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Operation Aberystwyth 5 Italians landed by submarine Jan 44 on NW Adriatic coast

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
What sources have you read about this operation? It is something I have not previously read about.

Pista! Jeff
 

BernardO

New Member
details are included in Ercolino's personnel file in the National Archives in Kew, London. It was released to the general public in January 2025 one hundred years after his birth.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
If classified until 2025, unlikely to be mentioned in any open source prior to that.

What details of the operation do you have? Which submarine? Where on the coast? It is unclear whether this was a Co-Belligerent or RSI operation as you posted in the RSI folder. If a Co-Belligerent op (which I assume it was), I will move.

Pista! Jeff
 

BernardO

New Member
The file was opened in January this year.

The first document is SIM agent Lt. Mario Scopinich's undated interrogation report:

Having left the submarine we reached land after four hours extremely tiring paddling, because every now and then we had to bale out the rubber boat which let water in, and I was afraid that it would ruin the W/T [Wireless Telegraphy] set. We reached land near the railway line, at about 3 Km north of FANO. After destroying the rubber boat we struck immediately inland across country, and at about 9:00 in the morning we found hospitality in a little country house belonging to a certain MEI [?] at BORGO S. BACIO (PESARO).

He later admitted that there were other agents on board.

Antonio Ercolino's report mentions an MTB.
Op. ABERYSTWYTH
Preamble
This man was a member of a group of five Italians who were landed on the MARCHE coast in January 1944. Caught with one of his companions soon after landing, subject had to abandon his mission, and being released within a few hours of being captured, subject went to MILAN with his companion.

...

PART II – Subject’s story on Op. ABERYSTWYTH

26 Jan 44.
Subject states that the operation took place on the night of 29 Jan 44. According to records in our possession it actually took place on the 26 Jan 44. Subject states that they were landed at about 2100 hours by MTB [Motor Torpedo Boat] near PORTO CIVITANOVA. There were five of them, but subject can only remember the name of only one companion, a certain DI COSTANZO. Their task was to sabotage the railway line, and subject and his companion DI COSTANZO (whom he had met about one month previously at TARANTO) were to attack the IESI-ROME railway line near CHIARAVALLE.

By all means move the post elsewhere.

Thanks
Bernard
 
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