Explorations in Strategy - Italy at War

[Sokraates]

"Why can't you all just get along?"

Because.

Period.

@Myth: That's what I call "soon". Nice work on the Bulgarians. If I'm not mistaken, Spain and Switzerland are your only neutral neighbors in Europe (I don't count the SU as "neutral").

Hmmm ... I guess sooner or later you will have to decide the issue of whether Emmentaler or Mozzarella is the best cheese ... preferably with Bayonets Made of Milk.

Regarding Germany's invitation to join the war: I guess you let the message expire to avoid joining the war too soon or breaking the alliance. Correct? For how long has this been going on?

[UncleAlias]

Mozzarella is Italian. You must be thinking Manchego.

[Emerjent]

Another great update Myth. Keep up the good work!

[Brad1]

For the next update, could we get an overview of your current Italian Empire? I have a few things that I'm curious about.

1) How much IC and leadership have you obtained from the conquered countries?

2) What are your occupation policies for the conquered countries?

3) What is the size of your armed forces?

4) What does your IC sliders look like?

5) What do the spy reports on your enemies look like? How about Germany? Russia?

6) Where are your armies gonna go once your armies in Bulgaria are redeployed?

7) How does your resource situation look?

8) When will you start building an air force?

Once again, Great updates! I'm looking forward to more!

[loki100]

Mozzarella is Italian. You must be thinking Manchego.

nah thats Spanish ... I vote for Emmental, since Spain is apparently off the menu?

[Myth]

Lapce: I think Thucydides' triptych is best concerning the origins of war: fear, honor and interest. I'm interested in an empire. But my neighbors don't want to give me one. Those bastards.

FlyingDutchie: Maybe.

Sokraates: Oh no, I discovered a loophole. As long as you keep the message up it won't expire, so what I did is keep it up and hide it away mostly off the screen.

UncleAlias: The best cheese is that on pizza!

Emerjent: Thanks!

Brad1: Difficult. I play year by year, so what I'm writing about here I played probably a month ago if not five weeks. I'd be going only on memory, and mostly without screenshots. I'll see what I can do, though.

loki100: Yeah, I want to keep Spain as a buffer between me and invasion by any other maritime powers who haven't yet bowed to my supremacy.

I'll write an update for tomorrow evening, guys! Today was just far too busy for me.

[BlitzMartinDK]

Spain as a buffer..Does this mean no landbased attack on Gib.? CAN you even invade Gibraltar if you don't control the Straits?..or did you get that landarea next to Gibraltar?..It quite a few pages back

[coolluigi007]

Just caught up on this today! Lovin' it. Will keep following!

[Myth]

BlitzMartinDK: Of course there'll be a land-based attack on Gibraltar! There would have been no point to invading Spain otherwise!

coolluigi007: Fantastic, glad to have you on board!

Update tonight!

[Beppo]

We'll get a decent feel for the Brit AI after you take Gibraltar. If they throw everything they have at getting it back, then we'll get a warm and fuzzy for the AI designers.

-- Beppo

[Myth]

Beppo: Hehe, we'll see.

Update coming up!

[Myth]

The Year Italy Joined the World War
Part 10: A Call to Arms, October 3, 1940

By early October, Mussolini judged that Italy was ready for war. Not simply any war, but a real war with other great powers. Only one great power was left standing against the Axis in the latter half of 1940: Great Britain. They stood off the coast, just out of reach of the German Wehrmacht. The Kriegsmarine was not strong enough to contest the control of the sea, the Luftwaffe was not powerful enough to dominate the sea from the air, the Heer had no way to cross the body of water in front of it and grapple with the British divisions on the far side. It had conquered Denmark and was invading Sweden. These were mere distractions, however. They could only commit Germany to maintaining more fronts with no real progress made toward actually ending the war. Germany was not, and indeed could not, terminate the war on its own terms; it could only expand it now.

Italy, on the other hand, had the potential to win. The Regia Marina was increasing in power and would soon be able to successful take on the battle fleets of the old, the declining sovereign of the seas. The Regio Esercito was a blooded instrument, ready to fight wherever it was. In North Africa and southern Spain, it outnumbered the British armies that would attempt to hold the field against it. The Regia Aeronautica was the least of the services, but steps were being taken to rectify this situation to some extent. Italy was even prepared for a long war; its conquests of the previous two years had seen to that. Large stockpiles had been prepared, and Italy was nearly self-sufficient in all necessary resources. Mussolini finally answered Hitler’s call to arms.


