December 1941
General Events
| 5 | December | The German offensive was stopped in front of Moscow. |
| 7 | December | The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. |
| 9 | December | Tobruk was relieved as Operation CRUSADER unfolded. Axis forces retreated in Cyrenaica. |
| 10 | December | -The capital ships Prince of Wales and the Repulse were sunk by Japanese aircraft. -The light cruiser HMS Naiad and two destroyers bombarded Derna. |
| 11 | December | Italy declared war on the United States. |
| 14 | December | The battleship Vittorio Veneto was torpedoed by HMS Urge. |
| 17 | December | First Battle of Sirte. |
| 18/19 | December | -In Alexandria harbor, the battleships Valiant, and Queen Elizabeth were badly damaged by Italian human torpedoes. -Force K was dealt a serious blow when it ran into a minefield off Tripoli. |
| 24 | December | British forces entered Benghazi. Axis troops withdrew to the El Agheila line. Bardia held until 2 January, when it fell to the 2nd South African Division. |
| 31 | December | Bombardment of Bardia by the light cruiser HMS Ajax and destroyers. |
Mediterranean
Italian submarine patrols in the Mediterranean during December 1941
| Micca (…2 December) Pt.1 | Saint-Bon (…2 December) Pt.2 | Settembrini (…3 December) |
| Millo (…3 December) Pt.1a | Beilul (…4 December) | Zaffiro (…4 December) |
| Corallo (…4 December) | Tricheco (…5 December) | Dagabur (…6 December) |
| Ametista (…7 December) | Aradam (…8 December) | Alagi (…8 December) |
| Menotti (1-4 December) Pt.1 | Cagni (2-5 December) Pt.1 | Settimo (3-7 December) Pt.1 |
| Dessié (3-15 December) | Scirè (3-9 December) | Millo (3-6 December) Pt.1b |
| Micca (4-7 December) Pt.1 | Menotti (4-8 December) Pt.2 | Caracciolo (5-10 December) Pt.1 |
| Cagni (5-9 December) Pt.2 | C.B.4 (6-7 December) | Millo (6-8 December) Pt.1b |
| Settimo (7-11 December) Pt.2 | Santarosa (7-21 December) | Narvalo (7-16 December)x |
| Saint-Bon (8-11 December) Pt.1 | Millo (9-11 December) Pt.2a | Squalo (9-22 December) |
| Veniero (9-13 December) | Dagabur (10-20 December) | Ascianghi (10-22 December) |
| Caracciolo (11 December*) Pt.2 | Mocenigo (11-17 December) Pt.1a | Saint-Bon (11-13 December) Pt.2a |
| C.B.2 (11-12 December) | C.B.5 (11-12 December) | Millo (11-13 December) Pt.2b |
| Mameli (12-14 December) | Des Geneys (12-13 December) | Topazio (12-22 December) |
| Dandolo (12-18 December) Pt.1 | Jalea (13-14 December) | Scirè (14-21 December) |
| Otaria (14-19 December) Pt.1 | Menotti (14-16 December) Pt.1 | C.B.2 (14-15 December) |
| Micca (15-18 December) Pt.1 | Galatea (15-22 December) | C.B.2 (15-16 December) |
| C.B.6 (15-16 December) | Saint-Bon (15-17 December) Pt.1 | Cagni (16-17 December) Pt.1x |
| Menotti (16-20 December) Pt.2 | Bragadino (17-25 December) Pt.1 | Saint-Bon (17-18 December) Pt.1b |
| Mocenigo (17-21 December) Pt.1b | Saint-Bon (18-21 December) Pt.2 | Turchese (18-25 December) |
| Axum (18-25 December) | Aradam (18-25 December) | Alagi (18-25 December) |
| Zaffiro (18-28 December) | Dandolo (18-20 December) Pt.2 | Veniero (19-23 December) Pt.1 |
| Micca (19-22 December) Pt.2 | Otaria (19-24 December) Pt.2 | Emo (20-25 December) Pt.1 |
| Mocenigo (21-23 December) Pt.1c | H.2 (21-22 December) | Scirè (23-29 December) |
| C.B.1 (23-24 December) | Millo (23-25 December) Pt.1 | Mocenigo (23-27 December) Pt.2a |
| Veniero (24-28 December) Pt.2 | Cagni (24-27 December) Pt.1 | Dandolo (24-26 December) Pt.1 |
| Emo (26-29 December) Pt.2 | Medusa (26-27 December) | Dandolo (26-31 December) Pt.2 |
| Bragadino (27-28 December) Pt.2x | Mocenigo (27-31 December) Pt.2b | Cagni (27-31 December) Pt.2 |
| Millo (28-31 December) Pt.2 | Beilul (31 December…) | Emo (31 December…) Pt.1 |
