Royal Italian Navy Submarines of WW2 - Special Operations

On September 30th, 1940 Dönitz and Parona discussed the possibility of sending the larger Italian submarines in the area around Freetown. These patrols did not take place until March 1941, and two of the boats returned empty handed, while Captain Fecia di Cossato of the Tazzoli sank several ships. Meantime, Italian East Africa was rapidly falling and the remaining operational submarines still in the area were sent to Bordeaux. During the long voyage, the Guglielmotti, Archimede and Ferraris navigated without stopping, refueling at sea only once, while the small Perla, a coastal submarine, refueled twice. The mission took 64 days for the larger boats, and 80 for the smaller Perla and should be considered a great nautical achievement for the Italian captains and a sign that collaboration with the Germans was still good, since they provided for open sea refueling.

Another special operation took place in late 1941 following the sinking of the German raider Atlantis. Intercepted by the British cruiser Devonshire, after the position of the German ship had been detected by “Enigma”, the crew was rescued by the supply ship Python, which was later intercepted and sunk by the cruiser Dorsetshire. Two German submarines took aboard 414 survivors and Dönitz immediately requested assistance from the Italians. The capacious Torelli, Tazzoli, Calvi and Finzi were sent full speed ahead south to meet the German U-Boats and picked up 254 survivors. The four boats reached the French port of Saint-Nazaire around Christmas day, completing one of the most spectacular rescue operations of the war and at the same time earning the German’s deepest gratitude.

Crisis in the Mediterranean

Italy’s adventurous entry into the war along with the Germans began having its catastrophic effects and, in early 1941 , the situation in the Mediterranean was nearly desperate. The Italian High Command, following the personal intervention of Benito Mussolini, informed the Germans that the base in Bordeaux would be closed and all boats would return to Italy. Discussion took place at a very high level and eventually Dönitz was able to convince the Italians to maintain their base and only return a smaller number of submarines to the Mediterranean. The transfer took place between June and October 1941, and one after another the Argo, Brin, Dandolo, Emo, Guglielmotti, Torelli, Mocenigo, Otaria, Perla, Velella and Veniero were sent back while the Glauco was lost en route. Meantime, six German U-boats were transferred to the Mediterranean where they would achieve remarkable successes, including the sinking of a battleship and an aircraft carrier.