September 1943
| 8 | September | The Italian Armistice was announced. |
| 9 | September | Allied forces landed at Salerno and Taranto. |
| 12 | September | Mussolini was rescued by German paratroopers from his forced residence at Gran Sasso. |
| 23 | September | Mussolini established a fascist government in the north of Italy, the Italian Social Republic (RSI), also known as the Salò Republic. |
Italian submarine organisation on the eve of the Armistice
By the time Italy signed the Armistice, her submarine fleet had been seriously depleted[1] despite new constructions. Three Groups had been eliminated with the fall of Sicily: III (Messina), VIII (Trapani), and X (Augusta).
Because of the need for secrecy, several submarines were unable to sail while being repaired or refitted, and they almost all were scuttled.
Thirty-five submarines managed to join the Allies.
I Grupsom (La Spezia, C.F. A. Bardi)
Bajamonti, Rismondo, H.1, H.2, H.4 and H.6.
II Grupsom (Naples, C.F. E. Francardi)
Alagi, Aradam (under repairs in Genoa), Axum, Diaspro, Galatea, Topazio (sunk on 12.9.1943), Turchese, Marea, Vortice.
FR.113 (refit at Genoa)
FR.114 (refit at Castellamare di Stabia).
FR.115 (under repairs at Pozzuoli).
IV Grupsom (Taranto, C.F. Chialamberto)
Atropo, Bragadino, Corridoni, Da Procida, Menotti, Mameli, Settembrini, Speri, Zoea.
Midget submarines: C.B.7 at Pola and C.B.8, C.B.9, C.B.10, C.B.11 and C.B.12 at Crotone.
V Grupsom (Leros, C.F. V. Spigai)
Ametista (completed refit at Fiume), Beilul (refit at Monfalcone), Onice (available at Brindisi), Sirena (refit at La Spezia).
VII Grupsom (Cagliari-La Maddalena, C.F. Murzi)
Argo, Brin, Dandolo, Giada, Nichelio, Platino, Wolframio (refit at La Spezia).
IX Grupsom (Brindisi, C.F. G. Spagone)
Manara, Bandiera, Jalea, Squalo.
XI Grupsom (Bordeaux, C.V. E. Grossi)
Ammiraglio Cagni, Finzi, Torelli, Bagnolini, Cappellini, Giuliani.
In addition, nine German-built submarines of type VIIC were working up in Danzig: S.1 to S.9.
XII Grupsom (Pola -Fiume, C.F. A. Agostini )
Pisani, Serpente, Otaria, Settimo.
Xa Flottiglia MAS (La Spezia)
Ambra, Murena, Sparide, Grongo.
Nautilo (new but still working up).
Black Sea Midget Submarines Flotilla
Five midget submarines C.B.1, C.B.2, C.B.3, C.B.4 and C.B.6 at Costanza.
Italian submarine patrols in the Mediterranean during September 1943
| C.B.8 (2-4 September) | C.B.9 (3 September) | Vortice (3-9 September) |
| C.B.10 (3-4 September) | Onice (3-10 September) | Marea (3-5 September) |
| Diaspro (3-5 September) | Alagi (3-5 September) | Settembrini (3-10 September) |
| Brin (3-5 September) | Menotti (3-11 September) | Manara (3-5 September)x |
| C.B.10 (4-5 September) | Jalea (7-10 September) | Bragadino (7-11 September) |
| Squalo (7-10 September) | Platino (7-11 September) | Nichelio (7-9 September) |
| Alagi (7-9 September)x | Brin (7-11 September) | Diaspro (7-12 September) |
| Galatea (7-11 September) | Velella (7 September*) | Turchese (7-13 September) |
| Topazio (7-12 September*) | Marea (7-11 September) | Giada (7-10 September) |
| Bandiera (7-11 September) |
The Gamma Operation had been amended with orders to the newly-built C.B. boats, C.B.8 (G.M. Giuseppe Sanseverino), C.B.9 (S.T.V. Eole Lorenzetti) and C.B.10 (S.T.V. Alfredo Perioli). They were based at Crotone since the second half of August, forming the 2nd Squadriglia Sommergibile CB, and were now instructed to carry a short defensive patrol between Cape Colonne and Punta. The flotilla was joined by C.B.11 and C.B.12 at Ancona at the beginning of the month, but they did not have time to carry out patrols.
