The Italian Navy in the Black Sea 1942-1943

In the midst of World War II, when the Black Sea became one of the most treacherous theatres of naval conflict, a handful of men from the Italian Royal Navy wrote one of the most daring and least known pages in military history. The book reconstructs, with narrative rhythm and historical rigour, the action of MAS 568, the assault motorboat that in 1942 managed to torpedo the Soviet cruiser “Molotov”, a colossus of the Black Sea Fleet. Through testimonies, archival documents and tactical analyses, the story takes the reader aboard those small Italian light vessels – designed for speed and courage – which operated far from home, in extreme conditions and often ignored by mainstream historiography. A work that sheds light on an extraordinary episode, giving voice to the protagonists and offering a new perspective on the role of the Italian Navy on a forgotten but decisive front.