Decima Flottiglia MAS
Encyclopedia
The Decima Flottiglia MAS (Decima Flottiglia Mezzi d'Assalto, also known as La Decima or Xª MAS) (Italian
for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla
") was an Italian
commando
frogman
unit of the Regia Marina
(Italian Royal Navy) created during the Fascist
regime.
The acronym MAS
also refers to various light torpedo boat
s used by the Regia Marina during World War I
and World War II
.
Decima MAS was active during the Battle of the Mediterranean
and took part in a number of daring raids on Allied shipping.
These operations used surface boats (such as the Sinking of HMS York
), manned torpedoes (the Raid on Alexandria
) and Gamma Frogmen (against Gibraltar).
During the campaign Decima MAS took part in more than a dozen operations which sank or damaged 5 warships and 20 merchant ships totalling 130,000 GRT (Gross Register Tonnage) .
In 1943, after the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
was ousted, Italy left the Tripartite Pact
and joined the Allies
. Some of the Xª MAS men who were stationed in German-occupied northern Italy enlisted to fight for Mussolini's newly formed Italian Social Republic
(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
as part of the Mariassalto (Naval Assault) unit.
See Italian commando frogmen
for the COMSUBIN frogman corps currently serving the Italian Republic, and for their post-World War II actions.
, on November 1, 1918, Raffaele Paolucci and Raffaele Rossetti of the Regia Marina
rode a manned torpedo
(nicknamed Mignatta or "leech") into the harbour of Pula, where they sank the Austro-Hungarian
battleship
and the freighter
Wien using limpet mine
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
without breathing apparatus became popular on the Mediterranean coast of France
and Italy. This spurred the development of modern swimfin
s, diving mask
s and snorkels.
In the 1930s Italian sport spearfishermen began using industrial or submarine-escape oxygen rebreather
s, starting scuba diving
in Italy.
underwater frogman unit, later copied by the Royal Navy
and United States Navy
. 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
s Teseo Tesei
and Elios Toschi of the naval combat engineers
. The two resurrected Paolucci's and Rossetti's concept of manned torpedoes.
In 1941, Commander Vittorio Moccagatta 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
in Livorno
.
battleships and (both of which, after months of work, were refloated and returned to action), wrecked the heavy cruiser
and the destroyer
, damaged the destroyer and sank or damaged 20 merchant ships 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
.
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.
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
.
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.
The new unit was named Marassalto, but continued to be an elite naval force mounting special operations at sea.
In the north German occupied north Mussolini set up an Italian Socialist Republic
Italian Social Republic
(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 headquartered in Caserma del Muggiano, La Spezia
. 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 Army (Wehrmacht Heer), under the command of SS
General Karl Wolff
.
alongside the British
frogman force
in the Mediterranean. Forza was pleased to demonstrate Italian expertise in this area to the British, and the group was also keen to be in action, that if they were caught they would almost certainly have be shot.
However Allied naval supremacy had left a dearth of targets for the group.
In June 1944 came an opportunity to take action, in Operation QWZ, a joint mission against targets in La Spezia
harbour.
The attack was against the Italian cruisers Bolzano and Gorizia, 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 Charioteers would attack the cruisers whilst Mariassalto's Gamma Frogmen would attack U-boats penned in the harbour.
On 2 June 1944 the Italian destroyer Grecale sailed from Bastia
in Corsica
to La Spezia
carrying three speedboats, and Italian frogmen including Luigi Durand De La Penne
, 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 aircraft carrier Aquila
, just completed in Genoa.
For this the Mariassalto men would make use of a British Chariot, as they had none of their own SLC available.
On 18 April 1945 the destroyer Legionario, carrying two motorboats equipped with chariots sailed for Genoa led by G Manisco. One chariot broke down and had to be abandoned, but the other team succeeded in laying a charge under Aquila. The charge exploded as planned, but the ship remained afloat, and was later sunk by the Germans as a blockship to the harbour.
forces, joining the Italian Social Republic
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.
" in defending Italy from the "betrayal
" of the armistice with the Allies, strong anti-semitism
in the wake of stronger Nazi
influence, and a call to defend the territorial integrity of Italy against the Allies. This was quite ironic, as the Third Reich was already annexing northeastern Italian territories and integrating them directly into the Reich as the Prealpine Operations Zone and Operational Zone Adriatic Coast.
