Borghese Valerio Black Prince of Torpedo People. Explosions in Gibraltar Borghese Valerio Black Prince of Torpedo Men
Naval forces
10th Assault Flotilla "Decima MAS"
leader of the Italian far right
Biography
The 10th flotilla was formed mainly from volunteers, as well as career military personnel - convinced fascists. The flotilla was used to conduct various sabotage operations. The unit was originally part of the 1st MAS Flotilla, then received the name "Tenth MAS Flotilla". MAS is an abbreviation for Italian. Mezzi d "Assalto - assault weapons; there is also an Italian option. Motoscafo Armato Silurante - armed torpedo boats. Personally commanded a submarine, carried out a number of successful operations, sank Allied ships with a total displacement of 75 thousand tons. Received the nickname "Black Prince". He initiated the creation of a unit within the 10th Flotilla that used torpedoes piloted by commando submariners. Supported the Salo Republic regime.
Personal life
On September 30, 1931, Borghese married Russian Countess Daria Vasilievna Olsufieva (1909-1963) (great-great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Alexander I), with whom he had four children and who died in a car accident in 1963. An award for experts in Rome bears her name.
Essays
Publications in Russian- Borghese V. Tenth Flotilla MAS = J. Valerio Borghese. Decima flottiglia MAS. Milano, 1950 / V. Borghese; Per. from Italian S. V. Slavina and Yu. A. Karulina; Binding by artist M. I. Eltsufen. - M.: Foreign Literature Publishing House, 1957. - 288 p.(in translation)
- Becker K., Borghese V. The underwater legions of the Fuhrer and the Duce / Caius Becker, Valerio Borghese; Per. with him. L. S. Azarkha, A. G. Bubnovsky, from Italian. S. V. Slavina. - M.: Veche, 2005. - 480 p. - (Mysteries of the Third Reich). - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 5-9533-0633-4.(in translation)
Write a review of the article "Borgese, Junio Valerio"
Notes
Literature
- Borghese Junio V. Sea devils // Underwater saboteurs in the Second World War. - M.: AST Publishing House, 2001. - ISBN 5-17-008535-4.(in translation)
- Borghese V., Desmarais P. Borghese. Black Prince of Torpedo People / Comp. Nikolai Nepomnyashchy. - M.: Veche, 2002. - 480 p. - (Military secrets of the 20th century). - 7,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7838-1082-7.(in translation)
Excerpt characterizing Borghese, Junio Valerio
His wound, despite its insignificance, still had not healed, although six weeks had already passed since he was wounded. His face had the same pale swelling that was on all hospital faces. But this was not what struck Rostov; he was struck by the fact that Denisov seemed not to be happy with him and smiled at him unnaturally. Denisov did not ask about the regiment or the general course of the matter. When Rostov talked about this, Denisov did not listen.Rostov even noticed that Denisov was unpleasant when he was reminded of the regiment and, in general, of that other, free life that was going on outside the hospital. He seemed to be trying to forget that former life and was only interested in his business with the supply officials. When Rostov asked what the situation was, he immediately took out from under his pillow the paper he had received from the commission and his rough answer to it. He perked up, starting to read his paper and especially let Rostov notice the barbs that he said to his enemies in this paper. Denisov’s hospital comrades, who had surrounded Rostov—a person newly arrived from the free world—began to disperse little by little as soon as Denisov began to read his paper. From their faces, Rostov realized that all these gentlemen had already heard this whole story, which had become boring to them, more than once. Only the neighbor on the bed, a fat lancer, sat on his bunk, frowning gloomily and smoking a pipe, and little Tushin, without an arm, continued to listen, shaking his head disapprovingly. In the middle of reading, the Ulan interrupted Denisov.
“But for me,” he said, turning to Rostov, “we just need to ask the sovereign for mercy.” Now, they say, the rewards will be great, and they will surely forgive...
- I have to ask the sovereign! - Denisov said in a voice to which he wanted to give the same energy and ardor, but which sounded useless irritability. - About what? If I were a robber, I would ask for mercy, otherwise I’m being judged for bringing robbers to light. Let them judge, I’m not afraid of anyone: I honestly served the Tsar and the Fatherland and did not steal! And demote me, and... Listen, I write to them directly, so I write: “if I were an embezzler...
“It’s cleverly written, to be sure,” said Tushin. But that’s not the point, Vasily Dmitrich,” he also turned to Rostov, “you have to submit, but Vasily Dmitrich doesn’t want to.” After all, the auditor told you that your business is bad.
“Well, let it be bad,” Denisov said. “The auditor wrote you a request,” Tushin continued, “and you need to sign it and send it with them.” They have it right (he pointed to Rostov) and they have a hand in the headquarters. You won't find a better case.
“But I said that I wouldn’t be mean,” Denisov interrupted and again continued reading his paper.
Rostov did not dare to persuade Denisov, although he instinctively felt that the path proposed by Tushin and other officers was the most correct, and although he would consider himself happy if he could help Denisov: he knew the inflexibility of Denisov’s will and his true ardor.
When the reading of Denisov’s poisonous papers, which lasted more than an hour, ended, Rostov said nothing, and in the saddest mood, in the company of Denisov’s hospital comrades again gathered around him, he spent the rest of the day talking about what he knew and listening to the stories of others . Denisov remained gloomily silent throughout the entire evening.
Late in the evening Rostov was getting ready to leave and asked Denisov if there would be any instructions?
“Yes, wait,” Denisov said, looked back at the officers and, taking out his papers from under the pillow, went to the window where he had an inkwell and sat down to write.
“It looks like you didn’t hit the butt with a whip,” he said, moving away from the window and handing Rostov a large envelope. “It was a request addressed to the sovereign, drawn up by an auditor, in which Denisov, without mentioning anything about the wines of the provision department, asked only for pardon.
“Tell me, apparently...” He didn’t finish and smiled a painfully false smile.
Having returned to the regiment and conveyed to the commander what the situation was with Denisov’s case, Rostov went to Tilsit with a letter to the sovereign.
On June 13, the French and Russian emperors gathered in Tilsit. Boris Drubetskoy asked the important person with whom he was a member to be included in the retinue appointed to be in Tilsit.
“Je voudrais voir le grand homme, [I would like to see a great man," he said, speaking about Napoleon, whom he, like everyone else, had always called Buonaparte.
– Vous parlez de Buonaparte? [Are you talking about Buonaparte?] - the general told him, smiling.
Boris looked questioningly at his general and immediately realized that this was a joke test.
