Page 478 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo I

478 XXXIV Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

Whitney from shot down US planes, ever lasted more than 4-5 hours, due to poor cooling;
however, the Alfa 135 ran for an unheard of 29 hours before an exhaust pipe overheated. The
Germans then ordered a production of 500 per month. Overall, 150 were ever built. At the
time of it’s first running in 1938 and 1939 it was the most powerful radial engine in the world,
generating just less than 1492 kW (2000 hp) on 100-octance fuel. Who become the engine of
the best axis bombers in WW2, the Italian LEONE and the German FW-200 CONDOR.
12
Giustino Cattaneo, by his accomplishments, has been placed among the leaders for Aero-
nautical development.

guidO
In 1936, his son who left his post at Isotta Fraschini had created an office of consulting
engineers. Short time after, Giustino join his son in establishing their own company C.A.B.I.
CATTANEO, where he become Chairman until 1962.
Eng. Guido a sometime auto racer and successful hydroplane driver, has been a most
valuable technician as well, and, following his father’s traces, has strengthened the Company
technical heritage with the development of several products, particularly in the marine field.
One of the first Cattaneo designs was Theo Rossi’s Isotta engine hydroplane Alagi (built by
Baglietto), one of the most successful race-boats of all time. In the late ‘30s, CABI-Cattaneo
pioneered the development of outboard-type stern drives for powerful inboard engines. The
design was successfully tested on Guido’s Asso hydroplane, which won a couple of major
races on the eve of World War II. It was just natural that Guido will be engaged soon in the
defense field.

the MtM “barchinO”
Admiral Iachino, in his book “Sunset of a Great navy” describes the M.T.M. as small
motorboat-torpedo, and commonly known as “barchini”, piloted by a single man who would
through himself into the water about 100 meters before hitting the target, abandoning the
vessel in full speed. Explosive Motor Boats were the most famous of Italian assault crafts.
These vessels, as well as the Torpedo Boats, were used extensively by the 10th Light Flotilla.
They were found as far east as the Black Sea during World War Two. EMB’s were designed
for one way missions against enemy vessels. The “Kamikaze’s of the seas” so to speak. The
pilot of the small craft would aim his boat at an enemy vessel, accelerate to full speed, lock
his rudder in place and jump overboard before impact against the keel of the enemy ship.
The navigator is held afloat by the boats backrest, which is designed as a life raft. He would
either be picked up by other Italian vessels or attempt to swim to shore. The crafts proved to
be invaluable to the Regia Marina. The screw and rudder could be lifted out of the water to
clear harbor nets and their impact against the enemy ships keel caused a devastating chain
reaction. A ring of explosives separated the fore and aft section of the hull. The fore section
held a large keg of explosives which sank to a predetermined depth. Once this occurred, the
water pressure would cause a detonation. The detonation would form a vacuum and the result

12 Patrick italiano, Story of the Alfa Romeo factory and plants: Part 2 Alfa Romeo under a khaki uniform, the
new technical guard arises, p.17.