Attack on Alexandria (1941)
SLC torpedo exhibited in Taormina
| date | Night of December 18th to 19th, 1941 |
|---|---|
| place | Alexandria , Egypt |
| output | Italian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
| Submarine R.Smg. Scirè 3 manned torpedoes |
Parts of the Mediterranean Fleet |
| losses | |
|
6 prisoners |
2 battleships out of action |
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The attack on Alexandria was carried out during the Second World War on the night of 18 to 19 December 1941 by combat swimmers of a special unit ( Decima Flottiglia MAS ) of the Italian Regia Marina on the base of the British Mediterranean Fleet in the port of Alexandria . Six Italian torpedo riders set the two battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant with explosive chargesdue to. The two ships could be lifted, but remained out of action for a long time. As a result of this attack, the balance of power in the Mediterranean shifted for a few months in favor of the Axis powers .
background
After Italy entered the Second World War, the Mediterranean became a theater of war. While the Italians had to handle and secure supplies from Italy to North Africa in a north-south direction, the British supply lines ran in a west-east direction between Gibraltar, Malta and Egypt , unless they bypassed the Cape of Good Hope . Both sides tried to keep their own supply lines open and to interrupt those of the enemy. It came to a number of clashes of the opposing naval units, so at Punta Stilo and Teulada , which remained without clear result. The British air raid on Taranto and the night battle at Cape Matapan had inflicted heavy losses on the Marina Regia . Since the Italian Navy was unable to prevail against the British in daylight and was clearly inferior at night due to a lack of radar , the use of small weapons offered itself . The special units of Italy equipped with these funds had already proven themselves in the First World War . During the Second World War, they operated in the entire Mediterranean and also in the Black Sea with considerable success.
course
On December 3, 1941, the Italian submarine Scirè ran out of La Spezia under the command of Junio Valerio Borghese . It had three SLC torpedoes on board . The three torpedo rider teams required for this were taken up in Leros . They consisted of Luigi Durand de la Penne and Emilio Bianchi, Vincenzo Martellotta and Mario Marino as well as Antonio Marceglia and Spartaco Schergat.
On the night of December 19, 1941, the three manned torpedoes were launched about two kilometers from the commercial port of Alexandria at a depth of 15 meters. The three teams entered the naval port when the harbor barriers were opened to allow British destroyers to enter. De la Penne and Bianchi's SLC torpedo failed due to engine failure and had to be moved manually, with Bianchi having problems with the oxygen supply and having to show up. De la Penne made it to HMS Valiant on his own and installed his explosive charge. Both Bianchi and de la Penne were discovered shortly afterwards on the surface of the water, captured and locked in the HMS Valiant under the waterline. Both were initially silent, but then informed the commander ten minutes before the explosion, who had the ship evacuated. De la Penne and Bianchi had to stay because they did not want to make any further statements; they survived the explosion almost unscathed.
Marceglia and Schergat managed as planned to place an explosive charge under the HMS Queen Elizabeth . In the early hours of the morning they left the port on foot, posing as French sailors. They were arrested by local police two days later while preparing to evacuate. Martellotta and Marino's destination was the Norwegian tanker Sagona . In this case it was Martellotta who had to show up because of oxygen problems while Marino positioned the explosive charge under the ship. When the tanker exploded, the destroyer HMS Jervis was also damaged. Martellotta and Marino also initially managed to escape undetected, but they too were arrested by the Egyptian police shortly afterwards.
consequences
Thanks to the successful attack, the Regia Marina was in a better position in the Mediterranean until the summer of 1942, because the British Mediterranean Fleet had lost two battleships in one fell swoop and temporarily only a few cruisers and destroyers remained. British attempts to hide the losses through deception and secrecy only met with success for a few weeks. Little changed in the strategic situation: the Mediterranean accesses remained in British hands, and Ultra and Radar gave them decisive advantages in use.
The two battleships that sank in the port of Alexandria could be lifted shortly after the attack, but they were out of action for a long time due to the severe damage: the HMS Queen Elizabeth remained in dry dock until June 1942 , further repairs were then carried out in the USA and England . It was not operational again until June 1943. The HMS Valiant stayed in Alexandria until April 1942 and then moved to Durban in South Africa. The repairs continued until May 1943. The HMS Jervis was able to resume service at the end of January 1942.
The six Italian combat swimmers were released from captivity after the Armistice of Cassibile . You have been awarded the Italian gold medal for bravery . De la Penne received it in Taranto from the former commander of HMS Valiant .
reception
The attack on Alexandria was processed on film in the post-war period, including 1966 in Alarm on the Valiant . The Italian Navy named a destroyer after Luigi Durand de la Penne. The second Italian submarine class 212 A again bears the name Scirè . Junio Valerio Borghese was not further honored because he continued to fight on the German side after the armistice and remained a supporter of fascism even after the war.
See also
literature
- James J. Sadkovich: The Italian Navy in World War II . Greenwood Press, Westport (CT, USA), 1994. ISBN 0-313-28797-X .
Web links
- Description on defencemedianetwork (English)
- Brief description on ww2db.com (English)