“Mon prince, je parle de l"empereur Napoleon, [Prince, I’m talking about Emperor Napoleon,] he answered. The general patted him on the shoulder with a smile.
“You will go far,” he told him and took him with him.
Boris was one of the few on the Neman on the day of the emperors' meeting; he saw rafts with monograms, Napoleon's passage along the other bank past the French guard, saw the thoughtful face of Emperor Alexander, while he sat silently in a tavern on the bank of the Neman, waiting for Napoleon's arrival; I saw how both emperors got into the boats and how Napoleon, having first landed on the raft, walked forward with quick steps and, meeting Alexander, gave him his hand, and how both disappeared into the pavilion. Since his entry into the higher worlds, Boris made himself a habit of carefully observing what was happening around him and recording it. During a meeting in Tilsit, he asked about the names of those persons who came with Napoleon, about the uniforms that they were wearing, and listened carefully to the words that were said by important persons. At the very time the emperors entered the pavilion, he looked at his watch and did not forget to look again at the time when Alexander left the pavilion. The meeting lasted an hour and fifty-three minutes: he wrote it down that evening among other facts that he believed were of historical significance. Since the emperor’s retinue was very small, for a person who valued success in his service, being in Tilsit during the meeting of the emperors was a very important matter, and Boris, once in Tilsit, felt that from that time his position was completely established. They not only knew him, but they took a closer look at him and got used to him. Twice he carried out orders for the sovereign himself, so that the sovereign knew him by sight, and all those close to him not only did not shy away from him, as before, considering him a new person, but would have been surprised if he had not been there.
Descendants of Count A.Kh. Benckendorf. part 3.
IV Generation:
Children of Prince Scipione Borghese and Anna Maria de Ferrari.
1.2.2.1. Princess Santa Borghese (1897-1997).
photo of Santa Borghese. 1915
The daughter of Scipione Borghese and Anna Maria Ferrari was born in Paris on November 1, 1897. Her full name is Santa Lyudmila Alexandra Elizaveta.
It is quite difficult to write about her. On the one hand, she lived a long life and a lot of events are probably connected with her. On the other hand, she, born into a noble and wealthy family and subsequently married to an also famous and wealthy representative of the Italian nobility, Santa led the life of a wealthy aristocrat, devoting her time to charity, philanthropy, and active social activities. Living and being raised in the family of the Borghese princes, she had an excellent understanding of art and actively helped promote young and talented artists and writers... Here it makes sense to cite some of her actions in these directions.
In her younger years, she was an active member of the association for the cultural development of southern Italy, the least developed part of the country. During the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, when many refugees ended up in Italy, Santa organized an exhibition of carpets and products of Armenian craftsmen to attract the attention of Italians to the Armenian problem. In 1958, together with Henry Miller, she wrote a book about the sculptor Benvenuto Bufano (1890-1970), an Italian living and working in California. She publishes a book at her own expense in English and Italian. The story about her life is a large list of notable and not so notable cultural, educational and philanthropic activities. After her death, her relatives create a foundation in her name. The goals of the foundation are to support young and talented people in the arts, something she was actively involved in during her lifetime.
photo by Santa Hercolani. 1930s
In 1925 she marries Count Astorre Hercolani(1877-1944), son of Prince Alfonso Hercolani (1850-1922) and his wife Albertina di Montalto (1850-1883). The wedding took place in the family castle Isola Garda, on an island in Lake Garda. The family has seven children: Andrea (1926-2004); Albertina (1927-?); Adriano (1929-2005); Arduino (1931-?); Alvise (1931-2009); Almerico (1935-1995); Anna (1940-?).
Santa died in Rome on April 13, 1997. She lived to be 100 years old, longer than any other descendant of Anna Benckendorff.
1.2.2.2. Princess Livia Borghese (1901-1969).
photo by Livia Borghese. 1913
The daughter of Scipione Borghese and Anna Maria Ferrari was born in Paris on March 4, 1901. Much of Libya's life revolves around the castle of Isola Garda on an island in Lake Garda in northern Italy. She inherited the island and the castle on the island in 1927 after the death of her father. On the rock of the island there is a table with the name of the owner.
Sign in Isola Garda Castle.
wedding photo of Countess Livia Cavazza. 1920
Livia marries Count in 1920 Alessandro Cavazza(1895-1969), who was a major entrepreneur, was engaged in agriculture. Under his leadership, olive groves and vineyards were planted on the island and its surroundings. The production of olive oil, widely known outside Italy, has been established. Wine is produced and livestock farming is developed. While her husband is actively engaged in agriculture, Livia is no less actively involved in the wonderful park located near the castle. Here she continues the work of her mother Anna Maria, who loved and cared for the park. Exotic trees and flowers are planted, and the original structure of the park is created.
park in the Isola Garda castle. (modern view)
The Count Cavazza family had three children: Novello (1922-2009); Paolo Emilio (? - 2009); Camillo (1931-1981). Livia Cavazza died in Bologna on March 9, 1969.
Children of Prince Livio Borghese and Victoria Keown.
1.2.3.1. Prince Flavio Borghese (1902-1980).
Photo of Flavio Borghese and his brother Junio Victorio. 1913
Prince Flavio Borghese was born on May 2, 1902 in Smyrna, the son of Prince Livio Borghese and his wife Victoria Keown. Very little is known about him. According to some reports, he was an active member of the Fascist Party, as was his younger brother, Junio Valerio. In 1927 he married Angela Paterno, Princess di Sperlinga dei Manganelli(1902-1973). The family had three children: Camillo (b. 1927), Marcantonio (b. 1928), Vittoria (b. 1934)
Prince Flavio Borghese died in Catania on March 28, 1980.
1.2.3.2. Prince Giunio Valerio Borghese (1906-1974).
photo of Prince Junio Valerio Borghese. 1940s
Prince Giunio Valerio Borghese was born on June 6, 1906 in Rome, the son of Prince Livio Borghese and his wife Victoria Keown. It's not very easy to write about him. On the one hand, he is a convinced fascist (he was nicknamed the “Black Prince”); on the other hand, a courageous warrior, an exceptionally experienced military sailor. In the story we will try to avoid any political assessments of the activities of Junio Valerio Borghese and trace his life path.
All paths were open to the young aristocrat. He chose a career as a naval sailor. In 1928 he graduated from the Naval Academy and in 1933 was appointed commander of a submarine. During this period he meets his love - a Russian emigrant Daria Vasilievna Olsufieva(1909-1963), daughter of Count Vasily Alekseevich Olsufiev (1872-1924) and his wife Olga Pavlovna Shuvalova (1882-1939).