British Naval Intelligence was monitoring the increased submarine activity in the Mediterranean. On 2 December, it estimated twenty-five Italian and five German submarines at sea; the actual numbers were fourteen and nine, respectively. No less than twelve U-boats entered the Mediterranean during this month; one was sunk near Tangier (U-451), and U-96[1] failed to make the Gibraltar crossing and had to return to St. Nazaire. It is not certain why the number of Italian submarines was overestimated. The British ‘Y’ Service appeared to be the main source of this information, and the Italian Navy made good use of fictitious signals to confuse the enemy. The ‘Y’ service was one of the main sources of Naval Intelligence, and it used D/F (Direction Finding) to pinpoint the location of enemy units. It was used with some success by all navies of the Second World War.
On 9 December, Maricosom issued an analysis of its shortcomings in the underwater war.[2] It compared its results with those of the German and British navies. The Kriegsmarine came out of the Great War with great experience in underwater warfare, whilst the Royal Navy acquired an equivalent experience in antisubmarine warfare. By contrast submarines of the Regia Marina had only very limited experience, its submarines usually conducting very short patrols (2-3 days) in the Adriatic. These deficiencies were not addressed during the interwar years, and involvement in the Spanish Civil War helped underline them. It very soon became clear that the gap with the other navies had not closed. Severe losses were incurred by both the German and Italian submarine fleets, but the former had managed to make up for the losses with new submarine construction, whereas the latter had not. Italian submarines were unfavourably compared with their German counterparts in every feature from design to armament. The German crews were noticeably younger than the Italians, making them more resistant to the rigours of Atlantic warfare.
The following day, command of the Italian submarine force passed from the hands of Admiral Falangola to those of Admiral Legnani, who would keep it until the Armistice. Within 24 hours, Italy and Germany were at war with the United States following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.[3] Ammiraglio di Squadra Antonio Diomede Legnani (1888-1943) had been in command of the 8th Cruiser Division at the Battle of Punto Stilo. He remained faithful to the Duce and, in September 1943, did not join the exodus of the Regia Marina. Appointed as First Under Secretary of the Navy of the Italian Socialist Republic, he was killed in a car accident on 20 October 1943.
On 1 December, ULTRA intelligence revealed the route of Ammiraglio Saint Bon (C.C. Gustavo Miniero) returning to Taranto from a trip to Derna, who would pass between HMS Thunderbolt and HMS Trusty. The two British submarines were informed accordingly, but being nearly 100 miles apart, Saint-Bon easily avoided them.
On the night of 1/2 December, Beilul (T.V. Francesco Pedrotti) was patrolling on the surface off Tobruk when an enemy aircraft attacked her. Pedrotti decided to fight it out using his machine guns and his deck gun, which fired four rounds. The attack was repulsed, but the submarine was damaged and would have to abandon her patrol. The attacker has not been identified in British records.
Early in the afternoon of 5 December, Veniero (T.V. Elio Zappetta) and Mocenigo (T.V. Paolo Monechi) were rounding up Capo dell’Armi while proceeding to Taranto. The submarine HMS P34 (Lt P.R.H. Harrison, DSC, RN) was in the process of attacking a convoy when they came within sight, but they were already moving away, and they continued unscathed.
