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Are you going to join the war when it starts? Or are you going to pick on the small countries when they are undefended and the other powers distracted?
 
Very nice work snatching up the spoils of Europe whilst the majors are still neutral! I'm hoping your game works out well - an Italian campaign is extremely fun, but challenging if the Soviets declare war! Surely you'll have to abandon Turkey if the USSR declares war?

Also, how is your IC situation? And what of your leaders, how experienced are they? Have they gained several levels through your conquests?
 
I think that this is time to build up defences for Your empire, both against possible
external threats (Soviets can't be so happy to have totally lost their influence in
the Balkans) and against internal threats (I foresee that partisans will soon
create problems in several parts of Your empire despite the joy of be included in
the enlightened New Roman Empire).
Caucasus and Moldavia seem to be the most sensible frontlines ... and the Mediterranean
can be your main front, thus speed up Regia Marina's reinforcements.
 
This AAR is awesome. The 1/4 of the Italian in me tingles with pure joy.
 
Chapter Sixteen: A Letter From Stalin (2/10/39 - 2/11/39)

Chapter Sixteen: A Letter From Stalin (2/10/39 - 2/11/39)

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“Dear Comrade Mussolini, I want to take this opportunity to personally congratulate you and your army on your most excellent campaigns of the last year. The troublesome governments that you removed from power were a source of aggravation and were no friends to the great Soviet. For that you have our thanks. The people of the Balkan region are very dear to the Soviet Union and its people, and we have historically viewed ourselves as their imperfect protectors. That is why the news of their liberation by your armies is welcome news in Moscow.

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“However, we do not take lightly that role as protector, and we look forward to the immediate fulfillment of your prior promise to set up totally independent local governments and the withdrawal of all of your military forces from the region. My government would be more than happy to assist you in this endeavor. If you fulfill your promises, you truly will go down in history as one of the greatest statesmen in European history. But that is for the historians of the future. In the here and the now, I look forward to the opportunity when we may meet in person, and you may experience true Soviet hospitality.”

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“Caro Signor Stalin:

“Thank you for your most recent letter. I am very proud of the achievements of the Italian fighting man. Hopefully, through their efforts and sacrifices a new Pax Romana will descend upon the Balkans. I, too, look forward to the day that we might meet in person. However, I must correct some misunderstandings found in your letter. Italy remains committed to the concept of dioceses within a central government centered in Rome. The local governments will be mostly autonomous, but not entirely. And with regards to timing, I am sure that you understand that the former governments have just been displaced. If the Regio Esercito were to withdraw from the area completely, chaos would ensue. Former government hard-liners as well as anarchists and other undesirables would certainly crawl out of the woodwork and make our reforms impossible. No, there will be a time of transition during which military occupation and martial law will regrettably be necessary. Finally, thank you for your offer of assistance, but we appear to have everything well in hand.”

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Before anyone comments, I have no idea what Joey Steel was talking about in that image of his letter. It was just thrown in for flavor. Those who read Russian, my forgiveness...
 
Chapter Seventeen: The Celtiberians And The Italo-Iberian War (2/23/39 - 5/17/39)

“Socialism is a fraud, a comedy, a phantom, a blackmail.” -- Benito Mussolini

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Chapter Seventeen: The Celtiberians And The Italo-Iberian War (2/23/39 - 5/17/39)

Stalin responded to Mussolini’s reply letter with an apology about the misunderstanding. He claimed some of the nuances of Mussolini’s plan had been lost in translation. Stalin agreed that a minimal transition period would be necessary, but he asserted that it should be as short as possible. Otherwise, the people might get, “the wrong impression.” This back and forth with Stalin concerning the Balkans was unnerving in that the great Soviet was demonstrating an interest in the area. However, it was comforting that the Soviet Union did not officially object to Italy’s operations in the region. Therefore, Mussolini viewed the threat as long term, not short term. The Regio Esercito could, for the most part, be removed from the region for operations in other areas.

