by Enrico Cernuschi.
Softcover (7.25×9.75 inches). 48 pages. 2026.
Subtitle: Italy’s Fast Coastal Forces
The Italian Navy used small. fast-moving boats to attack capital ships in both World Wars. Here it is 2026 and the Iranian Navy is also using such weapons and tactics to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Design, development, and combat deployments figure heavily in the text. Although some successes were achieved in WWI, the boats did not live up to the propaganda. Better boat designs in WWII, especially copying much of the German schnellboot (seized from Yugoslavia), improved combat results, but again, results versus propaganda remained slight.
Notably, some of these boats served in the Black Sea (p35) and on Lake Ladoga (p28) as part of the Italian contribution to the Axis battle in the USSR.
A number of Mediterranean Sea clashes between MAS boats and British destroyers would make for interesting scenarios.
The booklet contains 38 black and white photos, one color illustration, one color two-page cut-away illustration of the MA 500 series boat, two color two-page action illustrations, and 10 color camouflage illustrations.
Many histories mention large-scale attacks of MAS boats. This does, too, but also offers a number of smaller coastal battles I didn’t know existed.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