The corps had its own weekly magazine, L'orizzonte ("The Horizon"), in which authors such as Giovanni Preziosi
wrote vehemently anti-Semitic articles about Jewish conspiracies
. The magazine had problems in its distribution, as it was thought that Borghese's popularity among the Fascist hardliners might reduce Mussolini's influence.
<< Quando pareva vinta Roma antica,
sorse l'invitta decima legione;
vinse sul campo il barbaro nemico,
Roma riebbe pace con onore;
quando l'ignobil 8 di settembre,
abbandonò la patria il traditore,
sorse dal mar la decima flottiglia,
che prese l'armi al grido "per l'onore!".
Decima flottiglia nostra,
che beffasti l'inghilterra,
vittoriosa ad Alessandria,
Malta, Suda e Gibilterra;
vittoriosa già sul mare,
ora pure sulla terra,
vincerai!
Navi d'Italia che ci foste tolte,
non in battaglia, ma col tradimento,
nostri fratelli prigionieri o morti,
noi vi facciamo questo giuramento:
noi vi giuriamo che ritorneremo,
là dove dio volle il tricolore;
noi vi giuriamo che combatteremo,
fin quando avremo pace con onore.
Decima flottiglia nostra,
che beffasti l'inghilterra,
vittoriosa ad Alessandria,
Malta, Algeri e Gibilterra;
vittoriosa già sul mare,
ora pure sulla terra,
vincerai!!!>>
<
On the field she won the barbarous enemy,
Rome regained peace with honor;
when, [in] the ignobil September Eight,
the traitor abandoned the Motherland,
arose from the sea the Tenth Flotilla
who took up arms with the cry "for the honor".
Our [glorious] Tenth Fleet,
that humiliated England,
victorious at Alexandria,
Malta, Souda and Gibraltar;
already victorious over the sea,
now as well on earth,
you will win!
[For] Ships of Italy that were wiped away,
not in battle but by treachery,
our fellows prisoners or dead,
we make this pledge for you:
We swear that we will return later
where God wanted the Tricolour;
We swear that we will fight,
till we'll have peace with honor.
Our [glorious] tenth Flotilla,
that humiliated England,
victorious at Alexandria,
Malta, Algeri and Gibraltar;
already victorious over the sea,
now as well on earth,
you will win!
arrested Borghese while receiving him in Garniano, 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
. 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.
In November 1944 Four frogmen (Malacarne, Sorgetti, Bertoncin, Pavone), who had stayed under German
command, were delivered by fast motorboat and swam into Livorno
harbor to set up a secret sabotage base, but were captured.
The Germans used the Decima mostly in anti-partisan actions on land, rather than against the Allies at sea. Their anti-partisan actions usually took place in small villages, where the partisans were stronger. Some examples:
However, the Xª MAS units also earned a good combat reputation fighting on the frontline against the Allies at Anzio
and on the Gothic Line
. In the last months of the war Xª MAS units were dispatched to the eastern Italian border against Josip Broz Tito
's Partisans
. 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. This left many of Borghese's previous companions in the hands of the partisan resistance . 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.
.
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.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
") was an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
frogman
Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
unit of the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
(Italian Royal Navy) created during the Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
regime.
The acronym MAS
MAS (boat)
Motoscafo Armato Silurante , commonly abbreviated as MAS was a class of fast torpedo armed vessel used by the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II...
also refers to various light torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s used by the Regia Marina during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Decima MAS was active during the Battle of the Mediterranean
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 1940-2 May 1945....
and took part in a number of daring raids on Allied shipping.
These operations used surface boats (such as the Sinking of HMS York
Sinking of HMS York
The Raid on Souda Bay was an Italian Navy's small craft assault on Souda Bay, Crete, during the first hours of 26 March 1941. The Royal Navy heavy cruiser and the Norwegian tanker Pericles were disabled by Italian motor launches and eventually lost....
), manned torpedoes (the Raid on Alexandria
Raid on Alexandria (1941)
The Raid on Alexandria was carried out on 19 December 1941 by Italian Navy forces attacking Royal Navy forces in the harbour of Alexandria.-Background:...
