![Borghese](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Borghese.jpg)
The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla") was an Italian
flotilla
A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet.
Composition
A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same clas ...
, with
commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, com ...
unit, of the ''
Regia Marina
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...
'' (Italian Royal Navy) created during the
Fascist regime
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...
.
The acronym ''
MAS'' also refers to various light
torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
s used by the Regia Marina during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
and
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Decima MAS was active during the
Battle of the Mediterranean
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 Kingdom of Italy, Italian Re ...
and took part in a number of daring raids on Allied shipping. These operations involved surface
speedboats
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...
(such as the
raid on Souda Bay
The Raid on Souda Bay was an assault by Italian Royal Navy explosive boats on Souda Bay, Crete, during the first hours of 26 March 1941. The motor boats were launched by the destroyers and on the approaches to the bay. After negotiating the ...
),
manned torpedo
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of diver propulsion vehicle on which the diver rides, generally in a seated position behind a fairing. They were used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic concept is still in use.
...
es (the
raid on Alexandria
Battle of Alexandria, Raid on Alexandria, or Siege of Alexandria may refer to one of these military operations fought in or near the city of Alexandria, Egypt:
* Siege of Alexandria (169 BC), during the Syrian Wars
* Siege of Alexandria (47 BC), ...
) and ''Gamma''
frogmen
A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...
(against
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = "Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gibr ...
). During the campaign Decima MAS took part in more than a dozen operations which sank or damaged five warships (totalling 72,000 tons) and 20 merchant ships (totalling 130,000 GRT).
In 1943, after the Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...
was
ousted, Italy left the
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also known as the Berlin Pact, was an agreement between Germany, Italy, and Japan signed in Berlin on 27 September 1940 by, respectively, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Galeazzo Ciano and Saburō Kurusu. It was a defensive milit ...
. Some of the Xª MAS men who were stationed in German-occupied northern and central Italy enlisted to fight for Mussolini's newly formed
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...
(''Repubblica Sociale Italiana'' or RSI) and retained the unit title, but were primarily employed as an anti-
partisan force operating on land. Other Xª MAS men in southern Italy or other Allied-occupied areas joined the
Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
The Italian Co-Belligerent Navy (''Marina Cobelligerante Italiana''), or Navy of the South (''Marina del Sud'') or Royal Navy (''Regia Marina''), was the navy of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy af ...
as part of the ''Mariassalto'' (Naval Assault) unit.
Historical background
In
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, on November 1, 1918, Raffaele Paolucci and
Raffaele Rossetti
Raffaele Rossetti (12 July 1881 – 24 December 1951) was an Italian engineer and military naval officer who sank the SMS Viribus Unitis, main battleship of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I. He was also a politician of the It ...
of the
Regia Marina
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...
rode a
manned torpedo
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of diver propulsion vehicle on which the diver rides, generally in a seated position behind a fairing. They were used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic concept is still in use.
...
(nicknamed ''
Mignatta
Raffaele Rossetti (12 July 1881 – 24 December 1951) was an Italian engineer and military naval officer who sank the SMS Viribus Unitis, main battleship of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I. He was also a politician of the It ...
'' or "leech") into the harbour of
Pula
Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the I ...
, where they sank the battleship
''Jugoslavija'', of the navy of the
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( sh, Država Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba / ; sl, Država Slovencev, Hrvatov in Srbov) was a political entity that was constituted in October 1918, at the end of World War I, by Slovenes, Croats and Serbs ( ...
, formerly the
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
battleship
A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...
, and the
freighter ''Wien'' using
limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the shape of the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces.
A swimmer or diver ...
s.
They had no
underwater breathing sets, and thus had to keep their heads above water to breathe. They were discovered and taken prisoner as they attempted to leave the harbour.
In the 1920s, sport
spearfishing
Spearfishing is a method of fishing that involves impaling the fish with a straight pointed object such as a spear, gig or harpoon. It has been deployed in artisanal fishing throughout the world for millennia. Early civilisations were familia ...
without breathing apparatus became popular on the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
coast of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and Italy. This spurred the development of modern
swimfin
Swimfins, swim fins, diving fins, or flippers are finlike accessories worn on the feet, legs or hands and made from rubber, plastic, carbon fiber or combinations of these materials, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities ...
s,
diving mask
Diving most often refers to:
* Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water
* Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes
Diving or Dive may also refer to:
Sports
* Dive (American football), ...
s and
snorkels.
