title: Equalization (audio)

text: A high-pass filter is a filter, an electronic circuit or device, that passes higher frequencies well but attenuates (cuts or decreases) lower-frequency components. A low-pass filter passes low-frequency components of signals while attenuating higher frequencies. Some audiophiles use a low-pass filter in the signal chain before their subwoofer speaker enclosure, to ensure that only deep bass frequencies reach the subwoofer. In audio applications these high-pass and low-pass filters are frequently termed "low cut" and "high cut", respectively, to emphasize their effect on the original signal. For instance, sometimes audio equipment will include a switch labeled "high cut" or described as a "hiss filter" (hiss being high-frequency noise). In the phonograph era, many stereos would include a switch to introduce a high-pass (low cut) filter, often called a "rumble filter", to eliminate infrasonic frequencies.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: While high-pass and low-pass filters are useful for removing unwanted signal above or below a set frequency, shelving filters can be used to reduce or increase signals above or below a set frequency. Shelving filters are used as common tone controls (bass and treble) found in consumer audio equipment such as home stereos, and on guitar amplifiers and bass amplifiers. These implement a first-order response and provide an adjustable boost or cut to frequencies above or below a certain point.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A "high shelf" or "treble control" will have a frequency response |"H"("f")| whose square is given by:


title: Equalization (audio)

text: where "f" and "f" are called the pole and zero frequencies, respectively. Turning down the treble control increases "f" and decreases "f" so that frequences higher than "f" are attenuated. Turning up the treble control increases "f" and decreases "f" so that frequencies higher than "f" are boosted. Setting the treble control at the center sets "f" = "f" so that |"H"("f")| = 1 and the circuit has no effect. At most, the slope of the filter response in the transition region will be 6 dB per octave (thus a doubling of signal voltage and a consequent quadrupling of signal power for every doubling of frequency).


title: Equalization (audio)

text: In this case, the inclusion of the leading factor simply indicates that the response at frequencies much higher than "f" or "f" is unity and that only bass frequencies are affected.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A high shelving control in which "f" is set to infinity, or a low shelving response in which "f" is set to zero, implements a first-order low-pass or high-pass filter, respectively. However, the usual tone controls have a more limited range, since their purpose is not to eliminate any frequencies but only to achieve a greater balance when, for instance, the treble is lacking and the sound is not crisp. Since the range of possible responses from shelving filters is so limited, some audio engineers considered shelving controls inadequate for equalization tasks.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: On some bass amps and DI boxes, the units provide both low and high shelving controls and additional equalization controls.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: In the "graphic equalizer", the input signal is sent to a bank of filters. Each filter passes the portion of the signal present in its own frequency range or "band". The amplitude passed by each filter is adjusted using a slide control to boost or cut frequency components passed by that filter. The vertical position of each slider thus indicates the gain applied to that frequency band, so that the knobs resemble a "graph" of the equalizer's response plotted versus frequency.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: The number of frequency channels (and therefore each one's bandwidth) affects the cost of production and may be matched to the requirements of the intended application. A car audio equalizer might have one set of controls applying the same gain to both stereo channels for convenience, with a total of five to ten frequency bands. On the other hand, an equalizer for professional live sound reinforcement typically has some 25 to 31 bands, for more precise control of feedback problems and equalization of room modes. Such an equalizer (as shown above) is called a 1/3-octave equalizer (spoken informally as ""third-octave" EQ") because the center frequencies of its filters are spaced one third of an octave apart, three filters to an octave. Equalizers with half as many filters per octave are common where less precise control is required—this design is called a 2/3-octave equalizer.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: Parametric equalizers are multi-band variable equalizers that allow users to control the three primary parameters: amplitude, center frequency and bandwidth. The amplitude of each band can be controlled, and the center frequency can be shifted, and the bandwidth (which is inversely related to "Q") can be widened or narrowed. Parametric equalizers are capable of making much more precise adjustments to the sound than other equalizers, and are commonly used in sound recording and live sound reinforcement. Parametric equalizers are also sold as standalone outboard gear units.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A variant of the parametric equalizer is the semi-parametric equalizer, which is also known as a sweepable filter. It allows users to control the amplitude and frequency, but uses a pre-set bandwidth of the center frequency. In some cases, semi-parametric equalizers allow the user to select between a wide and a narrow preset bandwidth.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: The responses of linear filters are mathematically described in terms of their transfer function or, in layman's terms, frequency response. A transfer function can be decomposed as a combination of "first-order" responses and "second-order" responses (implemented as so-called biquad sections). These can be described according to their so-called pole and zero frequencies, which are complex numbers in the case of second-order responses.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A first-order filter can alter the response of frequencies above and below a point. In the transition region the filter response will have a slope of up to 6 dB per octave. The bass and treble controls in a hi-fi system are each a first-order filter in which the balance of frequencies above and below a point are varied using a single knob. A special case of first-order filters is a first-order high-pass or low-pass filter in which the 6 dB per octave cut of low or high frequencies extends indefinitely. These are the simplest of all filters to implement individually, requiring only a capacitor and resistor.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: Second-order filters are capable of resonance (or anti-resonance) around a particular frequency. The response of a second-order filter is specified not only by its frequency but also its Q; a higher Q corresponds to a sharper response (smaller bandwidth) around a particular center frequency. For instance, the red response in the accompanying image cuts frequencies around 100 Hz with a higher Q than the blue response which boosts frequencies around 1000 Hz. Higher Q's correspond to resonant behaviour in which the half-power or −3 dB bandwidth, "BW", is given by:


title: Equalization (audio)

text: where "F" is the resonant frequency of the second-order filter. "BW" is the bandwidth expressed in the same frequency unit that "F" is. Low Q filter responses (where "Q" < ) are not said to be resonant and the above formula for bandwidth does not apply.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A second-order filter response with "Q" of less than 1/2 can be decomposed into two first-order filter functions, a low-cut and a high-cut (or boost). Of more interest are resonant filter functions which can boost (or cut) a narrow range of frequencies. In addition to specifying the center frequency "F" and the Q, the specification of the filter's zeros determines how much that frequency band will be boosted (or cut). Thus a parametric equalizer section will have three controls for its center frequency "F", bandwidth or Q, and the amount of boost or cut usually expressed in dB.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: The range of second-order filter functions is important because any analog filter function can be decomposed into a (usually small) number of these (plus, perhaps, simpler first-order responses). These are implemented directly by each section of a parametric equalizer where they are explicitly adjusted. And each element of a graphic equalizer based on a filter bank includes one such element whose Q is not adjustable by the user.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: In sound recording, equalization may be used to adjust frequency responses for practical or aesthetic reasons, where the end result typically is "unequal" volume levels for the different frequencies. For example, equalization is used to modify an instrument's sound or make certain instruments and sounds more prominent. A recording engineer may use an equalizer to make some high-pitches in a vocal part louder while making low-pitches in a drum part quieter.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: Equalization is commonly used to increase the "depth" of a mix, creating the impression that some sounds in a mono or stereo mix are farther away or closer than others. Equalization is also commonly used to give tracks with similar frequency components complementary spectral contours, known as . Selected components of parts that would otherwise compete, such as bass guitar and kick drum, are boosted in one part and cut in the other, and vice versa, so that they both stand out.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: Equalizers can correct problems posed by a room's acoustics, as an auditorium will generally have an uneven frequency response especially due to standing waves and acoustic dampening. For instance, the frequency response of a room may be analyzed using a spectrum analyzer and a pink noise generator. Then a graphic equalizer can be easily adjusted to compensate for the room's acoustics. Such compensation can also be applied to tweak the sound quality of a recording studio in addition to its use in live sound reinforcement systems and even home hi-fi systems.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: During live events where signals from microphones are amplified and sent to speaker systems, equalization is not only used to "flatten" the frequency response but may also be useful in eliminating feedback. When the sound produced by the speakers is picked up by a microphone, it is further reamplified; this recirculation of sound can lead to "howling", requiring the sound technician to reduce the gain for that microphone, perhaps sacrificing the contribution of a singer's voice, for instance. Even at a slightly reduced gain, the feedback will still cause an unpleasant resonant sound around the frequency at which it would howl. But because the feedback is troublesome at a particular frequency, it is possible to cut the gain only around that frequency while preserving the gain at most other frequencies. This can best be done using a parametric equalizer tuned to that very frequency with its amplitude control sharply reduced. By adjusting the equalizer for a narrow bandwidth (high Q), most other frequency components will not be affected. The extreme case when the signal at the filter's center frequency is completely eliminated is known as a notch filter.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: An equalizer can be used to correct or modify the frequency response of a loudspeaker system rather than designing the speaker itself to have the desired response. For instance, the Bose 901 speaker system does not use separate larger and smaller drivers to cover the bass and treble frequencies. Instead it uses nine drivers all of the same four-inch diameter, more akin to what one would find in a table radio. However, this speaker system is sold with an active equalizer. That equalizer must be inserted into the amplifier system so that the amplified signal that is finally sent to the speakers has its response increased at the frequencies where the response of these drivers falls off, and vice versa, producing the response intended by the manufacturer.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: Tone controls (usually designated "bass" and "treble") are simple shelving filters included in most hi-fi equipment for gross adjustment of the frequency balance. The bass control may be used, for instance, to increase the drum and bass parts at a dance party, or to reduce annoying bass sounds when listening to a person speaking. The treble control might be used to give the percussion a sharper or more "brilliant" sound, or can be used to cut such high frequencies when they have been overemphasized in the program material or simply to accommodate a listener's preference.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A "rumble filter" is a high-pass (low cut) filter with a cutoff typically in the 20 to 40 Hz range; this is the low frequency end of human hearing. "Rumble" is a type of low-frequency noise produced in record players and turntables, particularly older or low quality models. The rumble filter prevents this noise from being amplified and sent to the loudspeakers. Some cassette decks have a switchable "subsonic filter" feature that does the same thing for recordings.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: A crossover network is a system of filters designed to direct electrical energy separately to the woofer and tweeter of a 2-way speaker system (and also to the mid-range speaker of a 3-way system). This is most often built into the speaker enclosure and hidden from the user. However, in bi-amplification, these filters operate on the low level audio signals, sending the low-frequency and high-frequency signal components to separate amplifiers, which connect to the woofers and tweeters, respectively.


