I can't remember the exact books or sections, but there are a number of Italian characters that pop up manning human torpedos.
Anyhow, the unit of the Italian navy that used these were called the Decima Flottiglia MAS, or X-MAS, and were similar to Navy Seals. This unit was commanded by Junio Valerio Borghese, from the aristocratic house of his family name, which has a Pope in its bloodline. Junio was known as The Black Prince, and after WW2 was aided by James Angleton of the OSS in avoiding execution. The Unit had very close ties with the German SS.
This is the interesting part though. In the film Salo, or 120 days of Sodom, the director Pier Pasolini dressed the guards presiding over the Black Mass rituals in the uniforms of the Decima Flottiglia MAS.
So,
a) The SS studied and practiced Occult rituals heavily influenced by the Thule Society.
b) A highly specialized Italian Naval Unit with very close ties to the German SS.
c) An Italian Aristocrat commanding this Unit under the name "The Black Prince".
d) A movie about four Italian Aristocrats performing a Black Mass under the protection of this Unit.
e) The movie was released 5 years after The Black Prince attempted a neo-fascist coup in 1970.
What are the specifics of when/why these Italian torpedo men show up in Pynchon books?