In the 1930s Italian sport spearfishermen began using industrial or submarine-escape oxygen
rebreather
A rebreather is a breathing apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of a user's exhaled breath to permit the rebreathing (recycling) of the substantially unused oxygen content, and unused inert content when present, of each breath. Oxygen i ...
s, starting
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...
in Italy.
Unit origins
This new type of diving came to the attention of the Regia Marina which founded the first
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equi ...
underwater frogman unit, later copied by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
and
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. ''
Capitano di Fregata'' (Commander) Paolo Aloisi was the first commander of the 1ª Flottiglia Mezzi d'Assalto ("First Assault Vehicle Flotilla"), formed in 1939 as a result of the research and development efforts of
Major
Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...
s
Teseo Tesei
Teseo Tesei (3 January 1909 – 26 July 1941) was an Italian naval officer, who invented the human torpedo (called ''Maiale'', Italian for "pig") used by the ''Regia Marina'' during World War II.
Life
Teseo Tesei was born in Marina de Camp ...
and Elios Toschi of the naval
combat engineers
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...
. The two resurrected Paolucci's and Rossetti's concept of manned torpedoes.
In 1941, Commander
Vittorio Moccagatta
Vittorio Moccagatta (Bologna, 11 November 1903 – Malta, 26 July 1941) was an Italian naval officer during World War II. He commanded the Decima Flottiglia MAS, the special operations unit of the Royal Italian Navy, from September 1940 until his ...
re-organised the First Flotilla into the Decima Flottiglia MAS, and divided the unit into two parts – a surface group operating fast explosive motor boats, and a sub-surface weapons group using
manned torpedoes called ''SLC'' (''siluri a lenta corsa'' or "slow-running torpedoes", but nicknamed ''Maiale'' or "Pig" by their crews), as well as "Gamma" assault swimmers (''nuotatori'') using limpet mines. Moccagatta also created the frogman training school at the San Leopoldo base of the
Italian Naval Academy
The Italian Naval Academy (Italian: ''Accademia Navale'') is a coeducational military university in Livorno, which is responsible for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy.
History The Hospitals The Hospital of St. James ...
in
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
.
Combat record
The Decima MAS saw action starting on June 10, 1940, when Fascist Italy entered World War II. In more than three years of war, the unit destroyed some 72,190 tons of Allied warships and 130,572 tons of Allied merchant ships. Personnel from the unit sank the World War I-era
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
battleships and (both of which, after months of work, were refloated and returned to action), wrecked the
heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
and the
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...
, damaged the destroyer and sank or damaged 20
merchant ship
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
s, including supply ships and tankers. During the course of the war, the Decima MAS was awarded the
Golden Medal of Military Valour and individual members were awarded a total of 29
Golden Medals of Military Valour, 104
Silver Medals of Military Valour and 33
Bronze Medals of Military Valour.
1940
![Maiale at gosport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Maiale_at_gosport.jpg)
* June 10, 1940:
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...
declared war on
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
.
* August 22, 1940: While preparing for an attack on the British naval base at
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
, the Italian submarine (carrying four ''Maiale'' and five two-man crews) and the support ship ''Monte Gargano'' were attacked and sunk in the
Gulf of Bomba
The Gulf of Bomba, is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya. It lies about 40 miles (64 km) east of Derna, Libya, Derna (or Derne) at 32 degrees 38 minutes North Latitude, 23 degrees 07 minutes East Longitud ...
off
Tobruk
Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...
,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
, by British land-based
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also us ...
torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
s. Teseo Tesei survived the attack, but casualties among the submarine crew were heavy.
* September 21, 1940: The Italian submarine ''
Gondar
Gondar, also spelled Gonder (Amharic: ጎንደር, ''Gonder'' or ''Gondär''; formerly , ''Gʷandar'' or ''Gʷender''), is a city and woreda in Ethiopia. Located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, Gondar is north of Lake Tana on t ...