Settimo (C.C. Mario Spano) was also on a supply mission to Derna when she encountered two destroyers on 7 December. She fired a pair of torpedoes at one and a single at the other but missed. That same evening, the submarine arrived at her destination, unloaded her cargo in less than two hours, and sailed immediately for home. Thus, she missed the bombardment of Derna by the light cruiser HMS Naiad and the destroyers Griffin and Hotspur, which occurred on the night of 10 December.
In the meantime, the RAF had again bombed Naples on the night of 5/6 December. The torpedo factory was missed with a cookie bomb (4,000 lb).
Loss of Ammiraglio Caracciolo
At daybreak on 8 December, the large submarine Ammiraglio Caracciolo (C.C. Alfredo Musotto) was located off Bardia by a Blenheim of 55 Squadron piloted by Squadron Leader Pirie as she was carrying supplies to this port. The aircraft dived into the attack, and the submarine fired a burst of machine gun fire, accidentally killing a midshipman who fell in the control room as it submerged. Fortunately, the bombs overshot by 150-200 feet. however, this was only a reprieve.
On her return trip, the submarine brought back twenty passengers, including Italian General Guido Lami. In the early hours of 11 December, thirty miles from Bardia, she encountered British convoy TA.2. It consisted of two store ships, Sotra, and Darien II, escorted by the destroyer HMS Farndale.[4] She attempted a stern shot, and it misfired. Musotto turned his vessel around for a bow shot and launched two torpedoes; they missed. Farndale combed the tracks and delivered a deadly pattern of depth charges, forcing the submarine to the surface. The destroyer returned to the attack at 0355 hours, when the submarine was observed breaking surface at 1,000 yards and very quickly moving away at an estimated speed of 18 knots, most likely an overestimate. The destroyer increased speed to 23 knots and opened fire with semi-armour-piercing 4-inch shells and her light armament (two-pounders, Oerlikon, and .303-in machine guns). Two direct hits were observed as the submarine slowed down. The destroyer moved ahead of Caracciolo and dropped three depth charges in her path. She was finally abandoned and sank. Of her crew, six officers, forty-two ratings, and five passengers were picked up. Musotto went down with his submarine and was awarded the Medaglia d’Argento al Valor Militare. General Lami and fifteen others were drowned or killed.
The next day, Mocenigo (T.V. Paolo Monechi) was also on a transport mission to Bardia when an aircraft was sighted. This was a Maryland of 69 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer R.R. Drew. She kept it at bay by firing two rounds with her deck gun, supplemented by machine gun and rifle fire.
Transport missions were also entrusted to fast light cruisers with tragic consequences. Before dawn, on 13 December, the light cruisers Alberto di Giussano and Alberico da Barbiano, loaded with gasoline for Tripoli, were intercepted by four allied destroyers near Cape Bon and sunk with heavy loss of life. On a similar mission, the light cruiser Luigi Cadorna was more fortunate, as she managed to reach Benghazi via the Corinth Canal and Crete.
Scirè (C.C. Junio Valerio Borghese) had left La Spezia and was on her way to Leros when, at 1050 hours on 9 December, she was observed by an unidentified aircraft. Fifteen minutes earlier, the submarine had exchanged recognition signals with a German Heinkel. This time, the recognition signal was not answered, for this was Blenheim “Z” (Squadron Leader Hogarth) of 203 Squadron. The signal was similar to the one used by the British, and the pilot hesitated. As the aircraft circled, the Italian flag was seen, and it was about to deliver an attack when the submarine submerged. Apparently, the submarine was later identified, perhaps from photographs, as similar to Gondar and appeared to be carrying ‘one-man submarines’ (actually the two-man SLCs).[5]
On the evening of 14 December, Dagabur (C.C. Alberto Torri) observed an unknown vessel believed to be an enemy cruiser. She carried out a snap attack with a torpedo, followed twenty minutes later by a second torpedo. Two detonations were heard, and the ‘cruiser’ was claimed to have sunk. This was the submarine HMS Talisman, which was missed on both occasions. It fired two rounds at the Italian submarine, scoring one hit and causing a small leak.[6]
Encounters with British submarines became more frequent. At 0700 hours on 15 December, HMS P34 (Lt P.R.H. Harrison, DSC, RN), withdrawing from a mission to intercept the Duisburg convoy, sighted a U-boat proceeding on the surface some 110 miles west of Zante. An attempt to intercept the submerged vessel failed, and contact was lost. This was most probably Menotti (C.C. Ugo Gelli), who had sailed from Taranto the previous afternoon for a transport mission to Benghazi.
