Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, interwar and Second World War

Raid on Alexandria

Raid on Alexandria was a naval engagement fought on 19 December 1941 at Alexandria, in what is now Egypt. It was part of the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II, which ran from 1940 to 1945. The recorded result: Italian victory. Recorded strength: Mediterranean Fleet against 1 submarine; 3 human torpedoes.

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A "maiale" ("Siluro a lenta corsa", a manned torpedo used by the Italian Navy in World War II), on display in the Public gardens in Taormina (Italy). Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, September 30 2006.
A "maiale" ("Siluro a lenta corsa", a manned torpedo used by the Italian Navy in World War II), on display in the Public gardens in Taormina (Italy). Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, September 30 2006.. Giovanni Dall'Orto., Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought19 December 1941
WhereAlexandria, Egypt31.179N, 29.862E
OutcomeItalian victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandagainstKingdom of Italy
Part ofMediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II1940 to 1945

Where it sits in the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II

Battle of the Espero Convoy, 1940Battle of Cape Spada, 1940Battle of Cape Passero, 1940Battle of Sidi Barrani, 1940Siege of Giarabub, 1940Battle of Kufra, 1941Operation Sonnenblume, 1941Battle of Cape Matapan, 1941Siege of Tobruk, 1941Battle of the Tarigo Convoy, 1941Battle of the Duisburg Convoy, 1941Battle of Cape Bon, 1941First Battle of Sirte, 1941Raid on Alexandria, 1941Second Battle of Sirte, 1942Battle of Gazala, 1942Battle of Bir Hakeim, 1942Axis capture of Tobruk, 1942Battle of Mersa Matruh, 1942Battle of Alam el Halfa, 1942Battle of Skerki Bank, 1942Battle of the Gulf of Gabes, 1943Battle of the Cigno Convoy, 1943Battle of Enfidaville, 1943Battle of the Campobasso Convoy, 1943Battle of Rhodes, 1943Battle of Leros, 1943Battle of Kos, 1943Action of 1 November 1944, 1944Battle of Ist, 1944Raid on Santorini, 1944Battle of Port Cros, 1944Battle of La Ciotat, 1944Battle of the Ligurian Sea, 194519401945Raid on Alexandria, 1941
34 placed engagements of the Mediterranean and Middle East Theater of World War II in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date19 December 1941
PlaceAlexandria, Egypt
31.179N, 29.862E
KindNaval engagement, interwar and Second World War
StrengthMediterranean Fleet1 submarine; 3 human torpedoes
Casualties and losses2 battleships disabled; 1 destroyer damaged; 1 tanker damaged; 8 casualties6 crewmen captured
Commanders
  • Charles Eric Morgan
  • Junio Valerio Borghese
  • Luigi Durand de la Penne
Raid on AlexandriaRaid on AlexandriaSiege of AlexandriaSiege of AlexandriaSiege of AlexandriaSiege of AlexandriaCapture of AlexandriaGizaEl MansuraDamanhûrTantaRashidEl DabaEl AlameinZagazig100 km31.179N, 29.862E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between 47 BC and 1941.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1941

Raid on Alexandria is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 110 in present-day Egypt.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2606324, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Raid on Alexandria (1941), revision 1377064828, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.