Download or read book Decima Flottiglia MAS written by Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2017-06-25 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Previously unpublished accounts of the Italian frogmen forceMany previously unpublished photos, personal accounts and storiesDetailed accounts of ships destroyed and sunk by Decima Flottiglia MASA highly interesting account of a little-known force A group of determined human torpedoes, motorboat operators and assault swimmers fought bravely for Italy in the Second World War and inspired fear and respect from the British Navy. The actions of these men severely reduced British naval power in the Mediterranean. Even with small numbers and using relatively limited resources, the commandos were a very effective force in the war against the British. By the end of the war, these men would sink or disable over 73,000 tons of Allied warships and over 128,000 tons of merchant shipping. The story of the Italian commandos is one of determination and bravery. Their tactics aroused confusion and nervousness with Allied commanders and their crews. Italy’s Decima Flottiglia Mas predates both the US Navy Underwater Demolition Teams that were formed in 1943 and forerunners of the better-known US Navy SEALs and the British Royal Marines Special Boat Service formed as an offshoot of the Special Air Service in 1941. Perhaps the determination and actions of the Decima Flottiglia Mas qualify them as the best commandos of the Second World War. Illustrations: 16 black-and-white photographs

Download or read book Decima Flottiglia MAS written by Walter S. Zapotoczny, Jr. and published by . This book was released on 2017-05-11 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A group of determined young human torpedoes and assault swimmers fought bravely for Italy in the Second World War, inspiring fear and respect from the British Navy. The actions of these few men severely reduced British naval power in the Mediterranean. Even with small numbers, and using relatively limited resources, the frogmen were a very effective force in the war against the British. By the end of the war, these men would sink or severely disable over 73,000 tons of Allied warships, and over 128,000 tons of merchant shipping. The story of the Italian frogmen is one of determination and bravery. Against overwhelming odds, they were able to inflict considerable damage on Allied shipping. Their tactics also aroused confusion and nervousness with the Allied commanders and their ship's crews. Italy's Decima Flottiglia MAS pre-dates both the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams, formed in 1943 and forerunners of the better-known U.S. Navy SEALs; and the British Royal Marines Special Boat Service formed as an offshoot of the Special Air Service in 1941. Perhaps the determination and actions of the Decima Flottiglia MAS qualify them as the best commandos of the Second World War. This book tells their story.

Download or read book Decima Flottiglia Mas Sea Devils Translated by James Cleugh Etc With Plates Including Portraits written by Prince Junio Valerio BORGHESE and published by . This book was released on 1952 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Sea Devils written by Iunio Valerio Borghese and published by . This book was released on 1954 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Decima Flottiglia MAS X Italian Ww2 Elite Unit written by Genievere KELLY and published by . This book was released on 2021-06-12 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The minimal and well-designed composition notebook perfect for writing notes and jotting down thoughts,this one is just for you. Size 6 x 9 inches , 114 pages

Download or read book Frogman Operations written by Source Wikipedia and published by University-Press.Org. This book was released on 2013-09-12 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 38. Chapters: Decima Flottiglia MAS, Underwater Demolition Team, Human torpedo, Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, Russian commando frogmen, Lionel Crabb, Operation Algeciras, British commando frogmen, Ian Edward Fraser, German commando frogmen, Limpet mine, Junio Valerio Borghese, Italian commando frogmen, Operation Source, Raid on Alexandria, Sydney Knowles, John H. Lang, Battle of Remagen. Excerpt: The Decima Flottiglia MAS (Decima Flottiglia Mezzi d'Assalto, also known as La Decima or X 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 boats 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 X 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 X 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...

Download or read book The Black Prince And The Sea Devils written by Jack Greene and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2009-08-05 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the beginning of World War II, Prince Junio Valerio Borghese, dashing Italian nobleman, assembled the famous Decima MAS naval unit-the first modern naval commando squad. Borghese's "frogmen" were trained to fight undercover and underwater with small submarines and assault boats armed with a variety of destructive torpedoes. The covert tactics he and the Decima MAS developed, including the use of midget submarines, secret nighttime operations, and small teams armed with explosives, have become a standard for special forces around the world to this very day.After the Italian capitulation in 1943, Borghese determinedly fought on as a Fascist commando leader. After the war, he became a man of mystery, variously said to be involved with several right-wing conspiracies, abortive coups, and clandestine activity. The Prince's death in 1974 was every bit as mysterious as his life.Greene and Massignani have drawn upon official archives as well as information from Allied and Axis veterans in an unprecedented attempt to separate fact from fantasy in this detailed examination of Borghese, the Decima MAS, and the Italian naval special forces.

