Forza Navale Speciale

The Forza Navale Speciale (FNS) was an association of the Italian Navy ( Regia Marina ) during World War II .

Lineup

The FNS was set up and stationed in Taranto on October 25, 1940 as Italy was preparing its upcoming attack on Greece . She was under the command of Ammiraglio di Squadra Vittorio Tur and was supposed to carry out the planned landing on Corfu . It was formed from the Maritrafalba (Comando Superiore per il Traffico con l'Albania), which had only been set up in Brindisi four days earlier and was responsible for the implementation and securing of the troop and supplies transports from Bari and Brindisi to Albania and now two old ones Light cruisers and three dropships were added.

Mission history

The association ran out on October 31, but was then ordered to withdraw the troops because of the bad weather in Valona ( southern Albania ). The landing in Corfu was canceled.

The Forza Navale Speciale was then restructured into an amphibious combat group ( forze anfibie ), which was supposed to carry out the German-Italian landing on Malta ( Enterprise Herkules or "Operazione C3") planned for July 1942 , but which then did not take place.

On November 11, 1942, parts of the FNS under Admiral Tur brought the first Italian army troops from Livorno and Elba to Bastia on Corsica after the establishment of the French Armistice Commission .

composition

The association consisted of the following ships:

• Light cruisers :
  • RN Bari (ex SMS Pillau )
  • RN Taranto (ex SMS Strasbourg )
• Destroyer :
  • RN Augusto Riboty
  • RN Carlo Mirabello
• Torpedo boats :
  • RN Calatafimi
  • RN Castelfidardo
  • RN Curtatone
  • RN Monzambano
  • RN Confienza
  • RN Solferino
  • RN Marcello Prestinari
  • RN Antonio Cantore
  • RN Nicola Fabrizi
  • RN Giacomo Medici
  • RN Francesco Stocco
• DropShips :
  • Sesia
  • Garigliano
  • Tirso
• Auxiliary cruiser :
  • RAMB III ( D.6 )
  • Capitano Cecchi
  • Lago Tana ( D.22 )
  • Lake Zuai ( D.23 )
• Four MAS - motor torpedo boats of the 13th Flotilla ( MAS 534 , MAS 535 , MAS 538 , MAS 539 )

The torpedo boats RN Antares , RN Altair , RN Aldebaran and RN Andromeda of the 12th Torpedo Boat Division were ordered to support the company.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pier Paolo Ramoino: 4 NOVEMBRE 1918: LE NAVI DELLA VITTORIA, I Documenti di Analisi Difesa (www.analisidifesa.it), Vol. 9, No. 93, Nov. 2008, p. 3  ( page no longer available , search in Web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 203 kB)  
2. ↑ http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/42-11.htm

Web links

• http://www.regiamarinaitaliana.it/ottdic1940.html
• http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4010-23OCT02.htm