Italy, like Germany, was one of the "young" European powers, emerging as a single state only in 1861, when, as it seemed, all spheres of influence had long been divided between England and France, as well as Spain and Portugal, which retained part of their possessions. and the Netherlands. But the Italian elites, remembering the great past of Rome, sought to join the division of the world and turn Italy into a serious maritime power. This desire was quite understandable and real, since Italy is washed by the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Rome hoped that Italy would gain control over part of the Mediterranean, including over the Adriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula and over North African territories.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Italy became increasingly asserting its geopolitical ambitions. Since Algeria and Tunisia have long been under French control, and Egypt has become a British satellite, the Italian leadership drew attention to the "ownerless" lands in the north and northeast of Africa - to Libya, which remained part of the weakened Ottoman Empire, and on the coast of the Red seas - Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. The Italians managed to establish control over Eritrea, but the first Italo-Ethiopian war of 1895-1896. was ingloriously lost by the Italian army. But Rome won back in 1911-1912, winning the Italo-Turkish war and forcing the Ottoman Empire to cede Libya and the Dodecanese Islands to Italy.
To support its imperial ambitions, Italy needed a strong navy. But Italy could not compete with Great Britain, which by this time had the best naval forces in the world, and even with Germany or France. But the Italians became pioneers in the direction of underwater sabotage. In 1915, Italy entered World War I on the side of the Entente. As you know, before Italy was part of the Triple Alliance and was considered an ally of Germany and Austria-Hungary. Everything was changed by the victory in the Italo-Turkish war of 1911-1912, after which Italy began to compete with Austria-Hungary for influence on the Balkan Peninsula. In Rome, they looked with great appetite at the Adriatic coast belonging to Austria-Hungary - Croatia and Dalmatia, as well as at Albania, which in 1912 freed itself from Ottoman dependence. Having entered the First World War on the side of the Entente, Italy hoped that victory in the war would allow it to gain control over Croatia and Dalmatia and turn the Adriatic Sea into an “internal sea” of Italy.
Meanwhile, it was the Adriatic coast of Croatia and Dalmatia that was the base of the Austro-Hungarian fleet. The very entry of these lands into the Habsburg Empire made Austria-Hungary a maritime power. Austro-Hungarian ships were based in the Adriatic ports, and the Austro-Hungarian Naval Academy was also located in Fiume, which at various times was graduated by almost all outstanding naval commanders of the Habsburg Empire.
During 1915-1918. Italy fought at sea with the Austro-Hungarian fleet. Although the Italian fleet at that time was inferior to the Austro-Hungarian in terms of its power, the Italians began to pay very much attention to undermining enemy ships. So, Italy was very active in using torpedo boats. For example, on the night of December 9-10, 1917, the Italian torpedo boats of Lieutenant Luigi Rizzo made an unprecedented raid into the harbor of Trieste. As a result of the attack, the Austro-Hungarian fleet lost the battleship Vin.
After entering the First World War, the attention of the Italian naval command was focused on the city of Pula, located at the very tip of the Istrian peninsula and at that time one of the main naval bases of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The reasons for this attention were understandable. Firstly, Pula belonged to the Venetian Republic for 600 years, and secondly, it played a strategic role in terms of military-political control over the Adriatic. The Italian military studied the possibilities of penetrating the harbor of Pula, hoping to inflict a serious blow on the Austro-Hungarian fleet. However, the Italians got such an opportunity only in 1918.
It was found that the Austro-Hungarian fleet was carefully guarding the approaches to Pula, and most importantly, it had set up numerous obstacles that would prevent enemy ships from entering the harbor. Therefore, the Italian naval command decided to organize a special sabotage operation in Pula. It was supposed to be carried out with the help of a special guided torpedo "minyata" (Italian mignatta - leech), which would be attached to the bottom of the ship.
The authorship of this torpedo belonged to the Italian naval officer Major Raffaele Rossetti (1881-1951). A graduate of the University of Turin, Rossetti (pictured), after graduation, he studied at the Naval Academy in Livorno and in 1906 was promoted to lieutenant in the Corps of Marine Engineers. In 1909 he was awarded the rank of captain. Rossetti fought in the Italo-Turkish War, and during the First World War, with the rank of major, became chief of the naval arsenal in La Spezia.
A young lieutenant of the medical service, Raffaele Paolucci, approached the command with a proposal to penetrate the main Austro-Hungarian naval port and undermine some large ship. The officer trained hard as a combat swimmer, swimming 10 kilometers, towing a special barrel, which in his training represented a mine. To carry out a sabotage operation in Pula, it was decided to use Rossetti's invention, and the raid was scheduled for October 31, 1918.
On October 29, 1918, on the ruins of Austria-Hungary, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was created, which included the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Krajina, which formerly belonged to Austria-Hungary. Since the GSKhS took over the Adriatic coast of Croatia and Dalmatia, the leadership of Austria-Hungary transferred the Austro-Hungarian fleet, based in Pula, to the new state. On October 31, 1918, the commander-in-chief of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, Admiral Miklos Horthy (the future dictator of Hungary), transferred the command of the fleet to the Croatian naval officer Janko Vukovic-Podkapelsky, who was promoted to rear admiral in honor of the new appointment. On the same day, October 31, 1918, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs decided to withdraw from the First World War and informed the representatives of the Entente about its neutrality.