Once Hungary surrendered, the important provinces in all the conquered areas of the empire started receiving garrisons of small maniple divisions consisting of one infantry brigade and one artillery brigade. These small, inexperienced but professional units started popping up all over the expansive empire. Gen. Galbiati’s corps of three infantry divisions was all that was spared to guard the Alps from Germany. Hitler was still trying to woo Italy into the Axis, and Mussolini was betting that Germany would be more fixated on Czechoslovakia and Poland. Gen. Roatta’s corps was all that was left to guard the vast Romanian border with the Soviet Union. Mussolini was relying on the fact that the Soviet Union would not attack the New Empire, because to do so would drive Italy into the Axis and lead the Soviet Union into war with Germany before the Soviet Union was prepared for such a war. Meanwhile, the other experienced corps led by Gens. Messe, Scattini, Fautilli, Aymonnino, Mancinelli, and Pintor, all started moving their troops to the nearest ports for embarkation.

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The Celtiberians were a savage people that lived on the Iberian peninsula when the Carthaginians introduced civilization to the area. The Romans eventually won the death struggle with the Carthaginians, but the Celtiberians proved a persistent foe. It took Rome nearly 200 years of bloody warfare to finally pacify the third great Mediterranean peninsula. The Celtiberians were eventually erased from the pages of history to be replaced for hundreds of years by a Roman Spain. However, this fair portion of the empire was eventually stolen by the Visigoths, then the Moors, then the modern Spanish. Mussolini resolved to return the peninsula to the empire, but, hopefully, it would not take 200 years to do so.

In more recent history, Italy had plenty of reasons to be displeased with the current occupants of the peninsula. In July of 1936, Spain irrupted into civil war when General Francisco Franco, frustrated by land reforms and a radical agenda, launched an attempted coup against the elected government of the Second Spanish Republic.

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This led to a year and a half of bloody fighting that became a cause célèbre for western leftist intelligentsia.

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Italy actually lent some support to the more traditionalist Franco, but that support was not enough.

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The socialists, communists and even anarchists won the day, defeated Franco, and were in the process of consolidating their godless power.

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Even George Orwell, the committed English socialist and writer, who volunteered to fight on the Republican side, became disillusioned with the violent excess, oppression, and intellectual dishonesty of the Spanish Republicans.

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Although the Spanish civil war had been over for over a year, Mussolini used the conflict as a pretext for invasion. He claimed that the excesses of both sides was evidence that the Spanish were incapable of responsible self-rule.

On February 23, 1939, two battleship squadrons and one transportation flotilla of the Regia Marina appeared off the Spanish coast outside the port of Barcelona. Italy’s ambassador delivered an ultimatum to President Manuel Azaña -- join the New Roman Empire, or it's war. The invitation was rejected, and war was declared.

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The four marine divisions immediately assaulted Barcelona. There was a Spanish infantry division guarding the port installation, but the marines made short work of them, and secured the port. Meanwhile, the Regia Marina constantly offered herself up for battle to the Spanish fleet. The Republicans made numerous naval sorties in an effort to break the Regia Marina’s domination of their coastal waters, but Italy’s navy won every single confrontation and drove off the Spanish fleet so that the invasion force could safely be ferried to the port of Barcelona.

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The transportation flotilla made two quick trips from Savona to Barcelona. As these troops would necessarily be required to fight in the mountainous and rough terrain of the Pyrenees, the forces first ferried to Barcelona were Mancinelli’s pure Alpini, Scattini’s pure Alpini, and Fautilli’s artillery backed Alpini. When these three corps were deployed and started to expand the beachhead, the marines were extracted for further operations.

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By March 8, 1939, Fautilli’s divisions had driven through Tarragona and Terrassa to Cambrils and Lleida and set up defensive positions just north of the Ebro River. Scattini’s mountaineers drove through Terassa to Ponts to Isona and set up positions north of the river at Monzon and La Pobla de Segur. Mancinelli’s mountaineers were once again given the long march. Three of his divisions made a bee line from Barcelona to Manressa to Solsona to La Pobla de Lillet to Pont de Suert to Boltana and then set up defensive positions in Rodellar and Argeles-Gazost. Meanwhile, Gen. Tellera's division of Alpini were tasked with occupying the high mountain provinces along the French border. His division was required to advanced north along the coast through Mataro to Lloret de Mar to Girona, then west into the mountains through Manlleu to Berga to Andora la Vella to Pont de Suert to Boltana, and finally joined the rest of Mancinelli’s corps in defensive positions in Argeles-Gazost.

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The marines were extracted and immediately sent on another amphibious assault of the Balearic Islands at Majorca. The island was defended by a cavalry division. The marines, getting ever more proficient with amphibious warfare, easily defeated the cavalry and occupied the islands.

