Italy established a substantial Atlantic submarine organization at Bordeaux, commonly known as BETASOM, with about 1,600 personnel, defenses, and supporting services. The base supplied docks, basins, and locks for the boats operating from occupied France. A second facility at La Pallice near La Rochelle provided submerged training that Bordeaux could not. From this infrastructure, Italian submarines could patrol the Canary Islands, the Azores, and the Northwestern Approaches.
Chapter · 35:11-36:38
BETASOM gave Italian submarines an Atlantic base
The Bordeaux establishment supplied docks, personnel, defenses, training, and access to patrol grounds from the Canaries to the Northwestern Approaches.