'' departed
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest cit ...
for Alexandria, carrying three ''Maiale'' and four two-man crews. The ''Gondar'' reached Alexandria on the evening of September 30, but was spotted by British and Australian destroyers, which attacked. Severely damaged, it was forced to the surface and scuttled by the crew. They were captured, along with the Decima MAS crewmen (including Elios Toschi).
* September 24, 1940: The Italian submarine , commanded by Commander
Junio Valerio Borghese
Junio Valerio Scipione Ghezzo Marcantonio Maria Borghese (6 June 1906 – 26 August 1974), nicknamed The Black Prince, was an Italian Navy commander during the regime of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and a prominent hard-line Fascist ...
, departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes and four crews, for a planned attack on the British naval base at
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = "Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gibr ...
. The operation was cancelled when the British fleet left harbour before the submarine arrived.
* October 21, 1940: ''Sciré'' departed La Spezia and sailed again to Gibraltar carrying three manned torpedoes and four crews. The Decima MAS frogmen entered the harbour, but were unable to attack any ships due to technical problems with the torpedoes and breathing equipment. Only one human torpedo managed to get close to a target, the battleship ''
Barham''. The charge exploded but did not cause significant damage. The two crewmen, Gino Birindelli and Damos Paccagnini, were captured by the British. The other four (including Teseo Tesei) manage to reach
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
and returned to Italy. Valuable experience was gained in this operation by the Decima.
Gino Birindelli
Gino Birindelli (20 January 1911, in Pescia – 2 August 2008, in Rome) was an Italian admiral and chief of the fleet of the Italian Navy. After his retirement from the Navy he was elected as a member of the lower house of Parliament for the ...
received the ''
Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare
The Gold Medal of Military Valour ( it, Medaglia d'oro al valor militare) is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia for deeds of outstanding gallantry in war by junior officers and soldiers.
The fac ...
'' (MOVM), his second, Damos Paccagnini received the ''
Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare
The Silver Medal of Military Valor ( it, Medaglia d'argento al valor militare) is an Italian medal for gallantry.
Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on 21 May 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, ...
'' (MAVM).
1941
* March 25, 1941: The Italian destroyers and departed
Leros
Leros ( el, Λέρος) is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies (171 nautical miles) from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 9-hour ferry ride or by a 45-minute flig ...
island in the
Aegean at night, each carrying 3 small (2-ton)
''Motoscafo da Turismo'' motor assault boats of the Decima MAS. Each MT (nicknamed ''barchini'' or "little boats") carried a 300 kg (660 lb) explosive charge in its
bow. The one-pilot craft were launched by the destroyers 10 miles off
Suda Bay
Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
, where several British Royal Navy warships and auxiliary ships were at anchor. The MTs were specially equipped to make their way through obstacles such as
torpedo nets
Torpedo nets were a passive ship defensive device against torpedoes. They were in common use from the 1890s until the Second World War. They were superseded by the anti-torpedo bulge and torpedo belts.
Origins
With the introduction of the Whitehe ...
; the pilot steered the assault craft in a collision course at his target ship, and jumped from his boat before impact and warhead detonation. Once inside the bay, the six boats located their targets: the
heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...
, a large tanker (the Norwegian ''Pericles'' of 8,300 tons), another tanker, and a cargo ship. Two MTMs hit ''York'' amidships, flooding her aft boilers and magazines. ''Pericles'' was severely damaged and settled on the bottom, while the other tanker and the cargo ship were sunk. The other ''barchini'' apparently missed their intended targets, and one of them was stranded on the beach. All six of the Italian sailors were captured. The disabled ''York'' was later scuttled in shallow waters with demolition charges by her crew before the
German capture of Crete, while ''Pericles'' sank in April 1941 en route to Alexandria.
* May 25, 1941: The ''Sciré'' departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes. At
Cadiz,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
it secretly embarked eight Decima MAS crewmen. At Gibraltar, they found no warships because , , and had been ordered to the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to hunt the German battleship . The manned torpedoes once again experienced technical problems as they unsuccessfully attempted to attack a freighter. The crew returned to Italy via Spain.
