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Xª Flottiglia MAS (Repubblica Sociale Italiana)
The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (Italian language, Italian for "10th Torpedo-Armed Motorboat Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with marines and commando frogman unit, of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Italian Navy). The acronym ''MAS (motorboat), 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 involved surface speedboats (such as the raid on Souda Bay), human torpedoes (the Raid on Alexandria (1941), raid on Alexandria) and ''Gamma'' frogmen (against Military history of Gibraltar during World War II#Xª MAS: 1940–1943, Gibraltar). During the campaign, ''Decima MAS'' took part in more than a dozen operations which sank or damaged five warships (totalling 78,000 tons) and 20 merchant ship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teseo Tesei
Teseo Tesei (3 January 1909 – 26 July 1941) was an Italian naval officer, who invented the human torpedo (called ''Maiale'', Italian for "pig") used by the ''Regia Marina'' during World War II. Early life and education Teseo Tesei was born in Marina di Campo Elba in 1909, the son of Ulisse Tesei and Rosa Carassale. After attending the ''Collegio degli Scolopi'' in Florence, he entered the Livorno Naval Academy in 1931, where he distinguished himself for perseverance and inventiveness. He was commissioned officer, commissioned as a lieutenant and graduated from the Naval Engineering School in Naples in 1933. Career Tesei had several posts on both surface ships and submarines. He was a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War with the rank of captain. In 1929, Tesei had the idea for the manned torpedo, from the Italian device used to sink the Austrian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis, SMS ''Viribus Unitis'' during World War I. In 1931 he entered the Accademia Navale di Livorno, Na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ernesto Forza
Ernesto Forza (Rome, 21 August 1900 – 13 April 1975) was an Italian admiral. During World War II he commanded the Decima Flottiglia MAS, the special operations unit of the Royal Italian Navy, from July 1940 to May 1943, and then its equivalent within the Italian Co-belligerent Navy, Mariassalto, after the armistice of Cassibile. He continued his career in the postwar Marina Militare. Biography After attending the Accademia Navale di Livorno, Naval Academy of Livorno, he graduated as Ensign (rank), ensign in 1921, assigned on the battleship Italian battleship Conte di Cavour, ''Conte di Cavour''. In 1928 he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to the 143rd Seaplane Squadron, and three years later he liaison officer with the Ministry of Aeronautics. In 1935 he was promoted to lieutenant commander and given command of the submarine Italian submarine Pietro Micca (1935), ''Pietro Micca'' and in 1939 he was transferred to the light cruiser Italian cruiser Luigi di Savoia Duca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raid On Souda Bay
The Raid on Souda Bay was an attack by the (X-MAS), a specialist unit of the that used unconventional weapons. MAS used MT explosive motorboat, explosive boats (MTM) against British ships lying in Souda Bay, Crete, during the early hours of 26 March 1941. The MTM explosive boats had been ferried from Astypalaia by the destroyers and and launched at the approaches to the bay. After crossing the three Boom (navigational barrier), boom defences, the MTM attacked the British heavy cruiser and the German occupation of Norway, Norwegian tanker (). Two MTM hit ''York'', which took on a list and was towed by the destroyer and beached; ''Pericles'' was sunk in shallow waters. Most of its oil was recovered and the ship eventually was to be refloated, only to founder on tow to Alexandria, breaking up and being sunk by gunfire. The six MTM pilots, Luigi Faggioni, Alessio de Vito, Emilio Barberi, Angelo Cabrini, Tullio Tedeschi and Lino Beccati were taken prisoner and were later awarde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speedboats
A motorboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine; faster examples may be called "speedboats". Some motorboats are fitted with inboard motor, inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gear reduction, gearbox and the propeller in one portable unit. An sterndrive, inboard-outboard contains a hybrid of an inboard and an outboard, where the internal combustion engine is installed inside the boat, and the gearbox and propeller are outside. There are two configurations of an inboard, V-drive and direct drive. A direct drive has the powerplant mounted near the middle of the boat with the propeller shaft straight out the back, where a V-drive has the powerplant mounted in the back of the boat facing backwards having the shaft go towards the front of the boat then making a ''V'' towards the rear. Overview A motorboat is a small craft with one or more engines for propulsion. Motorboats ... [...