On 7 September, the submarines were ordered to sea according to the Gamma operation order. This was most probably to facilitate their extraction as the Armistice was imminent. Bragadino, Jalea, and Squalo sailed from Taranto and Bandiera from Brindisi to operate in defensive patrols in the Ionian Sea. Alagi, Brin, Diaspro, Galatea, Marea Nichelio, and Velella sailed from the Naples area to patrol off in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea and off Salerno in anticipation of an Allied landing there. Platino, Topazio, and Turchese sailed from Sardinian ports and Giada from Bonifacio, to operate in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Turchese (T.V. Eugenio Parodi) had barely sailed from Villa Marina (Sardinia) when she came under fire from some nervous gunners of a coastal battery near La Maddalena, but the shots all fell short by about 200 metres. The old submarines H.1, H.2, H.4, and H.6 and Rismondo sailed from La Spezia with orders to reach Corsica. Already on patrol, the submarine Menotti was in the Strait of Otranto, Settembrini was in the approaches to the Gulf of Taranto and Vortice was off Cape Spartivento (Calabria).
Loss of Velella
Velella (T.V. Mario Patanè) and Brin (T.V. Luigi Andreotti) had sailed from Naples for a patrol in the Gulf of Salerno. At 2000 hours on 7 September and off Punta Licosa, the former was torpedoed and sunk by HMS Shakespeare (Lt M.F.R. Ainslie, DSC). Brin could only watch her companion being blown to pieces by three torpedo hits. The British submarine had emptied her six torpedo tubes from 800 yards, and four hits were observed. There were no survivors. Six officers and forty-six ratings were killed. It was a tragic and needless loss, only a few hours before the Armistice. When her sinking was known, Marina Napoli ordered MS.72 and MS.74 to sail to search for survivors, but none were found.
Alagi (T.V. Sergio Puccini) was luckier; she was operating south of Salerno, but defects forced her to turn back. She was most likely the northbound submarine sighted by HMS Shakespeare off Licosa Point during the afternoon of 8 September. The British submarine was in an ideal position to attack but could not compromise her position as she was due shortly to act as a beacon for the Salerno landings.
The old H.2 (T.V. Antonio Canezza) departed from La Spezia for Ajaccio and was approaching Cape Corse when an unidentified submarine was sighted in the early hours of 8 September. She was unable to close for an attack. This was very likely HMS Sportsman lurking in the vicinity.
The Armistice of 8 September
Following the news of the Italian Armistice at 2110 hours on 8 September,[2] Maricosom ordered all submarines to cease hostilities, go to a depth of eighty metres, and then surface at 0800 hours the following day, displaying the Italian flag and a black flag of surrender at the forward periscope. They were to proceed to Bone (Algeria) to join the Allies. Italian warships were supposed to be disarmed (Operation GIBBON), but a large part were later enlisted as co-belligerents.
All seaworthy submarines were ordered to sail and join an Allied port. In all, thirty-four (including five midgets) did so in the Mediterranean, while another, Ammiraglio Cagni, on her way to Singapore, turned back and reached Durban.
The news of the Armistice took the Italian submariners by surprise, and they were not certain of the veracity of the information. On the morning of 9 September, while patrolling in the Strait of Otranto, T.V. Giovanni Manunta of Menotti discussed the situation with T.V. Pasquale Gigli of Jalea and the proper course to take. Finally, Manunta decided to return to Brindisi, while Gigli opted for Taranto.
The same morning, Vortice (T.V. Marco Revedin) encountered four British destroyers. One of them, HMS Hurworth, ordered her to Augusta, and she complied. Following an exchange between the commanding officers of Squalo (T.V. Carlo Girola), Bragadino (T.V. Alpinolo Cinti), and Bandiera (C.C. Rodolfo Scarelli), the first two proceeded to Augusta, while the third elected to return to Taranto.
