Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Ƙarfin Italiyanci wanda ya damu da Allies shi ne Rundunar Sojan Ruwa ta Italiya ("Regia Marina"), na huɗu mafi girma a duniya a lokacin. A watan Nuwamba na 1940, Rundunar Sojojin Ruwa ta Birtaniya ta kaddamar da hare-haren iska a kan jirgin Italiya a Taranto
wanda ya gurgunta manyan jiragen yakin Italiya. Kodayake rundunar Italiya ba ta haifar da mummunar lalacewa kamar yadda ake tsoro ba, amma ta ci gaba da kasancewa da manyan sojojin ruwa na Birtaniya a cikin Bahar Rum. Wannan jirgi ya bukaci ya yi yaƙi da jirgin ruwa na Italiya don kiyaye sojojin Commonwealth na Birtaniya a Misira da Gabas ta Tsakiya daga yankewa daga Birtaniya. A cikin 1941 a tsibirin Kastelorizo da Italiya ke sarrafawa, a gabar tekun Turkiyya, sojojin Italiya sun yi nasarar fatattakar sojojin Burtaniya da na Ostiraliya da ke ƙoƙarin mamaye tsibirin a lokacin Operation Abstention. A watan Disamba na 1941, wani hari na asirce da sojojin Italiya suka yi a Alexandria, Misira, inda masu ruwa na Italiya suka haɗa abubuwan fashewa zuwa jiragen yakin Birtaniya wanda ya haifar da lalacewar manyan jiragen ruwa na Birtaniya guda biyu. An san wannan da Raid on Alexandria. A cikin 1942, sojojin ruwa na Italiya sun yi mummunan rauni ga rundunar jiragen ruwa na Burtaniya da ke ƙoƙarin isa Malta a lokacin Operation Harpoon, ta nutsar da jiragen ruwa na Burtaniya da yawa. A tsawon lokaci, sojojin ruwa na Allied sun haifar da mummunar lalacewar jirgin ruwa na Italiya, kuma sun rushe Italiya ta amfani da Jamus.