title: Equalization (audio)

text: Equalization is used in a reciprocal manner in certain communication channels and recording technologies. The original music is passed through a particular filter to alter its frequency balance, followed by the channel or recording process. At the end of the channel or when the recording is played, a complementary filter is inserted which precisely compensates for the original filter and recovers the original waveform. For instance, FM broadcasting uses a pre-emphasis filter to boost the high frequencies before transmission, and every receiver includes a matching de-emphasis filter to restore it. The white noise that is introduced by the radio is then also de-emphasized at the higher frequencies (where it is most noticeable) along with the pre-emphasized program, making the noise less audible. Tape recorders used the same approach to reduce "tape hiss" while maintaining fidelity. On the other hand, in the production of vinyl records, a filter is used to reduce the amplitude of low frequencies which otherwise produce large amplitudes on the tracks of a record. Then the groove can take up less physical space, fitting more music on the record. The preamplifier attached to the phono cartridge has a complementary filter boosting those low frequencies, following the standard RIAA equalization curve.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Toyota Prius v (for versatile), also named Prius α (pronounced as Alpha) in Japan, and Prius+ in Europe and Singapore, is a hybrid gasoline-electric automobile produced by Toyota introduced in Japan in May 2011, in the U.S. in October 2011, and released in Europe in June 2012. The Prius "v" was unveiled at the January 2011 North American International Auto Show alongside the Prius c Concept, and it is the first Prius variant to be spun off from the Prius platform. According to Toyota the "v" stands for "versatility". It is a compact MPV with a standard full hybrid drivetrain.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Prius α was offered in the Japanese market with a nickel–metal hydride battery at a price of (), and the lithium-ion battery version was expected to sell for (). The Prius "v" base price in the U.S. started at and was offered only with a nickel–metal hydride battery. , global sales totaled about 634,000 units, led by Japan with 428,400 units sold, representing 67.6% of global sales.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Prius "v" design resembles compact based minivans prevalent in Europe and has a with a shape that evolved from the Prius. The exterior styling is rounded with an extended roofline that allows the vehicle to retain the triangular silhouette symbolic of Prius. Other differences are the trapezoidal-shaped front with sharp-edged headlamps and wind-slipping aero corners for improved aerodynamics, as well as an enlarged under grille. The rear styling has a specially designed roof spoiler that improves air flow.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The interior cargo space is more than 50% larger than the 2010 Toyota Prius, longer and wider, providing of cargo space behind the rear seats; it also offers of rear leg room, and more head height.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Toyota Prius "v" includes many of the same standard features of the 2010 Prius, with four driving modes: Normal, Power, Eco and EV; smart key with push button start, an electronic shift lever, Hill Start Assist Control (HAC), and a back-up camera. Available options include energy-efficient LED headlamps, dynamic radar cruise control with a Pre-Collision System (PCS), and advanced parking guidance system. The Prius "v" has several technical advancements including Toyota's new Toyota Entune Multimedia System and a panoramic sunroof made of lightweight resin, 40% lighter than a glass roof of the same size. Entune premiered on the 2012 Toyota Prius "v".


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Prius v powertrain uses the same 1.8 liter Atkinson cycle gasoline inline-four engine used in the conventional Prius, a 60 kW traction motor, and shares the Prius's Hybrid Synergy Drive system and the same 201 volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Toyota introduced some refinements unique to the Prius v powertrain. These refinements include a new "Pitch and Bounce" motor control that the Prius v automatically employs on undulating roads and the refined control was designed to improve ride comfort and control. Because the Prius v is a larger vehicle with greater load capacity, suspension components were redesigned to improve handling and ride quality. "Pitch and Bounce" control works with the vehicle's suspension to cancel longitudinal oscillation when the Prius v is driven over uneven surfaces.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Prius v also includes a redesigned engine coolant heating structure surrounding the vehicle's catalytic converter and the exhaust heat recirculation system has been refined to reduce engine warm-up time and improve occupant heater response time in cold weather. A switch valve electronically controls coolant recirculation through the exhaust heat recirculation system.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: In the United States the 2012 model year Prius v includes Toyota's Vehicle Proximity Notification System (VPNS), which is designed to alert pedestrians, the blind, and others of the vehicle's presence due to significant noise reduction typical of a hybrid vehicle traveling at low speeds in EV mode. This type of warning device is mandated in the United States by the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010. The warning sound is generated by externally mounted speakers and it activates automatically only at speeds below about . The pitch varies with the vehicle's speed to give pedestrians a sense of whether the approaching Prius is accelerating or decelerating. Reception for this feature of the car had been mixed, with the website Green Car Reports thinking it sounded like a "Deranged Spaceship".


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated the Prius v fuel economy at for city driving and for highway, and a combined rating of . According to Toyota, the Prius "v" produces 66% less smog-forming emissions than the average new vehicle.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test, the base model has a fuel consumption of in combined cycle and in city driving. Its emissions are estimated at 96g/km. The top-of-the-line model has a fuel consumption of and emissions of 101g/km.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Toyota launched the second member of the Prius family with three regional versions of the vehicle: the Prius "v" in the North American market, the Prius α in Japan, and the Prius+ in Europe. The Alpha is the basis for the five-seat launched in North America, and the seven-seat released in Europe. A total of 186,989 Prius α/v/+ were sold worldwide in 2012, its first full year in the market. Global sales up to April 2016 totaled 634,000 units. Japan is the main market with 428,400 units sold, representing 67.6% of global sales. The United States ranks second with 148,079 units (23.4%), followed by Europe with 38,200 (6.0%), Canada with 12,670 (2.0%), and the rest of the world with 6,600 (1.0%).


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The following table presents retail sales since deliveries of the Prius α began in May 2011 for the top selling national markets by year through April 2016.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: On May 13, 2011, Toyota introduced the Prius α in Japan with a sales target of 3,000 units per month. The Prius Alpha is available in a five-seat, two-row model and a seven-seat, three-row model, the latter's third row enabled by a space-saving lithium-ion drive battery in the center console. The five-seat model uses a NiMH battery pack. Deliveries of the Alpha were delayed due to the effects of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on production. Toyota announced it had received 25,000 orders for the Prius Alpha hybrid wagon and minivan models in Japan before the start of sales. The five-seater version starts at (), and the seven-seater starts at (). Since its introduction, a total of 111,500 Prius α have been sold in Japan through April 2012, representing 80.8% of the Prius α/v model line's global sales. Since May 2011 a total of 289,000 Prius α have been sold through December 2013. On April 8, 2013, Daihatsu started selling its OEM version of the Prius α for the Japanese market under the name. The Mebius was discontinued in February 2021.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The Prius v was launched in Australia in May 2012. Pricing started at plus on-roads costs, which was more than the base Prius. The 7-seat version with lithium-ion battery was the only model and was available two specifications; base and i-Tech. Standard features included a 6.1-inch display-screen audio system, automatic air-conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, energy monitor, head-up display, keyless entry and ignition, daytime-sensing headlamps, fog lamps, cruise control, daytime running lamps, and a reversing camera. However the i-Tech included features such as leather, LED headlamps, Radar Dynamic Cruise Control, Pre-Collision Safety System, Panoramic roof and Satellite navigation. According to ADR81/02 the Prius v returns fuel economy of and emissions of 101g/km.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Sales in 2014 totaled 722 units, ahead of the third-generation Prius hatch (487). , cumulative sales since introduction totaled 3,430 units.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Sales of the Canadian Prius "v" began in October 2011, starting at a base price of (). The Prius v sold 553 units during 2011, 4,077 in 2012, and fell to 2,640 in 2013, and to 1,442 in 2014. Sales climbed to 2,497 units in 2015. Cumulative sales through April 2016 reached 12,670 units.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The European version is named Prius+ and was launched in June 2012. The European is offered with a lithium-ion battery, with three rows of seats with accommodations for seven passengers. Cumulative sales in the region totaled 38,200 units through April 2016.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Deliveries of the Prius+ began in July 2012. The hybrid MPV is offered in two trims: the base T4 that delivers on a combined cycle and carbon dioxide emissions of 96g/km, and the T Spirit with a fuel economy of and carbon dioxide emissions of 101g/km. Due to its emissions being lower than 100g/km, the T4 version is exempted from road tax. Cars appropriately enrolled in an incentive scheme, on or before 27 June 2013, will also enjoy exemption from the London congestion charge until 24 June 2016, provided the registered keeper of the vehicle remains unchanged. The T4 trim pricing starts at () and at () for the T Spirit.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The lithium-ion battery, seven seater version of Prius v was launched in Hong Kong SAR in April 2012. Two variants are available, in Luxury and Super luxury trims. The latter adds a twin moonroof and leather seats.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: It named as the Prius+ and was sold by local distributor Borneo Motors as a mid-sized MPV from 2018. It replaced the Toyota Wish, which was discontinued in Japan and Singapore in 2017. The sales tagline was "More Than You Wished For." Only one variant was available.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Toyota began sales of the Prius "v" in the U.S. in October 2011 with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack similar to the 2010 model year Prius, and with two rows of seats to accommodate five passengers. The European and Japanese versions are offered with a lithium-ion battery, with three rows of seats with accommodations for seven passengers. Toyota's sales target is about 15 to 20% of conventional Prius sales in the United States, which represents around 30,000 units a year. With the Prius v, Toyota is expecting to expand its customer base to include young families with children looking for a hybrid more spacious than the Prius. A total of 8,399 Prius v's were sold during 2011, climbed to 40,669 units in 2012, and fell to 34,989 in 2013, and to 30,762 in 2014. Sales continued to decline in 2015 to 28,290 units, down 8% from 2014. , cumulative sales totaled 148,079 units.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: Sales price in the U.S. starts at plus a delivery fee. The Prius "v" is offered in three configurations: the base Prius v Two, the mid-range Prius v Three (), and the premium-level Prius v Five (). The Prius v Three adds standard display audio with navigation and the Toyota Entune multimedia system. In addition to standard features on the Prius v Two and Three, the Prius v Five adds standard SofTex-trimmed seats, heated front seats, three-door smart key, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps, and fog lamps. All trims come with a Bluetooth wireless connection for compatible hands-free phone calls and a USB port that allows playing of music and video from portable audio devices, and includes full iPod integration.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: U.S. sales of the Prius v were discontinued at the end of the 2017 model year as sales had fallen considerably since the 2016 launch of the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.