) and Gamma Frogmen (against Gibraltar).
During the campaign Decima MAS took part in more than a dozen operations which sank or damaged 5 warships and 20 merchant ships totalling 130,000 GRT (Gross Register Tonnage) .
In 1943, after the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
was ousted, Italy left the Tripartite Pact
Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact, also the Three-Power Pact, Axis Pact, Three-way Pact or Tripartite Treaty was a pact signed in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis Powers of World War II...
and joined the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. Some of the Xª MAS men who were stationed in German-occupied northern Italy enlisted to fight for Mussolini's newly formed Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
(Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) and retained the unit title, but were primarily employed as an anti-partisan
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
force operating on land. Other Xª MAS men in southern Italy or other Allied-occupied areas joined the Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
The Italian Co-Belligerent Navy , or Navy of the South or Royal Navy , was the navy of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy after the Allied armistice with Italy in September 1943...
as part of the Mariassalto (Naval Assault) unit.
See Italian commando frogmen
Italian commando frogmen
COMSUBIN is the elite combat frogman force and one of the Italian special forces....
for the COMSUBIN frogman corps currently serving the Italian Republic, and for their post-World War II actions.
Historical background
In World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, on November 1, 1918, Raffaele Paolucci and Raffaele Rossetti of the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
rode a manned torpedo
Human torpedo
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of rideable submarine used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic design is still in use today; they are a type of diver propulsion vehicle....
(nicknamed Mignatta or "leech") into the harbour of Pula, where they sank the Austro-Hungarian
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
and the freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Wien using limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
s. They had no underwater breathing sets
Scuba set
A scuba set is an independent breathing set that provides a scuba diver with the breathing gas necessary to breathe underwater during scuba diving. It is much used for sport diving and some sorts of work diving....
, 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
Spearfishing is an ancient method of fishing that has been used throughout the world for millennia. Early civilizations were familiar with the custom of spearing fish from rivers and streams using sharpened sticks....
without breathing apparatus became popular on the Mediterranean coast of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy. This spurred the development of modern swimfin
Swimfin
Swimfins, swim fins, fins or flippers are worn on the foot or leg and made from finlike rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities such as swimming, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kneeboarding, riverboarding, and various types of underwater diving.Scuba divers use...
s, diving mask
Diving mask
A diving mask is an item of diving equipment that allows scuba divers, free-divers, and snorkelers to see clearly underwater. When the human eye is in direct contact with water as opposed to air, its normal environment, light entering the eye is refracted by a different angle and the eye is unable...
s and snorkels.
In the 1930s Italian sport spearfishermen began using industrial or submarine-escape oxygen rebreather
Rebreather
A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
s, starting scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
in Italy.
Unit origins
This new type of diving came to the attention of the Regia Marina which founded the first special forcesSpecial forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
underwater frogman unit, later copied by the Royal Navy
British commando frogmen
Britain's commando frogman force is now the Special Boat Service , which is part of the Royal Marines. They perform various operations on land as well as in the water....
and United States Navy
Underwater Demolition Team
The Underwater Demolition Teams were an elite special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. They also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
. Capitano di Fregata
Frigate Captain
Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries.It is, usually, equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander.Countries using this rank include Argentina and Spain , France , Belgium , Italy ,...
(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
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
s Teseo Tesei
Teseo Tesei
Major Teseo Tesei was an Italian naval officer, who invented the human torpedo used by the Regia Marina during World War II.-Life:...
and Elios Toschi of the naval combat engineers
Combat engineering
A combat engineer, also called pioneer or sapper in many armies, is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions...
. The two resurrected Paolucci's and Rossetti's concept of manned torpedoes.
In 1941, Commander Vittorio Moccagatta 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
Human torpedo
Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of rideable submarine used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic design is still in use today; they are a type of diver propulsion vehicle....
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
Accademia Navale di Livorno
The Italian Naval Academy is a coeducational military university in Leghorn , which is responsible for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy.-The Hospital of St. James:...
in Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
.
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 NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
battleships and (both of which, after months of work, were refloated and returned to action), wrecked the heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
and the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, damaged the destroyer and sank or damaged 20 merchant ships including supply ships and tankers. During the course of the war, the Decima MAS was awarded the Golden Medal of Military Valour
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...
and individual members were awarded a total of 29 Golden Medals of Military Valour
Gold Medal of Military Valor
The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...
