World war ii was a war that raged in western eastern and southern europe although the biggest battles took place in eastern europe the mediterranean was another notable front in the war britain and the usa waged a war against fascist italy and nazi germany in the mediterranean from 1940 1944. The battle of the mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the mediterranean sea during world war ii from 10 june 1940 to 2 may 1945 for the most part the campaign was fought between the italian royal navy regia marina supported by other axis naval and air forces and the british royal navy supported by other allied . World war ii world war ii the atlantic and the mediterranean 1940 41 at the outbreak of world war ii the primary concerns of the british navy were to defend great britain from invasion and to retain command of the ocean trading routes both in order to protect the passage of essential supplies of food and raw materials for britain and to deny the trading routes to the axis powers . World war two was a truly global war the war in the mediterranean took military conflict beyond the areas in europe hit by blitzkrieghowever after the events surrounding dunkirk and the closeness of victory in the battle of britain the events that unfolded in the mediterranean did much to stir the hearts of the civilians in britain and other allied powers occupied by the nazis