title: Toyota Prius V

text: The 2012 Prius "v" was selected among the five finalists for the 2012 Green Car of the Year to be awarded by the "Green Car Journal" in November 2011 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Prius Alpha was also shortlisted for 2012 Car of The Year Japan. Shared with the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the Prius "v" was awarded Green Car Report's Best Car to Buy 2012.


title: Latrice Royale

text: Timothy K. Wilcots (born February 12, 1972), better known by the stage name Latrice Royale, is an American drag performer, recording artist, and reality television personality. She is best known for her appearances on the fourth season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" in 2012 and on the first and fourth seasons of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars". She finished fourth on her original season; in its final episode, she was crowned Miss Congeniality. She placed fifth on the fourth season of "All Stars".


title: Latrice Royale

text: Wilcots was born in California and raised in Compton, a city in Greater Los Angeles. While growing up, he did not have a relationship with his father.


title: Latrice Royale

text: Royale's first foray into drag was dressing up as Wanda, a character from American sketch comedy show "In Living Color", to amuse his friends. While in his twenties, in the mid-1990s, he performed in his first drag show: it was at the Copa Night Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her drag mother is Tiffany Arieagus.


title: Latrice Royale

text: After coming into the public eye, Wilcots was ordained as a minister. The first wedding that he performed was for his friend Daniel in upstate New York in 2013. Royale is a supporter of marriage equality, though he believes that it should not be called "gay marriage", stating, "It's a man and a man, and a woman and a woman getting married, and I think it is special and unique. So why not identify and celebrate it as something special and unique, and not lump it in with the same thing that has been going on for years?"


title: Latrice Royale

text: In May 2011, "RuPaul's Drag Race", a drag competition produced as reality television, opened auditions for the show's fourth season; acting on a dare, Wilcots submitted an audition video. His audition was accepted, and he was cast for the show; production began later that year. The fourth season premiered on January 30, 2012. He ultimately placed fourth in the competition and was eliminated in the 11th episode, which aired on April 9, 2012. Viewers voted him Miss Congeniality, and he was crowned in the season finale. Royale competed as a "plus-size" queen. He competed against twelve other queens, including Sharon Needles, Phi Phi O'Hara, Willam Belli, and Cher impersonator Chad Michaels.


title: Latrice Royale

text: Royale made it into the top four—along with Needles, Michaels, and O'Hara—and won two challenges along the way, including when she acted in a mock sitcom in "Queens Behind Bars". When Royale was cut from the competition, "Entertainment Weekly" called the elimination "shocking". When he was eliminated, Royale said to show host RuPaul, "You have changed my life forever. You have changed the world of drag forever. I love you and respect you so much, and thank you for seeing something special in me. Thank you." Guest judges in attendance were Wynonna Judd and Rose McGowan; Royale's words brought tears to McGowan's eyes.


title: Latrice Royale

text: Sharon Needles won the crown for season 4. In the season finale, it was announced that Royale would appear on "RuPaul's Drag U", which aired later that year. After winning a public fan vote, Royale was crowned as Miss Congeniality of season 4.


title: Latrice Royale

text: After "RuPaul's Drag Race", Royale went on tour across the United States, performing at a number of different venues. When he had the opportunity to appear on "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars", Royale had to cancel tour dates to appear in the show.


title: Latrice Royale

text: For "All Stars", Royale competed against Chad Michaels, Raven, Jujubee, Shannel, Alexis Mateo, Yara Sofia, Manila Luzon, Nina Flowers, Tammie Brown, Pandora Boxx, and Mimi Imfurst. For the competition, the queens were paired together, which was a departure from the rest of the RuPaul competitions where everyone competed alone. Royale and Luzon both chose to be together, and as a team they won the first challenge of the season.


title: Latrice Royale

text: On the third episode of the season, after not performing well with the street-punking challenge, Luzon and Jujubee faced off in the lip syncing challenge to represent each of their teams. Jujubee was paired with Raven. In the end, Royale and Luzon were sent home. During their elimination, RuPaul told them, "Manila and Latrice, my brainy and courageous queens. I think I’m going to miss you the most. Now, sashay away."


title: Latrice Royale

text: In 2012, Royale joined the cast of "RuPaul's Drag U" for its third and final season. Other "professors" included JuJubee, Manila Luzon, Raja, Raven, Shannel, Alexis Mateo, Mariah, Chad Michaels, Willam, Morgan McMichaels, Pandora Boxx, Delta Work, and Sharon Needles.


title: Latrice Royale

text: In November 2018, Royale was announced as a cast member for "All Stars 4", joining fellow "All Stars" season 1 cast member Manila Luzon for their second "All Stars" competition; the pair are the first "Drag Race" alumni to compete on two "All Stars" seasons. They are also the second and third contestants to compete on three separate seasons of the show (excluding specials) following Shangela Laquifa Wadley. Royale was originally eliminated fourth, sent home by Mo Heart, but was brought back into the competition during the LalapaRuza episode. After her elimination she won episode seven and eliminated Valentina from the competition. In the subsequent episode, she was saved from elimination by Naomi Smalls. Royale was eliminated again in episode nine by Trinity the Tuck, ultimately placing fifth overall.


title: Latrice Royale

text: In December 2018, Royale competed in the "Drag Race" television special "RuPaul's Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular".


title: Latrice Royale

text: In January 2014, Royale released her debut single "Weight", which was endorsed by Logo TV. A remix EP was released in March that year. Later that year in September 2014, Royale introduced and then performed with Jennifer Hudson at the CBS Fashion Rocks charity fundraiser event. Hudson stated that working with Royale "Gave me life."


title: Latrice Royale

text: As of 2014, Royale works at the Palace Bar in South Beach, Florida. Of working there, Royale stated, "I love this place NOT because I work there, but because it is the Ultimate Experience.. It’s outside right on the Beach. Beautiful People, Great Food/Drinks and the Drag Shows are amazing!"


title: Latrice Royale

text: In 2016, Royale appeared alongside Peaches Christ and "RuPaul's Drag Race" alum Willam in "Mister Act," an off-Broadway gender-flipped parody of the film "Sister Act".


title: Latrice Royale

text: In March 2016, Royale released her EP, "Here's to Life: Latrice Royale Live in the Studio". In 2018 and 2019, Royale took "Here's to Life" on tour and performed her Shirley Horn-inspired act in cities across Canada and the United States.


title: Latrice Royale

text: In June 2019, a panel of judges from "New York" magazine placed Royale tenth on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestants.


title: Latrice Royale

text: In September 2022, Latrice Royale will headline the Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival comedy lineup.


title: Latrice Royale

text: In 2001, Wilcots was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on felony charges for carrying marijuana and Klonopin without a prescription. In 2006, he missed a mandatory probation meeting, violating the terms of his probation, and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison. After the passage of 2018 Florida Amendment 4, Wilcots regained his right to vote.


title: Latrice Royale

text: Wilcots proposed to Christopher Hamblin in June 2016. The couple were married in Atlanta, Georgia on September 29, 2018. Attendees included "Drag Race" alumni and other drag performers.


title: Bowerbird

text: Bowerbirds () make up the bird family Ptilonorhynchidae. They are renowned for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate.


title: Bowerbird

text: The family has 27 species in eight genera. These are medium to large-sized passerines, ranging from the golden bowerbird at and to the great bowerbird at and . Their diet consists mainly of fruit but may also include insects (especially for nestlings), flowers, nectar and leaves in some species. The satin and spotted bowerbirds are sometimes considered agricultural pests due to their habit of feeding on introduced fruit and vegetable crops and have occasionally been killed by affected orchardists.


title: Bowerbird

text: The bowerbirds have an Austro-Papuan distribution, with ten species endemic to New Guinea, eight endemic to Australia, and two found in both. Although their distribution is centered on the tropical regions of New Guinea and northern Australia, some species extend into central, western, and southeastern Australia. They occupy a range of different habitats, including rainforest, eucalyptus and acacia forest, and shrublands.


