|
Raid On Grand Harbour
The Raid on Grand Harbour (), was an Italian raid against Allied shipping in Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta in the early morning of 26 July 1941 during the Second World War. MTM explosive motorboat pilots and Frogmen from the ( 10th Flotilla Torpedo Armed Motorboats) of the conducted a raid to penetrate the harbour and attack British shipping. The attackers destroyed the St Elmo Bridge trying to enter the harbour, before being driven off by fire from the coastal defences. The group was killed outside the harbour by the British harbour defences during the raid, swam ashore to be taken prisoner or were killed attempting the return journey; it was the worst defeat suffered by in the war. Many of the two MAS (motorboat), MAS-boat (, torpedo-armed motorboat) crews and surviving men were killed when British Hawker Hurricane, Hurricane fighter aircraft attacked the MAS-boats on the morning of 26 July, along with two Macchi C.200 Saetta (Lightning) fighter escorts shot down in dogfi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Mediterranean
The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940 to 2 May 1945. For the most part, the campaign was fought between the Kingdom of Italy, Italian Regia Marina, Royal Navy (''Regia Marina''), supported by other Axis Powers, Axis naval and air forces, those of Nazi Germany and Vichy France, and the United Kingdom, British Royal Navy, supported by other Allies of World War II, Allied naval forces, such as those of Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, and Kingdom of Greece, Greece. American naval and air units joined the Allied side on 8 November 1942. The Vichy French Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon, scuttled the bulk of their fleet on 27 November 1942, to prevent the Germans seizing it. As part of the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, most of the Italian Navy became the Italian Co-belligerent Navy, and fought alongside the Allies. Each side had three overall objectives in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macchi C
Macchi is an Italian surname, the patronymic or plural form of the old personal name ''Macco'' from the Latin '' Maccus''. It is possibly a variant of '' macchia''. Notable people with the surname include: * Aurelio Macchi (1916–2010), Argentine sculptor * Carlos Macchi (born 1974), Uruguayan footballer * Fabrizio Macchi (born 1970), Italian cyclist * Filippo Macchi (born 2001), Italian foil fencer * Françoise Macchi (born 1951), French alpine skier * Gabriel Macchi (born 1975), Portuguese track and field athlete * Giulio Macchi (1866–1935), Italian aeronautical engineer and founder of the Aermacchi aircraft manufacturer * Hiralal Macchi, Indian cricketer * Laura Macchi (born 1979), Italian basketball player * Luigi Macchi (1832–1907), Italian Catholic nobleman and Cardinal * Luis González Macchi (born 1947), Paraguayan politician * Odile Macchi (born 1943), French physicist and mathematician * Pasquale Macchi (1923–1906), Italian archbishop * Piera Macchi (born 1959), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort Ricasoli
Fort Ricasoli () is a bastioned fort in Kalkara, Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698. The fort occupies a promontory known as Gallows' Point and the north shore of Rinella Bay, commanding the entrance to the Grand Harbour along with Fort Saint Elmo. It is the largest fort in Malta and has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1998, as part of the ''Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta''. Fort Ricasoli saw use during the French invasion of Malta in 1798 and the subsequent Maltese insurrection, after which it ended up in British hands. Ricasoli was the site of the Froberg mutiny in 1807, and was also used as a military hospital during the 19th century. It saw use once again in World War II, when parts of it were destroyed by aerial bombardment. After it was decommissioned in the 1960s, the fort was used for industrial purposes. Today, the fort remains mostly intact but in a dilapidated state, and it is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort Saint Elmo
Fort Saint Elmo () is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort Tigné and Fort Ricasoli. It is best known for its role in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. History Background and construction By 1417, the local militia had already established a permanent watch post on the tip of the Sciberras Peninsula. In 1488, the Aragonese built a watchtower on Saint Elmo Point, and it was dedicated to Erasmus of Formia, better known as Saint Elmo. In 1533, the Order of Saint John reinforced the tower due to its strategic location. In 1551, an Ottoman raid occurred in which the Turkish fleet sailed into Marsamxett Harbour unopposed. Due to this, it was decided that a major expansion was necessary, and in 1552 the tower was demolished and a new star fort began to be built. It was designed by a Spanish Engineer named Pietro Pard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marsamxett Harbour
