Italy:
Artwork of submarine
Reginaldo Giuliani attacked by RAF aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean, likely 1942
Attributed to Vittorio Pisani (1899-1974), long-time illustrator for Italian periodicals such as
La Tribuna Illustrata.
The
Liuzzi-class submarine
Reginaldo Giuliani was returning to
Bordeaux after a successful patrol when, on 1 September 1942, she was attacked by a Sunderland (two more reached the area but were ordered to continue their flight); the run caused damage to the submarine, and among the killed and wounded was the commander, Capitano di Fregata Giovanni Bruno (seriously wounded in the throat), that was forced to relinquish command to his XO.
The following day, as the submarine tried to make his way to Bordeaux, three more air attacks had to be faced. The first two were evaded by submerging, but the third (executed by a Vickers Wellington of the No. 304th Polish Squadron - commanded by Lt. Kucharsky) lasted half an hour, and left behind an immobile boat that the Polish airmen thought doomed. However, despite severe damage and further losses among the crew, the crippled
Giuliani was able to get underway again and make its way to the Spanish port of Santander.
Critical repairs were made there, and, with the Spanish authorities making a show of respecting the rules for interment but taking care not to enforce them, the submarine departed once again on 8 November (the situation was so transparent that a crowd was present when it made its "escape"). It reached Le Verdon (advance base on the French coast) in the morning of 9 November.
For their role in these events, thirty-three crewmen were decorated with the
Croce di Guerra; the XO, Tenente di Vascello Aredio Galzigna, was given the
Medaglia di Bronzo al Valor Militare. Repairs to the submarine lasted until January 1943.