Nichelio (T.V. Claudio Celli) had sailed from Pozzuoli on the afternoon of the 7th to operate off Salerno. Upon learning of the Armistice, she moved northward to the 42nd parallel but was intercepted by British motor launches. She was directed to Salerno escorted by M.L.444 where she arrived on the morning of 9 September and anchored near the Command Ship USS Ancon (AGC-4). Two days later, she departed for Palermo with Lt(jg) Carty, USN, and three enlisted men from Ancon to act as liaisons.
During the afternoon, Brin (T.V. Luigi Andreotti) and Galatea (T.V. Carlo Gladstone Cruciani) encountered the British MTB-266 and were ordered to Palermo; they refused to comply as their orders were to go to Bone. That same evening, the two submarines were intercepted by the destroyer HMS Eclipse who again ordered them to Palermo. To avoid an incident, Cruciani came aboard the destroyer to explain the situation, and the Italian submarines were finally allowed to proceed to Bone.
After midnight, Corridoni (T.V. Giandaniele Asquini) was intercepted by the Dutch submarine Dolfijn (Lt Cdr H.M.L.F.E. van Oostrom Soede). The Italian submarine was short of lubricating oil and unable to rejoin Allied lines. She was given permission to go to Elba for refuelling, and she reached Palermo three days later.
After much hesitation, the three old submarines H.1, H.2 and H.4 left Ajaccio for Portoferraio (Elba). On 12 September, H.2 (T.V. Antonio Canezza) became separated from the group and was intercepted by the German motor torpedo boat S-154, which attempted to stop her with a burst of machine gun fire, but the submarine increased speed and managed to shake off her pursuer. Before dawn on 14 September, some eighty miles from Palermo, H.4 (C.C. Francesco Pedrotti), in company with H.1 (T.V. Augusto Marraccini), was bombed and strafed by what was believed to be a Do 215 but was Liberator ‘Q’ (1st Lt H.S. Cantrell) of the 1st USAAF anti-submarine squadron based at Protville. The aircraft released six depth charges but then recognised the submarines as Italians and flew away. All three boats eventually reached Palermo safely.
The Italian battle fleet, under Admiral Carlo Bergamini, had also sailed from La Spezia to join the Allies. The force of three modern battleships, Roma, Italia, and Vittorio Veneto, eight cruisers, and eight destroyers was attacked in the Bonifacio Straits by German Do 217 bombers of Kampfgeschwader 100 with radio-guided bombs. The flagship Roma was hit and blew up, taking to their deaths Admiral Bergamini and 1,252 officers and ratings. Italia was also hit by a bomb but escaped major damage. The remaining ships reached Malta or the Balearic Islands.
The most notable resistance to the Germans was shown by the former commander of Tazzoli and leading submarine ace, Carlo Fecia di Cossato, now in command of a torpedo-boat squadron. The Armistice found him at Bastia with the torpedo boat Aliseo, her sister ship Ardito, and the corvette Cormorano. On 9 September, the Germans seized Ardito and attempted to subdue the Italians, Aliseo replied with a devastating fire that sank the submarine chasers UJ 2203 and UJ 2219 as well as three F-lighters and put the remaining vessels to flight. Although Cossato rejoined the Allies, he was disappointed by the fate of the Regia Marina. A staunch royalist, the refusal of the Bonomi government to pledge fidelity to the King ultimately caused his suicide on 27 August 1944.
At 1555 hours on 11 September, Pisani (C.F. Mario Resio) was stopped off Brindisi, with a warning shot by the Polish submarine Sokol (Lt Cdr G.C. Koziolkowski, DSC, KW). The Polish commander did not find Resio very cooperative and transferred Sub-Lieutenant Fritz and two ratings aboard the Italian submarine, and it was then directed to Taranto. A few hours later, Sokol encountered Otaria (T.V. Giovanni Febbraro) who likewise was directed to Taranto.