title: Bowerbird

text: The "Ailuroedus" catbirds are monogamous, with males raising chicks with their partner, but all other bowerbirds are polygynous, with the female building the nest and raising the young alone. These latter species are commonly dimorphic, with the female being drabber in color. Female bowerbirds build a nest by laying soft materials, such as leaves, ferns, and vine tendrils, on top of a loose foundation of sticks.


title: Bowerbird

text: All Papuan bowerbirds lay one egg, while Australian species lay one to three with laying intervals of two days. Bowerbird eggs are around twice the weight of those of most passerines of similar size – for instance eggs of the satin bowerbird weigh around as against a calculated for a passerine weighing . Eggs hatch after 19 to 24 days, depending on the species and are a plain cream color for catbirds and the tooth-billed bowerbird, but in other species possess brownish wavy lines similar to eggs of Australo-Papuan babblers. In accordance with their lengthy incubation periods, bowerbirds that lay more than one egg have asynchronous hatching, but siblicide has never been observed.


title: Bowerbird

text: Bowerbirds as a group have the longest life expectancy of any passerine family with significant banding studies. The two most studied species, the green catbird and satin bowerbird, have life expectancies of around eight to ten years and one satin bowerbird has been known to live for twenty-six years. For comparison, the common raven, the heaviest passerine species with significant banding records, has not been known to live longer than 21 years.


title: Bowerbird

text: The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is their extraordinarily complex courtship and mating behaviour, where males build a bower to attract mates. There are two main types of bowers. Prionodura, Amblyornis, Scenopoeetes and Archiboldia bowerbirds build so-called maypole bowers, which are constructed by placing sticks around a sapling; in the former two species these bowers have a hut-like roof. Chlamydera, Sericulus and Ptilonorhynchus bowerbirds build an avenue type-bower made of two walls of vertically placed sticks. Ailuroedus catbirds are the only species which do not construct either bowers or display courts. In and around the bower, the male places a variety of brightly colored objects he has collected. These objects – usually different among each species – may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items, coins, nails, rifle shells, or pieces of glass. The males spend hours arranging this collection. Bowers within a species share a general form but do show significant variation, and the collection of objects reflects the biases of males of each species and its ability to procure items from the habitat, often stealing them from neighboring bowers. Several studies of different species have shown that colors of decorations males use on their bowers match the preferences of females.


title: Bowerbird

text: In addition to the bower construction and ornamentation, male birds perform involved courtship displays to attract the female. Research suggests the male adjusts his performance based on success and female response.


title: Bowerbird

text: Mate-searching females commonly visit multiple bowers, often returning to preferred bowers several times, and watching males' elaborate courtship displays and inspecting the quality of the bower. Through this process the female reduces the set of potential mates. Many females end up selecting the same male, and many under-performing males are left without copulations. Females mated with top-mating males tend to return to the male the next year and search less.


title: Bowerbird

text: It has been suggested that there is an inverse relationship between bower complexity and the brightness of plumage. There may be an evolutionary "transfer" of ornamentation in some species, from their plumage to their bowers, in order to reduce the visibility of the male and thereby its vulnerability to predation. This hypothesis is not well supported because species with vastly different bower types have similar plumage. Others have suggested that the bower functioned initially as a device that benefits females by protecting them from forced copulations and thus giving them enhanced opportunity to choose males and benefits males by enhancing female willingness to visit the bower. Evidence supporting this hypothesis comes from observations of Archbold's bowerbirds that have no true bower and have greatly modified their courtship so that the male is limited in his ability to mount the female without her cooperation. In tooth-billed bowerbirds that have no bowers, males may capture females out of the air and forcibly copulate with them. Once this initial function was established, bowers were then co-opted by females for other functions such as use in assessing males based on the quality of bower construction. Recent studies with robot female bowerbirds have shown that males react to female signals of discomfort during courtship by reducing the intensity of their potentially threatening courtship. Young females tend to be more easily threatened by intense male courtship, and these females tend to choose males based on traits not dependent on male courtship intensity.


title: Bowerbird

text: The high degree of effort directed at mate choice by females and the large skews in mating success directed at males with quality displays suggests that females gain important benefits from mate choice. Since males have no role in parental care and give nothing to females except sperm, it is suggested that females gain genetic benefits from their mate choice. However this has not been established, in part because of the difficulty of following offspring performance since males take seven years to reach sexual maturity. One hypothesis for the evolutionary causation of the bowerbuilding display is Hamilton and Zuk's "bright bird" hypothesis, which states that sexual ornaments are indicators of general health and heritable disease resistance. Doucet and Montgomerie determined that the male bowerbird's plumage reflectance indicates internal parasitic infection, whereas the bower quality is a measure of external parasitic infection. This would suggest that the bowerbird mating display evolved due to parasite mediated sexual selection, though there is some controversy surrounding this conclusion.


title: Bowerbird

text: This complex mating behaviour, with its highly valued types and colors of decorations, has led some researchers to regard the bowerbirds as among the most behaviorally complex species of bird. It also provides some of the most compelling evidence that the extended phenotype of a species can play a role in sexual selection and indeed act as a powerful mechanism to shape its evolution, as seems to be the case for humans. Inspired by their seemingly extreme courtship rituals, Charles Darwin discussed both bowerbirds and birds-of-paradise in his writings.


title: Bowerbird

text: In addition, many species of bowerbird are superb vocal mimics. MacGregor's bowerbird, for example, has been observed imitating pigs, waterfalls, and human chatter. Satin bowerbirds commonly mimic other local species as part of their courtship display.


title: Bowerbird

text: Bowerbirds have also been observed creating optical illusions in their bowers to appeal to mates. They arrange objects in the bower's court area from smallest to largest, creating a forced perspective which holds the attention of the female for longer. Males with objects arranged in a way that have a strong optical illusion are likely to have higher mating success.


title: Bowerbird

text: Though bowerbirds have traditionally been regarded as closely related to the birds of paradise, recent molecular studies suggest that while both families are part of the great corvid radiation that took place in or near Australia-New Guinea, the bowerbirds are more distant from the birds of paradise than was once thought. DNA–DNA hybridization studies placed them close to the lyrebirds; however, anatomical evidence appears to contradict this placement, and the true relationship remains unclear.


title: Bowerbird

text: Note that the Ptilonorhynchid catbirds, the grey catbird ("Dumetella carolinensis") and black catbird ("Melanoptila glabrirostris") from the Americas, and the Abyssinian catbird ("Parophasma galinieri") from Africa are only related by their common name; they belong to different families.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The Huế massacre (, or , lit. translation: "Tết Offensive massacre in Huế") was the summary executions and mass murder perpetrated by the Viet Cong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) during their capture, military occupation and later withdrawal from the city of Huế during the Tet Offensive, considered one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The Battle of Huế began on 31 January 1968, and lasted a total of 26 days. During the months and years that followed, dozens of mass graves were discovered in and around Huế. Victims included men, women, children, and infants. The estimated death toll was between 2,800 and 6,000 civilians and prisoners of war, or 5–10% of the total population of Huế. The Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) released a list of 4,062 victims identified as having been either murdered or abducted. Victims were found bound, tortured, and sometimes buried alive. Many victims were also clubbed to death.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: A number of U.S. and South Vietnamese authorities as well as a number of journalists who investigated the events took the discoveries, along with other evidence, as proof that a large-scale atrocity had been carried out in and around Huế during its four-week occupation. The killings were perceived as part of a large-scale purge of a whole social stratum, including anyone friendly to American forces in the region. The massacre at Huế came under increasing press scrutiny later, when press reports alleged that South Vietnamese "revenge squads" had also been at work in the aftermath of the battle, searching out and executing citizens that had supported the communist occupation. In 2017, Ben Kiernan described the massacre as "possibly the largest atrocity of the war."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The Vietcong set up provisional authorities shortly after it had captured Huế in the early hours of 31 January 1968. They were charged with removing the existing government administration from power in the city and replacing it with a "revolutionary administration". Working from lists of "cruel tyrants and reactionary elements" previously developed by Vietcong intelligence officers, many people were to be rounded up following the initial hours of the attack. These included Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers, civil servants, political party members, local religious leaders, schoolteachers, American civilians, and other international people. Cadres called out the names on their lists over loudspeakers, ordering them to report to a local school. Those who did not report voluntarily were hunted down.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The communists' actions were based on a series of orders issued by the High Command and the PRG. In a 3500-page document issued on 26 January 1968, by the Trị-Thiên-Huế Political Directorate, the political cadres were given specific instructions: "Operating in close support of the regular military and guerrilla elements, the political cadre were to: destroy and disorganize the Republic of Viet Nam's (RVN's) administrative machinery 'from province and district levels to the city wards, streets, and wharves;' motivate the people of Huế to take up arms, pursue the enemy, seize power, and establish a revolutionary government; motivate (recruit) local citizens for military and 'security' forces... transportation and supply activities, and to serve wounded soldiers...;" "pursue to the end (and) punish spies, reactionaries, and 'tyrants' and 'maintain order and security in the city.'"