, 104 Silver Medals of Military Valour
Silver Medal of Military Valor
The Silver Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.Italian medals for valor were first instituted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia on May 21, 1793, with a gold medal, and, below it, a silver medal...
and 33 Bronze Medals of Military Valour
Bronze Medal of Military Valor
The Bronze Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal for gallantry.It was established by Charles Albert of Sardinia on March 26, 1833, along with the higher ranking Gold and Silver Medals for Military valor...
.
1940
- June 10, 1940: Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
declared war on BritainUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. - August 22, 1940: While preparing for an attack on the British naval base at AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, 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 BombaGulf of BombaThe Gulf of Bomba is a gulf on the coast of Libya....
off TobrukTobrukTobruk or Tubruq is a city, seaport, and peninsula on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District and has a population of 120,000 ....
, LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, by British land-based Fairey SwordfishFairey SwordfishThe Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
torpedo bomberTorpedo bomberA torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s. Teseo Tesei survived the attack, but casualties among the submarine crew were heavy. - September 21, 1940: The Italian submarine Gondar600-Serie Adua class submarineThe Italian Adua-class submarine was the fourth subclass of the 600 Series of coastal submarines of the Regia Marina that served during World War II....
departed La SpeziaLa SpeziaLa Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
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 destroyer 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 BorgheseJunio Valerio BorghesePrince Junio Valerio Scipione Borghese was an Italian Navy commander during the regime of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and was a prominent hard-line fascist politician in post-war Italy.-Early career:Junio Valerio Borghese was born in Artena, Province of Rome, Kingdom of Italy...
, departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes and four crews, for a planned attack on the British naval base at GibraltarGibraltarGibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. 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 SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and returned to Italy. Valuable experience was gained in this operation. Gino Birindelli received the Medaglia d'Oro al Valor Militare (MOVM), his second, Damos Paccagnini received the Medaglia d'Argento al Valore Militare (MAVM).
1941
- March 25, 1941: The Italian destroyers CrispiSella class destroyerSella class destroyer were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1920s. Two of these ships fought in World War II and both were sunk after the Italian capitulation to the Allies...
and SellaSella class destroyerSella class destroyer were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1920s. Two of these ships fought in World War II and both were sunk after the Italian capitulation to the Allies...
departed LerosLerosLeros is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride . Leros is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit...
island in the AegeanAegean SeaThe Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
at night, each carrying 3 small (2-ton) MTM (Motoscafo da turismo modificato) motor assault boats of the Decima MAS. Each MTM (nicknamed barchini or "little boats") carried a 300 kg (660 lb) explosive charge in its bowBow (ship)The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
. The one-pilot craft were launched by the destroyers 10 miles off Suda Bay, CreteCreteCrete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, where several British Royal Navy warships and auxiliary ships were at anchor. The MTMs were specially equipped to make their way through obstacles such as torpedo netsTorpedo netsTorpedo nets were a passive naval warship defensive device against torpedoes. Their use was common practice from the 1890s through World War II...
; 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 cruiserHeavy cruiserThe heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
, a large tanker (the Norwegian Pericles of 8,300 tons), another tanker, and a cargo ship. Two MTMs hit the York amidships, flooding her aft boilers and magazines. The 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 daring Italian sailors were captured. The disabled York was later scuttled with demolition charges by her crew before the German capture of Crete, while the Pericles sank in April 1941 en route to Alexandria.
- May 25, 1941: The Sciré departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes. At CadizCádizCadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
it secretly loaded eight Decima MAS crewmen. At Gibraltar, they found no warships because , and had been ordered to the AtlanticAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
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.