Once the northern front reached defendable positions behind the Ebro, the advance was intentionally stopped. The Spanish were reacting to the invasion in the north, and troops from all across the peninsula were streaming north to consolidate their front. Once Spain was given sufficient time to react to the northern threat, the other foot fell.

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On March 24, 1939, the Regia Marina steamed south and its marines assaulted the fortified port of Malaga. The port was defended by a full cavalry division, but in spite of the fortifications and the cavalry, the marines occupied the city and port. Three divisions were landed right on the shore of Malaga, but a fourth division as well as Mannerini’s 1st Marine Corps headquarters were mistakenly thrown ashore at Granada. These two units attempted to consolidate in the city, but the headquarters unit was caught alone by two Spanish combat divisions. The non-combat headquarters, which was understaffed to begin with, was brutally assaulted and shattered. Gen. Mannerini was wounded and needed to be evacuated to Rome. However, the marines did their job. They opened up the port so that the Regio Esercito could be ferried in by the Transportation Flotilla. It took three trips, but soon Malaga was swelling with the three corps of Gens. Messe, Aymonnino, and Pintor. These troops started to fan out to expand the beachhead, while the marines, their job done, were extracted and deployed for the time being in Majorca.

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It was hoped that the southern invasion would catch the Spanish by surprise leading to a lightning raid north towards Madrid. That immediately proved impossible, and Malaga’s port was inadequate to service the needs of the troops that had been landed there. So, it was a race against time to open up another port. Messe’s mobile corps immediately attacked west through Marabella to Estepona (next to Gibraltar), but the plum target was bypassed. Instead his divisions attacked Montellano and Ronda and drove towards the major port located at Cadiz. The fighting was slow and supplies were a constant problem. Pintor expanded his holdings to the southeast to include Granada and Alcalac la Real, but he could not manage to take Priego de Cordoba. So, the headquarters and the essential port of Malaga remained on the front lines and subject to Spanish attack. Gen. Aymonnino and his corps just managed to keep contact with Messes’ troops, with divisions from Messe and Aymonnino's two corps being used, on an ad hoc basis, to extend the front to Antequera, Campillos, Ronda, Alcala and Jerez de la Frontera. Gen. Bitossi’s armor division used its last gallon of fuel, but on May 17, 1939, he managed to occupy Cadiz and open the greater port to the essential supply convoys. The southern front had been saved from disaster. However, it was still completely without air cover, and those troops on the southern front were being brutalized daily by Spanish heavy bombers.

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This adventure was the first one overseas since the Abyssinian campaign, and was the first one where a hostile navy would be confronted. Supply and logistics were going to be a major concern. So, Marshal Balbo was put in command of Army Group West, and his command center, where he could coordinate supplies and logistics, was located on the newly occupied island of Majorca. Gen. Nicolosi was put in command of the northern front with his 8a Armata, and to his army were assigned the corps of Fautilli, Mancinelli and Scattini. Gen. Gambara was placed in command of 2a Armata and the corps of Gens. Messe, Pintor and Aymonnino were assigned underneath him.

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The northern front was well established, but the southern front was hanging on by a thread.
 
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Good going, but doesn't all that conquering raise your threat too much? Or is the game that hardcoded to dow Germany that it disregards what's happening elsewhere?
 
Will you conquer Spain before Germany declare war upon Poland? Because if this happens, in your a-historical story, Staline, with the Molotov-Ribentropp pact, could easily declare war to Italy if you are not with the axis.
 
Good going, but doesn't all that conquering raise your threat too much? Or is the game that hardcoded to dow Germany that it disregards what's happening elsewhere?
The game seems to let Italy run amuck like a feral dog so long as Italy is not in the Axis. If you are in the Axis, the UK will invariably DOW you after you attack Greece. The phenomenon of the free reign granted a non-Axis Italy was what gave rise to this AAR. I imagined a shrewd Mussolini could cash in on everyones fixation on a resurgent rearmed Germany, and he could diplomatically play all of the sides against one another while he accumulated an empire. The Vanilla game does not do much scripting for Italy. If they want to force Italy into the Axis, they need to try harder. All you get is a research bonus and a ruinous war led by a madman, not a fair deal if you ask me. I am eager to see Rensslaer's Locarno AAR get off the ground to see how the HPP folks beefed up Italy's scripting. Sounds like you are given a lot diplomatic choices that could lead you in very different directions, which is nice.
 