Wedding of Prince Junio Vittorio Borghese and Daria Olsufieva. 1931
According to the then existing rules, a naval officer of the Italian fleet could only marry with the permission of the king. Bureaucratic red tape delayed obtaining this permission, and in 1931 Valerio got married without waiting for formal permission. The “proper” punishment followed—arrest. But given the excellent data of the naval officer, the arrest lasted several days. Let us note here that the family turned out to be loving and Daria always remained a reliable support for her husband.
During the Spanish Civil War, Valerio's submarine fought on Franco's side. Upon returning to Italy, Valerio meets Mussolini at a reception. He becomes an active supporter of the Duce and his favorite.
photo Prince Giunio Vittorio Borghese and Italian Marshal R. Graziani.
The main activities of naval officer Valerio Borghese took place during the Second World War. He becomes the commander of a flotilla of underwater saboteurs. The human torpedoes of the “Black Prince” caused great damage to naval bases and ships of members of the anti-Hitler coalition.
In 1950, Valerio Borghese" published the book "The Tenth Flotilla of the MAS", where he spoke in detail about his military operations in the Mediterranean Sea. The book was translated into Russian and there is no need to retell his military story. After the end of the war, Valerio went into hiding for some time, not wanting to fall into the hands of the new Italian authorities. The latter very mercilessly punished those who, to one degree or another, collaborated with the fascist regime. And very often these were extrajudicial punishments. He surrendered to the British, who handed him over to the Italians. At his trial, as a war criminal, he threatened with either the death penalty or life imprisonment, and here his wife Daria began vigorous activity. All their funds were spent on the best lawyers. The trial was limited to several years of imprisonment.
trial by Prince Borghese. 1947
In 1954, Valerio was released from prison. Neither life experience nor prison cooled his ardor, and he remained a convinced fascist. First he joined the neo-fascist party. But being dissatisfied with her little activity, he organized his own.
Let's take a short detour here and return to his family. Valerio and Daria had four children: Elena (1932-2004), Paolo (1933-1999), Livio (1940-1989) and Andrea (b. 1942).
photo by Daria Olsufieva-Borgese. 1930s
In 1963, Daria Olsufieva-Borgese died tragically in a car accident. She was engaged in literary activities and Valerio created a fund in her honor that rewards the most significant literary works about Rome.
Valerio did not accept the defeat of fascism. In 1970, with his associates, he attempted a fascist coup in Italy. After the putsch was suppressed, he fled to Spain. Valerio Borghese died in Cadiz, Spain, on August 28, 1974. He was buried in Rome. But the Italian government banned any celebrations on this occasion. After Valerio fled to Spain, all his property was confiscated and his children were forced to leave Italy.
Children of Count Philipp Hoes-Wensheim and Princess Paola Borghese.
1.2.4.1. Count Victor Hoes-Wensheim (1900-1925).
1.2.4.2. Count László Hoyos-Vensheim (1901-1934).
1.2.4.3. Countess Ilona Hoes-Wensheim (1907-1995).
The family of the Counts of Hoys was very rich: they had houses in Budapest, a family estate in Köresládany-Pustafás with many acres of arable land. Count Philip was the director of the land credit bank. The eldest son, Victor, was born on October 9, 1900 in Hungary, his brother Laszlo on December 1, 1901 in Italy, and their sister Ilona on May 4, 1907 in Vienna. The boys were sick with hemophilia, but despite this they grew up and got a profession. The Hoys family bought the villa on Naphegy in 1913. They came to Budapest so that their sons could receive an education. Victor studied at the University. Pazman, receiving a diploma in general medicine. This is not a medical school, but at that time there were many departments at this university. László studied at the József nádor Polytechnic Institute and received a diploma in optical engineering in 1925. They were Hungarians in spirit. Their father loved his homeland and managed to pass on this love and affection to his sons. Not far from Budapest there is a town called Dömrö, a native of which, Countess Hannah Teleki(1901-1988), daughter of Count Tibor Teleki (1871-1942) and his wife, Countess Alice Széchenyi (1871-1945), became the bride of Victor Hoyos. The wedding took place on November 14, 1924. How happy the bride is and how serious the groom is.
wedding of Count Victor Hoyos and Hanna Teleki. 1924
To the right of the groom are his sister Ilona and brother Laszlo.
An elderly woman stands behind the groom (the feather of the groom's headdress touches her face). This is Victor's mother, Paola. She is 48 years old and 20 years have passed since she posed for the sculptor Ligeti. A sculpture of a proud aristocrat and a photograph of a sad woman. A mother is not rejuvenated by the knowledge that her sons are terminally ill. Her eldest son Vikor had less than six months to live. Immediately after the wedding, he and his young wife leave for Switzerland, because there are the best clinics and doctors there. But, despite all their efforts, Victor dies in May 1925. His wife is widowed for two years and marries Victor's cousin, Count Belo Hoyos (1901-1978). They were very friendly with Victor and Laszlo's sister, Ilona.
There is almost no information about Laszlo. He remained alone and died on September 11, 1934, at 33 years old. He was buried along with his brother and father in the family estate in Pustafash. It can be added that when the children of Count Philip and Countess Paola were alive, the parents bought a villa on Andrássy Avenue (now there is the Russian Embassy) from their relative Appponi Sándor for 384 thousand crowns. In 1929 it was sold into the wrong hands. When their second son died, Count and Countess Hoyos left Budapest and settled on their estate near the graves of their sons. Since 1935 they have been registered as permanent residents of Körösládany. The Count committed suicide by taking arsenic in 1942, although his name was still listed in the Budapest telephone directory for 1943. Dezső street, 9. Phone: 351-385. Countess Paola transferred the estate into the hands of her husband's brother and left Hungary forever.
photo of Count Karlf Palffy and Countess Ilona Hoes. 1929
Countess Ilona Hoyos married the Count Karol Palffy(1900-1979), son of Count Janos Nepomuk Palffy (1872-1953) and his wife Ferdinanda Würmbrand-Stuppach (1872-1954). The marriage produced four children: Laszlo (1931-1991), Teresa (1934-2003), Ferenc (b. 1937), Maria (b. 1941). The Palffys lived permanently in Czechoslovakia.
photo of Countess Ilona Palffy. 1980s
In June 1943, Countess Paola transferred ownership of the villa to her daughter, Ilona Palffy. But Ilona’s name does not appear in the directories for 1944, 1945, or 1946. The villa survived the shelling by Soviet cannons from Mount Gellert. In 1947, one of the Budapest residents applied for residence rights at the address: Dezső Street, 9. The court rejected this request in August 1947. But in October he made a positive decision in favor of citizen Kotsis. Soviet times were coming. A polytechnic institute teacher began to live in the house with his wife and two relatives. He did not enjoy the rights of the owner for long - the house was nationalized in 1952. Apparently, Ilona was also attached to Hungary. Ilona lived a long life and died in 1995.
