Notable war actions performed by MAS include the torpedoing of the Royal Navy C-class cruiser Capetown by MAS 213 of the 21st MAS Squadron working within the Red Sea Flotilla off Massawa, Eritrea; and the failed attack on the Grand Harbour of Malta in January 1941, which caused the loss of two motorboats, MAS 451 and MAS 452, the latter recovered by the British, put in service as a tender and renamed XMAS.
MAS performed notable war actions including torpedoing the Royal Navy C-class cruiser Capetown using MAS 213 from the 21st MAS Squadron in the Red Sea Flotilla off Massawa, Eritrea; and attempting to attack Malta's Grand Harbour in January 1941, which resulted in the loss of two motorboats, MAS 451 and MAS 452. These were later recovered by the British and repurposed as tenders with new names.