Chapter Eighteen: All In, The Italo-Iberian War, Part II (5/15/39 - 6/26/39)

Even the best of blood will at some point find its way into a fool or a mosquito. -- Benito Mussolini​

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Chapter Eighteen: All In, The Italo-Iberian War, Part II (5/15/39 - 6/26/39)

In mid-May, Mussolini traveled to Spain to see the troops on the front in the Italo-Iberian War. The war was over two months old, and the fighting had been constant. Mussolini had invested three corps of 12 divisions into the northern front, and three corps of 12 divisions (including four armored divisions) into the southern front. For his troubles, it seemed that he was given in return two stalemates. The northern front was well established with strong defensive positions behind Rio Ebro, but on the south side of that same river, the Spanish held equally strong positions. The Regio Esercito had the firepower to possibly move the line but did not have sufficient forces to exploit any extension of the line safely without exposing forces to possible counter attack and encirclement.

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To the south, Italy had opened two ports to convoys and had managed to fend off supply starvation. However, the line was tenuous and supplies were scarce. In fact, any effort to expand that beachhead to the east towards Almeria seemed to result in a logistic nightmare wherein all supplies seemed to disappear into a black hole. The offenses all ground to a halt and the Italian troops were required to withdraw or suffer the effects of supply depletion.

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The first concern that needed to be dealt with by the Italian forces was Spain’s wings of Heinkel HE 111e’s (a new fast German bomber, with a metal frame, capable of carrying 3,000 pounds of bombs). These bombers were flying over the Italian positions on the southern front with impunity.

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Italy possessed the interceptor wings sufficient to dominate the skies over Spain, but did not have an air base in the south from which to base those fighters. The closest air base was located in Seville, still in Spanish possession. So, once the port at Cadiz was secured, Seville became the number one offensive priority on the southern front.

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After several apparently successful attacks on that city had ground to a halt due to logistics problems, Bitossi managed to get his armored division over the Rio Guadalquivir to Lebrija, and on May 25, 1939, his division attacked the city from the southwest. Meanwhile Zingales’ armored division in Jerez de la Frontera attacked from the south, and two infantry divisions from Gen. Aymoninno’s corps led by Gens. Tringali and Re renewed their attacks from Alcala. The city had previously been successfully defended by two Spanish cavalry divisions when defending against Gen. Aymoninno’s semi-starved infantry who had been forced to attack across a river. However, this coordinated combined arms attack was now adequately supplied through the port of Cadiz. It was successful, and the Spanish cavalry was forced to flee.

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Once the airbase in Seville was secured, the Regia Aeronautica rebased three wings of Macchi C.200 Saetta fighters to the newly acquired airbase, and those wings immediately started flying intercept missions to stop the Spanish bombers.

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The fighters stopped the bombings, and the situation on the southern front improved. However, there was no breakthrough in sight -- only a long hard slog through an Iberian quagmire.

Meanwhile, there were problems on the diplomatic front as well. Mussolini’s long range imperial ambitions had always called for an invasion of Portugal following the defeat of Spain. Portugal had declared itself neutral in the Italo-Iberian War and was strictly adhering to that neutrality. However, on May 1, 1939, Portugal and Germany had entered into a long-term trade deal. Furthermore, prime minister António de Oliveira Salazar had plans for an official visit of state to Berlin in July. Mussolini was concerned by Portugal’s apparent drift towards the Axis. He was concerned that if Italy waited to take action until the end of what appeared was going to be a long and difficult war against Spain, Portugal would in the interim have allied itself with Germany, and in doing so, effectively made the country off limits to the New Roman Empire.

At a time when your country was locked into a difficult war that still hung in the balance, it would seem counter intuitive to expand that war and increase the number of enemies arrayed against you in the same theater. However, that is exactly what Mussolini proposed to do. The battleship squadrons and the transportation flotilla laden with the four marine divisions steamed through the straights of Gibraltar and on June 14, 1939 weighed anchor in the port of Lisbon. The Italian ambassador immediately delivered an ultimatum to Salazar. Either Portugal must open up the port of Lisbon to the Italian merchant marine and allow Italian troops and supply convoys to transverse Portuguese territory, or war would be declared. Salazar objected to the proposed violation of Portuguese territorial sovereignty and the disregard of its neutrality. Salazar rejected the ultimatum, and on June 15, Italy declared war on Portugal.