Download or read book Mussolini s War written by John Gooch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A remarkable new history evoking the centrality of Italy to World War II, outlining the brief rise and triumph of the Fascists, followed by the disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign. While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. At that moment, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties, and an Allied invasion in 1943 that ushered in a terrible new era for the country. John Gooch's new history is the definitive account of Italy's war experience. Beginning with the invasion of Abyssinia and ending with Mussolini's arrest, Gooch brilliantly portrays the nightmare of a country with too small an industrial sector, too incompetent a leadership and too many fronts on which to fight. Everywhere—whether in the USSR, the Western Desert, or the Balkans—Italian troops found themselves against either better-equipped or more motivated enemies. The result was a war entirely at odds with the dreams of pre-war Italian planners—a series of desperate improvisations against an allied force who could draw on global resources, and against whom Italy proved helpless.

Download or read book Bersaglieri written by Paul Garson and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2020-05-30 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military historians have often regarded the roll of the Italian military as somewhat "bi-polar." During the First World War, Italy sided with the Allies including Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. against Germany and the Central Powers. During the Second World War it signed on as a member of the Tri-Partite powers joining Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The legacy of the latter often presents a less than positive appraisal of the Italian soldier's performance... one espoused both by its enemies and allies. However a positive consensus appears when focusing on the Bersaglieri... translating as "sharp shooter"... and acting as shock troops often leading both assaults and defences. As "The Tip of the Spear" they would thus pay the price during the Italian Wars of Unification, the early colonial forays into Africa, WWI, the Ethiopian War and lastly WWII with much Bersaglieri blood soaked up by European soil as well as the burning sands of Africa and frozen in the vastness of Russia. Over 300 images including rare unpublished photographs chronicle Italy's elite "Plumed Warriors."

Download or read book Italian Assault Craft 1940 1945 written by Erminio Bagnasco and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2023-06-30 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In stark contrast to the rather modest performance of its large surface fleet in the Second World War, the Italian Navy’s smallest units achieved its most spectacular successes. It made a specialty of unconventional methods of attack – explosive motor boats, human torpedoes and miniature submarines – that were employed with ingenuity and daring to surprise, discomfort and baffle the enemy. In December 1941 the whole balance of the naval war in the Mediterranean was altered by six frogmen riding three of the SLC craft they called maiale (‘pigs’) who penetrated Alexandria harbor to cripple the battleships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, surely one of the most impressive ratios of results to resources in naval history. This book is the first complete history of these craft, both the details of the technology and the history of their deployment. Beginning in the Great War with the extraordinary ‘jumping’ boats designed to scale harbor boom defenses, the story takes in the inter-war development of both lightweight surface craft and underwater systems from small submarines to ‘Gamma’ assault divers. By way of comparison, equivalent developments in other navies are analyzed, including the British ‘chariots’ which were little more than copies of the Italian SLCs. Every operation by these craft is described, cataloging the forces involved and the results, from high-profile successes like the sinking of the cruiser York by explosive motorboat to lesser-known incidents – the use of such craft by the Israelis as late as 1948 for example. Many were carried out by the famous Decima MAS, a unit as legendary in Italy as the SAS in Britain, and this book provides a comprehensive chronicle of their activities. Originally commissioned by CABI Cattaneo that designed and built most of these craft, Italian Assault Craft benefited from unrestricted access to the company’s archives, technical drawings, and photo collection so it is replete with rarely seen illustrations. Very much secret weapons in their day, they are here revealed in full detail for the first time.

Download or read book The Italian Army In North Africa written by Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Previously unpublished analysis of why and how the Italians foughtA look at the role the Italian Army played in North Africa as part of the Deutsches Afrika Korps (German Afrika Korps)In spite of poor leadership, the Italian soldier performed well against all odds in North AfricaProfusely illustrated with many rare and unpublished images ‘The German soldier has impressed the world, however, the Italian Bersagliere soldier has impressed the German soldier.’ Erin Rommel aka ‘The Desert Fox’ When most people think of the Italian Army in North Africa during the Second World War, they tend to believe that the average Italian soldier offered little resistance to the Allies before surrendering. Many suggest that the Italian Army performed in a cowardly manner during the war: the reality is not so simple. The question remains as to whether the Italians were cowards or victims of circumstance. While the Italian soldier’s commitment to the war was not as great as that of his German counterpart, many Italians fought bravely. The Italian Littorio and Ariete Divisions earned Allied admiration at Tobruk, Gazala and EI Alamein. The Italian Army played a significant role as part of the German Afrika Korps and made up a large portion of the Axis combat power in North Africa during 1941 and 1942. In the interest of determining how the Italian Army earned the reputation that it did, it is necessary to analyse why and how the Italians fought.