Marsamxett Harbour (), historically also referred to as Marsamuscetto, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It is located to the north of the larger Grand Harbour. The harbour is generally more dedicated to leisure use than the Grand Harbour. Description The harbour mouth faces north east and is bounded to the north by Dragut Point and Tigné Point. Its northwest shore is made up of the towns of Sliema, Gżira and Ta' Xbiex. The harbour then extends inland to Pietà, Malta, Pietà and Msida. Off Gżira lies Manoel Island, now connected to the mainland by a bridge. The south eastern shore of the harbour is formed by the Sciberras peninsula, which is largely covered by the town of Floriana and the city of Valletta. At its tip lies the 16th century Fort Saint Elmo. The Sciberras peninsula divides Marsamxett from the larger parallel natural harbour, Grand Harbour. Along its partner the Grand Harbour, Marsamxett lies at the centre of gently rising ground. Development has gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Augusta, Sicily
Augusta (, archaically ''Agosta''; ; Ancient Greek, Greek and , Medieval: ''Augusta'') is a town and in the province of Syracuse, Italy, Syracuse, located on the eastern coast of Sicily (southern Italy). The city is one of the main harbours in Italy, especially for oil refineries (Sonatrach and others as part of the complex Augusta-Priolo) which are in its vicinity. Geography The city is situated in the province of Province of Syracuse, Syracuse and faces the Ionian Sea. The old town is an island, made in the 16th century by cutting an isthmus, now connected to the Sicilian mainland by two bridges. One bridge was built around the 12th or 13th century as part of the Frederick II of Swabia Viaduct. And the other, older bridge was built when the city was founded and is called the Porta Spagnola. Augusta is currently home to two ports. History Founded 27 centuries ago, Megara Hyblaea is one of the oldest Greek colonies of Sicily. It was destroyed by its rival Syracuse, was raised ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mario Giorgini
Mario Giorgini (Massa, 19 March 1900 – Florence, 23 January 1977) was an Italian naval officer during World War II. He commanded the ''I Flottiglia MAS'' (later renamed Decima Flottiglia MAS), the special operations unit of the Royal Italian Navy, from February 1940 until his capture during an attempt to carry out a manned torpedo raid on Alexandria in September of the same year. After the war he became an admiral in the Marina Militare. Biography Giorgini was born in Massa from Vittorio Giorgini and Florence Rochat. He then entered the Naval Academy of Livorno in 1914, graduating with the rank of ensign in 1920. In March 1923 he married Fiorenza Corsi, from whom he had a son, Gian Giorgio (Dido). In 1934 he was promoted to lieutenant commander, and later to commander. On 24 February 1940, replacing his colleague Paolo Aloisi, he was appointed commander of the 1st MAS Flotilla, later briefly called the Special MAS Flotilla, the special operations unit of the Regia Marina, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermarina
Supermarina was the headquarters of the Italian Royal Navy (''Regia Marina'') established on 1 June 1940, just before Italy entered the Second World War. The Army and Air Force equivalents were '' Superesercito'' and '' Superaereo'', which were subordinate to ''Comando Supremo'' the Supreme Command of the Italian armed forces. History The plan to centralise control of naval operations began in November 1934. The ''Supermarina'' headquarters at ''Lungotevere'' Flaminio in Rome, was completed in 1938 and was inaugurated by Benito Mussolini on 14 October. When the capital was declared an open city, in 1943, ''Supermarina'' moved to Santa Rosa on the Via Cassia, about from Rome. The Santa Rosa headquarters remains the seat of Commander in Chief Naval Fleet (CINCNAV). From 10 June 1940 to 8 September 1943, ''Supermarina'' supervised all Italian naval operations in the Battle of the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the oceans. The head of ''Supermarina'' should have been the chief of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea (, ; or ) , , , , is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenians, Tyrrhenian people identified with the Etruscans of Italy. Geography The sea is bounded by the islands of Corsica and Sardinia (to the west), the Italian Peninsula (regions of Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria) to the north and east, and the island of Sicily (to the south). The Tyrrhenian Sea also includes a number of smaller islands like Capri, Elba, Ischia, and Ustica. The maximum depth of the sea is . The Tyrrhenian Sea is situated near where the African Plate, African and Eurasian Plates meet; therefore mountain chains and active volcanoes, such as Mount Marsili, are found in its depths. The eight Aeolian Islands and Ustica are located in the southern part of the sea, north of Sicily. Extent The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tyrrhenian Sea as follows: * In the Strait of Messina: A line ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