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] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising all resources in pursuit of total war. Tanks in World War II, Tanks and Air warfare of World War II, aircraft played major roles, enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, first and only nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II is the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflict in history, causing World War II casualties, the death of 70 to 85 million people, more than half of whom were civilians. Millions died in genocides, including the Holocaust, and by massacres, starvation, and disease. After the Allied victory, Allied-occupied Germany, Germany, Allied-occupied Austria, Austria, Occupation of Japan, Japan, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in European theatre of World War I, Europe and the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I, Middle East, as well as in parts of African theatre of World War I, Africa and the Asian and Pacific theatre of World War I, Asia-Pacific, and in Europe was characterised by trench warfare; the widespread use of Artillery of World War I, artillery, machine guns, and Chemical weapons in World War I, chemical weapons (gas); and the introductions of Tanks in World War I, tanks and Aviation in World War I, aircraft. World War I was one of the List of wars by death toll, deadliest conflicts in history, resulting in an estimated World War I casualties, 10 million military dead and more than 20 million wounded, plus some 10 million civilian de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Torpedo Boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. These were inshore craft created to counter both the threat of battleships and other slow and heavily armed ships by using speed, agility, and powerful torpedoes, and the overwhelming expense of building a like number of capital ships to counter an enemy. A swarm of expendable torpedo boats attacking en masse could overwhelm a larger ship's ability to fight them off using its large but cumbersome guns. A fleet of torpedo boats could pose a similar threat to an adversary's capital ships, albeit only in the coastal areas to which their small size and limited fuel load restricted them. The introduction of fast torpedo boats in the late 19th century was a serious concern to the era's naval strategists, i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MAS (motorboat)
''Motoscafo armato silurante'' (torpedo-armed motorboat), alternatively ''Motoscafo antisommergibili'' (anti-submarine motorboat) and commonly abbreviated as MAS, was a class of fast torpedo-armed vessels used by the (Italian Royal Navy) during World War I and World War II. Originally, "MAS" referred to (armed motorboat SVAN), (Naval Automobile Society of Venice). The MAS were petrol-engined planing boats with displacements of 20–30 tonnes (depending on the class), a 10-man crew and armament composed of two torpedoes, heavy machine guns and occasionally a 37 mm or 20 mm cannon. In the context of the unit title (assault craft flotilla; the most famous of which was the Decima MAS of World War II), the term "MAS" is an acronym for (assault craft). World War I MAS were widely employed by ''Regia Marina'' during World War I in 1915–1918. Models used were directly derived from compact civilian motorboats, provided with petrol engines which were compact and reli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Regia Marina
The , ) (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy () from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' ("Military Navy"). Origins The was established on 17 March 1861 following the proclamation of the formation of the Kingdom of Italy. Just as the Kingdom was a unification of various states in the Italian peninsula, so the was formed from the navies of those states, though the main constituents were the navies of the former kingdoms of Sardinia and Naples. The new Navy inherited a substantial number of ships, both sail- and steam-powered, and the long naval traditions of its constituents, especially those of Sardinia and Naples, but also suffered from some major handicaps. Firstly, it suffered from a lack of uniformity and cohesion; the was a heterogeneous mix of equipment, standards and practice, and even saw hostility between the officers from the various f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commando Frogman
A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater. The term often applies more to professional rather than recreational divers, especially those working in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, combatant diver, or combat swimmer. The word ''frogman'' first arose in the stage name the "Fearless Frogman" of Paul Boyton in the 1870s and later was claimed by John Spence, an enlisted member of the U.S. Navy and member of the OSS Maritime Unit, to have been applied to him while he was training in a green waterproof suit. The term ''frogman'' is occasionally used to refer to a civilian scuba diver, such as in a police diving role. In the United Kingdom, police divers have often been called "police frogmen". Some countries' tactical diver organizations include a translation of the word ''frogman'' in their official names, e.g., Denmark's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marines
Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashore (often in support of naval objectives) and the Boarding (attack), boarding of vessels during naval warfare, ship-to-ship combat or capture of Prize (law), prize ships. Marines also assisted in maintaining security, discipline, and order aboard ships (reflecting the historically Impressment, pressed-nature of the rest of the ship's company and the risk of mutiny). While maintaining many of their historical roles, in modern times, marines also engage in duties including Rapid reaction force, rapid-response operations, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, special forces, special operations roles, and counter-terrorism, counter-terrorism operations. In most nations, marines are an integral part of that state's navy, such as the United Kingdom's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