Children of Prince Rodolfo Borghese and Princess Genoveffa Borghese.
1.2.5.1. Stefano Borghese (1911-1978).
photo of Prince Stefano Borghese.
The eldest son of Rodolfo Borghese and Genoveffa Borghese was born on August 31, 1911 in San Domenico di Fiesoli, Italy. His full name is Stefano Giuseppe Pierfilippo Paola Maria Alexander, Prince Sabucci, Prince Cassano, etc.
It is quite possible that his mark on history would have been associated only with more titles of nobility if he had not become interested in baseball. This American game was familiar to Italians already at the end of the 19th century. But when Benito Mussolini came to power in 1922, he was extremely disapproving of the “manifestation of any Americanism.” And only in 1943, when American troops entered Italy, it became possible to revive this fairly popular game.
photo of Prince Stefano Borghese. 1940s
In December 1948, Stefano took the initiative to create an Italian baseball federation. He has headed the federation for several years. From 1953 to 1971 he was president of the European Baseball Association.
Stefano is credited with reviving this game in Europe and holds several championships. According to American tradition, his "baseball" name is shortened to Steno. He is now known as Steno Borghese, the first President of the European Baseball Association. In 1971, he left the leadership of the association and ended his life on January 29, 1978 in Rome. Built in 1991 in the Villa Borghese area, the baseball stadium is named after Steno Borghese. No information was found about Stefano’s personal life and his possible heirs.
Steno Borghese Stadium.
In the aristocratic Borghese family.
The 10th flotilla was formed mainly from volunteers, as well as career military personnel - convinced fascists. The flotilla was used to conduct various sabotage operations. The unit was originally part of the 1st MAS Flotilla, then received the name "Tenth MAS Flotilla". MAS is an abbreviation for Italian. Mezzi d "Assalto - assault weapons; there is also an Italian option. Motoscafo Armato Silurante - armed torpedo boats. Personally commanded a submarine, carried out a number of successful operations, sank Allied ships with a total displacement of 75 thousand tons. Received the nickname "Black Prince". He initiated the creation of a unit within the 10th Flotilla that used torpedoes piloted by commando submariners. Supported the Salo Republic regime.
Coup attempt[ | ]
After a last-minute coup plot that ended on the night of December 8, 1970 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), called the Borghese Putsch, was forced to cross the border to avoid arrest and interrogation. In 1984, ten years after Borghese's death, the Supreme Court of Cassation ruled that there had been no coup attempt.
However, the attempt is well known in Italy and director Mario Monicelli made a satire of it called We Want Colonels (1972). The main character (played by Hugo Tognazzi) is a pompous neo-fascist politician named Tritoni, a clear allusion to Borghese, who was sometimes called the prince of the frogs in Italy, after his time in the airborne assault force.
Personal life [ | ]
On September 30, 1931, Borghese married Russian Countess Daria Vasilievna Olsufieva (1909-1963) (great-great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Alexander I), with whom he had four children and who died in a car accident in 1963. An award for experts in Rome bears her name.
Last years and death[ | ]
On August 26, 1974, Junio Valerio Borghese died under mysterious circumstances in Cadiz, Spain, at the age of 68, having been a political outcast and shunned from social connections due to his political extremism and disdain for the outward norms of modern aristocratic etiquette and behavior. On the death certificate, the cause of death is recorded as “acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis”; however, since the prince had been visited by a physician who had found him in good shape only a few days earlier, it was suggested that the circumstances of his death, characterized by the sudden onset of abdominal pain immediately after dinner, might be compatible with arsenic poisoning.
He is buried in the Borghese family chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome.
Essays [ | ]
Publications in Russian- Borghese V. Tenth Flotilla MAS = J. Valerio Borghese. Decima flottiglia MAS. Milano, 1950 / V. Borghese; Per. from Italian S. V. Slavina and Yu. A. Karulina; Binding by artist M. I. Eltsufen. - M.: Foreign Literature Publishing House, 1957. - 288 p.(in translation)
- Becker K., Borghese V. The underwater legions of the Fuhrer and the Duce / Caius Becker, Valerio Borghese; Per. with him. L. S. Azarkha, A. G. Bubnovsky, from Italian. S. V. Slavina. - M.: Veche, 2005. - 480 p. - (Mysteries of the Third Reich). - 5,000 copies. - ISBN 5-9533-0633-4.(in translation)
Thanks to his noble origin, all roads were open to the young prince Valerio Borghese. He chose the sea, becoming a cadet at the Royal Naval College. In 1933, Valerio Borghese set off on his first long voyage to the shores of North America on the training sailing ship Columbus. Upon completion of his studies, Borghese had a brilliant career as a submarine officer.
Summer 1943 The Italians were defeated on all fronts. Against the background of a number of failures, the loss of dominance in the Mediterranean became especially noticeable for Italy. The surface fleet, leaving Taranto, went to the northern bases and lost control over a vast area of water. Absolute numerical superiority of the enemy
constrained the actions of large ships, whose destiny was defensive operations. During this difficult time, Prince Valerio Borghese was appointed commander of the 10th flotilla of the MAS*, on which the command of the Italian Navy placed special hopes. Over the past three years, the assault weapons of this formation
Anti-submarine torpedo and exploding boats, man-controlled torpedoes, miniature submarines caused a lot of trouble for the British. The 10th Flotilla's combat account included two battleships, two cruisers, one destroyer and many merchant ships. Borghese did not change traditions: neither
when the flotilla did not make such frequent military campaigns as in the period from May to September 1943. As a result of only one attack by human-controlled torpedoes on enemy ships stationed in the roadstead off Gibraltar, three of them were destroyed - Pat Harrison, Mahsud and Camerata.
Interesting
and the background to this attack. In 1943 Gibraltar's anti-submarine defenses were strengthened so much that it was not possible to use a submarine as a torpedo carrier, as had been done before. The torpedoes were launched from the Spanish merchant ship Ol
terra", seemingly completely harmless.
At the beginning of the war, the Olterra ship, owned by a wealthy Genoese, sank in neutral Spanish waters. For about a year and a half, the shipowner did not show the slightest interest in the half-broken vessel.
