Luigi Durand de la Penne
Luigi Durand de la Penne (born February 11, 1914 in Genoa , † January 27, 1992 ibid) was an Italian naval officer. He became known for his use in the attack on Alexandria in December 1941.
Life
De la Penne completed the Istituto Nautico San Giorgio in his hometown of Genoa and then a course for prospective officers at the Accademia Navale . From 1935 he served in the 6th MAS - Flotilla in La Spezia . During the Second World War he was a member of the 10th MAS Flotilla , a special unit equipped with small weapons . As a torpedo rider , he took part in unsuccessful attacks on Alexandria and Gibraltar in 1940, in which the submarines Iride and Gondar were lost. De la Penne was nevertheless promoted to lieutenant captain (Tenente di Vascello) and made a professional soldier .
During the attack on the British naval base in Alexandria on the night of December 18-19, 1941, Durand de la Penne commanded the three teams of torpedo riders that were dropped off from the submarine Scirè in front of the base. These were the manned torpedoes 221 (Durand de la Penne, Emilio Bianchi), 222 (Vincenzo Martellotta, Mario Marino) and 223 (Antonio Marceglia, Spartaco Schergat). In contrast to their comrades, Durand de la Penne and Emilio Bianchi had to struggle with considerable problems during the mission: first with the harbor barriers, then with an engine failure on their torpedo and finally with Bianchi's oxygen supply, who had to appear. Durand de la Penne carried out his operation against the battleship HMS Valiant alone, but was then captured together with Bianchi and locked in the Valiant next to the ammunition chamber. Shortly before the explosive charge placed under the ship exploded, he asked the British commander to disembark the crew. De la Penne and Bianchi had to stay, but survived the explosion. The other torpedo riders attacked the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth and a tanker, with one destroyer also being damaged.
De la Penne and his colleagues came to India as prisoners of war . After the Cassibile armistice , Durand de la Penne was released in February 1944. He then served in the special naval unit fighting on the Allied side. In June 1944 he was involved in an attack on the La Spezia naval base, which was occupied by German troops , in which the cruiser Bolzano was sunk. In March 1945, Durand de la Penne was awarded the Italian gold medal for bravery in Taranto . He received it from the former commanding officer of the Valiant , Charles Morgan.
Luigi Durand de la Penne stayed with the Marina Militare after the war and achieved the rank of sea captain (Capitano di Vascello) during his active service in 1954 . In the reserve he was later made an honorary Vice Admiral (Ammiraglio di Squadra) . After serving as a naval attaché in Brazil , Durand de la Penne embarked on a political career in 1956. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies for around 20 years , first for the Democrazia Cristiana , then for the Partito Liberale Italiano . From June 1972 to July 1973, Durand de la Penne was Secretary of State in the Ministry of Commerce .
reception
1961 was a British-Italian war film entitled Alarm auf der Valiant (The Valiant) , directed by Roy Ward Baker , which describes Durand de la Pennes deployment in Alexandria. Durand de la Penne was portrayed by Ettore Manni .
The Italian Navy named a destroyer launched in 1989 under the name Animoso and put into service in 1993 after Luigi Durand de la Penne, who died in 1992.
Web links
- Brief description on the website of the Italian Navy
- Details on the website of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Durand de la Penne, Luigi |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian naval officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 11, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Genoa |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 27, 1992 |
| Place of death | Genoa |