Page 233 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Relevant changes

11.1 THE EVOLUTION OF THE CRYPTOGRAPHIC UNIT IN 1917

acTIvITIes and organIzaTIon

The logs of Section R provided a wealth of information about the number of radiograms and
telegrams decrypted and distributed to many Ministries, to the allied missions in Italy, and to
the Supreme Command itself. In 1917 the number of average monthly dispatches sent to other
entities amounted to about 150, with a peak of almost 300 in the last months of the year .
1
To the previous ones, an unknown number of less significant decrypted communications
must be added, not officially transmitted but included in reports and memoranda for the
above-mentioned organisations. For example, from early 1917 until the end of the war,
the Cryptographic Unit sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs more than one hundred
‘information digests’ concerning news not contained in the single telegrams and radiograms
forwarded to the Ministry.
In general, the total recorded number of telegrams was higher than that of radiograms, mainly due
to the continuous inflow of diplomatic correspondence to/from the embassies of neutral Countries.
In addition to the cryptographic activities, Sacco had to carry out several other tasks related, for
example, to his expertise in the field of radio communications. At the beginning of February
1917, the Unit accomplished a study on small trench stations followed by a request to Guglielmo
Marconi to take care personally of the supply and experimentation of some devices of this type
imported from England .
2
The Head of Unit also took care of organisational aspects, including the increase in the staff. In
this regard, the logs of Section R report the hiring of some officers such as the Second Lieutenants
Bresciani, Modica, Giorgio Levi della Vida; Lieutenant Savino Lalloni; Officer Aspirant Perelli;
and the already mentioned Cristofolini. However, despite the new enrolments, the Unit remained
understaffed for the entire duration of the conflict, especially in the face of the growing commitments
extended, during 1917, to the drafting of new codes.
The Unit also defined the rules for the intercepted enemy radiograms transmission via efficient
and quick wire telegraph communication from the intercepting radio stations to the Section R in
Rome. The General Headquarters of the Engineer Corps received this regulation on 1 December
1916 and forwarded it to all radiotelegraphic Sections a month later. The adopted cipher was called

1 The logs include relevant data from October 1916 until March 1917. After thit date, probably for confidentiality reasons,
they only report the number of radiograms and telegrams that were decrypted and information on meetings and movements
of personnel.
2 Apparecchi Radiotelegrafici del Senatore Marconi, (Radio telegraphic equipment from Senator Marconi) ISCAG, Coll. 284.
Marconi had been reassigned from the Army to the Navy in August 1916 and took the rank of Lieutenant Commander. The
request had therefore been submitted to the Ministry of the Navy, which accepted it on 1 March 1917.

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