However, after a mysterious conversation with Prince Borghese, he
the attitude towards one's property, abandoned to the mercy of fate, has changed radically. The shipowner began negotiations with one of the Spanish companies about raising the sunken ship. According to the owner, the ship was supposed to go to some Spanish company on mutually beneficial terms. When viewed from
It seemed true to them - after the ship was repaired, the Spanish flag was raised on it. Neither on the day of the underwater attack on May 8, 1943, nor after it, the British could make any claims against the Olterra crew. Everything was explained simply. The ship's crew was staffed by soldiers of the 10th flotilla,
whose clothes and deliberately cheeky manners were indistinguishable from merchant marine sailors. If the ship were suddenly inspected, nothing suspicious would be found in the cargo holds - only parts of some equipment, the carriage of which was registered in accordance with all the rules. Details
these were nothing more than parts of guided torpedoes, which, on the eve of the attack, were assembled directly on the Olterra, in a small workshop. At night, under the cover of darkness, the torpedoes left the Olterra through a hole specially cut below the waterline in the side. And the next morning, after the successful completion of the operation and
x the pilots again turned into sailors, lazily strolling along the deck of a Spanish merchant ship. The British never established the real cause of the sinking of the ships in Gibraltar...
Thanks to his noble origin, all roads were open to the young prince Valerio Borghese. He chose the sea
as a cadet at the Royal Naval College. In 1933, Valerio Borghese set off on his first long voyage to the shores of North America on the training sailing ship Columbus. Upon completion of his studies, Borghese had a brilliant career as a submarine officer.
In 1937, the submarine "Iride" was commanded
m Prince Borghese joined the Italian legion, which, helping Franco, acted against the Republican fleet of Spain. Upon returning home, the participants in the war in Spain were invited to a ceremonial breakfast hosted in their honor by the Ministry of the Navy. Here Prince Borghese had the opportunity
You can personally meet the Duce - Mussolini - and show off your knowledge of the methods of underwater warfare. Soon the prince received under his command a new submarine, the Amethyst.
The commander of the Amethyst was not only an expert in underwater weapons, but also a certified diver. Therefore when
When the fleet command faced the question of which submarine to make the first floating base for guided torpedoes, the choice fell on the Amethyst. Exercises using the new weapon began in January 1940. After three torpedoes were secured on the deck of the submarine, "Amethyst"
went out to sea, heading for the Gulf of Spezia. The launch of the torpedoes into the water went unnoticed by the “enemy”. The pilots led their boats through the eastern gate of the port and “attacked” the ship “Cuarto” stationed in the roadstead. This operation made a huge impression on Borghese, who was immediately imbued with exceptional
m respect for the new torpedo weapon.
On June 10, 1940, Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, and the Italian fleet had to suffer the brunt of English superiority at sea. The outbreak of hostilities found Borghese in the position of commander of the submarine Vettor Pisani. It was
an old ship that had reached the end of its life. Each dive of such a boat could be the last: water entered the hull through numerous cracks, and worn-out mechanisms refused to work. A couple of months later, when the ship fell into complete disrepair, they decided to donate it to a diving school
in Pola, and commander Valerio Borghese was offered to undergo special training with the Germans on the Baltic Sea.
This preparation was of a purely practical nature. From Memel (Klaipeda), where the school of German submariners was located, the cadets almost immediately set off on a ten-day trip across the Atlantic
Here they had to take part in hostilities against large enemy convoys. At first, Valerio Borghese was assigned to a floating submarine base, but later he was included in the crew of one of the warships.
Upon his return to Italy, Borghese expected to receive command
sinking an ocean submarine, but fate decreed otherwise. At the naval general headquarters, the young submarine officer was received by Admiral de Courtin, from whom Borghese received an order to proceed to La Spezia as commander of the submarine Shiro.
The Shiryo submarine turned out to be the most modern ship
buildings converted to transport guided torpedoes. It looked somewhat strange, resembling either a barge or a lighter. However, Borghese, who by that time had already replaced nine submarines, soon got used to the Shiryo. The command had special plans for this boat - it should
wanted to strike at the English squadron located in Gibraltar. Another boat, called the Godard, was tasked with attacking the British naval base at Alexandria. Both operations were planned to be carried out almost simultaneously. "Gondar" was the first to set off on a military campaign and, not having time
cause no damage to the enemy and was sunk by him. The submarine's crew was captured.
On September 24, 1940, not yet knowing about the sad end of the Gondar, Prince Valerio Borghese launched his boat into the Mediterranean Sea. The Shiryo was only 50 miles from Gibraltar when Borghese received orders to return.
to go to La Maddalena, since on the eve of the planned attack the English fleet unexpectedly left the Gibraltar base. Is it really the work of "Intelligence Service"? The commander of the Shiryo himself considered the departure of the English ships to be a mere coincidence.
After the first unsuccessful attempt to strike the British with new weapons
the second followed. On a moonless October night, Shiryo again set course for Gibraltar. This military campaign began a three-year “war within a war,” as one of the participants in the events dubbed the actions of the Italian assault troops of the 10th MAS flotilla in the Strait of Gibraltar. The path to the destination was brought by B
orgeza, the usual thrills for wartime: a meeting with a floating mine, which was promptly destroyed by a machine-gun fire, a severe storm and an air attack at the very entrance to the strait. On October 29, having escaped the pursuit of British destroyers, the boat finally made its way to Gibraltar. Beginning
But it was only possible to act when night fell, and “Shiryo” had to lie down on the ground.
Borghese faced a difficult task - to choose the optimal launch site for guided torpedoes. On the one hand, this place should have been located as close to the shore as possible, on the other hand, at a sufficient distance from the route
and the voyages of English patrol ships. After much deliberation, the Shiryo commander decided to go deeper into Algeciras Bay and land the torpedo pilots at the very mouth of the Guadarranque River.
At night, while submerged, the boat secretly entered the bay, which in itself was a great success. Few commander
Most submarines would dare to attempt such a maneuver - no one has succeeded so far. The reason was a strong current that could drag the submarine into one of the whirlpools that abounded in the treacherous bay. However, the danger for “Shiryo” was not only whirlpools and numerous shoals. Unexpected
But an English destroyer passed right over the boat. He was so close that the crew of the submarine heard the noise of its propellers without the help of a hydrophone. The Englishman was heading from the bay to the strait and was on an intersecting course. Surprisingly, it is true: "Shiryo", which continued to move, managed to remain unnoticed
Noah. No wonder Borghese ordered to stop almost all noisy mechanisms and wrap a number of metal parts in rags.
