Licio Visintini
| Licio Visintini | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
12 February 1915 Parenzo, Istria, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 8 December 1942 (aged 27) Gibraltar |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Italy
|
| Service/branch |
 Regia Marina
|
| Years of service | 1933–1942 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
|
Licio Visintini (February 12, 1915 – December 8, 1942) was an Italian naval officer during World War II. Visintini was decorated for his operations against Allied shipping in Gibraltar during the Battle of the Mediterranean. His brother Mario Visintini was a famous flying ace; both were killed during the war.
Visintini joined the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1933, and received his appointment as Ensign in 1937. Initially assigned on surface ships, he participated in missions during the Spanish Civil War; he then served on the submarines Narvalo and then on Atropo. While on the latter, in April 1939, he participated in the operations for the Italian invasion of Albania.
On June 10, 1940, when Italy entered World War II, Visintini was serving on the submarine Torelli, and participated in its first mission in the Atlantic Ocean. On his return, he asked to be assigned to the Tenth MAS Flotilla in La Spezia, where he became assault craft operator. In 1941 he was promoted to Lieutenant and was given command of the "Ursa Major squadron", deployed against the British naval base at Gibraltar.
In the night between 25 and 26 May 1941, Visintini led a first attack on Gibraltar with three SLC manned torpedoes released from the submarine Scirè (operation "B.G.3"); the raiders managed to enter the harbor, but the operation failed due to a combination of mechanical breakdowns suffered by the SLCs and sudden illnesses that seized two of the operators (moreover, Force H, the objective of the attack, had sailed just a few hours before). Visintini and his companions had to swim to the shore, then they returned to Italy with the help of agents from the Italian Navy intelligence service.
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