Foreword

Foreword

This concise History of Italian Submarine Operations came to fruition unintentionally. My initial research concerned Allied Submarine Operations in the Western Theatre during the Second World War. While visiting the Italian Naval Archives in Rome (Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare) to obtain some information on Italian anti-submarine operations, I became fascinated by the story of their submarine fleet. On the eve of the War, the Italian submarine force was the second largest in the world. Submarines of the Regia Marina frequently encountered their Royal Navy counterparts, so it was not surprising that the need to explore their side of operations became a necessity.

This is an overall view of the operations carried out by the Sommergibili. It is an introduction to the subject for non-Italian readers, and I hope it will encourage some of them to explore it further. Automatic translation into Italian is also available. Almost all Italian submarine patrol reports have survived and are available at the Ufficio Storico Della Marina Militare in Rome. In addition, the diaries and papers of Maricosom (the Italian Submarine Command), Betasom (Submarine Base at Bordeaux), and the Decima Flottiglia MAS (Underwater Assault teams) as well as from several other commands were also examined. Additional information was obtained by studying relevant records in British, American, German, French, and Hellenic archives.

The present website completes the information found on the uboat.net website. For more precise details on submarine movements, attacks, and biographical information of the submarine commanders, please check:

Uboat.net

This work is subject to corrections and additions. Comments are always welcome.

Platon Alexiades
Montreal, Canada