- July 26, 1941: Two Maiale and ten MAS boats (including six barchini) unsuccessfully attacked the port of VallettaVallettaValletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. The force was detected early on by a British radarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
installation, but the British coastal batteries held their fire until the Italians approached to close range. 15 Decima MAS crewmen were killed (including Commander Moccagatta) and 18 captured. Teseo Tesei and Petty OfficerPetty OfficerA petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
Alcide Pedretti on one torpedo died by Fort St. Elmo as they attempted to destroy the outer defenses of the harbour. LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Franco Costa and Sgt.SergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
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 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 loaded eight crewmen for them. At Gibraltar, the manned torpedoes sank three ships: the tankersTanker (ship)A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
Denbydale and Fiona Shell and the cargo shipCargo shipA cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
Durham. All six crewmen swam to Spain and returned safely to Italy, where they were decorated, as were the crew of the Sciré. - December 3, 1941: The Sciré departed La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes to conduct what became the Raid on Alexandria (1941)Raid on Alexandria (1941)The Raid on Alexandria was carried out on 19 December 1941 by Italian Navy forces attacking Royal Navy forces in the harbour of Alexandria.-Background:...
. At the island of LerosLerosLeros is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride . Leros is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit...
in the Aegean SeaAegean SeaThe Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, six Decima MAS crewmen came aboard, including LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Luigi Durand de la PenneLuigi Durand De La PenneLuigi Durand de la Penne was an Italian naval diver in Decima MAS during World War II. De la Penne was born in Genoa, where he also died.De la Penne graduated from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1934...
. On December 19 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 destroyerDestroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
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 Valiants 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 the Valiant, the battleship , the Norwegian tanker Sagona and badly damaged the destroyer HMS JervisHMS Jervis (F00)HMS Jervis was a J-class destroyer of the Royal Navy named after Admiral John Jervis . Jervis was laid down by R. and W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, at Hebburn-on-Tyne on 26 August 1937...
. 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 LerosLerosLeros is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean Sea. It lies 317 km from Athens's port of Piraeus, from which it can be reached by an 11-hour ferry ride . Leros is part of the Kalymnos peripheral unit...
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 AlgecirasAlgecirasAlgeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
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 ScirèItalian submarine Sciré (1938)The Italian submarine Scirè was an Italian Adua-class submarine, which served during World War II in the Regia Marina. It was named after the Ethiopian region of Shire, at the time part of Italian East Africa.At the beginning of the war, Scirè was commanded by Junio Valerio Borghese, and based in...
was sunk by HMS Islay while attempting to attack the port of HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in British PalestineMandate PalestineMandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
. She had 11 frogmen onboard. - August 29, 1942: Off El Daba, Egypt. The Hunt class destroyerHunt class destroyerThe Hunt class was a class of Destroyer escort of the Royal Navy. The first vessels were ordered early in 1939, and the class saw extensive service in World War II, particularly on the British East Coast and Mediterranean convoys. They were named after British fox hunts...
was torpedoed at close range by an MTSM, a torpedo-carrying version of the MTMMTM-Computing and electronic games:* Mario's Time Machine, an educational game for the SNES* Midtown Madness, a series of racing computer games* Monster Truck Madness, another series of racing computer games-Science, technology, medicine and engineering:...
. 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 SpeziaLa SpeziaLa Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
to attack AlgiersAlgiers' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, 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 chargeDepth chargeA depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
. Their bodies were recovered, and their swimfinSwimfinSwimfins, swim fins, fins or flippers are worn on the foot or leg and made from finlike rubber or plastic, to aid movement through the water in water sports activities such as swimming, bodyboarding, bodysurfing, kneeboarding, riverboarding, and various types of underwater diving.Scuba divers use...
s were taken and used by two of Gibraltar's British guard divers (who dived with Davis Escape Sets and (up to here) breaststrokeBreaststrokeThe breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
swimming and no fins) (Sydney KnowlesSydney KnowlesSydney Knowles, born circa 1920, was a British frogman in and after World War II.He was one of a group of underwater guard divers who checked for limpet mines in Gibraltar harbour during the period of Italian frogman and manned torpedo attacks. They dived with Davis Escape Sets, which until then...
and Commander Lionel CrabbLionel CrabbLionel "Buster" Crabb OBE, GM was a British Royal Navy frogman and MI6 diver who vanished during a reconnaissance mission around a Soviet cruiser in 1956.-Early life:...
). 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 tanker Olterra to attack Gibraltar in bad weather and sank two British freighters and an American Liberty shipLiberty shipLiberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
. All returned safely to the Olterra.