First Battle of Sirte
On 17 December, the First Battle of Sirte developed as a chance encounter between an Italian battle fleet screening two convoys[7] to Libya, and a British convoy to Malta screened by light cruisers and destroyers[8]. The Italian battle fleet, led by Admiral Iachino, failed to press its advantage in the late afternoon as it wished to avoid a night battle. There was little damage on either side as the convoys reached their destination safely. Italian submarines did not participate, although three patrolled around Malta (Santarosa, Squalo, and Topazio). Only Squalo (T.V. Lodovico Grion) made contact with the enemy but was too far to intervene. For the Italians, there was an unexpected benefit from the operation. On 18 December, Force K (three light cruisers and four destroyers) sailed again from Malta to intercept the Tripoli convoy but ran into an Italian defensive minefield off Tripoli. The light cruiser Neptune and the destroyer Kandahar were sunk, and the light cruisers Penelope and Aurora were damaged. Only one survivor from Neptune was found from a crew of 767.
Operation G.A.3: Victory at Alexandria
On the evening of 18 December, Scirè closed to just 1.3 miles from Ras El Tin Lighthouse (Alexandria), and launched three maiali (SLCs) led by T.V. Luigi Durand de La Penne (Operation G.A.3). The human torpedo SC.221 (T.V. Luigi Durand de La Penne/Capo Palombaro 3rd class Emilio Bianchi[9]) targeted the battleship HMS Valiant, SC.223 (Capo G.N. Antonio Marceglia/Palombaro Spartaco Schergat) the battleship Queen Elizabeth and SC.222 (Capo A.N. Vincenzo Martellotta/Palombaro 2nd class Mario Marino) the Norwegian tanker Sagona (7,554 GRT, built 1929). The submarine carried a reserve team (S.T. Medico Giorgio Spaccarelli/Sotto Capo Palombaro Armando Memoli). Ironically, Spaccarelli, who was the medical doctor of the expedition, almost drowned as the reserve team assisted with the launch. He was resuscitated on board the submarine after being administered artificial respiration.
The three teams registered a spectacular success. The two remaining battleships of the Mediterranean Fleet, the tanker Sagona and the destroyer HMS Jervis (which was lying next to the tanker), were severely damaged. Durand de La Penne and Bianchi were made prisoners before their charge detonated and brought on board Valiant. Despite threats, they refused to talk. A few minutes before the explosion was to occur, Durand de La Penne asked to speak to Captain Morgan and told him to evacuate his ship as it was going to sink. The four other men reached shore and attempted to reach Aboukir. However, they were supplied with Sterling pound notes instead of Egyptian pounds, which were the local currency and thus aroused suspicions. They were all arrested by the Egyptian police and became prisoners of war. By a curious reversal of fortune, in 1945, Admiral Morgan would pin the Medaglia d’Oro on the chest of Durand de La Penne.
Italian Air reconnaissance reported the operation’s success the next day, but the extent of the damage was unknown. Zaffiro (C.C. Giovanni Lombardi) was supposed to pick up the six men at a rendezvous off Aboukir but observed only a destroyer. After she had surfaced near the coast on three consecutive nights without making contact, it gave up the recovery attempt. On 9 January 1942, Rome radio announced that the battleship Valiant and another of the Barham class had been damaged. The information had trickled in despite British efforts to hide the extent of the setback. Further confirmation was later obtained from German Intelligence through Turkish sources. At about 2300 hours on the 18th, the destroyer HMS Jervis attacked a ‘small submarine’ some thirty-seven miles west of Alexandria, followed by the armed trawler Kingston Cyanite, who also attacked a contact just before midnight in the same area. Scirè was not the submarine involved, and both attacks appeared to be bogus.
