Carlo Fecia di Cossato (25 September 1908 – 27 August 1944) was an officer in the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy), in command of submarines and torpedo boats during World War II. He was credited with the confirmed sinking of 23 enemy ships (16 Allied ships before the Armistice of Cassibile, with the submarine , and 7 German vessels after the armistice, with the torpedo boat ). Giorgio Giorgerini, Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi, Mondadori, . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and of the Gold Medal of Military Valor, the highest decoration of the Italian Armed Forces.TracesOfWar.com
Fecia di Cossato was born in Rome, Italy, on 25 September 1908. He graduated from the Naval Academy in Livorno in 1928 and assumed his duties as an officer at the Italian Naval Detachment in China. In the early 1930s, he was an officer on two submarines and his service included participation in the Spanish Civil War.
At the beginning of World War II, Fecia di Cossato was the commander of the submarine Ciro Menotti based in Messina; after some months he was transferred to Bordeaux and given command of the submarine Tazzoli. This submarine operated in the Atlantic Ocean, sinking 18 ships with a total tonnage of 96,553 tons; 16 of these ships, for a total tonnage of 86,545 GRT, were sunk under Fecia di Cossato's command. Italian navy website. In February 1943, at the end of the mission near Brazil he was transferred to Italy, where he was given command of a squadron of torpedo boats.
After the Allies' Armistice with Italy, he fought with bravery against German shipping near Bastia, sinking seven enemy vessels. Fecia di Cossato was displeased with the events of late 1943 and early 1944, and committed suicide in Naples on 27 August 1944.
Early life and career
Fecia di Cossato was born in Rome in 1908 to a family of the Piedmontese nobility. In his youth, he attended the Royal Military College of Moncalieri and then the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno, where he graduated in 1928 as an ensign.Carlo Fecia di Cossato. Immediately after graduation, he was assigned on the submarine Bausan.
In 1929, after promotion to sub-lieutenant, Fecia di Cossato was assigned to the Italian Naval Detachment in Beijing and sent to China on the scout cruiser Libia. He returned to Italy in 1933, was promoted to lieutenant and was assigned on the light cruiser Bari, stationed in Massawa during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. He then participated in two special missions on submarines during the Spanish Civil War. In 1939 Fecia di Cossato attended the Italian Navy Submarine School in Pola, after which he was promoted to lieutenant commander and given command of a submarine.
At the outbreak of World War II
When Italy entered World War II, Fecia di Cossato was the commanding officer of the submarine Ciro Menotti, based in Messina as part of the 33rd Submarine Squadron. In this role, he participated in several missions in the Mediterranean Sea. In the autumn of 1940 he was transferred to the BETASOM submarine base, in occupied France, where he started his participation in the Battle of the Atlantic as executive officer of the submarine Enrico Tazzoli, whose commanding officer was Lieutenant Commander Vittore Raccanelli.
In command of Enrico Tazzoli
On 5 April 1941 Fecia di Cossato was given command of Tazzoli, with Lieutenant Gianfranco Gazzana-Priaroggia as executive officer. Fecia di Cossato and Gazzana Priaroggia (who was later given command of the submarines and ) were to become Italy's most successful submariners in World War II.Giorgio Giorgerini, Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi, pp. 192-439-449-470-490-497-498-514-515-518-528-551-554.Orazio Ferrara, "Carlo Fecia di Cossato", on Eserciti nella storia n° 64, September–October 2011, page 38.
Early sinkings
On April 7, 1941 Tazzoli left Bordeaux for its first mission under Fecia di Cossato. After reaching a patrol area off the coast of West Africa, on April 12 the submarine attacked two British cruisers with torpedoes, but no hits were obtained.Orazio Ferrara, "Carlo Fecia di Cossato", on Eserciti nella storia n° 64, September–October 2011, page 39.Goly Maioli, "Squali d'acciaio", Fratelli Melita Editori, La Spezia, 1988 page 165. On April 15, Tazzoli sank the British steamer Aurillac (4,733 GRT) with torpedoes and gunfire.Giorgio Giorgerini, Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi, p. 490. On May 7, Tazzoli sank the Norwegian steamer Fernlane (4,310 GRT) and two days later the Norwegian tanker Alfred Olsen (8,817 GRT).Orazio Ferrara, "Carlo Fecia di Cossato", on Eserciti nella storia n° 64, September–October 2011, page 40. The latter required two days of pursuit, all remaining torpedoes and a hundred artillery rounds, forcing Tazzoli to return to base after sinking it.Goly Maioli, "Squali d'acciaio", Fratelli Melita Editori, La Spezia, 1988 pag. 169 On the way back, Tazzoli was attacked by an enemy plane, but the reaction of its machine guns damaged the plane and forced it to fly away.
On May 25, Tazzoli reached Bordeaux, where Fecia di Cossato was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor. On July 15, 1941, Fecia di Cossato sailed for a new mission during which, on August 12, he destroyed the grounded wreck of the British steamer Sangara (5,449 GRT, already damaged by a previous attack by the German submarine U-69)Giorgio Giorgerini, Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi, p. 498. and on August 19 he sank the Norwegian tanker Sildra (7,313 GRT) about fifty miles off Freetown. He returned to base on September 11 and was awarded a Bronze Medal of Military Valor and an Iron Cross Second Class.
