| Special Forces Operations in July 1942 |
| July 13th, 1942 |
| Operazione Gamma Gibilterra 1 |
| Xa Flottiglia MAS |
| Twelve men from Gruppo Gamma swim from Villa Carmella at the Spanish coast into Gibraltar harbour. They placed limpet mines on four merchant ships. The steamships Meta, Shuma and Baron Douglas are sunk. The steamship Empire Snipe is heavily damaged. All members return safely to Spain. |
| July 14th, 1942 – July 30th, 1942 |
| Operazione Cefalo 1 |
| Xa Flottiglia MAS |
| The requisitioned fishing trawler Cefalo (302 GRT), manned by a militarised civilian crew, departs La Spezia on a covert mission with two MTSM light motor torpedo boats (222 and 230) . The mission, commanded by Tenente di Vascello Corrado Dequal and Sottotenente de Vascello Corrado Garutti, is to patrol the waters south of the Balearic Islands, posing as a fishing vessel while awaiting an opportunity to attack Allied aircraft carriers that occasionally launch aircraft for operations over Malta. For 16 days, the Cefalo remains on station, enduring rough seas at times. However, no enemy targets are sighted, and the mission concludes without any engagement. The vessel returns to base without deploying its assault craft, highlighting the challenges of intelligence-based naval operations dependent on unpredictable enemy movements. |
| July 17th, 1942 – July 18th, 1942 |
| Operazione 110 e Operazione 111 |
| Xa Flottiglia MAS |
| In preparation for an amphibious invasion of Malta, Italian Motoscafo Turismo Silurante Modificato units were stationed at Augusta, Sicily, tasked with reconnaissance and ambush missions along the Maltese coast. On May 17th, 1942, the torpedo boat Abba, escorted by MAS 574 and MAS 576, deployed two Motoscafo Turismo Silurante Modificato’s for separate operations: Operation 110: MTSM 218 landed diver Giuseppe Guglielmo near Marsaskala for a night reconnaissance. Unable to re-establish contact with his vessel, he was captured. Operation 111: MTSM 214 inserted Carmelo Borg Pisani, an Italian agent of Maltese origin, near Marsaxlokk. Discovered and arrested, he was later tried for treason and executed after five months. Subsequent ambush operations by the Motoscafo Turismo Silurante Modificato’s near Valletta proved unsuccessful. |