
An important contribution was made by the Royal Navy MTBs - ‘Motor Torpedo Boats’ - and the US Navy PT - 'Patrol Torpedo' - boats, whose role was to go out looking for trouble, just as they did in the Pacific or the English Channel.
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