Rescue of the Atlantis and Python survivors
In December 1941 Tazzoli left Bordeaux to take part in the rescue of 400 survivors from the German commerce raider Atlantis and the German supply ship Python, that had been sunk off the Cape Verde islands. German U-boats had rescued the survivors from the sea, but did not have enough space to adequately house them, therefore the German command requested the intervention of the larger Italian submarines.Ulrich Mohr, Atlantis, Longanesi & C, Milan, 1965, p. 298. Tazzoli and three other Betasom submarines (Torelli, Calvi and Finzi) thus sailed from Bordeaux after disembarking nonessential personnel and loading substantial supplies of food and water. At the rendezvous with the German U-boats, Tazzoli took onboard about 70 survivors, including Atlantis' executive officer Ulrich Mohr.Ulrich Mohr, Atlantis, Longanesi & C, Milano, 1965, p. 300.
On Christmas Eve Tazzoli, sailing on the surface, was attacked by an enemy plane and forced to crash dive.Ulrich Mohr, Atlantis, Longanesi & C, Milano, 1965, p. 301. On the following day, the submarine reached Saint-Nazaire, where the survivors were landed.Orazio Ferrara, "Carlo Fecia di Cossato", on Eserciti nella storia n° 64, September/October 2011, p. 42. For his part in the rescue of the survivors from the two German ships, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz awarded Fecia di Cossato the Iron Cross First Class.
In American waters
On 11 February 1942, after the United States' entry into the war, Tazzoli under Fecia di Cossato left for a new mission, off the coasts of America. On 6 March the submarine sank the Dutch steamer Astrea (1,406 GRT), and on the following day the Norwegian motor ship Torsbergfjord (3,156 GRT). On 9 March Tazzoli sank the Uruguayan steamer Montevideo (5,785 GRT), on 11 March the Panama-flagged steamer Cygnet (3,628 GRT), on 13 March the British steamer Daytonian (6,434 GRT) and two days later the British tanker Athelqueen (8,780 GRT). In the fight against the latter, Tazzoli suffered some damage, following which Fecia di Cossato decided to return to base, where he arrived on 31 March. Following this mission Fecia di Cossato was awarded another Silver Medal of Military Valor by the Italian authorities and an Iron Cross Second Class with Sword by the German authorities.
On 18 June 1942, Fecia di Cossato sailed with Tazzoli for a new mission in the Caribbean. On 2 August he attacked and sank the Greek merchant Castor (1,830 GRT), and four days later he sank the Norwegian tanker Havsten (6,161 GRT), allowing her crew to abandon ship and be rescued by a nearby Argentinian ship, before sinking her. On 5 September, Tazzoli returned to base; for this mission Fecia di Cossato received a Bronze Medal of Military Valor.
On 14 November 1942, Fecia Di Cossato sailed for his last mission on Tazzoli. On 12 December the submarine sank the British steamer Empire Hawk (5,032 GRT) and the Dutch merchant Ombilin (5,658 GRT); on 21 December the British steamer Queen City (4,814 GRT) became Tazzoli's next victim, followed on Christmas by the American motor ship Dona Aurora (5,011 GRT). During the return voyage, the submarine was attacked by a British four-engined plane, that was shot down by Tazzoli's machine gunners. On 2 February 1943, Tazzoli ended her patrol in Bordeaux. On 19 March 1943, Fecia di Cossato was awarded a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the German authorities, for his successes in the Atlantic.
Ships sunk
+ Ships sunk by Enrico Tazzoli under Carlo Fecia di CossatoRegia Marina ItalianaPatrolDateShipFlagTonnage (GRT)Notes5th15 April 1941Aurillac4,248Freighter, 1 killed5th7 May 1941Fernlane4,310Freighter with ammunition cargo, no casualties5th10 May 1941Alfred Olsen8,817Tanker, no casualties6th19 August 1941Sildra7,313Tanker, no casualties8th6 March 1942Astrea1,406Freighter8th6 March 1942Tonsbergfjord3,156Freighter; 1 killed8th8 March 1942Montevideo5,785Freighter; 14 killed8th10 March 1942Cygnet3,628Freighter; no casualties8th13 March 1942Daytonian6,434Freighter; 1 killed8th15 March 1942Athelqueen8,780 Tanker; 3 killed9th2 August 1942Kastor5,497Freighter; 4 killed9th6 August 1942Havsten6,161Tanker; 2 killed10th12 December 1942Empire Hawk5,032Freighter10th12 December 1942Ombillin5,658Freighter10th21 December 1942Queen City4,814Freighter, 6 killed10th25 December 1942Doña Aurora5,011Freighter, 7 killed, 2 POWTotal:86,050
In command of Aliseo
In February 1943 Fecia di Cossato left the command of Tazzoli, was promoted to commander and was then given command of the brand new Ciclone-class torpedo boat and of the 3rd Torpedo Boat Squadron.Giorgio Giorgerini, Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi, p. 672-673. He assumed command of Aliseo on 17 April 1943.AliseoCarlo Fecia di Cossato In May 1943 Fecia di Cossato learned that Tazzoli, having been converted into a transport submarine, had disappeared with all hands after sailing towards the Far East; the loss of his old crew deeply affected him.
On 22 July 1943 Aliseo left Pozzuoli together with the German torpedo boat TA11 and two submarine chaser, escorting the steamers Adernò and Colleville towards Civitavecchia.Lunasub On the morning of 23 July, the convoy was attacked by Allied aircraft; one of the attacking planes was shot down, while one of the Axis escorting planes was damaged and forced to ditch. Aliseo was strafed, and suffered minor damage to her deck and rudder. Fecia di Cossato ordered the convoy to go on, then Aliseo took the ditched plane in tow and towed it towards the coast, while the damage to the rudder was repaired; Aliseo rejoined the convoy at 17:30. Around 19:30, the convoy was attacked by the submarine HMS Torbay, that torpedoed Adernò, sinking her. Aliseo launched a motorboat to pick up the survivors, then hunted the attacking submarine for several hours, but without result.