* June 26, 1941: An attack on Malta similar to the July 26, 1941 operation (see below) was planned but was canceled due to bad weather.
[pp 6-11, issue 39, Historical Diving Times]
![Слима](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/%D0%A1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B0.jpg)
* July 26, 1941: Two ''Maiale'' and ten MAS boats (including six ''barchini'')
unsuccessfully attacked the port of
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...
,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. The force was detected early on by a British
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...
installation, but the British
coastal batteries held their fire until the Italians approached to close range. Fifteen Decima MAS crewmen were killed (including Commander Moccagatta), and 18 captured. Teseo Tesei and
Petty Officer
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be super ...
on one torpedo died by
Fort St. Elmo
Fort Saint Elmo ( mt, Forti Sant'Iermu) is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort ...
as they attempted to destroy the outer defenses of the harbour.
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
Franco Costa and
sergeant
Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...
Luigi Barla on the other torpedo became lost, scuttled their craft, and swam ashore at St. George's Bay two miles NW of Valletta. Their ''Maiale'' was recovered by the British, becoming the first example they had been able to examine.
All 6 MTMs, both SLCs and two MAS (MAS 451 and MAS 452) boats were lost, one of them being found adrift in open seas by the British and towed to port by a seaplane. This disaster forced the unit to make a huge reassessment of its operations. Commander
Ernesto Forza
Ernesto Forza (Rome, 21 August 1900 – 13 April 1975) was an Italian admiral. During World War II he commanded the Decima Flottiglia MAS, the special operations unit of the Royal Italian Navy, from July 1940 to May 1943, and then its equivalent w ...
was named as commander of the Decima MAS, and Borghese became leader of the sub-surface weapons group.
* September 10, 1941: The ''Sciré'' departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes. At Cadiz, Spain, it secretly embarked eight crewmen for them. At Gibraltar, the manned torpedoes sank three ships: the
tankers ''Denbydale'' and ''Fiona Shell'', and the
cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
''Durham''. All six crewmen swam to Spain and returned safely to Italy, where they were decorated, as were the crew of ''Sciré''.
* December 3, 1941: ''Sciré'' departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes to conduct what became the
Raid on Alexandria (1941)
The Raid on Alexandria was carried out on 19 December 1941 by Italian Navy divers of the Decima Flottiglia MAS, who attacked and disabled two Royal Navy battleships in the harbour of Alexandria, Egypt, using manned torpedoes.
Background
On 3 D ...
. At the island of
Leros
Leros ( el, Λέρος) is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies (171 nautical miles) from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 9-hour ferry ride or by a 45-minute flig ...
in the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
, six Decima MAS crewmen came aboard, including
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
Luigi Durand de la Penne
Luigi Durand de la Penne (11 February 1914 – 17 January 1992) was an Italian Navy admiral who served as naval diver in the Decima MAS during World War II. De la Penne was born in Genoa, where he also died.
De la Penne graduated from the Ital ...
. On December 18 ''Sciré'' released the manned torpedoes 1.3 miles from Alexandria commercial harbour, and they entered the harbour when the British opened the boom defence to let three of their
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...
s pass. After many difficulties, de la Penne and his crewmate Emilio Bianchi successfully attached a limpet mine under , but had to surface as they attempted to leave, and were captured. They refused to answer when questioned and were detained in a compartment aboard ''Valiant''. Fifteen minutes before the explosion, de la Penne asked to speak to the ''Valiant''s captain and informed him of the imminent explosion but refused to give other information. He was returned to the compartment and neither he or Bianchi were injured by the detonation of the mine. The other four torpedo-riders were also captured, but their mines sank ''Valiant'', the battleship , and the Norwegian tanker ''Sagona'', and badly damaged the destroyer . The two battleships sank in only a few feet of water and were subsequently re-floated. Nevertheless, they were out of action for over a year.
1942
* April 29, 1942: The Italian submarine ''Ambra'' departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes. At
Leros
Leros ( el, Λέρος) is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies (171 nautical miles) from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 9-hour ferry ride or by a 45-minute flig ...
six crewmen were secretly loaded for them. On May 14 ''Ambra'' reached Alexandria and sank a British floating dock. The ''Ambra'' was spotted and could not sink anything. All six torpedo-riders were captured.