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The marines immediately assaulted Lisbon and defeated the two infantry divisions and the two headquarter units located in the capital. Before sunset on the 15th, the marines had secured the port, the radio stations, and the government buildings. In spite of the seizure of their capital, the Portuguese decided to fight on. Salazar moved his capital north to the port city of Porto from which he attempted to rally the population against the invaders.

After the initial invasion, the transportation flotilla immediately returned to Savona, where a brand new corps, III Corpo d’Armata, was being formed from units guarding the French frontier. This decision denuded the defenses against the French, but in Mussolini’s estimation, it was a risk worth taking. The French were positively despondent about the German rearmament taking place on the other side of the Rhine, and Mussolini guessed that they were in no position, not to mention no state of mind, to try to take advantage of a temporary weakness on the Italian border. Plucky Gen. Mannerini arose from his hospital bed and begged Mussolini to let him back into the fight. The marines had already been reassigned to Gen. Caruso, but Mussolini had no trouble assigning III Corpo d’Armata to Mannerini.

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By June 22, 1939, Manerinni’s new corps along with two newly raised marine divisions had been transported to Lisbon, where the original four marine divisions, who were under strict orders to hold onto the capital and to not venture forth, had lost all contact with the enemy. The one marine division, which was still organizing itself, was left to garrison Lisbon, while the other five marine divisions were extracted for yet another operation.

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Manerinni’s infantry corps was given immediate orders to fan out, seize territory, locate the enemy, and attempt a link-up with the southern front in Spain. Meanwhile, the five marine divisions set sail again, this time north towards Porto.

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On June 23, 1939, the Marines conducted their fifth contested amphibious assault of the three month old war. Three divisions under Gens. Romero, Marras and Gioda were landed on the shores of Porto and quickly seized the city. One division under Gen. Battisti was landed to the south in Ovar, and one division under Gen. Reverberi was landed to the north in the Spanish territory of Baiona. In spite of the seizure of their second capital and their last port on the Atlantic Ocean, the Portuguese forces continued the struggle but retreated into the interior of their country.

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As of June 26, 1939, Mussolini had a four front war.

1) The forces on the northern front of Spain had not moved from their positions on the Rio Ebro since those positions were established.

2) The forces on the southern front of Spain had cautiously expanded their beachhead. Pintor was able to finally take Priego de Cordoba as well as creep east to occupy Arda. A division in Alcala la Real was able to take Montejicar forming a bulge in the line and from that bulge was able to manage a coordinated attack on Jaen. In the west, Aymonnino’s infantry had taken Lora del Rio just northeast of Seville, Bitossi’s mobile division moved north to Valverde del Camino, feeling for the end of the Spanish line. Even Messe’s own headquarter unit along with his attached brigade of armored cars occupied Huelva, the Spanish border crossing on the Portuguese frontier.

3) Manerinni’s new divisions were fanning out from Lisbon. The northern most division advanced from Lisbon to Santarem to Avis where they came into contact with the Portuguese forces, including their central command, located in Gaviao. As soon as the Portuguese were located, the Italians commenced an attack. Two other divisions to the south were rapidly marching eastward to Vendas Novas and then fanning out towards Redondo and Evora. They were heading towards the new and third Portuguese capital now located in the eastern part of the country in Elvas. The fourth division drove south along the coast through Setubal to Sines. The ultimate objective was to reach the Spanish border in hopes of forming a link with the forces in southern Spain.

4) The marines around Porto were in contact with the Portuguese forces and were battling them. The beachhead had been expanded from Porto to Braga, and three marine divisions were concentrating an attack on Cinfaes where a concentration of Portuguese divisions and headquarter units were located. Meanwhile, the marine division under Gen. Reverberi saw the undefended Spanish port of Vigo as a target of opportunity and demonstrated initiative in moving to seize it.

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When the Iberian war bogged down Mussolini took the risky move to expand the war with the hopes that the expanded war would open more strategic opportunities. The opportunities were there, but the forces were not. Mussolini ordered Gen. Roatta in Romania to start moving Italy’s last available combat corps to the nearest port of embarkation. Italy was going to go “All In.”
 
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If this game follow history, you have only 3 months to finish that before the beginning of the WW2.