Talk:Zara/@comment-26375216-20160210191609/@comment-24093250-20160210222838

The radar was just a part of the problem.

The Regia Marina didn't care about any possibility about major ships (above destroyers) having to fight at night or in bad visibility; therefore between the wars there was no training, no development of shells and equipment, nothing. The only thing done was fitting the Littorio-class battleships with four old howitzers to fire star shells.

In the end, the Italian warships were meant as platforms for fighting under ideal circumstances (during the day, with a calm sea). Given that in many occasions they had to fight in less than ideal conditions, their combat effectiveness suffered accordingly. And their night fighting ability could not be improvised, and that remained a sore spot for the Regia Marina throughout the war (although the smaller vessels did manage to get a bit better over time).