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OddFightingUnits:ItalianFrogmen Selecioneoidioma

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andtheHumanTorpedoesofthe
Battleof DecimaFlottigliaMAS,19401943 Warfare
KhalkhinGol HistoryBlog
TheDecimaFlottigliaMAS(DecimaFlottigliaMezzid'Assalto)knownasLa
1939 DecimaorXMAS,theItalian10thAssaultVehicleFlotillawasanelitenaval
unitactiveinWorldWarfrom19401945.Thiselitebrigadeoffrogmen,
sailors,andnavalcommandosmostrenownedservicecamebetween1941
1943whentheyundertookanultimatelyfailedbutrathercostlycampaign
againstAlliedmilitaryvesselsandcommerceshippingintheMediterranean.

JapaneseSovietBorder
Warof19381939

TheBattleof Military
ThreeKings HistoryNow
KsarElKebir,
1578

ThisIsWar:Ablog
KingSebastian'sGreat highlyrecommendedto
DefeatinMorocco thosewhomayenjoy
ArtistDepictionofItalianRegiaMarinaFrogmen,c.1941 theWarfareHistorian

SpartacusWar WhenexaminingtheimpactthattheItalian10thMAShadduringitsyearsof
7371BC serviceforBenitoMussolinis(b.18831945)governmentfrom19401943,
War&Roses
onemustunderstandthediversecompositionofthebrigadeitself.Essentially 1470:Lancaster
fourdifferentbranchescomprisedtheunitduringitsfightagainsttheBritish orYork
RoyalNavyandAlliedshipping,theGammafrogmen,mannedtorpedocraft,
midgetsubmarines,andassaultmotorboatcraft.

EarlyDevelopmentoftheItalianAssaultFlotillas,19171940

PioneeringItalianfrogmenandnavalofficers(RegiaMarina)Raffaele
Rossetti(18811951)madehistoryinearlyNovember1918whenheand
anotherItaliandiversnuckintoPulaHarbor(moderndayCroatia)guidinga
GreatRomanGladiator
War crudeearlymannedtorpedonicknamedthemignatta,theleech,intothebow
oftheAustroHungarianbattleshiptheSMSViribusUnitis,sinkingthevessel WarfareHistory'sRPG
aswellasanothermerchantship. Gamesetinmedieval
Hotspur's Englandhostedat
ObsidianPortal.com
Wars,1388 TheItaliansrespectedandpursued(slowly)alternativemeanstobuildinga
1403 greatbattleshipfleetbecausetheyknewtheBritishandtheFrenchcould
outclassthemmanytimesoverinmainbattleshipsanddestroyers.Mussolini MostPopular
andtheItalianNavalcommandfrom19351941realizedthattheycouldinflict
Posts
lossesonthislargernaviesusingsmallmaneuverablecrafts.Thoughthere
werenumeroustypesofcraftbuilttheywereallknowncolloquiallyas KingKamehamehaThe
barchino,thelittleboats. Conqueror&TheWars
ofHawaiianUnification,
17821795
Theseassaultmotorboatsweredesignedtobeonetotwomanassaultcraft,
somewereweaponsmotortorpedoboatswhilstotherwereexplosiveladen AngkorianWarfare1113
weaponssystems.Arenewedinterestinmannedtorpedoesandnaval 1220:Theconflictsof
SirHenryPercy's theKhmerEmpirefrom
SuryavarmanIIto
militarycareerfrom assaultcraftbeganin1935.ItaliannavalofficersTeseoTeseiandElios SuryavarmanIIto
OtterburntoShrewsbury JayavarmanVII
Toschispearheadedtheseearlyeffortstoperfectthetwomanselfpropelled
torpedo.Theireffortsfrom19351936weildedseveralprototypesbutthe
WarandRoses:Battles
basicslowspeedtorpedo(SLC)designusedduringWorldWar2cametobe andWarfarein
SovietPolish England'sWarofthe
knownasthemaiale,orthehog(pig).
War19191921 Roses,14611471

OddFightingUnits:
Trotsky'sRed100and
ArmoredTrainsofthe
RussianCivilWar

RussoPolishConflict: Spartacus'War:The
GreatRomanGladiator
BattleofWarsawand
Revolt,7371BC
theVistula1920
TheHaitianRevolution:
SlaveRevolts,CivilWar,
Taiping andRevolutioninHaiti,
Rebellion 17911804

OuterMongolian
Revolution:Tibetan
BuddhistHolyWarriors
&theAsiaticCavalry
Division,19191922

TheBoxerRebellion
WesternInterventionin 18991901:EightNation
China,18501864 AllianceandtheBloody
DefeatoftheChinese
Boxer'Braves'

