Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - A ranar 10 ga Yuni, 1940, Italiya ta ayyana yaƙi da Burtaniya da Faransa, a hukumance ta shiga Yaƙin Duniya na II. Jirgin ruwa mai nauyi ya maye gurbin "Trieste" a matsayin jirgin ruwa na jirgin ruwa, wanda hakan ya zama jirgin ruwa na 3rd Division, wanda ya hada da "Trento" da "Bolzano". Wadannan jiragen ruwa guda hudu da aka tura a arewacin Sicily don yin sintiri ga jiragen ruwa na Allied a ranar farko ta Italiya. A ranar 31 ga watan Agusta, Rukunin na 3 ya tashi don hana tawagar Burtaniya daga Alexandria zuwa Malta a cikin Operation Hats, kodayake rundunar sojan Italiya ta dakatar da aikin ba tare da haɗuwa da jiragen ruwa ba. "Trieste" ya dawo Taranto a ranar 2 ga Satumba. Ta kasance a can a daren 11 zuwa 12 ga Nuwamba, lokacin da Birtaniyya ta mamaye tashar jiragen ruwa
, kuma ta fito ba tare da lahani ba.