Italian Navy Vigilanza Anti Partigiana Anti-Partisan Units

[PT Dockyard]

Hello,
Does anyone have pictures of the craft the Italians used to fight Yugoslav partisan boats in the Adriatic?

Here is a response I had to a post last year on Feldgrau:

"motos sailers armed, in 1943, by the Italian merchant navy along the Dalmazia coasts as Vigilanza Anti Partigiana Vessels (VAP with a number). They were simply motor fishery vessels, often of the classic "Bragozzo" type, typical on the Adriatic sea, about 50 t, which went on with their usual trade cruises but had on board a squad of sailors at the orders of a NCO and were armed with light machine guns. There was a certain protection (armour or wooden trunks) at the helmnsman position and around the weapons. This vessel duty was to escort the coastal traffic protecting it by the not very active partisan boats attacks of from a brief, sudden fire from some remote corner of the litoral.
From this record I have to think that the VAP organization was used, after the Italian armistice, by the Germans. I know for certain that two sailing ships, The "Sant'Eufemia" and the "Zara" were used by RSI sailors and youg fascits volounteers after the Armistice at the orders of Commander Tommaso David to fight the partisan boats which had made their apparance in the island around the city and that these Italian boats were able, since Sept. until late Oct. 1943, to capture or sink 10 enemy barges. The Germans, then, imposed their departure. "

These last two craft operated by the RSI are of particular interest, although a picture of any of these craft would be great.

Dave

[PT Dockyard]

I started digging on this subject again. Does anyone have any further information?

Dave G
The PT Dockyard
http://www.ptdockyard.com