THE MTM ASSAULT AND THE LINSE EXPLOSIVE MOTORBOATS

MTM is an Italian motorboat - de facto a type of suicide weapon - from the interwar period and World War II. The first motorboats of this type entered service in 1940. The length of the vessel was 5.2 m, and the maximum speed was up to 34 knots. The range was around 110-120 kilometers. In total, probably about 20 motorboats of this type were built. MTM type motorboats, based on the prototype MA and MAT motorboats. They were used by a special unit of the Italian Navy called Decima Flottiglia MAS, intended to destroy large enemy surface units. The hull of the MTM was made of wood, and the drive was provided by a single Alfa Romeo 2500 engine. The unit carried up to 300 kilograms of explosive charge on board. The attack tactic assumed that the crewman had to jump into the water about 90 meters before hitting the target, which, however, was very difficult to achieve in practice. The most famous action with the use of MTM motor boats was the successful attack carried out in 1941 in one of the bays of the island of Crete on the British cruiser HMS York, which sank as a result of the operation.