- May 1943 : Borghese becomes unit commander when Forza returned to sea
- July 25, 1943: Italian dictator Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
was replaced by Field Marshal Pietro BadoglioPietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
as the head of the Italian Government. - July 1943: Xª MAS single frogman sank or crippled the ship Kaituna (10,000 tons) at MersinMersin-Mersin today:Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast, with Turkey's second tallest skyscraper , huge hotels, an opera house, expensive real estate near the sea or up in the hills, and many other modern urban...
in TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. - 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.
- August 1943: Xª MAS single frogman sank or crippled the Norwegian cargo ship Fernplant (7000 tons) at İskenderunIskenderunİskenderun is a city and urban district in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The current mayor is Yusuf Hamit Civelek .-Names:...
in TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
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 type), and a planned raid on New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
were called off due to the Italian surrender.
Summary of Allied ships sunk or damaged by Decima Mas
| Date | Place | Ship(s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 1941 | Suda Bay | Cruiser (disabled, wrecked after salvage abandoned) Tanker Pericles Tanker (probably) Steamship (probably) |
| September 1941 | Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
Tanker Denby Dale Tanker Fiona Shell Motorship Durham |
| December 1941 | Alexandria Alexandria Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving... |
Battleship (repaired and returned to action) Battleship (repaired and returned to action) Tanker Sagona Destroyer (in dock for 6 weeks for repairs) |
| June 1942 | Sebastopol Sevastopol Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa.... |
Military transport (USSR) Small craft (USSR) Two Soviet submarines |
| July 1942 | Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
Steamship Meta SS Empire Snipe (out of service to October 1942) Steamship Shuma Steamship Baron Dougla |
| August 1942 | El Daba | Destroyer (disabled, used as base ship thereafter) |
| September 1942 | Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
Steamship Raven's Point |
| December 1942 | Algiers Algiers ' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000... |
Steamship Ocean Vanquisher Steamship Berta Steamship Armattan Tanker Empire Centaur (repaired) Military Transport N.59 (U.S.) |
| May 1943 | Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
Steamship Pat Harrison (U.S.) Steamship Mahsud Steamship Camerata |
| July 1943 | Alexandretta | Motorship Orion (Greek) |
| July 1943 | Mersina | Motorship Kaituna |
| August 1943 | Alexandretta | Motorship Fernplant (Norwegian) |
| August 1943 | Gibraltar Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region... |
Steamship Harrison Gray Otis (U.S.) Steamship Stanridge Tanker Thorshøvdi (Norwegian) |
Successor units
Following the armisticeArmistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
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.
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
Italian Co-Belligerent Navy
The Italian Co-Belligerent Navy , or Navy of the South or Royal Navy , was the navy of the Italian royalist forces fighting on the side of the Allies in southern Italy after the Allied armistice with Italy in September 1943...
.
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.
The new unit was named Marassalto, but continued to be an elite naval force mounting special operations at sea.
In the north German occupied north Mussolini set up an Italian Socialist Republic
Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
(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 headquartered in Caserma del Muggiano, La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
. 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 Army (Wehrmacht Heer), under the command of SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
General Karl Wolff
Karl Wolff
Karl Friedrich Otto Wolff was a high-ranking member of the Nazi Schutzstaffel , ultimately holding the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer and General of the Waffen-SS. He became Chief of Personal Staff to the Reichsführer and SS Liaison Officer to Hitler until his replacement in 1943...
.
Mariassalto
The Mariassalto was set up at TarantoTaranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
alongside the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
frogman force
British commando frogmen
Britain's commando frogman force is now the Special Boat Service , which is part of the Royal Marines. They perform various operations on land as well as in the water....
in the Mediterranean. Forza was pleased to demonstrate Italian expertise in this area to the British, and the group was also keen to be in action, that if they were caught they would almost certainly have be shot.
However Allied naval supremacy had left a dearth of targets for the group.
In June 1944 came an opportunity to take action, in Operation QWZ, a joint mission against targets in La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
harbour.
The attack was against the Italian cruisers Bolzano and Gorizia, 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 Charioteers would attack the cruisers whilst Mariassalto's Gamma Frogmen would attack U-boats penned in the harbour.