* July 1942: Italian frogmen set up in a secret base in the Italian tanker
''Olterra'' which was
interned in
Algeciras
Algeciras ( , ) is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar ( es, Bahía de Algeci ...
near Gibraltar. All materials had to be moved secretly through Spain and this limited operations.
* July 13, 1942: Twelve Italian frogmen swam from the Algeciras coast into Gibraltar harbour and set explosives, and then returned safely. Four ships were sunk.
* August 10, 1942: The
Italian submarine ''Scirè'' was sunk by
HMS ''Islay'' while attempting to attack the port of
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
in British
Palestine. She had 11 frogmen on board.
* August 29, 1942: Off
El Daba
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
, Egypt. The was torpedoed at close range by an
MTSM, a torpedo-carrying version of the
MTM. Six of her crew were lost. was towed to Alexandria, but soon after was declared a "constructive total loss", and was scrapped in 1946.
* December 4, 1942: The ''Ambra'' left
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest cit ...
to attack
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...
, carrying frogmen and two manned torpedoes. Ten frogmen carrying limpet mines swam with the manned torpedoes, but because of the distance, they did not reach the harbour, but attacked ships outside it, sank two and damaged two others.
* December 17, 1942: Six Italians on three torpedoes left the ''Olterra'' to attack the three British warships , , and in Gibraltar. A British patrol boat killed one torpedo's crew (Lt. Visintini and Petty Officer Magro) with a
depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...
. Their bodies were recovered, and their
swimfin
Swimfins, swim fins, diving fins, or flippers are finlike accessories worn on the feet, legs or hands and made from rubber, plastic, carbon fiber or combinations of these materials, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities ...
s were taken and used by two of Gibraltar's British guard divers. Another British patrol boat spotted another torpedo, and chased and shot at it and captured its two crewmen. The remaining torpedo returned to the ''Olterra'' without its rear rider.
1943
* May 8, 1943: Three Italian manned torpedoes left the ''Olterra'' to attack Gibraltar in bad weather and sank two British freighters and an American
''Liberty'' ship. All returned safely to the ''Olterra''.
* May 1943 : Borghese becomes unit commander when Forza returned to sea
* July 25, 1943: Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...
was replaced by Field Marshal
Pietro Badoglio
Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino (, ; 28 September 1871 – 1 November 1956), was an Italian general during both World Wars and the first viceroy of Italian East Africa. With the fall of the Fascist regime ...
as the head of the Italian Government.
* 9 July 1943: Xª MAS single frogman sank or crippled the ship ''Kaituna'' (4,917 tons) at
Mersin
Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and district governorates: Akdeniz, Mezitl ...
in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
.
[Jørgensen 2005, p. 93.]
* August 3, 1943: In the evening, three Italian manned torpedoes left the ''Olterra'' to attack Gibraltar. They sank three cargo ships, one of them an American ''Liberty'' and returned to the ''Olterra''. One of the Italian divers was captured.
* 1 August 1943: Xª MAS single frogman sank or crippled the Norwegian cargo ship ''Fernplant'' (7,000 tons) at
İskenderun
İskenderun ( ar, الإسكندرونة, el, Αλεξανδρέττα "Little Alexandria"), historically known as Alexandretta and Scanderoon, is a city in Hatay Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
Names
The city was founded as Ale ...
in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
.
[
]
Armistice
* September 8, 1943: The new Badoglio government of Italy signed an armistice with the Allies. The ''Olterra'' was towed into Gibraltar, and the British found what had happened in it. Further attacks on Gibraltar using the new and larger replacement for the SLC (the ''Siluro San Bartolomeo
The Siluro San Bartolomeo (St. Bartholomew Torpedo) was an Italian Human Torpedo designed during World War II, used by the Decima Flottiglia MAS for commando style operations. When using the Siluro a Lenta Corsa Maiale Human Torpedo had noticed ...
'' type), and a planned raid on New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
were called off due to the Italian surrender.
