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AMAZON BOOKS - REGIA MARINA
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The Littorio Class: Italy's Last and Largest Battleships 1937-1948 Hardcover – September 11, 2011 by Erminio Bagnasco (Author), Augusto de Toro (Author)
For its final battleship design Italy ignored all treaty restrictions on tonnage, and produced one of Europe's largest and most powerful capital ships, comparable with Germany's Bismarck class which were also built in defiance of international agreements. The three ships of the Littorio class were fast and elegant, but also boasted a revolutionary protective scheme which was tested to the limits, as all three were heavily damaged in the hard-fought naval war in the Mediterranean. The book combines a detailed analysis of the design with an operational history, evaluating how the ships stood up to combat. It is illustrated with an amazing collection of photographs, detailed plans, and colored artwork of camouflage schemes, adding up to as complete a study of this class of battleship ever published.
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Italian Navy & Air Force Elite Units & Special Forces 1940-45 Paperback
- January 22, 2013 by Piero Crociani (Author), Pier Paolo Battistelli (Author), Mark Stacey (Illustrator)
This volume assesses the formidable special forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II, both before and after Italy's surrender in September 1943. The Italian Navy special forces were particularly active and respected in the Mediterranean, where 10th Motor-Torpedo Boat Flotilla (Xa MAS) used frogmen, 'two-man torpedoes' and explosive ram-boats; Italian midget submarines were also deployed against the Soviet Navy in the Black Sea. After September 1943 the Germans allowed the expansion of Count Borghese's Xa MAS, which continued fighting on their side at sea and on land, most notoriously in anti-partisan operations. The marines of the 'San Marco' Regiment fought hard in North Africa, earning the respect of their opponents and the German general Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, who described them as the best soldiers he had ever commanded; they also gave birth to a paratroop-frogman section.
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Italian Cruisers of World War II (New Vanguard) Paperback - May 22, 2018 by Mark Stille (Author), Paul Wright (Illustrator)
The Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) operated one of largest cruiser forces of World War II. As a signatory to the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, the Regia Marina immediately attempted to reinforce its treaty-limited battleship force by building seven large 10,000-ton heavy cruisers. Italian light cruisers also possessed an interesting design history and were involved in every major fleet engagement in the Mediterranean, as well as several smaller encounters with units of the British Royal Navy.
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British Submarine vs Italian Torpedo Boat: Mediterranean 1940-43 (Duel) Paperback
- June 21, 2016 by David Greentree (Author), Ian Palmer (Illustrator), Peter Dennis (Illustrator)
As the war in North Africa escalated, Axis military efforts became increasingly dependent on supply lines across the Mediterranean. To try to sever these lines of supply, the British deployed submarines from the besieged island of Malta with the directive to sink as much merchant convoy tonnage as possible. Italy responded by sending her torpedo boats to protect and escort Axis convoys.
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Axis Midget Submarines: 1939-45 (New Vanguard) Paperback - June 17, 2014 by Jamie Prenatt (Author), Mark Stille (Author)
Axis Midget Submarines details the history, weapons, and operations of German, Japanese, and Italian midget submarines during World War II. Over this period, Germany, Japan, and Italy built approximately 2,000 small, inherently stealthy, naval craft to perform special operations and conventional navy missions. Much more numerous and more technically advanced than their Allied counterparts, they saw service worldwide, operating in the Pacific, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Indian Ocean, North Sea, and the English Channel. Manned by courageous crews, these vessels made daring attacks on Allied ships in heavily protected anchorages using torpedoes and mines. Most notable were attacks against Gibraltar - launched from an Italian cargo vessel interred in nearby neutral Spain that had been converted into a clandestine support base and equipped with an underwater hatch - and Pearl Harbor. They were used against shipping in coastal waters and, near the end of the war, in desperate attempts to offset their opponents' overwhelming naval superiority during the US advance across the Pacific and the Allied amphibious landings in France and Italy.
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Italian Naval Camouflage of World War II Hardcover - June 15, 2018 by Marco Ghiglino (Author)
This is a major new study of Italian naval camouflage schemes developed and used during World War II. When Italy entered the War in June 1940, the Regia Marina (Italian navy) was a force still under development and both Italian warships and merchant ships started the war in their peacetime colors, although prewar plans had been made for camouflaging ships.
At that time, all the principal warships were painted in a light matte grey ("grigio cenerino chiaro"), that was adopted in the 1920s and early '30s. With the advent of war, and the start of convoy traffic to Libya, the need to camouflage ships for purposes of deception, rather than outright concealment, became apparent and the first initiatives were undertaken.