Yankee TheNightAttack1462:
ItalianNavyCaptainTeseoTesei(b.19091941)
Pennamite VladtheImpalerand
theOttomanWallachian
Wars Weighingnearly1.5tonsthemaialecraftwereheavy,ungainlyand Warof14611476
unreliablebeastswhichwereveryhardtosteerandpronetomechanical
LordCardiganandthe
mishaps.TheoreticallytheSLCmannedtorpedoescouldto23knotsata
ChargeoftheLight
depthof5075feet.Thewarheadplacedattheendofthemannedtorpedo Brigade:TheBattleof
detachedallowingthetwomancrewtoattachthe550+poundexplosiveto Balaclava,1854
thehullofanenemyship.TheFrogmenschoolattachedtothe10thAssault
MASandtotheNavalInfantrywasarguablythemostelitesectioninallofthe
Italiannavyduringthewar. Total
TheConnecticut Pageviews
PennsylvanianConflict, Onlyabout50Gammagroup(frogmen)assaultswimmerssawactionfrom
17691794 19401943.Theselectioncoursefortheseswimmingsaboteurswasbrutally 614,781
challengingandwecanassumethatthemenwhopassedselectionwere
mostcertainlyeliteswimmers.TheyworetheadvancedBellonidivesuits,
Warof
designedbyLt.AngeloBellonioftheXMASFlotilla,andwereequippedwith
Hawaiian thePirelliAROrebreathers.Gammafrogmenhadtheusetwotanksofpure
Unification oxygenforabout6hoursofunderwaterbreathing,plusadiveknife,and
mostworeawristcompassanddivewatchaswell.

KingKamehameha&
Warfareintheislandsof
Hawaii,17821795

NestorMakhno

Ukraine'sAnarchist
Peasantguerrilla,1917
1921 XMASdiverwearingaBellonidivesuitwitharebreather
Gammafrogmenweretoswimundetectedunderneathenemyvesselsafter
beingdroppeddiscreetlyinenemywatersbysubmarinesormotortorpedo
boat.Theywouldthenattach1025poundexplosivechargeormagnetic
limpetminetothehulloftheenemiesship.TherestofItalianFrogmencrews
weretrainedinbasicreconnaissance,saboteurtraining,andinthepilotingof
mannedtorpedocraftandassaultboats.TheLaDecimaunitsserviceinthe
Mediterraneanbeganwithadreadfulstringoffailedoperationafterfailed
operation.

InFebruaryof1940theDecimaFlottigliaMASwasformallycreatedby
meldingallofthepreviousAdriatic/MediterraneanflotillasandtheSpecial
WeaponsSectionoftheRegiaMarinaintoonecohesiveunit.Theveryfirst
SLCmannedtorpedooperationsinAugustandSeptember1940were
completeandtotalfailures.Inoneoperationledbythegodfatherandcreator
ofthemannedtorpedoprogram,CaptainTesei'sSLCexperienced
malfunctioningequipmentwhichforcedhimandhiscrewtocruisetothe
SpanishcoastwhereoneofthecraftwasconfiscatedbyFrancoist
authorities.

SLCMannedTorpedoc.1942

Thelargestandmostcostlyearlyoperativefailurescameon2627July
attackagainstVallettathecapitalofMaltabytwoSLCmannedtorpedoesand
nineMASassaultmotorboats.Thetaskforcequicklypenetratedtheharbor
butwerespottedandexposedtosavageartilleryandsmallarmscrossfire.
BritishHawkerHurricanesbombedthemfromtheairandtheraidturnedinto
acalamitousdeathtrapforthosewhohadbeenspottedonthesurfaceofthe
harborwaters.Capt.Teseisacrificedhimselfbyblowinguphismanned
torpedoanddestroyingtheSt.ElmosBridgeinalastactofsuicidalbravery.
TheItalianslostalltheircraftsaveforoneofthebarchino,fifteenwerekilled
includingtheDecimaFlottigliascommandingofficer,thefounderoftheItalian
mannedtorpedoprogramCapt.Tesei,andeighteenmoreweretaken
prisoner.

ItalianSLCMannedTorpedo

BattleRecord,19411943

InMarch1941,LaDecimaassaultmotorboatscarriedoutaminorsuccessful
raidagainsttheBritishatSoudaBayoffthecoastofCrete.Inthisactionthe
HMSYorkwasseverelydamagedandanothermerchantshipwassunk.The
nextsuccessofthebrigadecameinSeptemberof41whenthreemanned
torpedoesmadeasuccessfulattackonthreemerchantshipsnearGibraltar,
sinkingoneofthevessels.ThecrowningachievementoftheItalian'sSLC
mannedtorpedoprogramcameon1819December1941whenthreeSLC
cruisedintoAlexandriaHarborafterbeingdroppedbythesubmarineScir
commandedbyJunioValerioBorghese(b.19061974).