On 18 December, Supermarina ordered the submarines Alagi, Aradam, Axum, and Turchese to be deployed to intercept an enemy force from the west. Five days later, off Cape Bougaroni, Turchese (T.V. Pier Vincenzo di Domenico), discovered a force identified as two Newcastle–class cruisers and four destroyers at a range of 12,000 metres. She could not close to less than 7,000 metres. On their way to Malta, these were probably the light cruiser HMS Dido and the destroyers HMS Zulu, Gurkha, Arrow, Foxhound, and HMAS Nestor. Turchese made an enemy report, and Aradam (T.V. Oscar Gran) was directed to intercept them but saw nothing.
At dawn on 20 December, during a crash-dive, an accident occurred on Bragadino (T.V. Luigi Andreotti) as a hatch was not secured properly, and two men were left behind. The submarine surfaced immediately, and Sergente Torpediniere Giovanni Taccori was found alive, clinging to the periscope, but 2o Capo Torpediniere Pietro Spada was not recovered. The submarine was on a transport mission to Tripoli, and her troubles were not over. On Christmas night, she ran aground near the entrance of this port. Her cargo was unloaded with the help of fishing vessels, and she was finally freed the next day with the help of the tug Ciclope and the torpedo boat Cantore.
Earlier that day, Mocenigo (T.V. Paolo Monechi), returning from a supply mission to Bardia, was attacked by Blenheim ‘P’ of 203 Squadron piloted by Pilot Officer Wintle. The aircraft dropped four 250-lb anti-submarine bombs and straddled the submarine, claiming one hit. The submarine dived to 40 meters as the bombs exploded but was undamaged. The submarines Thunderbolt and Proteus were in the area and were informed of the presence of the Italian submarine. They failed to make contact.
The same night, Bragadino (T.V. Luigi Andreotti), on a transport mission to Tripoli, ran aground near the entrance of this port. Fishing vessels helped unload her cargo. The next day, the tug Ciclope and the torpedo boat Cantore finally freed her.
On Christmas Day, Scirè, returning to Leros from her Alexandria operation, was attacked by a three-engine bomber west of Crete. This was the twin-engine Blenheim ‘P’ of 203 Squadron (Pilot Officer Wintle). It attacked a submarine with four 250-lb bombs. The bombs missed the submarine by about eighty metres; Scirè replied with her anti-aircraft armament without apparent success.
Two days later, it was Dandolo’s turn to be attacked by a Beaufort of 39 Squadron (Pilot Officer K.R. Grant). T.V. Walter Auconi took his submarine down after the twin Breda guns jammed.
On the night of 28/29 December, at Suda Bay, Veniero (T.V. Elio Zappetta) was waiting for the armed merchant cruiser Barletta to bring some stores from Piraeus when she was bombed by an aircraft. Although the bomb missed her by 70 metres, the concussion caused some damage.
Two days later, Ammiraglio Cagni (C.F. Carlo Liannazza) was returning from a supply mission to Bardia when she came under air attack southwest of Zante. This was Blenheim ‘F’ (Z6423), flown by Pilot Officer Hemsted of 203 Squadron, which released four 250-lb bombs. The submarine was undamaged and fought it out on the surface, diving only an hour and a half later.
Atlantic
Italian submarine patrols in the Atlantic during December 1941
| Da Vinci (…8 December) | Morosini (…20 December) | Cappellini (…20 December) |
| Finzi (5-26 December) | Torelli (5-23 December) | Tazzoli (6-27 December) |
| Calvi (7-28 December) | Bagnolini (16 December)x |
On the morning of 2 December, Cappellini (T.V. Aldo Lenzi) repeatedly attacked the British Miguel de Larrinaga (5,231 GRT, built 1924), a straggler from convoy OS.12. She used gunfire as well as five torpedoes without success and was forced to break off the action by the arrival of two destroyers. Miguel de Larrinaga did not answer signals and was initially believed lost. The Portuguese destroyer Vouga was sent to look for survivors but unsurprisingly found nothing. The British freighter finally reached Freetown on 14 December,
On 3 December, Morosini (C.C. Athos Fraternale) stopped the Spanish Vizcaya (4,578 GRT, built 1938), proceeding from Havana to Bilbao. Her papers were examined, and she was allowed to resume her voyage.