On 2 June 1944 the Italian destroyer Grecale sailed from Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
to La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
carrying three speedboats, and Italian frogmen including Luigi Durand De La Penne
Luigi Durand De La Penne
Luigi Durand de la Penne was an Italian naval diver in Decima MAS during World War II. De la Penne was born in Genoa, where he also died.De la Penne graduated from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1934...
, 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 aircraft carrier Aquila
Italian aircraft carrier Aquila
Aquila was an Italian aircraft carrier converted from the trans-Atlantic passenger liner during World War II. Work on Aquila began in late 1941 at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa and continued for the next two years. With the signing of the Italian armistice on 8 September 1943, however, all work...
, just completed in Genoa.
For this the Mariassalto men would make use of a British Chariot, as they had none of their own SLC available.
On 18 April 1945 the destroyer Legionario, carrying two motorboats equipped with chariots sailed for Genoa led by G Manisco. One chariot broke down and had to be abandoned, but the other team succeeded in laying a charge under Aquila. The charge exploded as planned, but the ship remained afloat, and was later sunk by the Germans as a blockship to the harbour.
Decima MAS (RSI)
Some Xª MAS men who were in German-occupied Italy remained part of the AxisAxis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
forces, joining the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
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 "honourHonour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
" in defending Italy from the "betrayal
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, strong anti-semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
in the wake of stronger Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
influence, and a call to defend the territorial integrity of Italy against the Allies. This was quite ironic, as the Third Reich was already annexing northeastern Italian territories and integrating them directly into the Reich as the Prealpine Operations Zone and Operational Zone Adriatic Coast.
The corps had its own weekly magazine, L'orizzonte ("The Horizon"), in which authors such as Giovanni Preziosi
Giovanni Preziosi
Giovanni Preziosi was an Italian fascist politician noted for his anti-Semitism.- Early career :...
wrote vehemently anti-Semitic articles about Jewish conspiracies
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
. 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
(literally)sorse l'invitta decima legione;
vinse sul campo il barbaro nemico,
Roma riebbe pace con onore;
quando l'ignobil 8 di settembre,
abbandonò la patria il traditore,
sorse dal mar la decima flottiglia,
che prese l'armi al grido "per l'onore!".
Decima flottiglia nostra,
che beffasti l'inghilterra,
vittoriosa ad Alessandria,
Malta, Suda e Gibilterra;
vittoriosa già sul mare,
ora pure sulla terra,
vincerai!
Navi d'Italia che ci foste tolte,
non in battaglia, ma col tradimento,
nostri fratelli prigionieri o morti,
noi vi facciamo questo giuramento:
noi vi giuriamo che ritorneremo,
là dove dio volle il tricolore;
noi vi giuriamo che combatteremo,
fin quando avremo pace con onore.
Decima flottiglia nostra,
che beffasti l'inghilterra,
vittoriosa ad Alessandria,
Malta, Algeri e Gibilterra;
vittoriosa già sul mare,
ora pure sulla terra,
vincerai!!!>>
On the field she won the barbarous enemy,
Rome regained peace with honor;
when, [in] the ignobil September Eight,
the traitor abandoned the Motherland,
arose from the sea the Tenth Flotilla
who took up arms with the cry "for the honor".
Our [glorious] Tenth Fleet,
that humiliated England,
victorious at Alexandria,
Malta, Souda and Gibraltar;
already victorious over the sea,
now as well on earth,
you will win!
[For] Ships of Italy that were wiped away,
not in battle but by treachery,
our fellows prisoners or dead,
we make this pledge for you:
We swear that we will return later
where God wanted the Tricolour;
We swear that we will fight,
till we'll have peace with honor.
Our [glorious] tenth Flotilla,
that humiliated England,
victorious at Alexandria,
Malta, Algeri and Gibraltar;
already victorious over the sea,
now as well on earth,
you will win!
Relations with the RSI
Relationships with the Italian Social Republic were not easy. On January 14, 1944 Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
arrested Borghese while receiving him in Garniano, 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
Salò is a town and commune in the Province of Brescia in the region of Lombardy on the banks of Lake Garda. The city was the capital of Italian Social Republic from 1943 to 1945, with the ISR often being called the "Republic of Salò" .-History:Salò was founded in the Roman period as Pagus...
. 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
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
command, were delivered by fast motorboat and swam into Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
harbor to set up a secret sabotage base, but were captured.