The same evening, Turchese was the victim of another case of mistaken identity when she was attacked by Hudson ‘O’ of 500 Squadron piloted by Pilot Officer G.M. Shires. Four depth charges were dropped and exploded barely a few metres from her hull as she was diving, causing serious damages and putting her port diesel engine out of service, but she reached Bone on the 13th, towed by the trawler HMS Stroma. Her damages were never completely repaired, and she was no longer operational.
We have seen that the Italian Navy system was heavily centralised, and most communications passed through Rome. By 9 September, Rome had issued a warning that German forces were moving against the capital, and by 12 September, the Rome station was off the air. It was replaced by the Brindisi station, which became the hub of communications for all Italian forces fighting with the Allies.
Loss of Topazio
Topazio (T.V. Pier Vittorio Casarini), which had been on a barrage line along with Diaspro, Turchese, and Marea, received orders to join an Allied port. At 1117 hours on 12 September, Bisley ‘J’ of 13 Squadron, piloted by Flight Officer G.H. Finch reported attacking, in position 38°38’ N, 09°23’ E (or 28 miles southwest of Cape Carbonara, Sardinia). a surfaced submarine on course 315°, 12 knots, which appeared to be down by the stern. Four depth charges were dropped from a height of 50 feet, and the submarine sank. This was almost certainly Topazio, and about fifteen to twenty survivors were seen struggling in the water, but none were rescued. It was not certain if she was on her way to surrender as she was not flying the black flag, and she was lost with all hands. Six officers and forty-three ratings were killed.
The other two submarines fared better. Without incident, Marea reached Bone on 11 September. Diaspro, with a defective port diesel, elected to go to Cagliari. She was found there when HM MGB’s 660 and MGB 662, bringing Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, US Army, arrived on 18 September to take possession of the harbour.
Loss of Ametista
On 12 September, Ametista (S.T.V. Luigi Ginocchio), having sailed from Fiume, was scuttled near Numana (Ancona). Two sailors were drowned. Ginocchio wished to avoid delivering his submarine into British hands and was court-martialled for his action.
Within a few days, all the submarines that had managed to escape had reached an Allied-controlled port. A few participated in secret missions, and others were to bring supplies to Leros when British forces made their ill-fated attempt at seizing the island, but most were used in anti-submarine exercises to release Allied submarines being used for this purpose. Until December, the submarines Onice, Squalo, Settembrini, and Pisani were used to supply power for the city of Naples.
Submarines that could not sail were scuttled to avoid falling into German hands. A few were later repaired, but none saw any action in the Mediterranean; the exceptions were the Betasom submarines, which were being transformed into transport submarines, the nine submarines of type VIIC working up in the Baltic, and the submarines in the Far East.
The following submarines reached an Allied port or were in a port liberated by Allied forces:
Alagi at Bone
Atropo at Malta
Axum at Palermo
Bandiera at Taranto
Bausan at Brindisi (oil depot ship)
Bragadino at Augusta
Brin at Bone
C.B.8 at Taranto
C.B.9 at Taranto
C.B.10 at Taranto
C.B.11 at Taranto (escaped from Ancona).
C.B.12 at Taranto (escaped from Ancona).
Ammiraglio Cagni at Durban
Corridoni at Palermo
Da Procida at Taranto (not operational)
Diaspro at Cagliari
Galatea at Bone
Giada at Bone
H.1 at Palermo
H.2 at Palermo
H.4 at Palermo
Jalea at Gallipoli
Manara at Brindisi (defects)
Marea at Bone
Menotti at Malta
Nichelio at Salerno
Onice at Augusta
Otaria at Taranto
Pisani at Taranto
Platino at Bone
Settembrini at Augusta
Settimo at Taranto
Squalo at Augusta
Turchese at Bone
Vortice at Augusta
Zoea at Augusta
In addition, the large transport submarines R.3, R.4, R.5, and R.6 were found under construction at the Tosi Taranto shipyard. The Leros campaign would briefly underline the usefulness of this type of submarine. By December 1943, it was over, and their completion was no longer deemed worth the effort.