On the evening of 13 December, Morosini (C.C. Athos Fraternale) discovered convoy OS.13 at 10,000 meters; she could not close to attack. Two hours later, she was suddenly attacked by an unknown vessel. This was the sloop HMS Rochester, who had sighted the Italian at a range of six miles and rushed to attack with four patterns of depth charges. The sloop HMS Leith followed her, releasing a pattern of eight depth charges. The submarine escaped by going down to 150 metres; however, leaks forced her to abandon the patrol.
The rescue of Atlantis’ survivors
Italian submarines participated in the rescue of 414 survivors of the German raider Atlantis (Kapitän zur See Rogge) and the supply ship Python. Atlantis was the most famous of the German raiders and had supplied the submarine Perla after her escape from Massawa. The heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire sank the raider on 22 November 1941 in the South Atlantic. She was refuelling U-126 at the time, and the presence of the U-boat prevented the British cruiser from rescuing the survivors. U-126 had taken some on board and towed the lifeboats to deliver them two days later to the German supply ship Python. Their relief was short-lived as the heavy cruiser Dorsetshire appeared and sent Python to the bottom. The presence of U-126 and U-A had again prevented their rescue from the British ship and a large-scale rescue was now organised. On 14 December, Torelli (C.C. Antonio De Giacomo) took off fifty-five survivors from the over-crowded U-A. Two days later, Tazzoli (C.C. Carlo Fecia di Cossato) took sixty survivors from U-68, while Calvi (C.C. Emilio Olivieri) picked up seventy men from U-124 on 18 December and Finzi (C.C. Ugo Giudice) seventy men from U-129. The operation was concluded successfully as survivors landed in St. Nazaire or Le Verdon during the last week of December. The Italian commanders received decorations for this mission from the grateful Germans.
[1] U-96 was given notoriety by the book of Lothar-Günther Buchheim and Wolfgang Petersen’s film ‘Das Boot’
[2] Cf. Esamo critico della preparazione della condotta e dei risultati della nostra guerra subacqua in Maricosom file 187/f162/73 (USMM).
[3] In addition, they were at war with Nationalist China, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti, San Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Uruguay joined the democracies the following February.
[4] A few days before, while escorting convoy TA.1, HMS Farndale was involved in the rescue of the survivors of Chakdina, sunk by an Italian torpedo bomber with heavy loss of life.
[5] The signal was also intercepted by Italian Naval Intelligence.
[6] The claim that the light cruiser HMS Aurora was damaged in this attack is an error.
[7] Italian forces:
- First convoy (Tripoli): transports Vettor Pisani, Monginevro and Napoli escorted by six destroyers.
- Second convoy (Benghazi): German fast transport Ankara escorted by two destroyers.
- Close screening force: battleship Caio Duilio, light cruisers Duca d’Aosta, Muzio Attendolo, Raimondo Montecuccoli, and three destroyers.
- Support group: battleships Littorio, Andrea Doria, Giulio Cesare, heavy cruisers Gorizia, Trento, and ten destroyers.
[8] British forces:
- Convoy (Alexandria to Malta): fast transport Breconshire escorted by the light cruisers Naiad (flagship Rear-Admiral Vian), Euryalus, Carlisle, and eight destroyers.
- Force K (from Malta): light cruisers Penelope, Aurora, and two destroyers.
- Fourth Destroyer Flotilla (from Malta): four destroyers.
[9] Emilio Bianchi, the last survivor of the Alexandria operation, passed away on 15 August 2015 at the age of 102.