Summary of Allied ships sunk or damaged by Decima MAS
Successor units
Following the armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
of Italy on September 8, 1943, the ''Xª MAS'' was disbanded.
The Badoglio government in the south of Italy under Allied occupation declared war on Germany and became a co-belligerent
Co-belligerence is the waging of a war in cooperation against a common enemy with or without a formal treaty of military alliance. Generally, the term is used for cases where no alliance exists. Likewise, allies may not become co-belligerents in a ...
.
Some Decima MAS sailors joined the Allied cause to fight against Nazi Germany and what remained of the Axis as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
The Italian Co-Belligerent Navy (''Marina Cobelligerante Italiana''), or Navy of the South (''Marina del Sud'') or Royal Navy (''Regia Marina''), was the navy of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy af ...
.
A new unit was formed, led by Forza and joined by some of the pioneers such as de la Penne newly released from British POW camps
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...
.
The new unit was named ''Mariassalto'', but continued to be an elite naval force mounting special operations at sea.
In the German-occupied north of Italy Mussolini set up the
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...
(''Repubblica Sociale Italiana'', or RSI) to continue the war as part of the Axis. Led by Borghese, ''Decima Flottiglia'' was revived, as part of the National Republican Navy (''Marina Nazionale Repubblicana'') of the RSI with its headquarters in ''Caserma del Muggiano'', La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest cit ...
. By the end of the war, it had over 18,000 members, and although Borghese conceived it as a purely naval unit, it gained a reputation as a savage pro-fascist, anti-communist, anti-resistance force in land campaigns alongside the German forces, under the command of SS General Karl Wolff.
Mariassalto
The ''Mariassalto'' was set up at Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important comme ...
alongside the British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
frogman force in the Mediterranean. Forza was pleased to demonstrate Italian expertise in this area to the British,[Kemp p61] and the group was also keen to be in action, though if they were caught they would almost certainly have been shot.[Kemp p63]
In June 1944 came an opportunity to take action, in Operation QWZ, a joint mission against targets in La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest cit ...
harbour.
The attack was against the Italian cruisers ''Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third ...
'' and ''Gorizia
Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gori ...
'', which had been taken by the Germans after the Italian surrender. This was to thwart a German plan to sink them where they would block the harbour entrance. The mission also aimed to attack German U-boats in the harbour. British chariots would attack the cruisers whilst ''Mariassalto's'' Gamma Frogmen would attack U-boats penned in the harbour.
On 2 June 1944 the Italian destroyer sailed from Bastia
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
in Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
to La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest cit ...
carrying three speedboats, and Italian frogmen including Luigi Durand De La Penne
Luigi Durand de la Penne (11 February 1914 – 17 January 1992) was an Italian Navy admiral who served as naval diver in the Decima MAS during World War II. De la Penne was born in Genoa, where he also died.
De la Penne graduated from the Ital ...
, and two British chariots.
One chariot broke down and was abandoned, though the other successfully sank ''Bolzano''. However the ''Gamma'' men were unsuccessful in their attack on the U-boat pens. All the participants escaped to link with partisan groups on land.
In April 1945 a final mission, Operation Toast, was planned. This was aimed at sinking the newly converted shipping liner now the aircraft carrier '' Aquila'', just completed in Genoa.
For this ''Mariassalto'' men would make use of two British chariots, as they had none of their own SLCs available.
On 18 April 1945 the destroyer , carrying two high speed motorboats equipped with chariots sailed from Venice for Genoa led by Captain Chavasse SOE and Forza. Both chariots were deployed and succeeded in penetrating the defences but found the hull of ''Aquila'' so encrusted with barnacles and seaweed the limpet mines could not be attached to it. The frogmen had to lay the charges on the seafloor of the outer harbour mole and when the charge exploded as planned the ship remained afloat in spite of the attack. All of the frogmen escaped safely. The German commander never put his extensive demolition plans for Genoa into action and thus Aquila was never sunk as a blockade to the harbour.