For the Allies, there was no question that Italian submarines had to be demilitarized. Consideration was given to using the larger submarines with a British or American crew in the war against Japan, but this never happened. Eventually, the submarines were used mostly for A/S training to replace the aging British and American ones used for that purpose. Some of the larger submarines were used in transport missions during the Leros campaign, while some of the smaller ones were used for special missions, landing OSS, SIS, or SOE agents behind enemy lines in the Adriatic.
Eventually, to help smooth relations with the Italians, Captain Humbert William Ziroli, USN, commanding officer of the light cruiser USS Brooklyn (CL-40), was assigned as Senior U.S. Naval Liaison Officer, Italy, and was promoted to Commodore.
The following submarines were scuttled or seized by the Germans at armistice time:
At La Spezia: Ambra (scuttled), Bajamonti (scuttled), Murena (scuttled), Sirena (scuttled), Wolframio (scuttled) and the incomplete Allumnio, Antimonio, Fosforo, Grongo (scuttled), Manganese, Silicio, Sparide (scuttled, Zolfo, R.10, R.11 and R.12 and the small submarines C.A.3 and C.A.4.
At Genoa: Aradam (scuttled), Colonna (disarmed), H.8, FR.113, ex-French Henri-Poincaré (FR.118?).
At Bonifacio: H.6 and Rismondo (seized on 13 September by the German minesweepers R-200, R-161, R-162, and R-198 of the 11th R-Flottille and would be scuttled on 14 and 18 September, respectively.
At Castellamare di Stabia: ex-French FR.114 (ex-Espadon) and FR.115 (ex-Dauphin), scuttled by the Germans on 18 September. Axum had barely escaped from Gaeta as the Germans reached the quay.
At Pola: Serpente sailed to join the Allies but was finally scuttled off Ancona on 12 September. C.B.7 and probably C.B.13 and C.B.14 (scuttled?).
At Trieste: the incomplete C.B.17, C.B.18 and C.B.19.
At Monfalcone: Argo, Beilul and the incomplete Bario, Cromo, Ferro, Litio, Piombo, Potassio, Rame, Sodio, Zinco, R.7, R.8, R.9 and the small submarines C.M.2 and C.M.3.
In addition, Nautilo (carrying part of the crews from the immobilized Argo and Beilul) and C.M.1, which had sailed from Monfalcone to join the Allies, were intercepted by the Germans and diverted to Venice.
Seized at Yalta: C.B.1 and C.B.4.
Seized at Sevastopol: C.B.2, C.B.3 and C.B.6.
Seized at Bordeaux: Bagnolini, Finzi, and the midget C.A.2.
Seized at Singapore: Cappellini, Giuliani, Torelli.
Seized at Danzig: S.1, S.5, S.6, S.7, S.8 and S.9.
Seized at Pillau: S.2 and S.3.
Seized at Königsberg: S.4
The ten German-built Type VIIC submarines were re-incorporated into the Kriegsmarine and reverted to their original U-number. They were mostly used for training. Of the ten boats, only U-748 (ex-S.5) carried out a three-day patrol in the Baltic.
Capitano di corvetta Galeazzi was in charge of the Marigammasom base, and on the day of the Armistice, he was on a mission in Berlin. Capitano di Corvetta Arillo (of S.5) acted as the interim commander during his absence. The Italian crews (395 men) were lodged on board the liner Deutschland. Enzo Grossi visited them on 18 or 19 September and informed them that most men at the Betasom base had chosen to continue fighting on the German side. He convinced them to do the same, and most of them followed him. Only eight officers, one of them T.V. Longhi of S.7, and thirty-five ratings opted for internment. They were incarcerated at Stalag XXA.
In addition, in the Adriatic, a number of C.B. boats were seized as they were incomplete or still running trials. They were ceded to the Navy of the Italian Socialist Republic and later formed the 1 Gruppo Sommergibile CB under Commander Longobardo, initially at Trieste and then moved to Pola. They were formed by C.B.16, C.B.17, C.B.18, C.B.19, C.B.20, C.B.21 and C.B.22.