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Another section, dealing with Target Area 1 ("the Phu Ninh ward") read: "Annihilate all spies, reactionaries, and foreign teachers (such as Americans and Germans) in the area. Break open prisons. Investigate cadre, soldiers and receptive civilians imprisoned by the enemy. Search for tyrants and reactionaries who are receiving treatment in hospitals." The orders for Target Area 2 ("the Phu Vinh ward") were similar: "Annihilate the enemy in the area... Rally the Buddhist force to advance the isolation of reactionaries who exploit the Catholics of Phu Cam." The orders for Target Area 3 ("the wharves along the An Cuu River and from Truong Sung to the Kho Ren Bridge") followed the same pattern: "Search for and pursue spies, tyrants and reactionaries hiding near the wharf... Motivate the people in the areas along the River to annihilate the enemy." For Target Area 4 (the district including Phu Cam and the Binh Anh, Truong Giang, Truong Cuu and An Lang sections) the orders were "Search for and pursue spies and reactionaries in the area... Destroy the power and influence of reactionary leaders..." For Area 1, Cell 3 was assigned the job of "Annihilation of tyrants and the elimination of traitors".


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In June 1968, the American 1st Cavalry troops captured PAVN documents that included a directive written two days before the battle began. It included these instructions: "For the purpose of a lengthy occupation of Huế, we should immediately liberate the rural areas and annihilate the wicked GVN administrative personnel.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Specific Mission... We must attack the enemy key agencies, economic installations, and lines of communications. We must also annihilate the enemy mobile troops, reactionary elements and tyrants."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: On 1 February, the provincial administration, having taken control of Huế, issued a directive that ordered the troops, in part, "To wipe out all puppet administrative organs of the puppet Thiệu-Kỳ (President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Vice President Nguyễn Cao Kỳ) clique at all levels in the province, city and town down to every single hamlet."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: On the same day, the Liberation Front radio announced, "We tell our compatriots that we are determined to topple the regime of the traitorous Thiệu-Kỳ clique and to punish and annihilate those who have been massacring and oppressing our compatriots... we ask our compatriots to... help us arrest all the U.S.-puppet cruel henchmen."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Foreign Service Officer Douglas Pike wrote that according to Vietcong documents captured during and after the siege, members of the provincial administration were to be taken out of the city, held, and punished for their "crimes against the Vietnamese people". The disposition of those who were previously in control of the city was carefully laid out, and the lists were detailed and extensive. Those in the Saigon-based-state police apparatus at all levels were to be rounded up and held outside the city. High civilian and military officials were also removed from the city to await the study of their individual cases.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Ordinary civil servants who worked for "the Saigon enemy" out of necessity but did not oppose the communists were destined for reeducation and later employment. Low-level civil servants who had at some point been involved in paramilitary activities were to be held for reeducation but not employed. There are documented cases of individuals who were executed by the Vietcong when they tried to hide or otherwise resisted during the early stages of Huế's occupation.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Within days of the capture, US Marine Corps (USMC), US Army, and ARVN units were dispatched to counterattack and recapture the city after weeks of fierce fighting during which the city and its outlying areas were exposed to repeated shelling and bombing. It was reported that during the attack by USMC and ARVN, North Vietnam's forces had rounded up the individuals whose names it had previously collected and had them executed or sent North for "reeducation."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Many people had taken sanctuary from the battle in a local church. Several hundred of them were ordered out to undergo indoctrination in the "liberated area" and told that they would be allowed to return home. After marching the group south 9 km, 20 of the people were separated, tried in a kangaroo court, found guilty, executed and buried. The others were taken across the river and turned over to a local communist unit in an exchange that even included written receipts. Douglas Pike noted "It is probable that the Commissar intended that their prisoners should be reeducated and returned, but with the turnover, matters passed from his control." Sometime in the following several weeks, the communists decided to kill the individuals under their control.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Nguyễn Công Minh, the daughter of the Deputy Mayor of Huế, reported that her father, who was of old age, was arrested at his home in the beginning of the communist occupation three days after he ordered his children (including herself) and his wife to flee via the back of their house when communist troops first came knocking at their home. Upon telling the troops that he was Deputy Mayor of Huế and was set to retire in one year (1969), he was ordered to report to a camp for reeducation and to pack clothing and food sufficient for 10 days. He was never seen again, and his remains were never recovered. She recalled that in the search of her father's remains, she witnessed that many of the bodies she came across in the mass graves were found to be in a fetal position, with their hands tied behind their backs, and the back of the heads/skulls were smashed, indicating that they knelt on the ground prior to their deaths and they died due to blunt-force trauma to their heads.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In 1971, the journalist Don Oberdorfer's book, "Tet!," documented some eyewitness accounts of what happened in Huế during the occupation. Pham Van Tuong, a part-time janitor for the Huế government information office who made it on the Vietcong list of "reactionaries" for working there, was hiding with his family as it hunted for him. When he was found with his 3-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son and two nephews, the Vietcong immediately gunned them all down, leaving their bodies on the street for the rest of the family to see.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Don Oberdorfer spent five days in late 1969 with Paul Vogle, an American professor of English at Huế University, to go through Huế to interview witnesses of the occupation. Oberdorfer classified all the killings into two categories: the planned execution of government officials and their families, political and civil servants, and collaborators with Americans, and those civilians not connected to the government who ran from questioning, who spoke harshly about the occupation, or who the occupiers believed "displayed a bad attitude" towards the occupiers.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Oberdorfer reported that on the fifth day of the Viet Cong occupation in the Catholic district of Huế, Phủ Cam, all able-bodied males over 15, approximately 400 boys and men, who took refuge in Phủ Cam Cathedral were taken away and killed. Some had been on the Vietcong's blacklist, some were of military age and some just looked prosperous. Oberdorfer interviewed Ho Ty, a Vietcong commander who took part in the advanced planning of a general uprising. He reported that Ty recounted that the Communist party "was particularly anxious to get those people at Phủ Cam... The Catholics were considered particular enemies of ours." It was apparently that group whose remains were later found in the Da Mai Creek bed. The murders of 500 people at Da Mai were authorized by PRG command "on grounds that the victims had been traitors to the revolution."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: An American veteran who was in the Huế area wrote an account of his unit's march to the discovery of the bodies at Dai Mai Creek. He corroborated the information that the discovery was predicated on information revealed by three communist defectors who had witnessed the massacre. His unit provided security for the authorities who investigated and recovered the remains, and they were honored by the citizens of Huế for their efforts.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Three professors, Professor Horst-Günther Krainick, Dr. Alois Alteköster, and , who taught at the Huế University's Faculty of Medicine and were members of the West German Cultural Mission, along with Mrs. Elisabeth Krainick, were arrested and executed by North Vietnamese troops during their invasion of Huế in February 1968. On 5 April 1968, the bodies of the executed professors along with many Vietnamese civilians also executed, were discovered in mass graves near Huế.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Philip W. Manhard, a U.S. senior advisor in Huế province, was taken to a prisoner-of-war camp by the PAVN and held until 1973. Manhard recounted that during the PAVN's withdrawal from Huế, they summarily executed anyone in their custody who resisted being taken out of the city or who was too old, young, or frail to make the journey to the camp.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Two French priests, Fathers Urbain and Guy, were seen being led away and suffered a similar fate. Urbain's body was found buried alive, bound hand and foot. Guy, who was 48, was stripped of his cassock and forced to kneel down on the ground, where he was shot in the back of the head. He was in the same grave with Father Urbain and 18 others.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Captured in the home of Vietnamese friends, Stephen Miller of the U.S. Information Service was bound and shot in a field behind a Catholic seminary. Courtney Niles, an American civilian working for NBC International, was killed during an attack by communist forces while in the presence of U.S. soldiers.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Alje Vennema, a Dutch-Canadian doctor who lived in Huế and witnessed the battle and the massacre, wrote "The Viet Cong Massacre at Huế" in 1976. He recounts numerous stories of murders. A 48-year-old street vendor, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lao, was "arrested on the main street. Her body was found at the school. Her arms had been bound and a rag stuffed into her mouth; there were no wounds to the body. She was probably buried alive." A 44-year-old bricklayer, Mr. Nguyen Ty, was "seized on February 2, 1968... His body was found on March 1st; his hands were tied, and he had a bullet wound through his neck which had come out through the mouth." At Ap Dong Gi Tay "110 bodies were uncovered; again most had their hands tied and rags stuffed in their mouth. All of them were men, among them fifteen students, several military men, and civil servants, young and old." "Sometimes a whole family was eliminated, as was the case with the merchant, Mr. Nam Long, who together with his wife and five children was shot at home." "Mr. Phan Van Tuong, a laborer at the province headquarters, suffered a similar fate by being shot outside his house with four of his children."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Vennema listed 27 graves with a total of 2,397 bodies, most of which had been executed. He cited numerous eyewitness accounts of executions and described the condition of bodies found in the graves. Many had their hands tied behind their backs. Some were shot in the head. Some had rags stuffed in their mouths and had no evidence of wounds, apparently having been buried alive. Some had evidence of having been beaten. A few were identified as PAVN or VC troops killed during the battle.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Some graves were found purely by accident. A farmer working in his field tripped on a wire sticking out of the ground. He pulled on it to remove it and a skeletal hand popped out of the ground. Other graves were found when people noticed suspiciously green grass in sandy areas. The Da Mai Creek massacre was discovered after three Vietcong defected and told authorities about the murders. An ARVN soldier on patrol south of Huế noticed a wire sticking out of the ground. Thinking it was a booby trap, he very carefully worked to uncover it. He discovered the body of an old man, his hands tied together with the wire. Two days later, 130 bodies had been uncovered.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: ...a squad with a death order entered the home of a prominent community leader and shot him, his wife, his married son and daughter-in-law, his young unmarried daughter, a male and female servant and their baby. The family cat was strangled; the family dog was clubbed to death; the goldfish scooped out of the fishbowl and tossed on the floor. When the Communists left, no life remained in the house.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: An eyewitness, Nguyen Tan Chau, recounted how he was captured by communist troops and marched south with 29 other prisoners bound together, in three groups of ten. Chau managed to escape and hide in the darkness just before the others were executed. From there, he witnessed what happened next.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The larger prisoners were separated into pairs, tied together back to back, and shot. The others were shot singly. All were dumped into two shallow graves, including those who had been wounded but were not dead.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Captured Vietcong documents boasted that they "eliminated" thousands of enemy and "annihilated members of various reactionary political parties, henchmen, and wicked tyrants" in Huế. One regiment alone reported that it killed 1,000 people. Another report mentioned 2,867 killed. Yet another document boasted of over 3,000 killed. A further document listed 2,748 executions. A captured Vietcong enemy document, which numerous writers cited, including Guenter Lewy in his 1980 book "America in Vietnam", and Peter Macdonald's 1993 book "Giap", recorded that the communists had "eliminated 1,892 administrative personnel, 38 policemen, 790 tyrants", 2720 politically persecuted persons in all, during the communist occupation of the city.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The translation of an official Vietnamese campaign study of the Tet Offensive in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province released by the communists recognized that Vietcong cadres "hunted down and captured tyrants and Republic of Vietnam military and government personnel" and that "many nests of reactionaries [...] were killed." Hundreds of others "who owed blood debts were executed." Another official history from the communist side, "The Trị-Thiên-Huế Battlefield During the Victorious Resistance War Against the Americans to Save the Nation," recognized the widespread killings but claimed they were done by civilians who armed themselves and "rose up in a flood-tide, killing enemy thugs, eliminating traitors, and hunting down the enemy... The people captured and punished many reactionaries, enemy thugs, and enemy secret agents." However, the word "eliminate" may be a mistranslation of the word "diệt," or "loại khỏi vòng chiến đấu," and instead actually mean "destroy" or "neutralize," as in neutralizing their administrative function and eliminating of their political influence by detention, as opposed to physical liquidation.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: When Trương Như Tảng was appointed as Vietcong justice minister soon after Huế, he understood it to be a critical position because the massacre had "left us with a special need to address fears among the Southern people that a revolutionary victory would bring with it a bloodbath or reign of terror." That was because "large numbers of people had been executed" including "captured American soldiers and several other international people who were not combatants." According to Trạng, "discipline in Huế was seriously inadequate" and "fanatic young soldiers had indiscriminately shot people, and angry local citizens who supported the revolution had on various occasions taken justice into their own hands..." The massacre was "one of those terrible spontaneous tragedies that inevitably accompany war."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: On 4 February, Radio Hanoi announced, "After one hour's fighting the Revolutionary Armed Forces occupied the residence of the puppet provincial Governor (in Huế), the prison and the offices of the puppet administration... The Revolutionary Armed Forces punished most cruel agents of the enemy and seized control of the streets... rounded up and punished dozens of cruel agents and caused the enemy organs of control and oppression to crumble." On 14 February, the Thừa Thiên-Huế People's Revolutionary Committee issued a statement that read in part,