The call to arms!

The array of the coalition against the Axis was impressive, until who they were was taken into account. The only great power was Great Britain. Her dominions of Canada, Australia and South Africa were also engaged in war. Ireland, Liberia and Mexico were also part of the coalition but were hardly significant. Of all the other states, only Sweden was not a country already defeated, though it was sure to fall some time. Poland had collapsed, and the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Denmark had all been overrun by the Germans. Yugoslavia had been conquered by the Italians the previous year. The enemies with which Italy had gone to war were hardly imposing, on the whole. Only the British had the means and reach to pose a challenge to Italy in its envisioned sphere of empire: the Mediterranean. Their Mediterranean Fleet was huge, easily larger than the entire Regia Marina.

But in the first, most decisive, phase of the war, the Mediterranean Fleet was nearly powerless to do anything. Conceivably, the only course of action that could have allowed the fleet to have an impact on the land campaigns about to start was a ruthlessly employed guerre de course—commerce raiding. If the Mediterranean Fleet had sunk every Italian convoy ship going to North Africa or Spain for a period of a month or so, the Italian merchant marine would have been eradicated and the land offensives finished for lack of supplies. The British, brought up in the glorious tradition of Nelson and Mahan, did not do this. The initiative slid to the Italians, who were to employ it unerringly. Operation Hercules began in the western Mediterranean. Two divisions of Grossi’s army, under Tellera and Gandin, were ready to attack the Rock. In the afternoon of the 3rd of October, the codeword went out. War had begun, and Hercules as well. Two Italian divisions, four brigades, hurled themselves at the British garrison.


Operation Hercules, the attack on Gibraltar, beginning.

Simultaneously, the go-word was sent out to Vercellino’s headquarters in Tobruk as well. His army was the single most powerful army Italy fielded, comprised of three corps totaling ten divisions, including three cavalry and one motorized infantry division. The plan was simple. Two corps were concentrated on the coast under Cei and Geloso, the former being the mobile corps. They were to break through the British defenses and rush forward, not stopping until they reached Alexandria. Dall’Ora’s corps was to secure their southern flank before also piling into the drive forward. British forces in the area were but a fraction of Italian forces: perhaps three divisions. Air General Pricolo was also present, commanding four squadrons of Italian interceptors. Any British bomber that dared stray into the theater of operations would be shot down. Operation Caesar Augustus had begun.


Operation Caesar Augustus, the conquest of Egypt, had begun.

The European war had expanded. Southwestern Europe and North Africa became theaters of operations and the Middle East was not inviolable either. Great Britain, having escaped Germany, suddenly found itself subject to assaults by Germany’s partner, Italy. Italy had finally set itself larger goals than European colonial warfare; Italy was challenging the greatest power in the world, with Germany acting only as a distraction. The real contest had finally begun.

[loki100]

Italy was challenging the greatest power in the world, with Germany acting only as a distraction. The real contest had finally begun.

thats telling them!

[Avatar018]

thats telling them!

I wonder how Mr. Hitler would feel about that turn of events
I can just imagine him in his bunker, red face waving arms second to Italy
Good job Myth, let's see how fast the British fall.

[The Balbinater]

germany should have always been the "junior" partner! ))))

[Gladiator]

Hopefully, you'll get rid of British troops in North Africa before start of Barbarossa. You got a large front with Soviets... Good luck!

[Sokraates]

Mozzarella is Italian. You must be thinking Manchego.

No, I was thinking about Mozzarella. Emmentaler or Mozarella: The question that ignited the Swiss-Italian War.

nah thats Spanish ... I vote for Emmental, since Spain is apparently off the menu?

Well Spain has already been on the menu for so long that there's no need for cheese to whet Italy's appetite.

@Myth: I think that glitch already exists in another Paradox game. I remember using it.

A short update but we have high hope regarding the next ones. (Almost) Global Warfare at its best.

[loki100]

No, I was thinking about Mozzarella. Emmentaler or Mozarella: The question that ignited the Swiss-Italian War.



Well Spain has already been on the menu for so long that there's no need for cheese to whet Italy's appetite.

ach well ... both of us wrong - Mussolini obviously has a secret fetish for cheddar cheese instead

[billy bob]

Onward to victory!

[Sokraates]

ach well ... both of us wrong - Mussolini obviously has a secret fetish for cheddar cheese instead

Yep. Ain't no threat like British cuisine.