Employing contemporary schematic drawings, photographs, and his own CAD profiles, Marco Ghiglino, describes the development of the varied schemes that were adopted for the capital ships, such as Caio Duilia and Littorio, cruisers, destroyers and torpedo boats, landing craft, and merchant ships; even the royal yacht and small tugs were given camouflage schemes. Ghiglino depicts all the ships and their schemes, at different dates, with both sides of the ship shown where possible, in his own beautifully rendered schematic profiles, all in full color. It is this section with more than 700 drawings that gives the reader a complete and detailed picture of the development of Italian naval camouflage. He also looks in detail at the Greek theater where there were many exceptions, influenced by the German presence and by the camouflage schemes of captured vessels.
This major new reference book will prove invaluable to historians, collectors, model makers, and wargamers and follows in the wake of the hugely successful editions covering German and British camouflage schemes of World War II.
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Sea Devils: Italian Naval Commandos in World War II (Classics of Naval Literature) Paperback - March 3, 2009 by J. Valerio Borghese (Author)
Though little known to the English-speaking world, the elite World War II Italian naval unit Decima Flottiglia MAS is considered by many to be the first modern naval commando squad. Assembled by Prince Junio Valerio Borghese at the beginning of the war, these frogmen were trained to fight undercover and underwater with small submarines and assault boats armed with a variety of torpedoes--pioneering tactics that remain a standard for Special Forces around the world today. The commandos story is told by the man who trained and led them in their desperate exploits. Borghese blends his own account with details offered by his men to present valuable insights into one of the Italians fiercest and most formidable fighting units. First published in Italy in 1954 and later translated into English, this memoir was part of the Naval Institute Press Classics of Naval Literature series in 1995 and is now back in print as a paperback.
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The Black Prince and the Sea Devils: The Story of Prince Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of the Ecima Mas by Jack Greene, Alessandro Massignani
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.
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Frogmen First Battles Paperback - November 29, 2004 by William Schofield (Author), P. J. Carisella (Author)
Mainly due to military secrecy, the story of the Italian frogmen has not been told to its fullest. Thanks to Bill Schofield and P. J. Carisella, this history has been rescued. The Italian frogmen invented the art of underwater warfare to a level of efficiency un-equaled in naval history. Suffice it to say at a particular point, those frogmen caused the shift of power away from the Allies and on behalf of the Germans. These frogmen, who acted as single units or in units of two or four, were able to sink military transport ships and battleships alike. In World War I, when their history began, they practically decimated Austria’s warships. In World War II, the Italian Navy created its secret Decima MAS—the Tenth Light Flotilla, with Prince Valerio Borghese one of its more effective commanders. These frogmen were a bane to the Allied navy, especially the English. “They struck at midnight. They struck at dawn. They blasted trails of destruction from Cadiz to Crete, from Alexandria to Gibraltar, leaving in their wake sunken hulls and twisted wreckage of dozens of ships, from battlewagons to submarines, from tankers to cruisers and battleships.”
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ONI 202 Italian Naval Vessels: WWII Recognition Guide Paperback - December 17, 2013 by Office of Naval Intelligence (Author)
Originally printed in 1943, ONI 202 Italian Naval Vessels presents a categorical description of the various Italian warships that comprised the Regia Marina during WWII. Created by the Office of Naval Intelligence, it was one of a series of classified recognition guides produced for officers and staff. It contains numerous data tables, designation information, and dozens of illustrations compiled from a wide variety of sources, including intelligence reports and reconnaissance photographs. The book includes the full catalog of ships in service ranging from the Cavour and Littorio class battleships to the cruisers, destroyers, submarines, mine vessels, torpedo boats, transports and tenders that serviced the fleet. ONI 202 is surprising in its range and detail. Browsing through its pages you’ll find silhouettes, photographs and photos of models, airbrushed renderings and drawings, and detailed plans and profiles of various classes of warship, making this a must-have book for the historian and modeler. This high quality reprint of this now-declassified book is slightly reformatted but presents the original text in its entirety.
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Dark Navy: The Italian Regia Marina and the Armistice of 8 September 1943 by Vincent O'Hara (Author), Enrico Cernuschi (Author), Jean Hood (Foreword)
In July 1943 Benito Mussolini, Italy's warlord and the father of fascism fell from power in a hastily arranged plot, the details of which even today remain controversial. A cabal of generals took the nation's reins and bungled their way toward an accommodation with the Allies. When General Eisenhower announced an armistice with Italy on the evening of 8 September he believed he had struck a deal that included Italian military cooperation against the Germans. In fact, the generals had promised more than they could deliver and Germany's terrible, swift reprisal shattered Italy's confused air force and army. The armistice likewise caught the navy by surprise, with its battleships raising steam to attack the Allied fleet landing at Salerno. Nonetheless, the Regia Marina obeyed its government's orders and honored the pact the generals had negotiated. Rather than evaporating like Italy's other services, however, it proceeded to fight a three-week campaign against Germany, without Allied support, and in the process retained complete control of its ships, regardless of the ports necessity forced them to seek refuge in.
