Originally developed for Operation Sea Lion the proposed invasion of England, the first of these ships was commissioned on 16 April 1941, with approximately 700 being completed by the end of war.

[10] In late 1941, for Operazione C3, the invasion of Malta, the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) secured the drawings of the MFP-A from the Kriegsmarine and placed an initial order for 65 vessels, numbered 701 to 765.

These Bette MZ (colloquially "motozattere") were built in Italian shipyards, primarily in and around Palermo and gave the Regia Marina the amphibious capability to land infantry, armored vehicles and supplies on beaches.

[12] Many of the Italian MZs were diverted to the task of ferrying supplies from Italy to Libya and between ports along the Libyan coast to support the advance of Panzerarmee Afrika into Egypt.

The MZs captured an amphibious motor barge and two lighters attempting to reach Alexandria with stragglers, among them Captain John Micklethwait, the commander of HMS Sikh.

A further 20 examples (MZ 801–820) were planned, copies of the MFP-D (including the same engines and armament) but were never built as by then the war situation for Italy had worsened considerably and her armed forces had been expelled from North Africa.

Landungs-Flotille transported a Kampfgruppe from the 46th Infantry Division across the Kerch Strait to the Taman Peninsula as part of Operation Blücher II on the night of 2 September 1942.

The sea evacuation brought out 239,669 soldiers, 16,311 wounded, 27,456 civilians and 115,477 tons of military equipment (primarily ammunition), 21,230 vehicles, 74 tanks, 1,815 guns and 74,657 horses to the Crimea.