On the evening of October 31, when in Pula, Admiral Horthy transferred the former Austro-Hungarian fleet to Rear Admiral Vukovic, two speedboats moved from Venice towards Istria, which accompanied two destroyers. The boats were carrying torpedoes - "leeches" and two officers of the Italian Royal Navy - Raffaele Rossetti and Raffaele Paolucci. The command of the operation was carried out by Captain 2nd Rank Costando Ciano, who was on the destroyer 65. PN.
Thus, the engineer Rossetti, who was the author of the "leech" project, volunteered and tried his invention in action. That on October 31, 1918, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs declared its neutrality and the fleet transferred to it was no longer an enemy of Italy, the expedition that set off in the direction of Pula did not know. The boats delivered the "leeches" to the designated distance of several hundred meters from the port of Pula, and the Italian auxiliary ships retreated to a conditional place where they were to pick up a group of combat swimmers after a successful sabotage.
Rossetti and Paolucci at about 3:00 on November 1, 1918, sailed to the ship dock. Only at 4:45 am, having spent more than six hours underwater by this time, the Italian swimmers were able to come close to the large battleship Viribus Unitis. Since October 31, this ship has already bore a new name - the battleship "Yugoslavia", but the Italians did not know about it yet. SMS Viribus Unitis was a tricky ship. During the First World War, she was listed as the flagship of the Austro-Hungarian fleet. Its construction in 1907 was initiated by the chief of the naval section of the General Staff of Austria-Hungary, Rear Admiral Rudolf Montecuccoli, and on July 24, 1910, the battleship was laid down. It was built according to the design of engineer Siegfried Popper for 25 months. The construction of the battleship cost the Austro-Hungarian treasury 82 million gold crowns, and the launching ceremony in 1911 was hosted by the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Habsburg.
Viribus Unitis became the first battleship in the world to have main battery artillery in 4 three-gun turrets. However, during the First World War, despite its power, the battleship did not take part in hostilities. After the declaration of independence by the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, the battleship Viribus Unitis, like other ships of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, was transferred to the new state. The battleship commander, Captain 1st Rank Janko Vukovich-Podkapelsky, on the recommendation of Admiral Miklos Horthy, became the commander of the GSKhS fleet.
The Italian command believed that the explosion of the flagship would have the strongest demoralizing effect on the Austro-Hungarian fleet. Therefore, it was he who was chosen as a target for combat swimmers. At 5:30 am on November 1, 1918, Rossetti and Paolucci attached 200 kg of explosives to the hull of the flagship. The timing was set at 6:30 am. Within an hour, the Italian officers had to leave the harbor of Pula and get to their ships. But just at the moment of establishing the time, the beam of the searchlight illuminated the ship.
The patrol captured the Italian officers and brought them aboard the Viribus Unitis. Here Rossetti and Paolucci were informed that the Austro-Hungarian fleet no longer exists, the Austrian flag was lowered from the battleship, Viribus Unitis is now called Yugoslavia, that is, the Italians mined the battleship of the new neutral state. Then the combat swimmers at 6:00 informed the battleship commander and the commander of the GSKhS fleet Vukovich that the ship was mined and could explode within the next half hour. Vukovich had thirty minutes to evacuate the ship, which he immediately took advantage of, ordering the crew to leave the battleship. But the explosion never happened. The crew of the battleship and the commander Vukovich himself decided that the Italians were simply lying to disorganize the activities of the fleet, after which the team returned to the ship.
The explosion sounded at 6:44 am on November 1, 1918 - 14 minutes later than the set time. The battleship began to plunge rapidly into the water. Killed about 400 people - officers and sailors of the crew of the battleship "Yugoslavia" / "Viribus Unitis". Among the dead was the 46-year-old battleship commander Janko Vukovic-Podkapelsky, who only managed to stay for one night in the status of the commander-in-chief of the new country's navy and in the rank of rear admiral.
Rossetti and Paolucci were soon released and returned to Italy. Rossetti was awarded the Gold Medal "For Military Valor" and promoted to the rank of Colonel of the Engineering Service. However, soon the naval career of this talented inventor was interrupted. When the National Fascist Party came to power in Italy, Rossetti, dissatisfied with the new political course of the country, went over to the side of the anti-fascist opposition. He stood at the foundations of the Free Italy anti-fascist movement. Fearing reprisals by the fascists, in 1925 Rossetti left for France, where until 1930 he led the anti-fascist movement "Justice and Freedom", and then headed the movement "Young Italy". Rossetti actively supported the Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War. The Italian leadership, seeking to punish the officer - the emigrant, deprived him of the medal "For military valor". She was returned to Colonel Rossetti only after the end of the Second World War.
Raffaele Paolucci for his participation in the sabotage in Pula received the medal "For military valor" and was promoted to captain. Then he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and retired, and during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935-1941. returned to service, having received the colonel's shoulder straps. Unlike Rossetti, Paolucci faithfully served in the army of fascist Italy, including during the Second World War he held leading positions in the medical service of the Navy. After retiring, he was engaged in political activities, died in 1958.
Meanwhile, it was in fascist Italy that the further development of the submarine sabotage forces of the Italian navy continued. In the 1930s - 1940s, Italian combat swimmers achieved real perfection, rightly considered one of the best specialists in underwater sabotage in the world. But the actions of Italian saboteurs during the Second World War and the subsequent period are another story.