The war had become fratricide. Though the majority of Italian naval officers and ratings were loyal to the King and fought with the Allies, a relatively small number remained faithful to the Duce and fought for the Italian Socialist Republic or directly under German orders. After it had been disbanded at the Armistice, Junio Valerio Borghese reorganised the Decima Flottiglia MAS as a fighting unit for the Republic.
Within days of the Armistice, Prime Minister Churchill, who had always admired daring men, inquired if the six men who had attacked Alexandria in 1941 had been treated well in captivity. Doubtless, he was already thinking of employing them, and eventually, Durand Della Penne was liberated and fought with the Allies.
The Germans incorporated the seized Italian boats in the Kriegsmarine and assigned to them numbers with the UI[3] or UIT prefix:
| German name | Italian name | Subsequent fate |
| UI 1 | R.10 | Sunk at Genoa on 4 October 1944. |
| UI 2 | R.11 | Scuttled at Genoa on 24 April 1945. |
| UI 3 | R.12 | Scuttled at Genoa on 24 April 1945. |
| UI 4 | R.7 | Sunk at Monfalcone by air attack on 25 May 1944. |
| UI 5 | R.8 | Sunk at Monfalcone by air attack on 20 April 1944. |
| UI 6 | R.9 | Either sunk by air attack on 16 March 1945 or scuttled at Monfalcone on 1 May 1945. |
| UI 7 | Bario | Destroyed by air attack at Monfalcone on 16 March 1945. |
| UI 8 | Litio | Destroyed by air attack at Monfalcone on 16 March 1945. |
| UI 9 | Sodio | Destroyed by air attack at Monfalcone on 16 March 1945. |
| UI 10 | Potassio | Sabotaged on slip on 1 May 1945. |
| UI 11 | Rame | Sabotaged on slip on 1 May 1945. |
| UI 12 | Ferro | Sabotaged on slip on 1 May 1945. |
| UI 13 | Piombo | Sabotaged on slip on 1 May 1945. |
| UI 14 | Zinco | Sabotaged on slip on 1 May 1945. |
| UI 15 | Sparide | Sunk at Genoa by air attack on 4 September 1944. |
| UI 16 | Murena | Sunk at Genoa by air attack on 4 September 1944. |
| UI 17 | C.M.1 | Ceded to the Italian Socialist Republic. |
| UI 18 | C.M.2 | Sunk at Monfalcone by air attack on 25 May 1944. Raised and scuttled at the liberation. |
| UI 19 | Nautilo | Sunk at Pola by air attack on 9 January 1944. |
| Beilul | Sunk at Monfalcone by air attack in May 1944. | |
| UI 20 | Grongo | Sunk at Genoa by air attack on 4 September 1944. |
| UIT 21 | Giuseppe Finzi | Scuttled at Bordeaux on 25 August 1944. |
| UIT 22 | Alpino Bagnolini | Sunk by air attack off the Cape of Good Hope on 11 March 1944. |
| UIT 23 | Reginaldo Giuliani | Sunk by the submarine HMS Tally Ho in the Malacca Straits on 5 February 1944. |
| UIT 24 | Comandante Cappellini | Seized by the Japanese at Singapore and renamed Ro-503, seized by the United States in August 1945 and scuttled. |
| UIT 25 | Luigi Torelli | Seized by the Japanese at Singapore and renamed Ro-504, seized by the United States in August 1945 and scuttled. |
Italian submarine patrols in the Black Sea in September 1943
| C.B.1 (…1 September) | C.B.2 (1-3 September)? | C.B.1 (15-16 September) |
| C.B.2 (15-16 September) | C.B.3 (15-16 September) | C.B.6 (15-16 September) |
The five midget submarines of 1st Squadriglia (C.F. Alberto Torri) came under German control. C.B.1 (G.M. Giovanni Re), during a mission south of Cape Sarych, was reported to have torpedoed a Soviet submarine or small freighter (night of 15/16 September). Postwar research does not confirm this. The midgets were later ceded to Rumania but eventually returned to the Italian Social Republic.