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Concerned over the country's survival and their own fate, on 31 January 1968, the Thừa Thiên-Huế people rose up holding weapons in their hands, smashed the puppet ruling apparatus from the provincial to the village and hamlet levels, and completely liberated the rural areas and the city of Huế. The enemy has suffered disastrous defeats. A number of ringleaders of the puppet administration have surrendered to the people or have been arrested and have been detained by the revolutionary forces. Except for some localities and scattered guard posts which have not yet been liquidated, the Thừa Thiên-Huế puppet administration has basically disintegrated.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: An entry in a captured communist document dated 22 February stated, "Troop proselyting by the VC/PAVN forces was not successful because the troops had to devote themselves to combat missions. Moreover, they were afraid of being discovered by the enemy. It was very difficult for them to handle POWs so they executed the policy of 'catch and kill.'" A 25 February captured communist document detailed some of the successes of the Special Action Company of the PAVN 6th Regiment. "We captured and exterminated thousands of people of the revolutionary network. From province to village we broke the enemy's administrative grip for the people to rise."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: A report written immediately after the battle by a political officer of the People's Revolutionary Party listed 2,826 "administrative personnel, nationalist political party members, 'tyrants' and policemen that were killed by their troops."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Another document, undated, written by a senior political officer and marked "ABSOLUTE SECRET", was entitled "Information On the Victory of Our Armed Forces in Huế from 31 January to 23 March 1968;" it was captured by the US 1st Cavalry Division on 25 April 1968 and reported on the results of the political operation.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: We also killed one member of the Dai Viet Party Committee, one Senator of South Viet-Nam, 50 Quoc Dan Dang party members, six Dai Viet Party members, thirteen Can Lao Nhan Vi Party members, three captains, four 1st lieutenants, and liberated 35 hamlets with 32,000 people... We eliminated 1,892 administrative personnel, 38 policemen, 790 tyrants, six captains, two first lieutenants, 20 second lieutenants, and many NCOs.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The people joined our soldiers in their search for tyrants, reactionaries and spies. For instance, Mrs. Xuan followed our soldiers to show the houses of the tyrants she knew, although she had only six days before given birth to a child.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Actively combining their efforts with those of the People's Liberation Armed Forces and population, other self-defense and armed units of the city of Huế arrested and called to surrender the surviving functionaries of the puppet administration and officers and men of the puppet army who were skulking. Die-hard cruel agents were punished.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: A 6 March document written by a Vietcong sapper unit commander recounted that his unit "participated in the killing of tyrants and the digging of trenches" A 13 March 1968 entry in captured documents reviewed the successes of the attack on Huế. "Enormous victory: We annihilated more than 3,000 tyrannical puppet army and government administrative personnel, including the Deputy Province Chief of Thừa Thiên." A report written by the commander of the 6th Regiment on 30 March stated that they had captured thousands of "local administrative personnel, puppet troops, and cruel tyrants" and successfully "annihilated members of various reactionary political parties, henchmen, and wicked tyrants." It also stated that they had "killed 1,000 local administrative personnel, spies and cruel tyrants."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: On 26 April 1968, Hanoi, reacting to the discovery of graves in Huế, announced that the people murdered by their troops were "hooligan lackeys who had incurred blood debts of the Huế compatriots and who were annihilated by the Front's Armed Forces in the early spring of 1968." On 27 April 1969, Radio Hanoi criticized authorities in Huế and South Vietnam:


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In order to cover up their cruel acts, the puppet administration in Huế recently played the farce of setting up a so-called committee for the search for burial sites of the hooligan lackeys who had owed blood debts to the Tri-Thien-Huế compatriots and who were annihilated by the Southern Armed Forces and people in early Mau Than spring.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The entire puppet administrative system from hamlet to province was destroyed or disintegrated. More than 3,000 persons were killed. The enemy could never reorganize or make up for his failure. Although he could immediately use inexperienced elements as replacements, they were good for nothing.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In December 1968, the Huế City People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee released a summary of the party's accomplishments during Tet. The summary included the following statement: "Thousands of tyrants were killed. Many reactionary factions and organizations were exterminated."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Ho Ty was arrested by the government police on Sept. 4 this year. At the time of his arrest, he was party secretary for a section of Huế city...Ho Ty reported that the part of the plan from higher headquarters was to destroy the government machinery of Huế and the people who made it work... He said the killings were planned and executed by a separate group in charge of security.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In 1987, at a Hanoi conference to discuss the history of the Tet offensive, Colonel General Tran Van Quang, one of the commanders of the Huế operation, assessed the strengths and weaknesses of his forces and cited as one of their strengths:


title: Massacre at Huế

text: We resolutely carried out the orders and fulfilled the requirements set out for us by the High Command. We motivated our cadre, soldiers, and the civilian population through the use of the slogans, 'Tri-Thien fights for Tri-Thien and for the entire nation,' and 'Heroically and resolutely conduct attacks and uprisings.'


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In February 1988, Vietnamese communist leaders admitted "mistakes" were made in Huế. Col Nguyen Quoc Khanh, commander of part of the forces that took over Huế stated, "There was no case of killing civilians purposefully... Those civilians who were killed were killed accidentally, in cross fire." However, he admitted "some rank and file soldiers may have committed individual mistakes." However, in an internal document discussing the 1968 Tet offensive in Hue, General (Tổng) Hồ Trung wrote, referring to the Giá Hơi section: "These forces hunted down and killed enemy thugs, reactionaries, and puppet policemen" and that they "cleaned out... nests of Catholic reactionaries."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: A first summary was published for the U.S. Mission in Vietnam by Douglas Pike, then working as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Information Agency in 1970. Pike identified three distinct phases for the executions in Huế. In a report published in 1970, "The Viet Cong Strategy of Terror", Pike wrote that at least half of the bodies unearthed in Huế revealed clear evidence of "atrocity killings: to include hands wired behind backs, rags stuffed in mouths, bodies contorted but without wounds (indicating burial alive)." Pike concluded that the killings were done by local Vietcong cadres and were the result of "a decision rational and justifiable in the Communist mind." The three phases are as follows:


title: Massacre at Huế

text: After the Battle of Huế, between 1968 and 1969 a total of almost 2,800 bodies were recovered from mass graves, with 4 major mass grave finds.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In Bùi Tín's 2002 memoir, "From Enemy to Friend: a North Vietnamese perspective on the war", the former PAVN Colonel acknowledged that executions of civilians had occurred in Huế. However, he added that under the intensity of the American bombardment, discipline of the troops disintegrated. The "units from the north" had been "told that Huế was the stronghold of feudalism, a bed of reactionaries, the breeding ground of Cần Lao Party loyalists who remained true to the memory of former South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm and of Nguyễn Văn Thiệu's Democracy Party." Tin explained that over 10,000 prisoners were taken at Huế, with the most important of them sent to North Vietnam for imprisonment. When U.S. Marines launched their counterattack to retake the city, communist troops were instructed to move the prisoners with the retreating troops. According to Tín, in the "panic of retreat," the company and battalion commanders shot their prisoners "to ensure the safety of the retreat."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Marilyn B. Young disputes the "official figures" of executions at Huế. While acknowledging that there were executions, she cites freelance journalist Len Ackland, who was at Huế and estimated the number to be somewhere between 300 and 400.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Ngo Vinh Long claims that 710 people were killed by the communists. In an interview he stated, "Yeah, there was a total of 710 persons killed in the Huế area, from my research, not as many as five thousand, six thousand, or whatever the Americans claimed at that time, and not as few as four hundred as people like some of the people in the peace movement here claim..."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci reported, "In the last few days the Vietcong lost their heads and did nothing but make reprisals, kill, punish". However, citing a French priest to whom she spoke in Huế, she also claimed that the death toll of up to 8,000 included deaths by American bombardment, and at least 200 people, and perhaps as many as 1,100, who were killed following the liberation of Huế by the US and ARVN forces. Stanley Karnow wrote that the bodies of those executed by South Vietnamese teams were thrown into common graves. Some reports alleged that South Vietnamese "revenge squads" had also been at work in the aftermath of the battle to search out and execute citizens supporting the communist occupation.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The historian David Hunt posited that Douglas Pike's study for the U.S. Mission was "by any definition, a work of propaganda." In 1988, Pike said that he had earlier been engaged in a conscious "effort to discredit the Vietcong."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: In a letter to the editor of the "New York Times", the historian Gareth Porter stated that there was little evidence that the communists carried out more than "several hundred" political executions and revenge killings in Huế, while the U.S. official estimate maintains that over 2,800 bodies were "victims of Communist executions." He alleged that the site of one set of mass graves was also the site of a major battle in which some 250 communist troops were reported killed in U.S air strikes and that Saigon's minister of health, after visiting burial sites, said the bodies could have been communist soldiers killed in battle. He dismissed Pike's claim that there were communist blacklists of students and intellectuals to be killed as unsupported by interviews and captured communist documents.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: The historian James Willbanks concluded, "We may never know what really happened at Huế, but it is clear that mass executions did occur." According to Stanley Karnow, "Balanced accounts have made it clear, however, that the Communist butchery at Huế did take place—perhaps on an even larger scale than reported during the war." Ben Kiernan's 2017 history of Vietnam acknowledges that "thousands" were killed at Huế in "possibly the largest atrocity of the war."


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Reports of the massacre had a profound impact on the South Vietnamese for many years after the Tet Offensive, with an anticipation of a bloodbath following any North Vietnamese takeover, like the one in Huế. Novelist James Jones, in a "New York Times" article wrote, "Whatever else they accomplished, the Huế massacres effectively turned the bulk of the South Vietnamese against the Northern Communists. In South Vietnam, wherever one went, from Can Tho in the delta to Tay Ninh to Kontum in the north, and of course in Huế, the 1968 Tet massacres were still being talked about in 1973." For their part, left-leaning scholars have since commented that the massacre was a rare propaganda coup during the unpopular war in Vietnam, especially as it allowed Richard Nixon's government to counteract the public outrage derived from the American-perpetrated Mỹ Lai massacre that would take place a few weeks later during that same year.


title: Massacre at Huế

text: Anticipation of a bloodbath was a major factor in the widespread panic and chaos across South Vietnam when North Vietnam executed their 1975 Spring Offensive, and the panic culminated in the disintegration and defeat of South Vietnamese military forces, and the fall of the Republic of Vietnam on 30 April 1975. Today, the massacre remains unrecognized and entirely ignored in the Vietnamese communist government's War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese government still does not acknowledge that a massacre took place and does not allow any public dissent from this position.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a children's historical novel written by Canadian-American author Eleanor Coerr and published in 1977. It is based on the story of Sadako Sasaki.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: The book has been translated into many languages and published in many places, to be used for peace education programs in primary schools.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: However, the claim in the book that Sadako "died before completing the 1000 cranes, and her two friends completed the task, placing the finished cranes in her casket" is not backed up by her surviving family members. According to her family, and especially her older brother Masahiro Sasaki, who speaks on his sister's life at events, Sadako not only exceeded 644 cranes, she exceeded her goal of 1,000 and died having folded approximately 1,400 paper cranes. In his book, "The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki," co-written with Sue DiCicco, founder of the Peace Crane Project, Masahiro says Sadako exceeded her goal.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: Mr. Sasaki and the family have donated some of Sadako's cranes at places of importance around the world: in NYC at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum on November 19, 2015, at Museum of Tolerance on May 26, 2016, and the Japanese American National Museum three days later. USS Arizona Memorial Crane Donation and President Truman Museum Donation helped by Clifton Truman Daniel, who is the grandson of President Truman.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: After her death, Sadako's friends and schoolmates published a collection of letters in order to build a memorial to her and all of the children who had died from the effects of the atomic bomb. In 1999, a statue of Sadako holding a ruby crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also called the Genbaku Dome, and installed in the Hiroshima Peace Park.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads: "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth." Every year on Obon Day, which is a holiday in Japan to remember the departed spirits of one's ancestors, thousands of people leave paper cranes near the statue. A paper crane database has been established online for contributors to leave a message of peace and to keep a record of those who have donated cranes.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: In addition to Eleanor Coerr's story first published in 1977, Sadako's story has become familiar to many school children around the world through the novels "The Day of the Bomb" (1961, in German, "Sadako will leben") by the Austrian writer Karl Bruckner. Sadako is also briefly mentioned in "Children of the Ashes", Robert Jungk's historical account of the lives of Hiroshima victims and survivors and about Japan World War II.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: Masahiro Sasaki, Sadako's older brother, co-wrote "The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki" with The Peace Crane Project founder Sue DiCicco in 2018, bringing what he feels is Sadako's complete story to the English speaking world for the first time. The book contains many family photos and new illustrations never before seen by the public. Masahiro also wrote 'Sadako's One Thousand Paper Cranes', published in Japanese in 2013.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes", a movie by Director George Levenson and based on the book by Eleanor Coerr (book), and written by George Levenson, starring Liv Ullmann as narrator was released in 1991.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: Evolving Pictures Entertainment is producing a motion picture tentatively entitled "Sadako and the Magic of Paper Cranes", focuses on a true story written by three-time Academy Award winning producer, director, documentarian Malcolm Clarke about chronicling a group of fifth grade students from Albuquerque, New Mexico when inspired by their teacher, make their dream of building a monument come true, to honor the legend and spirit of the young girl Sadako Sasaki. In 2019, a motion picture titled "One Thousand Paper Cranes" was announced to begin production with Evan Rachel Wood playing Eleanor Coerr, telling the story of Coerr and Sadako and "how their lives are intricately connected."


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: There is also a statue of Sadako in the Seattle Peace Park. In addition, Sadako's story was dramatized at the opening ceremony of the Goodwill Games 1990 in Seattle when, to Ellie Rabb's narration of Sadako's story, some 400 local schoolchildren handed out some 20,000 origami paper cranes to the opening day crowd, thereby honoring the memory of Sadako and spreading her unfulfilled dream for world peace. The Seattle souvenir cranes were supposedly crafted from an original 1,000 pieces sent over by children from Japan.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: Sadako has become a leading symbol of peace that is taught in Japanese schools on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. In dedication to her, people all over the world celebrate August 6, as the annual Peace Day.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: In November 2015, Miyuki Sohara made "Orizuru 2015", an educational short film for children. This film is a friendship story and made with Los Angeles School kids, Hollywood actors and crews. Sadako's nephew appears in film and sings a song about Sadako's life, "Inori".


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: This film was selected by Hiroshima International Film Festival in 2015 and afterward was released in Los Angeles on May 27, 2016, at its US premiere screening. This date coincided with President Obama's visit to Hiroshima with a gift for four paper cranes. At the same time, Miyuki Sohara coordinated Sadako's two crane donations to the Museum of Tolerance and the Japanese American National Museum. She also coordinated a lecture promoting peace with Sasaki and Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Truman, to several schools in Southern California.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: Laurie Rubin and Jenny Taira, Co-founders and Artistic Directors of Ohana Arts, a children's theater and arts organization based in Honolulu, Hawai'i, have written a musical for youth performers called "Peace on Your Wings", based on the life of Sadako Sasaki and her message of hope and peace for the world. The musical has been performed across the United States and has the support and approval of members of Sadako's surviving family. The Bell Shakespeare theatre company in Sydney, Australia mounted a production of "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" during its 1997 season.


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: The album "Wanderer" by the death metal/metalcore band Heaven Shall Burn features a song called "Passage of the Crane" dedicated to her story, as does "Sadako's Wings of Hope" on Niobeth's album "Silvery Moonbeams".


title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

text: The 2020 album "Sadako e le mille gru di carta" by Italian progressive rock band LogoS is a tribute to Sadako's legacy and was released on the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The Decima Flottiglia MAS ("Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti", also known as La Decima or Xª MAS) (Italian for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with commando frogman unit, of the "Regia Marina" (Italian Royal Navy) created during the Fascist regime.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The acronym "MAS" also refers to various light torpedo boats used by the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Decima MAS was active during the Battle of the Mediterranean and took part in a number of daring raids on Allied shipping. These operations involved surface speedboats (such as the raid on Souda Bay), manned torpedoes (the raid on Alexandria) and "Gamma" frogmen (against ). During the campaign Decima MAS took part in more than a dozen operations which sank or damaged five warships (totalling 72,000 tons) and 20 merchant ships (totalling 130,000 GRT).


