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The 10th Light Flotilla:
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| The origin of the Xa Flottiglia MAS can be traced
back to the last days of World War I when two young Italian officers, Raffaele Rossetti
and Raffaele Paolucci, sank the Austrian battleship (dreadnought-class) Viribus Unitis in
the port of Pula. The two gallant officers, who were captured by the enemy after the
attack to be released a few days later after the armistice, used a device called the
"mignatta". This modified torpedo was placed under the enemy battleship and then
blown up using a timed fuse. After the war, most work in this field was suspended. |
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| While on assignment at the naval base of La Spezia, a naturally protected
harbor one hour east of Genoa, two officers, Elios Toschi and Teseo Tesei, decided to
continue improving the original attack devices developed during WW I. The work was done
after the regular work assignments and progress was slow. Italy was dealing with the
economic crisis created by the war and the need for this kind of weapon did not exist
until 1935. During this period of crisis between Italy and England, following Italy’s
invasion of Ethiopia, the Naval High Command decided to give the necessary resources to
the two officers. The two officers presented a plan to the Navy high command and Admiral Cavagnari approved the project. The new device, nicknamed "Maiale", Italian for pig, was a modified electric torpedo. It was presented to a secret naval review board, which was easily impressed by the device's high maneuverability. The Maiale was quite ingenious. It used a modified torpedo with two saddles to accommodate two scuba divers, then known as frog men, who would wear their own individual breathing apparatuses. |
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| Following a second successful demonstration for the benefit of Admiral
Falangola, Tesei and Toschi were assigned to a new secret unit. The group was assembled in
a private property belonging to the Duke of Salviati near the estuary of the river
Serchio, not too far from the seaside town of Viareggio (Tuscany). This unit would often
be referred to as the "Men of Serchio". In 1935, C.F. Paolo Aloisi was assigned
to the command of the Ia Flottiglia MAS with C. G.N. Teseo Tesei and C.C. Carlo Teppati in
charge of training and technical development. During this period, the submarine H1 (known
as vector) was assigned to the unit to provide for the necessary transport. |
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| During the same period, the Navy was experimenting with new scuba equipment at the naval base of La Spezia. Several techniques were studied and improved. One called for the scuba-equipped men, later to be named the "gamma", to leave a submerged submarine and attack enemy vessels. Also, a "marching" version of the same technique was studied, with the "gamma" actually walking the bottom of the sea up to the keel of the enemy vessels. Naturally, these actions were to take place in the proximity of an enemy port. |
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| After the necessary engineering work, the first four SLC (Slow Moving Torpedoes) were ordered from the
San Benedetto works of La Spezia. These first units were used to train the new personnel.
Supposedly, during one of these training sessions, Teseo Tesei told his operator (the SLC
had a crew of two) to fasten the "maiale" (pig) to an obstruction; thus was born
the SLC’s famous nickname. Meantime, the Ethiopian crisis escalated the need for
additional insidious weapons. In 1936, Admiral Aimone di Savoia was able to get funding
for a new assault weapon, the "barchino" This wooden boat had one pilot placed
on an ejectable seat astern. The boat, equipped with a 330Kg charge, was to be pointed
toward the target and then abandoned. Followed rigorous testing, the "barchini"
were officially classified as MTM (Motoscafi
da Turismo) and placed into service. Later, other models, the MTR (ridotta) and MTL
(lento), were produced. Afterward, a new model, the MTSM, was produced. This was a larger
boat armed with a torpedo and two depth charges. In 1943 an even larger model, the MTSMA later called SMA, was also introduced. |
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| With the Ethiopian crisis over, interest in the insidious weapons
diminished and training and development ceased. Not until 1939, with the European crisis
brewing, did the Navy decide to provide for the necessary personnel. Due to this unwise
decision, at the outbreak of WW II the Xa would not be ready for any kind of operation. When
war was near, even though avoidable, the R.M. re-assembled a team of dedicated experts who
would work on several new weapons, from the human torpedo to a 30-ton mini submarine, to
small limpet mines and super fast attack boats. C.G.N. Elios Toschi, C.G.N. Gustavo
Stefanini, T.V Vesco, Del Pin, Costa, Gherardelli, Pampaloni e Mordelli were assigned to
the unit. Later, Birindelli, De Giacomo, Della Canonica, Fraternale, Di Domenico,
Catalano, Battisti, Lenzi, Dodaro, Raimondo, Franzini e Manca joined the group. The total
equipment available to the Ia MAS was eleven SLCs and seven MTM. |
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| The submarine H1, too old for war assignments, was replaced by the
Ametista of the "Perla" class.
This vessel was commanded by Junio Valerio Borghese who was to become the heart and soul
of what the Ia Flottiglia MAS evolved into: the Xa Flottiglia MAS. Later on, three more
submarines were assigned to the unit: Iride, Gondar and the legendary Scirč. |
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| On February 24, 1940 the command of the Ia Flottiglia MAS was transferred to C.F. Mario Giorgini and the unit was declared operational. |
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