Download or read book Strangling the Axis written by Richard Hammond and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-06-25 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Hammond offers a major reassessment of the role of the war at sea in Allied victory in the Mediterranean region.

Download or read book Italian Navy Air Force Elite Units Special Forces 1940 45 written by Piero Crociani and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-20 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume assesses the formidable Special Forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II. Italian Navy Special Forces were particularly active and respected in the Mediterranean, where 10th Motor-Torpedo Boat Flotilla used frogmen, 'two-man torpedoes' and explosive ram-boats. The Italian Air Force formed a special commando unit, ADRA, before the 1943 surrender; it was tasked with attacking Allied airfields and communications in North Africa. Men from ADRA and Army paratroopers formed the new 'Folgore' Regiment, which also continued to fight alongside German forces until 1945. In both cases, the pro-Allied Italian forces also formed 'mirror' units to fight alongside US and British forces, including the Recce Squadron 'F'. Featuring rare photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this book tells the story of the little-known elite forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II, some of whose successors remain in service with today's Italian armed forces.

Download or read book The Aztec Eagles written by Walte Zapotoczny Jr and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2019-12-08 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few would list Mexico as an ally of the US during the Second World War. Sadly, Mexico s aid to the US has been largely ignored by historians and is mostly absent from American history books. When Mexican aviators had the opportunity to show their courage in battle, they did so with valour. General Douglas MacArthur commended the pilots and 150 support personnel. The thirty-one pilots of Mexican Expeditionary Force 201st Fighter Squadron flew missions supporting troops in the Philippines and sorties over Formosa. The Aztec Eagles helped the Allies defeat Japan, end the isolationism of Mexico and paved the way for important agreements between the United States and Mexico. They helped modernise the Mexican Air Force and demonstrated that Mexico could mount a successful expeditionary force. Significant as these achievements were, perhaps the unit s most important legacy is that the Aztec Eagles fought for dignity, creating pride throughout their homeland. That pride endures and is evident today as the story of the Aztec Eagles can be heard across the nation.

Download or read book Decima flottiglia mas written by Junio Valerio Borghese and published by . This book was released on 1967 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Strafbattalion written by Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2017-12-21 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The German Army’s Strafbattalions were infantry units made up largely of convicts, felons, malingerers, thugs and the criminally insanePreviously unpublished story of the unitsThe accounts of the most famous Strafbattalion units in combatA story of little-known Nazi units: Hitler’s ‘Dirty Dozens’ When war broke out in 1939, Hitler created Strafbattalion (Penal Battalion) units to deal with incarcerated members of the Wehrmacht as well as ‘subversives’. His order stated that any first-time convicted soldier could return to his unit after he had served a portion of his sentence in ‘…a special probation corps before the enemy’. Beginning in April 1941, convicted soldiers, even those sentenced to death, who had shown exceptional bravery or meritorious service could rejoin their original units; however, those in probation units were expected to undertake dangerous operations at the front. Refusal entailed enforcement of the original sentence. The soldiers who ‘won back an honourable place in the national community’ had done everything that was asked of them from suicidal advance teams, shock troops, and laying mines under fire. By 1945, over 50,000 Wehrmacht troops had served in punishment regiments. Strafbatallion: Hitler’s Penal Battalions examines the penal units, their combat history and order of battle.

Download or read book Italian Submarines Combats In The Second World War written by André Geraque Kiffer and published by Clube de Autores. This book was released on 2024-09-23 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Second World War in the Mediterranean Sea was mostly fought between the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina), supported by other Axis naval and air forces, those of Nazi Germany and Vichy France, and the British Royal Navy, supported by other allied naval forces, such as those of Australia, the Netherlands, Poland and Greece. Each side had three overall objectives in this campaign: the first was to attack the supply lines of the other side; the second was to keep open the supply lines to their own armies in North Africa; and the third was to destroy the ability of the opposing navy to wage war at sea. In this book I will dedicate myself more to the tactical and technical decision-making levels, simulating the execution of patrols that will be considered victorious if they escape the anti-submarine war and carry out the assigned missions. As for the missions, I will base myself on examples taken from situations experienced by Italian submarine crews during the Second World War. And in developing this simulation I will use the U-Boot board game from Galápagos Games.