Decima MAS (RSI)
Some Xª MAS men who were in German-occupied Italy remained part of the Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
forces, joining the Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...
under the command of Captain Borghese. His reputation and that of the Xª MAS enabled him to negotiate an agreement with the German forces that gave the Xª MAS significant autonomy, allowed them to fight under an Italian flag (under the command of the Germans), and not to be employed against other Italians. Borghese was recognized as the leader of the corps.
Ideology
The main themes in the Xª MAS's ideology became "honour
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
" in defending Italy from the "betrayal
Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. ...
" of the armistice with the Allies and a call to defend the territorial integrity of Italy against the Allies.
The corps had its own weekly magazine, ''L'orizzonte'' ("The Horizon"), in which authors such as Giovanni Preziosi
Giovanni Preziosi (24 October 1881, in Torella dei Lombardi – 26 April 1945, in Milan) was an Italian fascist politician noted for his contributions to Fascist Italy.
Early career
Born into a middle-class family, he joined the priesthood after ...
wrote vehemently anti-Semitic articles about Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish conspiracies
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
. The magazine had problems in its distribution, as it was thought that Borghese's popularity among the Fascist hardliners might reduce Mussolini's influence.
Hymn
Relations with the RSI
Relationships with the Italian Social Republic were not easy. On January 14, 1944 Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...
arrested Borghese while receiving him in Gargnano
Gargnano ( Gardesano: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the western shore of Lake Garda. The municipal territory includes the artificial Valvestino Lake, created in 1962.
History
The name of th ...
, in order to gain direct control of the Xª MAS. Word of the arrest reached the officers of the ''Decima'', who considered marching on Mussolini's capital at Salò
Salò (; la, Salodium) is a town and '' comune'' in the Province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy (northern Italy) on the banks of Lake Garda, on which it has the longest promenade. The city was the seat of government of the Italian Social ...
. However, the German command used their influence to have Borghese released, as they needed the equipment, expertise and manpower of the Xª MAS as an anti-partisan force.
Naval actions
The Xª MAS (RSI) took little part in the war at sea. Its equipment had been abandoned in the south, and its naval activities were frustrated by Allied action.
In November 1944 four frogmen (Malacarne, Sorgetti, Bertoncin, Pavone), who had stayed under German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
command, were delivered by fast motorboat and swam into Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
harbor to set up a secret sabotage base, but were captured.
Anti-partisan actions
The Decima was mostly employed in anti-partisan actions on land, rather than against the Allies at sea. However, their actions were mostly reprisals following the massacre of soldiers of "Decima" by partisans forces – see Bardelli's homicide. Their anti-partisan actions usually took place in small villages, where the partisans were stronger. Some examples:
* Forno: 68 persons, mostly civilians and some partisans, were killed by a combination of SS members and Xª MAS forces.
* Guadine: Random violence to terrorize a population believed to be supporting the rebels, almost complete destruction of the village by fire.
*Borgo Ticino
Borgo Ticino (Piedmontese: ''Borgh Tisén'', Lombard: ''Burgh Tisin'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about north of Novara.
Borgo Ticino borders ...
: Together with the SS, murder of 12 civilians, pillage and destruction of the village by fire on the grounds that three German soldiers had been wounded by partisans.
* Castelletto Ticino: In order to give a demonstration of firmness against crime, a Xª MAS officer had five petty criminals publicly gunned down, having taken care to gather a large crowd in order to terrorise them.
* Crocetta del Montello: Episodes of torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...
with whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...
s and gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...
and summary execution
A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes includ ...
s of partisans.
Defense of Italian national borders
However, the Xª MAS units also earned a good combat reputation fighting on the frontline against the Allies at Anzio
Anzio (, also , ) is a town and '' comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.
Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Isl ...
and on the Gothic Line
The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German defensive line of the Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of ...
. In the last months of the war Xª MAS units were dispatched to the eastern Italian border against Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his death ...
's partisans who marched into Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian and Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian, Italian and Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic betwe ...
and Julian March, Venezia Giulia.
Demobilization
On April 26, 1945, in what is now the Piazza della Repubblica in Milan, Borghese finally ordered the Xª MAS to disband. He was soon arrested by partisans, but rescued by OSS officer James Angleton, who dressed him in an American uniform and drove him to Rome for interrogation by the Allies. Borghese was tried and convicted of war crimes, sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, but released from jail by the Italian Supreme Court in 1949. The Americans were keenly interested in infiltrating the Italian Communist groups, something which Borghese had done, and he was enlisted to help create counterintelligence units for the Americans.