Finally the boat was at the desired point in the bay. However, Borghese's mission did not end there. The headquarters of the submarine fleet placed personal responsibility for the success of the "Shiryo" on the commander of the submarine fleet.
operations in Algeciras. Based on the latest intelligence about the presence of ships in the base, Borghese distributed targets among the participants in the operation. The targets of the attack of two guided torpedoes were to be a pair of battleships, the third strike was planned to be delivered to an aircraft carrier or cruiser if it turned out to be more
is a convenient target. Having launched all three torpedoes into the water, the submarine set on a reverse course...
Prince Valerio Borghese, who received information about the outcome of the operation, was annoyed. The second attempt, a carefully thought-out plan of action down to the smallest detail and... failure again. One of the torpedoes exploded too far from
English ship, damaging the metal nets that covered the entrance to the harbor. The crews of the other two torpedoes were unable to attack the enemy at all due to serious technical problems.
After all, the Italian prince-submariner taught the British, who were absolutely confident in the inaccessibility of Algesira Bay
sir, good lesson. The British press tried to calm public opinion. For the same purpose, rumors were spread that the ill-fated torpedo was fired not from the bay itself, but from the strait. Nevertheless, the crews of the English ships stationed in the harbor felt as if they were on hot coals. In every day
As the water moved, the sailors saw the trace of a human-controlled torpedo, and then another series of wasted depth charges went into the water. It is not surprising that the Chief of the Naval General Staff, Admiral Cavagnari, considered the combat mission completed, and Borghese and the crew of his submarine received bonuses
holiday in one of the best mountain hotels in Italy. Of course, relaxation with daily ski trips and parties was not the only reward - the commander of the boat that was the first to penetrate Gibraltar was solemnly awarded a gold medal “For Military Valor”.
In November 1940 Prince Valerio Borge
he was received by the Duce himself in the famous Palazzo Venezia. The audience with Mussolini was short - it was clear from everything that the Duce was upset about something. The reason was probably the news he had just received about the failure of Italian troops in Albania. Nevertheless, Mussolini treated Borghese favorably.
with great attention, he listened with interest to the report on the recent operation in Gibraltar and did not hide his approval of the actions of the Shiryo commander.
Borghese's successes did not go unnoticed at naval headquarters. After the death of the commander of the 10th MAS flotilla, which united several assault squads with different
armed with weapons, this place was taken by Prince Valerio Borghese (summer 1941). True, he was listed as “temporarily acting,” but he approached his new job with full responsibility. Having placed command of the surface forces in the capable hands of Salvatore Todaro, former commander of the submarine Cappellini, Borge
Ze devoted himself entirely to the underwater detachment, because he believed that there were still many unresolved problems in organizing the operations of guided torpedoes. The new commander also paid attention to the technical side of the offensive plans. Borghese ensured that the 10th MAS flotilla was equipped with
The most modern acoustic mines and small incendiary bombs have arrived, which would be convenient to use in enemy waters.
Upon returning to the submarine, Borghese began to develop a plan for a third trip to Gibraltar, counting on real success. September 10, 1941 submarine
The Shiryo once again left La Spezia and exactly a week later arrived at the port of Cadiz, mooring at the tanker Fulgor. Here the submarine was supposed to take on board crews of human-controlled torpedoes. The hours of waiting were not in vain: the boat crew had time to rest, take a refreshing shower, and replenish
food supplies and treat yourself to excellent cognac.
The attack launched on September 25 in Algeciras Bay produced good results. Three English ships (tankers Denbigh Dale, Fiona Shell and an armed motor ship) with a total displacement of 30,000 tons became victims of guided torpedoes. The crew of one of the
torpedoes had a real opportunity to destroy another enemy ship, increasing the sunk tonnage, but torpedoists Catalano and Giannoni did not do this for moral reasons. Giannoni had already managed to attach a charge to the propellers of a large steamer standing in the roadstead when Catalano spilled
There was a faded name on the stern - "Pollenzo", Genoa. Apparently, the British captured this ship and used it as a military transport. However, not a single torpedoman raised his hand to send a steamer with an Italian name and origin to the bottom.
The demolition charge was removed from the body
and "Pollenzo", and soon another use was found for it - the motor ship "Durham" with a displacement of 10,000 tons.
After the operation in Gibraltar, the command showered the crew of the Shiryo and the torpedo pilots with military ranks and awards. Of course, the military merits of Valerio Borghese, who received the rank
captain 2nd rank. The operations of Italian submariners in the Strait of Gibraltar aroused genuine interest among the king himself, who honored the submariner prince with a personal audience. A long and detailed conversation with the hero of the day only fueled the royal curiosity. A few days later His Majesty, dressed
in civilian clothes, accompanied by a single bodyguard, he went to the San Rossore estate, where there was a school for guided torpedo pilots. From a small raft, he watched the training sessions and was delighted with the capabilities of the new weapon.
The Italians were not alone in their attempts to attack Wed
British Mediterranean fleet. English ships were subject to frequent attacks by German submarines, which won one victory after another. In November 1941, a German submarine successfully attacked the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, and just a few days later a well-aimed torpedo salvo from another German submarine
The submarine was sent to the bottom by the flagship battleship Barham, which had more than 800 people on board. By the end of November 1941. In the Mediterranean theater of operations, there was a clear preponderance of forces in favor of Italy. Against five Italian battleships plowing the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the English fleet could
exhibit only two - "Valient" and "Queen Elizabeth". Knowing this, one can at least remotely imagine the resonance that the successful military operation of the Italian boat "Shiryo" received, which managed to disable the last Mediterranean battleships of the British.
Alexandria to La Spezia. Of the 27 days of the campaign, she spent twenty-two on the open sea, covering a distance of three and a half thousand miles. Borghese rejoiced: at the cost of capturing six pilots of guided torpedoes, a tanker was sunk, and most importantly, two 32,000-ton English battleships, the mainstay of the British
ground forces in the Mediterranean. The success was all the more significant because Alexandria expected possible sabotage by the Italians - a complex system of barriers was set up on the approaches to the Alexandria port, and depth charges were dropped with enviable regularity.
The British are clearly being persecuted
l evil rock. Following the Valient and Queen Elizabeth, Britain lost a couple more powerful ships - the Repulse and the Prince of Wales, which were destroyed by Japanese naval aviation in Indonesian waters. These catastrophic losses weakened the fleet of the “Mistress of the Seas” for a long time, which managed to recover from them and restore
The former priority will be restored only after a few months, and even then with the help of the United States. To plug the gap in England's naval forces, Winston Churchill had to transfer to the North African coast some of the aircraft carriers and aircraft that had previously fought off the British coast.
