NAVAL BATTLE OF LISSA: LEADERSHIP COMPARISON OF THE OPPOSING COMMANDERS… It was 1866 and Austria was at War against Prussia (later Germany) and Italy… Though the Italian army was beaten at the Battle of Custozza on 24 June 1866, it was offset by the Prussian victory over the Austrians at the Battle of Sadowa on 03 July 1866 thus making it easier for the later peace negotiations… But Italian pride demanded revenge for their defeat at Custozza and the best instrument was thought to be the Italian naval fleet which comfortably outnumbered the Austrian fleet… The 60-year old Italian Naval commander-in-chief Count CARLO DI PERSANO was instructed in the middle of July 1866 to take his fleet to assault the island of Lissa at the Adriatic… The Austrian fortifications at Lissa were manned by 2,000 troops with 84 guns, though isolated the Austrian fleet led by the 39-year-old Admiral WILHELM VON TEGETTHOF was nearby and can provide support at least a day’s steaming… PERSANO’s assault on Lissa went slowly and one of his ships the “Formidabile” was badly damaged by Austrian guns and was forced to withdraw to its port for repairs… Despite the reduction of the Italian naval force, when the Austrian fleet arrived on 20 July 1866, the Italians had 12 armored warships to the Austrians’ 7 and 17 unarmored warships to the Austrians 11 and most of the Italian vessels were equipped with bow rams for ramming tactics and they have the only turret-ship present the “Affondatore” (built in Britain) Count PERSANO’s pride… But the proficiency, training and leadership of the opposing fleets told a different story… Count PERSANO had conducted little battle training or maneuvering training and during the attack on Lissa, the Italian fleet’s conduct of operations was poorly conceived and controlled… The Italian commander’s intentions had not been well communicated to his subordinates and this happened too during the coming naval battle… While Admiral TEGETTHOF had been presented with equally unready fleet, but had done his best to perform fleet exercises with the time available and sought to make up for many of its short-comings by FIGHTING SPIRIT and INITIATIVE, and above all KEEPING HIS PLANS SIMPLE… This showed in TEGETHOFF’s approach in the battle that followed, the Austrian commander had fully briefed his ship captains that he intended to lead into action in a loose wedge-shaped formation to ram Italian warships when the opportunity arose… TEGETTHOF’s intention of disrupting the Italian fleet formation was enormously helped by PERSANO, who committed almost every possible error a naval commander can attain, again attained another… The Italian commander left his flagship the “Re d’Italia” and embarked in the “Affondatore”, believing he can lead better on the most modern warship of his fleet… But the problem was that the shift of his flag had not been adequately communicated and so his subordinates captains largely ignored his signal commands… Moreover the transfer which required ships to halt happened during the engagement and it caused a gap in the Italian fleet which TEGETTHOF enthusiastically took advantage and penetrated… The battle became a melee at close range gun for gun, broadside for broadside… TEGETTHOF ordered his ship captains to ram when the opportunity presented itself while the Italians despite their ships being designed and equipped to do so, did not share this view… At the climax of the battle the Austrian flagship the “Erzherzog Ferdinand Max” sank PERSANO’s former flagship the “Re d’Italia” by ramming and another Italian warship “Palestro” blew up… The defeated Italian fleet withdrew, while the Austrians perhaps short of fuel and ammunition did not pursue… The Battle of Lissa (together with the Naval Battle of Tsushima during the 1904-05 Russian Japanese War) was the most extensive fleet action fought during the Ironclad Age of Naval Warfare… Count PERSANO returned and announced a victory, causing much initial celebration until the real outcome of the battle was publicized... He was forced to appear in front of the Italian Senate, which had the power to prosecute its members (such as Persano), and was dismissed from the navy for incapacity and alleged cowardice… While TEGETTHOF returned home a hero, was promoted “Vizeadmiral”, and is considered one of the greatest naval commanders in Austrian history… Many lessons were learned and one lesson at least, the establishment and maintenance of the Aim, the cardinal rule of operational planning, was demonstrated by TEGETTHOF and his simple and direct instructions and approach proved decisive… (Reference: WAR AT SEA IN THE IRONCLAD AGE by Richard Hill; WARSHIPS by Norman Polmar & Norman Friedman)
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 23:48:39 +0000
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