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In 1943, after the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was ousted, Italy left the Tripartite Pact. Some of the Xª MAS men who were stationed in German-occupied northern and central Italy enlisted to fight for Mussolini's newly formed Italian Social Republic ("Repubblica Sociale Italiana" or RSI) and retained the unit title, but were primarily employed as an anti-partisan force operating on land. Other Xª MAS men in southern Italy or other Allied-occupied areas joined the Italian Co-Belligerent Navy as part of the "Mariassalto" (Naval Assault) unit.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In World War I, on November 1, 1918, Raffaele Paolucci and Raffaele Rossetti of the Regia Marina rode a manned torpedo (nicknamed "Mignatta" or "leech") into the harbour of Pula, where they sank the battleship "Jugoslavija", of the navy of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, formerly the Austro-Hungarian battleship , and the freighter "Wien" using limpet mines. They had no underwater breathing sets, and thus had to keep their heads above water to breathe. They were discovered and taken prisoner as they attempted to leave the harbour.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In the 1920s, sport spearfishing without breathing apparatus became popular on the Mediterranean coast of France and Italy. This spurred the development of modern swimfins, diving masks and snorkels.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In the 1930s Italian sport spearfishermen began using industrial or submarine-escape oxygen rebreathers, starting scuba diving in Italy.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: This new type of diving came to the attention of the Regia Marina which founded the first special forces underwater frogman unit, later copied by the Royal Navy and United States Navy. "Capitano di Fregata" (Commander) Paolo Aloisi was the first commander of the 1ª Flottiglia Mezzi d'Assalto ("First Assault Vehicle Flotilla"), formed in 1939 as a result of the research and development efforts of Majors Teseo Tesei and Elios Toschi of the naval combat engineers. The two resurrected Paolucci's and Rossetti's concept of manned torpedoes.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In 1941, Commander Vittorio Moccagatta re-organised the First Flotilla into the Decima Flottiglia MAS, and divided the unit into two parts – a surface group operating fast explosive motor boats, and a sub-surface weapons group using manned torpedoes called "SLC" ("siluri a lenta corsa" or "slow-running torpedoes", but nicknamed "Maiale" or "Pig" by their crews), as well as "Gamma" assault swimmers ("nuotatori") using limpet mines. Moccagatta also created the frogman training school at the San Leopoldo base of the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The Decima MAS saw action starting on June 10, 1940, when Fascist Italy entered World War II. In more than three years of war, the unit destroyed some 72,190 tons of Allied warships and 130,572 tons of Allied merchant ships. Personnel from the unit sank the World War I-era Royal Navy battleships and (both of which, after months of work, were refloated and returned to action), wrecked the heavy cruiser and the destroyer , damaged the destroyer and sank or damaged 20 merchant ships, including supply ships and tankers. During the course of the war, the Decima MAS was awarded the Golden Medal of Military Valour and individual members were awarded a total of 29 Golden Medals of Military Valour, 104 Silver Medals of Military Valour and 33 Bronze Medals of Military Valour.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The Badoglio government in the south of Italy under Allied occupation declared war on Germany and became a co-belligerent.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Some Decima MAS sailors joined the Allied cause to fight against Nazi Germany and what remained of the Axis as part of the Italian Co-Belligerent Navy.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: A new unit was formed, led by Forza and joined by some of the pioneers such as de la Penne newly released from British POW camps.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The new unit was named "Mariassalto", but continued to be an elite naval force mounting special operations at sea.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Italian Social Republic ("Repubblica Sociale Italiana", or RSI) to continue the war as part of the Axis. Led by Borghese, "Decima Flottiglia" was revived, as part of the National Republican Navy ("Marina Nazionale Repubblicana") of the RSI with its headquarters in "Caserma del Muggiano", La Spezia. By the end of the war, it had over 18,000 members, and although Borghese conceived it as a purely naval unit, it gained a reputation as a savage pro-fascist, anti-communist, anti-resistance force in land campaigns alongside the German forces, under the command of SS General Karl Wolff.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The "Mariassalto" was set up at Taranto alongside the British frogman force in the Mediterranean. Forza was pleased to demonstrate Italian expertise in this area to the British, and the group was also keen to be in action, though if they were caught they would almost certainly have been shot.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In June 1944 came an opportunity to take action, in Operation QWZ, a joint mission against targets in La Spezia harbour.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The attack was against the Italian cruisers "Bolzano" and "Gorizia", which had been taken by the Germans after the Italian surrender. This was to thwart a German plan to sink them where they would block the harbour entrance. The mission also aimed to attack German U-boats in the harbour. British chariots would attack the cruisers whilst "Mariassalto's" Gamma Frogmen would attack U-boats penned in the harbour.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: On 2 June 1944 the Italian destroyer sailed from Bastia in Corsica to La Spezia carrying three speedboats, and Italian frogmen including Luigi Durand De La Penne, and two British chariots.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: One chariot broke down and was abandoned, though the other successfully sank "Bolzano". However the "Gamma" men were unsuccessful in their attack on the U-boat pens. All the participants escaped to link with partisan groups on land.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In April 1945 a final mission, Operation Toast, was planned. This was aimed at sinking the newly converted shipping liner now the aircraft carrier "Aquila", just completed in Genoa.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: For this "Mariassalto" men would make use of two British chariots, as they had none of their own SLCs available.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: On 18 April 1945 the destroyer , carrying two high speed motorboats equipped with chariots sailed from Venice for Genoa led by Captain Chavasse SOE and Forza. Both chariots were deployed and succeeded in penetrating the defences but found the hull of "Aquila" so encrusted with barnacles and seaweed the limpet mines could not be attached to it. The frogmen had to lay the charges on the seafloor of the outer harbour mole and when the charge exploded as planned the ship remained afloat in spite of the attack. All of the frogmen escaped safely. The German commander never put his extensive demolition plans for Genoa into action and thus Aquila was never sunk as a blockade to the harbour.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Some Xª MAS men who were in German-occupied Italy remained part of the Axis forces, joining the Italian Social Republic under the command of Captain Borghese. His reputation and that of the Xª MAS enabled him to negotiate an agreement with the German forces that gave the Xª MAS significant autonomy, allowed them to fight under an Italian flag (under the command of the Germans), and not to be employed against other Italians. Borghese was recognized as the leader of the corps.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The main themes in the Xª MAS's ideology became "honour" in defending Italy from the "betrayal" of the armistice with the Allies and a call to defend the territorial integrity of Italy against the Allies.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The corps had its own weekly magazine, "L'orizzonte" ("The Horizon"), in which authors such as Giovanni Preziosi wrote vehemently anti-Semitic articles about Jewish conspiracies. The magazine had problems in its distribution, as it was thought that Borghese's popularity among the Fascist hardliners might reduce Mussolini's influence.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Relationships with the Italian Social Republic were not easy. On January 14, 1944 Benito Mussolini arrested Borghese while receiving him in Gargnano, in order to gain direct control of the Xª MAS. Word of the arrest reached the officers of the "Decima", who considered marching on Mussolini's capital at Salò. However, the German command used their influence to have Borghese released, as they needed the equipment, expertise and manpower of the Xª MAS as an anti-partisan force.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The Xª MAS (RSI) took little part in the war at sea. Its equipment had been abandoned in the south, and its naval activities were frustrated by Allied action.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In November 1944 four frogmen (Malacarne, Sorgetti, Bertoncin, Pavone), who had stayed under German command, were delivered by fast motorboat and swam into Livorno harbor to set up a secret sabotage base, but were captured.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: The Decima was mostly employed in anti-partisan actions on land, rather than against the Allies at sea. However, their actions were mostly reprisals following the massacre of soldiers of "Decima" by partisans forces – see Bardelli's homicide. Their anti-partisan actions usually took place in small villages, where the partisans were stronger. Some examples:


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: However, the Xª MAS units also earned a good combat reputation fighting on the frontline against the Allies at Anzio and on the Gothic Line. In the last months of the war Xª MAS units were dispatched to the eastern Italian border against Josip Broz Tito's partisans who marched into Istria and Venezia Giulia.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: On April 26, 1945, in what is now the Piazza della Repubblica in Milan, Borghese finally ordered the Xª MAS to disband. He was soon arrested by partisans, but rescued by OSS officer James Angleton, who dressed him in an American uniform and drove him to Rome for interrogation by the Allies. Borghese was tried and convicted of war crimes, sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, but released from jail by the Italian Supreme Court in 1949. The Americans were keenly interested in infiltrating the Italian Communist groups, something which Borghese had done, and he was enlisted to help create counterintelligence units for the Americans.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: In 2006 the admiralty of the Italian republic recognized the Xth M.A.S. RSI veterans as combatants of WWII and gave the association the battle flag.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Counter-operations against Italian frogmen by British frogmen in Gibraltar was the subject of a 1958 British film "The Silent Enemy" based on the exploits of the team of Lionel Crabb.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Today the Comando Raggruppamento Subacquei e Incursori Teseo Tesei is the frogman corp currently serving the Italian Republic.


title: Decima Flottiglia MAS

text: Prince Valerio Borghese escaped capital punishment after the war (Thanks to James Jesus Angleton of the CIA) in the cold war context and remained an active neo-fascist activist: He attempted a failed fascist coup in the early 1970s (the infamous golpe Borghese).