For the operation in Alexandria, the king granted Prince Valerio Borghese one of Italy's highest military awards - the Order of the Savoy Cross. His Majesty assessed the success of the Shiryo submarine and the assault force on board as “brilliant.” After a couple of months, according to the instructions of the naval
About the ministry, Prince Valerio Borghese left command of the boat "Shiryo", heading the underwater detachment of the 10th flotilla of the MAS.
In the spring of 1942 The Italians began preparations for the decisive assault on the island of Malta - a key position on which, according to many, the outcome of the struggle in the Mediterranean depended. Moment for pcs
Urma was chosen successfully, since the long siege finally undermined the strength of the English garrison. The headquarters of the Italian Navy entrusted the operation to capture Malta to a special landing force commanded by Admiral Tour. A torpedo division was allocated to assist the landing force of ships.
boats of the 10th flotilla, located in Augusta, and several combat swimmers of the Gamma group, which was subordinate to Borghese. In anticipation of the landing on the Maltese coast, the 10th flotilla conducted a thorough reconnaissance of the island's defense system - whether there were machine gun nests, artillery batteries,
barbed wire guards. Detachments of the 10th Flotilla continued to actively support the troops of Tours until the end of the fighting for Malta. Contrary to expectations, no significant victories were won.
In March 1942 The German command, having encountered powerful enemy resistance in the Crimea, was forced to resort to
help from the allies to close the blockade ring around Sevastopol from the sea with the Italian Navy. At the request of the Fuhrer, a flotilla of Italian boats and several small submarines of the SV type entered the Black Sea waters. Italian ships contributed to the assault on the besieged city, taking positions on the support
routes to Sevastopol and on the main sea communications.
On May 19, the expeditionary convoy of the 10th flotilla, located on railway platforms, arrived from La Spezia to Simferopol. Then the column moved under its own power towards Foros and three days later reached its destination. Previously in
All that was needed was to unload the tractors and launch the boats into the water. For this purpose, a rail track was laid from the place where the column stood - a walnut grove - to the seashore. On May 31, a group of Italian troops was in full combat readiness and was inspected by the commander of the combined armed forces
and in Crimea by General von Manstein. A few days later, the boats of the 10th flotilla began patrolling their assigned area of operations.
Soldiers of the 10th flotilla often appeared in the hottest spots of naval battles. In mid-June a small convoy was supposed to arrive in Sevastopol. There is only one on board
military transport with a displacement of 13,000 tons, the escort of which consisted of two patrol ships and a destroyer, contained ammunition. The residents of Sevastopol never received them. The reason for this was a successful attack on the convoy by one of the boats of the 10th flotilla, launched on June 13, 1942. An accurate torpedo salvo caused transport with
serious damage. The ship washed ashore, becoming a target for German aircraft, which did not hesitate to deal with it.
On June 29, Italian sailors helped the Germans land a demonstrative landing at Balaklava. By drawing back part of the Soviet troops, he weakened the main line of defense. This tactic
On July 9, when Sevastopol was already occupied by the Germans, the battle for Fort Gorki broke out at Cape Feolent. Its defenders took refuge safely in the rocks. Every German attempt to attack Gorki was thwarted by massive machine-gun fire. Eat
The fort's most vulnerable point was its galleries - they opened directly onto the seashore. Several soldiers of the 10th flotilla managed to penetrate the galleries from the sea, staging a large landing. The surprise factor played a role. Through the joint efforts of the Italian and German divisions
The defense of the unbending fort was broken through.
As the inspirer of many sabotage operations of the Italian fleet, Borghese had to establish useful contacts with foreign colleagues. Summer 1942 Borghese went on a long trip abroad, traveling to the capitals of European states in
the very height of the war.
First of all, the commander of the underwater detachment visited Berlin and Paris, where he was to establish close cooperation with the Germans. Without this, Borghese’s grandiose plans for the use of assault weapons in the vastness of the Atlantic and in South African countries could not become a reality.
odah. In the German capital, the prince concluded a number of agreements, one of which provided for the training of German officers at the personnel training school of the 10th MAS flotilla.
Upon arrival in Paris, Borghese reported to the headquarters of the German submarine fleet. The headquarters, led by Admiral Doenitz, was comfortably located in Bulo
nsky forest, in one of the ancient French palaces. Admiral Doenitz's working style became Borghese's strongest impression from his trip to Paris. The rules that Doenitz set always applied to himself. (The prince was amazed to find Doenitz having breakfast in the company of his subordinates. Me
due to wartime restrictions, the nude was modest and the same for everyone - a little vegetable soup, a slice of cheese and black bread.) Doenitz also gained confidence in Borghese, who seemed more cool-headed than carried away, more reserved than frank, and in every way case a sober person and
prudent. The prince from the allied power was immediately admitted to the secret archives of the headquarters to obtain all the necessary information.
From Paris Borghese left for Bordeaux. Here, on French soil, there was a base for Italian submarines operating in the Atlantic. Borghese visited this remote b
It’s no coincidence. At that time, all the thoughts of the detachment commander of the 10th flotilla were occupied with developing tactics for small boats off the North American coast. Such submarines could not cross the ocean on their own, so it was necessary to refine the mechanism for their delivery to the shores of America on board large oceans.
n submarines. This is what Borghese did. The submarine "Leonardo da Vinci" and a midget submarine of the "SA" type with a displacement of only 12 tons were at the guest's disposal.
The maneuvers of the two boats in the waters of Bordeaux presented a completely unusual picture. First, "Leonardo da Vinci" took out "
"baby" into the open sea, after which it sank to a shallow depth. On command, the boat "SA", freed from special grips, safely surfaced. The most important part of the operation remained - to take the "baby" on board after several hours of independent sailing. Borghese doubted
success of this maneuver and, as it turned out, in vain. At his order, the “baby” accurately entered a special nest on the deck of the Leonardo da Vinci. Borghese's project turned out to be feasible.
Having resolved issues of fundamental nature, the Italian submariner prince made the final tour San Sebastian - Madrid - Lee
ssabon in hopes of attracting new partners. Lisbon, well-fed, blooming and dancing, seemed to be somewhere outside of Europe, in which war was raging. In the port of Lisbon, transport ships of the warring powers stood side by side. It was there that Borghese headed, dressed in the blue overalls of a loader - of course
Yes, not out of pure curiosity. Is it possible to organize sabotage against enemy ships? After a thorough inspection of the port, Borghese could answer this question in the affirmative...