ThreecrewsofsixGammafrogmenfoundtargets,theHMSQueenElizabeth,
theHMSValiant,andthemerchanttankerSagona,damagingallseverely
withexplosivecharges.BothBritishbattleshipswereseverelydamagedand
anotherdestroyerwasalsodamagedatalossofeightBritishsailorsthough
allsixfrogmenwerecapturedintheaction.Lt.LuigiDuranddelaPenne
(b.19141992)wasthefrogmanwhowreckedtheQueenElizabethalthough
hewascapturedafterattachingamagneticminetothebottomoftheship.
ThisactionlefttheBritishwithonlyaskeletonforceoflightcruisersand
destroyersintheMediterranean.

ItalianSLCc.1942

Lt.delaPenneservedasanassaultswimmerfortheAlliesafterhiscapture
andwasawardedtheGoldMedalofMilitaryValourina1944ceremony
attendedbyAdmiralSirAndrewCunningham,thecommandingofficerwhose
shiphehadcrippledthreeyearsearlier.InthemodernItalianNavy(Marina
Militare)DuranddelaPennehasaclassofdestroyersnamedafterhimand
isstillcelebratedasaheroofthemodernItaliannavy.

FromJune1942toAugust1943,the10thAssaultFlotillawasinvolvedin
numeroussinkingsandtheseveredamagingofAlliedshipsfromSevastopol
intheCrimeatoAlgiersinNorthAfrica.Duringthisperiodthe10thFlotilla
sankordamagedshipsfromtheUnitedStates,Britain,Greece,theSoviet
Union,andfromNorwayamongstmanyothernations.Italianassault
motorboatsandmidgetsubmarinesoperatedintheBlackSeawithlittle
notableresultsduring194243aswellinanattempttoaidtheirGerman
alliesontheEasternFront.

SubLt.LuigiDuranddelaPenne,Gammasaboteurc.1941
TheGammafrogmenenjoyedastringsuccessesdisproportionatetotheir
sizeandlengthofservicerecord.TheirfirstoperationwaslaunchedinJulyof
1942whentwelveswimmingsaboteursdamagedthreemerchantships
moorednearGibraltar.DuringthelaterlaunchedOperationStellajustone
GammadiversankthreeBritishcargoshipsinneutralTurkishwaters
betweenJuneJuly1943.Italianfrogmensunkordamagednumerouscargo
shipsoffthecoastofNorthAfricaandintheMediterraneanuntilAugust
1943,whenthelastGammaattackwaslaunchedonGibraltar,sinkingthree
merchantvessels.

Conclusion

Bythesummerandfallof1943thewarinNorthAfricaandthe
MediterraneantheatrehadtakenaverybadturnforMussoliniandhis
fascistsmilitarily,diplomatically,andpolitically.The10thMASenjoyedseveral
minorscatteredsuccessesinthesummerof1943beforetheSeptember
ArmisticeofCassibilewhichendedthewarbetweenItaly,nowledbyMarshal
PietroBadogliofollowingacoup(b.18711956)andtheAllies.The10thMAS
unitwasreformedasanantipartisanandnavalcommandobattalion
followingthecreationoftheItalianSocialRepublic(theRSIorRepublicof
Salo),theNazipuppetstateinnorthernItaly.NowledbyCommanderJunio
ValerioBorghese,theDecimabecameanearindependentaxisallied
battalion,combatingItalianpartisansandYugoslavguerillasinthenorthand
latertheAlliesonlandandseabeforetheendofthewarinApril1945.

DecimaFlottigliaMAS,LaDecimaorXMAS

AccordingtoauthorsPieroCrocianiandDr.PierPaoloBattistelliofthe
UniversityOfPadua,fromJune1940toSeptember1943the10thAssault
VehicleFlotillasankover60,000poundsofgrosstonnage.Thesenumbers
donotreflectthethousandsoftonnagelostandshipssunkduetothe
actionsofahandfulofGammaswimmingsaboteurswhofoughtforboththe
AxisandAlliesfrom19401945.Eventhoughthe10thMAShadnogreat
effectontheoutcomeofthewarintheMediterraneanfrom194043the
maiale,barchino,andGammaswimmersarestillrememberedasoneofthe
mostuniqueandoneofthe'elite'formationsoftheItalianarmedforces
duringthereignofMussolini.

SuggestedFurtherReading
ItalianNavy&AirforceEliteUnits&SpecialForces194045.By:P.
Crociani&P.P.Battistelli,IllustratedbyM.Stacey(OspreyPublishing,
2013)

TheBlackPrinceandtheSeaDevils:TheStoryofValerioBorgheseand
theEliteUnitsoftheDecimaMas.(DaCapoPress,Cambridge,
Massachusetts,2004)
 TheRoyalNavyandtheMediterraneanVolumeII,November1940
December1941.EditedbyDavidBrown,(2002).

FrogmenFirstBattles.By:WilliamSchofieldandP.J.Carisella
(BrandenPublishingCompany,Boston,1987).

SeaDevilsSuicideSquadByJ.ValerioBorghese,TranslatedJames
Cleugh.

PostedbyB.Sparksat11:49PM

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