Anti-partisan actions
- Forno: 68 persons, mostly civilians and some partisans, were killed by a combination of German 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: 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 tortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
with whipWhipA whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
s and gasolineGasolineGasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and summary executionSummary executionA summary execution is a variety of execution in which a person is killed on the spot without trial or after a show trial. Summary executions have been practiced by the police, military, and paramilitary organizations and are associated with guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, terrorism, and...
s of partisans.
However, the Xª MAS units also earned a good combat reputation fighting on the frontline against the Allies at Anzio
Anzio
Anzio is a city 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 Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
and on the Gothic Line
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
. In the last months of the war Xª MAS units were dispatched to the eastern Italian border against Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
. On April 26, 1945 in what is now the Piazza della Repubblica in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, 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. This left many of Borghese's previous companions in the hands of the partisan resistance . 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 ParacadutistiParacadutisti-History:The first units of Italian parachutists were trained and formed shortly before the Second World War in Castel Benito, near Tripoli, where the first Military Parachute School was located....
' 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
See Italian commando frogmenItalian commando frogmen
COMSUBIN is the elite combat frogman force and one of the Italian special forces....
.
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.
In popular culture
- The Decima MAS’ Gibraltar operations are depicted in the 1958 British film The Silent EnemyThe Silent Enemy (film)The Silent Enemy is a 1958 action film directed by William Fairchild. It stars Laurence Harvey as Lionel "Buster" Crabb and describes his exploits during World War II...
- The Uniforms of the Decima Flottiglia MAS are used by the collaborationists in Salò o le 120 giornate di SodomaSalò o le 120 giornate di SodomaSalò, or the 120 Days of Sodom , commonly referred to as Salò, is a controversial 1975 Italian drama film written and directed by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini with uncredited writing contributions by Pupi Avati. It is based on the book The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade...
. - The Raid on AlexandriaRaid on AlexandriaThe Raid on Alexandria was a British victory during the War of 1812, which gained much plunder at little cost but may have contributed to the later British repulse at Baltimore by imposing delay on their main forces.-Background:...
is depicted in the 1962 British film The ValiantThe Valiant (1962 film)The Valiant is a 1962 film directed by Roy Ward Baker, and starring John Mills, Ettore Manni, Roberto Risso, Robert Shaw, and Liam Redmond. Based on the Italian manned torpedo attack against two British battleships at the port of Alexandria in December 1941.- See also :*HMS Valiant*Luigi Durand de... - In the Italian film My Brother is an Only ChildMy Brother is an Only ChildMy Brother Is an Only Child is a 2007 Italian drama film directed by Daniele Luchetti. It is based on an Antonio Pennacchi's novel. The title comes from a song by Rino Gaetano from 1976.-Plot:This summary covers approximately the first half of the film....
, set in the 1960s, a young Communist refers to the Decima Mas, and their "dungeon" on Via Tasso.
See also
- MAS (ship)
- Auxiliary ship OlterraAuxiliary ship OlterraThe auxiliary ship Olterra was a 5,000 tons Italian tanker scuttled by her own crew at Algeciras bay on 10 June 1940, after the entry of Italy in World War II...
- Military history of Gibraltar during World War IIMilitary history of Gibraltar during World War IIThe military history of Gibraltar during World War II exemplifies Gibraltar's position as a British fortress since the early 18th century and as a vital factor in British military strategy, both as a foothold on the continent of Europe, and as a bastion of British sea power...
Books
More information about the Decima Mas is in these books:-- "Frogmen First Battles" by retired U.S Captain William Schofield's book (ISBN 0-8283-2088-8)
- "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 PressDa Capo PressDa Capo Press, is an American publishing company with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers. it had additional offices in offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Emeryville, California...
, 2004 284 pages, hardcover (ISBN 0-306-81311-4) - "Sea Devils" by J. Valerio Borghese, translated into English by James Cleugh, with introduction by the United States Naval InstituteUnited States Naval InstituteThe United States Naval Institute , based at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is a private, non-profit, professional military association that seeks to offer independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national defense issues...
(ISBN 1-55750-072-X) - Paul Kemp : Underwater Warriors (1997) ISBN 1-85409-455-6