May 1, 1943 Prince Valerio Borghese was appointed commander of the 10th MAS flotilla, which by that time had grown greatly and
represented a powerful military formation. Flotilla detachments operated in various areas of the Mediterranean Sea - in the Strait of Gibraltar, off the coast of Sicily and Sardinia, in the Turkish ports of Mersin and Alexandretta. News of the conclusion of a truce on September 8, 1943. was like a bolt from the blue for Borghese
It found the prince preparing another impressive operation - an attack on ships in the New York port, which was never destined to materialize. Under the terms of the peace treaty of 1947, the assault weapons of the Italian fleet were subject to destruction, and all personnel were subject to demobilization.
In war, all means are fair - this motto has been known since ancient times, but it became the rule only in the 20th century. From a dubious, “ungentlemanly” way of waging war, sabotage turned into a separate art.
Bold aristocrat
Junio Valerio Scipione Borghese born in 1906, into a family belonging to an ancient aristocratic family. His ancestors were popes, cardinals and industrialists, relatives Napoleon Bonaparte. The prince himself was married to a distant relative of the Russian emperor Alexandra Pervo th.
Valerio's incredibly daring and independent character did not allow him to choose a career as a priest - he chose the art of war. He chose a new and very promising direction - service in the submarine fleet. Borghese completed submarine courses and became the world champion in deep-sea diving in spacesuits.
Ambitions Realized
An aristocrat and an ideological fascist, Borghese, after completing his studies at the Naval Academy, became a submarine officer as an assistant captain, and five years later, in 1933, he took command of the submarine Amethyst.
But even this did not correspond to his ambitions, especially since his colleagues admired the talents of the young captain and called his skills “supernatural.” The Amethyst, under the command of Borghese, could remain submerged for weeks, but in the end it would not deviate more than half a mile from its target.
Therefore, Borghese was incredibly flattered when Admiral Goiran invited the young naval officer to head the secret underwater sector. In 1939, Borghese began work on creating a special unit of “human torpedoes,” officially the Tenth MAS (Assault Assault) Flotilla.
Insidious weapon
The world was on the verge of World War II. Great Britain was an advanced military power and posed a great threat to Italy at sea. To combat such a powerful enemy, the Italians came up with a new type of weapon to destroy British warships located at fortified bases. It consisted of bursting boats, midget submarines and.
After the first tests of the new “secret war” weapon, Borghese and his colleagues on the project came to the conclusion that when training cadet saboteurs it is necessary to take into account the basic qualities of each type of secret weapon. For surface exploding boats, determined soldiers must be trained, and for “insidious means,” that is, for guided torpedoes, restrained scouts are needed. There were plenty of volunteers ready to serve in the navy, but the best were selected. Namely, soldiers who have high moral qualities, strength of character, determination, despise danger and, most importantly, are not talkative. After all, the whole world knows that a true Italian would rather die than be silent.
After careful selection at a secret school in the town of Serchio, human torpedoes were trained for a year. The strictest secret was the weapons with which the swimmers would have to work, the names of their comrades, and the very fact of someone’s belonging to the detachment. Future naval saboteurs practiced the necessary combat skills and got used to the idea that they might have to die to complete a mission. An example for them was Valerio Borghese himself, who received the pseudonym Black Prince. It was he who took the initiative to create a detachment of commando underwater swimmers similar to the Japanese kaitens. The Italian officer wore his gloomy nickname with pride, since it reflected the origin, daring and cruel character of a convinced fascist.
Gold for the Queen
The new, completely ungentlemanly weapons of the Italians were successfully used in Gibraltar, Malta, and Algeria. In Gibraltar, Valerio Borghese with three crews of attack saboteurs, having lost six crew members (three killed, three captured), disabled fourteen ships of the anti-Hitler coalition countries with a displacement of 73 thousand tons.
The Borghese team carried out the most brilliant operation in 1941 in Alexandria. At the virtually impregnable base of the British fleet, Italian submarine saboteurs managed to disable the battleships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, one destroyer and a cargo tanker. For this special operation, Prince Borghese received a gold medal “For Valor”.
"War within a war" in Italian
It is worth noting that Borghese received the official order to be appointed commander of the 10th flotilla only in 1943. By that time, the secret unit under his leadership had long been a combat-ready and highly effective unit of the Royal Italian Navy. Perhaps the only such formation - otherwise the Italians fought poorly.
“Torpedo people” prepared by Borghese took part in various sabotage operations - they sank ships, tried to stop movement along the Road of Life in besieged Leningrad, and entered into battles with Yugoslav and Italian partisans. Borghese himself remained the commander of the submarine and laid out ingenious routes for new successful special operations. The “war within a war” waged by the Black Prince was full of military tricks, traps, and secret developments. To implement them, the daring aristocrat prepared ultra-class intelligence officers.
The prince spent time from 1945 to 1949 in prison. He was sentenced to 12 years for collaborating with the Germans, for supporting the puppet regime in the “Republic of Salo” after Italy left the war. For military services to his homeland, this term was reduced to three years.
After which he carried out another special operation.
Revenge of the Black Prince
On October 28, 1955, all Italian ships suddenly left the Sevastopol roadstead. And in the early morning of the 29th, two explosions were heard. The battleship Novorossiysk, which was given to the Soviet Union as a payment for reparations, sank along with more than 800 Black Sea sailors.
Once “Novorossiysk” was called Giulio Cesare and belonged to Italy. After sending the ship to the USSR, Prince Borghese swore an oath that the Julius Caesar would not fly the Russian flag. According to the official Soviet version, the Novorossiysk was blown up by an old German magnetic mine, but this was not the case. By the way, in November 1955, Valerio Borghese received another award. And according to some reports, it was not awarded to him for his previous services.
After a while, captain of the second rank in reserve S. Elagin in a magazine article he argued quite convincingly that the attack on Novorossiysk was carried out by professionals: “There were so few of them at that time that it was not difficult to name each one! These could only be combat swimmers from the 10th Italian flotilla...”
This is how the last successful operation of the formidable Black Prince took place. It is surprising that the Soviet intelligence services, skilled at eliminating dangerous individuals, did not consider it necessary to get close to Mr. Borghese. The invulnerable scoundrel subsequently tried to organize a fascist coup in his homeland, was expelled from the country and died in Spain at the age of 68.
