Every one now knows, at least by reputation, the M. A. S., [Motoscafi
Antisommergibili di Scorta,] the Italian little armored boats that are
doing effective work in the Tyrrhenean and the Adriatic, but few
understand the great assistance they have given in their support of the
army in the marshy Venetian plain covered with watercourses.
The M. A. S. were not built to fight on rivers, but to scour the seas;
yet they are frequently seen engaging some enemy advance post. Where
the enemy lines border on a river or a canal the menacing prow of an M.
A. S. will now and then rise under the barbed wire of the Hungarian
trenches. These swift motor boats have become the cavalry of the
marshes. They are slaves to their fragility, but they have the advantage
of speed and surprise.
The M. A. S. attacked the moving enemy companies across the lagoons with
machine guns and their little guns. They were bombarded in turn; but
their bravery and their size made them often very fortunate. At
Bevazzano a big column of Honveds marching along the shore was put to
flight by them. Again they shelled a cyclist corps, killing a large
number. They landed a few men on ground already occupied by the enemy
and succeeded in destroying or in capturing various machine-gun
outposts. Elsewhere they supported isolated companies of sailors,
protecting the lagoons, with their small guns. With great daring they
pushed up to Porto Gruaro, which had already been invaded from Lemene.
Shortly after, while the present line of Intestadure-Capo
Sile-Cavazuccherina-Cortelazzo was being organized, the M. A. S. ran up
and down for entire days through the Piave, the old Piave, and the
Cavetta Canal, undertaking frequent sporadic fights with the machine
gunners and the picked shooters of Boroevic.
The armed motor boats by themselves insured the liaison between the
lines for several days, and today, when the line of resistance from the
lagoons is safe, the tactical use of the M. A. S. in the interior canals
is still frequent and efficacious.