Organization of RSI Xa MAS
*Naval units
**Combat swimmers and frogmen
*1st Combat Group
**'Barbarigo', 'Lupo' battalions
**'Nuotatori Paracadutisti' Parachute battalion
**'Colleoni" artillery battalion
**'Freccia' Engineer battalion – 1st company only
*2nd Combat Group
**'Valanga' Assault Engineer battalion
**'Sagittario', 'Freccia', and 'Fulmine' battalions
**'Castagnacci' recruitment and replacement battalion
**'Da Giussano' artillery battalion
**'Freccia' engineer battalion – 2nd and 3rd companies
*8 independent infantry battalions
*5 independent infantry companies
*Women's Auxiliary Service
After 1945
In 2006 the admiralty of the Italian republic recognized the Xth M.A.S. RSI veterans as combatants of WWII and gave the association the battle flag.
Counter-operations against Italian frogmen by British frogmen in Gibraltar was the subject of a 1958 British film The Silent Enemy (1958 film), ''The Silent Enemy'' based on the exploits of the team of Lionel Crabb.
Today the Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori Teseo Tesei is the frogman corp currently serving the Italian Republic.
In popular culture
*The Decima MAS’ Gibraltar operations are depicted in the 1952 Italian film ''I sette dell’Orsa maggiore'' and the 1958 British film The Silent Enemy (1958 film), ''The Silent Enemy''
*The Uniforms of the Decima Flottiglia MAS are used by the collaborationists in the film ''Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma''.
*The Raid on Alexandria (1941)
The Raid on Alexandria was carried out on 19 December 1941 by Italian Navy divers of the Decima Flottiglia MAS, who attacked and disabled two Royal Navy battleships in the harbour of Alexandria, Egypt, using manned torpedoes.
Background
On 3 D ...
is depicted in the 1962 British film The Valiant (1962 film), ''The Valiant''
*In the Italian film ''My Brother is an Only Child'', set in the 1960s, a young Communist refers to the Decima Mas, and their "dungeon" on Via Tasso.
Prince Valerio Borghese escaped capital punishment after the war (Thanks to James Jesus Angleton of the CIA) in the cold war context and remained an active neo-fascist activist: He attempted a failed fascist coup in the early 1970s (the infamous golpe Borghese).
The Golpe Borghese and its leader are spoofed in a film by Mario Monicelli called ''Vogliamo i Colonelli'' (''We Want the Colonels, We want the Colonels'') where Borghese part is played by Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi impersonating an ultra right wing parliament representative called Tritoni (Triton or Newt). One of the best scenes features a boisterous and crazy assault diver and parachute Commando frogman called Barbacane (Giuseppe Maffioli).
See also
*
*
*
*, the COMSUBIN
*
*
Notes
References
*
*
Further reading
*"''Frogmen First Battles''" by retired U.S Captain William Schofield's book ()
*"''The Black Prince and the Sea Devils: The Story of Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of the Decima Mas''", by Jack Greene and Alessandro Massignani, Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2004 284 pages, hardcover ()
*"''Sea Devils''" by J. Valerio Borghese, translated into English by James Cleugh, with introduction by the United States Naval Institute ()
* Paul Kemp : ''Underwater Warriors'' (1997)
External links
The origin of the Xa Flottiglia MAS
La Decima MAS
Image of Italian wartime frogman with rebreather whose breathing tube and fullface mask resemble an old type of gasmask, but with the mask's blowoff valve blanked off.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decima Flottiglia Mas
Military units and formations of Italy in World War II
Special forces of Italy
MAS fleet
Military units and formations established in 1941
Military units and formations disestablished in 1943
Military units and formations established in 1943
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
Gibraltar in World War II
Frogman operations
1941 establishments in Italy
1943 disestablishments in Italy
1943 establishments in Italy
1945 disestablishments in Italy
Naval special forces units
Disbanded marine forces
Italian Marines