Italian submarine patrols in the Indian Ocean during September 1943
| Cagni (…20 September) |
Ammiraglio Cagni (C.C. Giuseppe Roselli Lorenzini) was southeast of Mauritius, on her way to Singapore, when the crew heard of the Armistice. The commander decided that his allegiance lay with the King and brought her to Durban, where the submarine arrived on 20 September. Under interrogation, Lorenzini mentioned his 12 and 25 July attacks but curiously omitted that of 22 July. His submarine had twenty-nine torpedoes left, and he stated that he left Bordeaux with thirty-four when it must have been thirty-six. After the war, Lorenzini rose to the rank of Admiral and Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy.
For a moment, British authorities considered using Cagni as a transport submarine in the Dodecanese. The situation was developing very quickly, and when she reached Haifa on 18 December, the islands were now firmly under German control. She was sent to Taranto and then to Palermo, where she was used for anti-submarine training with the US Navy.
Italian submarine organisation after 8 September 1943
On 21 September 1943, the submarines were organized into two groups based in Malta:
Group Marsa Scirocco operated from the battleship Giulio Cesare [11+1 units]
Settembrini, Vortice, Bragadino, Corridoni, Atropo, Platino, Axum, Bandiera, Marea, Nichelio, Giada (joined later by Turchese).
Group San Paolo operated from the seaplane tender Miraglia [11 units].
Brin, Zoea, Onice, Jalea, Squalo, Galatea, Menotti, Alagi, H.1, H.2, H.4.
In autumn 1943, two additional stations were constituted at Brindisi and Naples, and in December 1943, that of Augusta.
In December 1943, the submarine school was also resurrected at Taranto.
From 1 June 1944, five groups were operating:
Four were under Maricosom:
Grupsom Taranto under C.V. Guilio Chialamberto: C.B.8, C.B.9, C.B.10, C.B.11, Diaspro, H.1, H.2, Manara, Nichelio, Otaria, Pisani, Platino, Settimo, Squalo[4].
2a Squadriglia C.B. under T.V. Giovanni Sorrentino.
Grupsom Brindisi under T.V. Emilio Botta: C.B.11, Diaspro, Nichelio, Platino.
Grupsom Napoli under C.C. Pasquale Gigli: H.2.
Grupsom Augusta under T.V. A. Razeto: Otaria.
A fifth Group was used for anti-submarine training and dispersed on several Allied bases:
Gibraltar (Galatea, Jalea), Malta (C.B.9, C.B.10, Diaspro, H.1, H.2, Manara, Otaria),
Comando Gruppo Levante under C.F. F. Buonamici:
Alexandria (Alagi, Zoea), Haifa (Bandiera),
Comando Gruppo Oceano Indiano under C.C. Attilio Petroni:
Aden (Corridoni), Colombo (Brin, Giada).
Comando Gruppo Oceano Atlantico Occidentale, also known as Italian Submarine Squadron One under C.F. Emilio Berengan:
Several submarines also operated in the Western hemisphere at New London, Casco Bay, Bermuda, and Guantanamo, Cuba (Atropo, Dandolo, Da Procida, Giada, Onice, Mameli, Marea, Speri and Vortice).[5]
This last group would be operational until the end of the war with Japan.[6]
[1] Ninety submarines had been lost.
[2] The author is indebted to Admiral Giuliano Manzari for providing the information in this section. For a detailed account of the submarines at the time of the Armistice and after, see his article I sommergibili italiani dal settembre 1943 al dicembre 1945 in Bolletino d’archivio (December 2011 issue, 86 pages), available free online: http://www.marina.difesa.it/documentazione/editoria/bollettino/Documents/2011/dicembre/manzari_i_sommergibili_italiani.pdf
[3] My thanks to Marco Ghiglino for clearing up the UI/UIT numbers used by the German Navy.
[4] These submarines conducted exercises and occasionally were moved to other bases. A few more submarines also performed a few odd exercises and are included.
[5] Settembrini was sunk in error while proceeding to the Western hemisphere.
[6] See the article Submarine Shortage Solved: French and Italian Submarines as U.S. Navy Training Targets in the Western Atlantic 1943-1945 by Mark C. Jones in The Submarine Review (June 2015, pp. 126-139).