This is the story of the Regia Marina and the Italian armistice of September 1943. It is a deeply-researched and highly readable exploration of this confusing and fascinating corner of history. It refutes the conventional notion that Italy's fleet abjectly surrendered to Allied power. It shows how the navy paved Italy's path from enemy to co-belligerent with the blood and unconquered spirit of its men. Despite German and Allied intentions to secure Italy's fleet for their own uses, it remained Italian to the end: a dark navy - not victorious, but undefeated.
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Italian Warships of World War I Hardcover - May 20, 1970 by Aldo Fraccaroli (Author)
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Warships After Washington: The Development of the Five Major Fleets, 1922-1930 Paperback - August 15, 2015 by John Jordan (Author)
The Washington Treaty of 1922, a watershed event designed to head off a potentially dangerous arms race between the major naval powers, agreed to legally binding limits on the numbers and sizes of principal warship types, effectively banning the construction of new battleships for a decade.
WARSHIPS AFTER WASHINGTON is unique in its coverage of the political and strategic background of the treaty with analysis of exactly how the navies of Britain, the USA , Japan, France, and Italy responded. For the first time, warship enthusiasts and historians can understand fully the rationale behind much of inter-war naval procurement.
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Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regia Marina, 1930-1945 Hardcover - October 15, 2012 by Maurizio Brescia (Author)
This book is the only complete guide in English to the Regia Marina, the Italian navy with which Mussolini fought World War II. Starting with the historical background, it describes how the navy developed, how it was organized, the facilities that supported it, and the operations it conducted both before and after the armistice in 1943. It also details all its ships, with full technical particulars, plans and photos. There are chapters on special topics like camouflage; uniforms, decorations and insignia; and a 'who's who' of important naval personalities. The reference value of the book is enhanced by a comprehensive bibliography and guide to sources. The illustrations are drawn from the author s collection of naval photographs, considered one of the best in Italy.
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Italian Battleships of World War II (New Vanguard) Paperback - August 23, 2011 by Mark Stille (Author)
Often overlooked as a naval power of WWII, Italy's Regia Marina was, upon the declaration of war against France, the fourth largest navy in the world. Despite its numbers, the Italian fleet was made up of largely obsolete vessels, none being equipped with radar, and had a reputation for having inadequately-trained crews. Added to these drawbacks, the Italian commanders did not enjoy the discretion of command at sea that their counterparts in the service of other nations did, being directed closely by the Supermarina (Italian Naval Headquarters). Despite these obstacles, and the heavy losses inflicted upon the fleet by the Royal Navy while in harbour at Taranto, the battleships of the Italian Navy enjoyed a good reputation for being well-designed, and served with courage and determination at Punto Stilo/Calabria, Sirte, Cape Spartivento, and Cape Matapan. Mark Stille details, with the aid of many stunning photographs, including several from the Italian Navy's own archives, the battleships of one of the forgotten navies of WWII.
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The Italian Navy in World War II (Contributions in Military Studies) Hardcover - April 27, 1994 by James J. Sadkovich (Author)
This history convincingly argues that the Regia Marina Italiana (the Royal Italian Navy) has been neglected and maligned in assessments of its contributions to the Axis effort in World War II. Highly Recommended.
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The Battle of the Otranto Straits: Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in World War I (Twentieth-Century Battles) [Hardcover]
Called by some a "Mediterranean Jutland," the Battle of the Otranto Straits involved warships from Austria, Germany, Italy, Britain, and France. Although fought by light units with no dreadnoughts involved, Otranto was a battle in three dimensions—engaging surface vessels, aircraft, and subsurface weapons (both submarines and mines). An attempt to halt the movement of submarines into the Adriatic using British drifters armed with nets and mines led to a raid by Austrian light cruisers. The Austrians inflicted heavy damage on the drifters, but Allied naval forces based at Brindisi cut off their withdrawal. The daylight hours saw a running battle, with the Austrians at considerable risk. Heavier Austrian units put out from Cattaro in support, and at the climactic moment the Allied light forces had to turn away, permitting the Austrians to escape. In the end, the Austrians had inflicted more damage than they suffered themselves. The Otranto action shows the difficulties of waging coalition warfare in which diplomatic and national jealousies override military efficiency.
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Italian Navy & Air Force Elite Units & Special Forces 1940-45 Paperback - January 22, 2013 by Piero Crociani (Author), Mark Stacey (Illustrator)
This volume assesses the formidable special forces fielded by Italy's navy and air force in World War II, both before and after Italy's surrender in September 1943. The Italian Navy special forces were particularly active and respected in the Mediterranean, where 10th Motor-Torpedo Boat Flotilla (Xa MAS) used frogmen, 'two-man torpedoes' and explosive ram-boats; Italian midget submarines were also deployed against the Soviet Navy in the Black Sea. After September 1943 the Germans allowed the expansion of Count Borghese's Xa MAS, which continued fighting on their side at sea and on land, most notoriously in anti-partisan operations. The marines of the 'San Marco' Regiment fought hard in North Africa, earning the respect of their opponents and the German general Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, who described them as the best soldiers he had ever commanded; they also gave birth to a paratroop-frogman section.
The Italian Air Force formed a special commando unit, ADRA (Arditi Distruttori Regia Aeronautica), before the 1943 surrender; it was tasked with attacking Allied airfields and communications in North Africa alongside the 'Loretto' Battalion, which was made up of ground crew trained to operate captured enemy airfields. Men from ADRA and diehard 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', the first Italian military unit to take up arms against the Germans occupying their country, and the Mariassalto, made up of personnel from Xa MAS who fought alongside British Royal Navy special units.
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.
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The Italian Navy and Fascist Expansionism 1935-1940 (Cass Series--Naval Policy and History, 7) (Hardcover) by Robert Mallett
"Benito Mussolini's belief that Italy should 'banish foreigners from the Mediterranean, beginning with the English', espoused at Fiume in 1919, represented much more than a..."
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Reevaluating Major Naval Combatants of World War II: (Contributions in Military Studies) by James J. Sadkovich
This volume is the first recent work to examine the major naval combatants of World War II. Sadkovich has brought together essays by eight contributors, each an expert in his field, to reevaluate the roles and performances of the particular navies and the specific geopolitical circumstances under which they operated.
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Decima! The X-mas & The Italian Social Republic, 1943-1945 by Antonio J Munoz
This oversized book contains a full color dust jacket, 10 rare photos of the Italian Naval commandos, marines, assault boats, etc., plus 5 full color battle maps, and numerous and very detailed orders of battle. Complete history of these commando, marine, PT boat and espionage units which fought under the banner of the Italian RSI and prince Junio Valerio Borghese. A detailed and important account on Italy's elite RSI units, including the 10th Marine Division!
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The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940-1943, by Jack Greene, Alessandro Massignani
This was the first English-language account of the naval war to take advantage of the research in all languages to provide a comprehensive record of fighting in the Mediterranean during World War II. Far more than an operational history, it explains why the various warship classes were built and employed, the role of the Italian Air Force at sea, the successes of German planes and U-boats, the importance of the battle of Malta, and the distrustful relationship between the Italians and Germans.
Period photographs and detailed maps illustrate the realities of war at sea and provide a clear visual record of the war's key events in the Mediterranean theater. With its in-depth background information, exhaustive research, and fascinating narrative, this book is essential reading for those interested in World War II.
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Regia Marina, Italian Battleships of WWWII by Erminio & Grossman, Mark Bagnasco
1986, trade paperback edition, oblong format, Pictorial Histories Publishing, Missoula, Montana, 74 pages. A pictorial overview of Italian battleships of World War II. Recommended.
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Taranto 1940: The Fleet Air Arm's precursor to Pearl Harbor (Campaign) Paperback - November 17, 2015 by Angus Konstam (Author)
The Royal Navy's stunning attack on Taranto in 1940 heralded a new age of warfare. It was the decisive moment in a struggle for dominance of the Mediterranean that had gone on for months, as the British and Italian navies both looked to secure maritime supply routes for their colonies. With the enormous demands of a global war beginning to tell, the British capital ships were simply too thinly spread for a large fleet action against Taranto, where the bulk of the Italian fleet lay menacingly. How was the Royal Navy to eliminate the threat of the Regia Marina?
This is the story of one of World War II's most devastating raids, recounting how a handful of obsolete Fairy Swordfish biplanes swooped in on the harbour, destroyed an Italian battleship and badly damaged two more. With expert analysis, detailed colour illustrations and a gripping narrative, this book explains the origins of the attack, how it was planned and executed, and what happened in the aftermath. Uncover the details of a strike that reverberated around the world and changed war at sea forever.
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