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He wondered whether Malta was worth it?

Blotting out that pink blotch from the middle of the Mediterranean is always worth it. Your disorganized units will recover, but the Brits will not get Malta back. If you had not taken that island out early in the war, they would have rebased some subs there and they would have wreaked havoc with your convoys.


BTW, I'm impressed that you could take Malta with only two infantry brigades.

Now, on to Gibraltar!
 
Really entertaining AAR! :) I love the illustrations and the maps. Keep on

Thanks Snapze, throw one back for me.:D

Malta, a great modern Phyrrhic Victory if there ever was one, maybe not in terms of men lost, but in terms of ships and planes unable to operate for some time now. Now on to Cyprus!!

As long as the British are Pyrrhus. :p Cyprus in east, its ideal for a paradrop but its a long time away before I get those techs and build the para division.

If I can get across the Suez and are successful in Syria, I might be able to starve it out and then invade.

nice update, love the details on ur pics


Thanks to both of you.

BTW CptEasy, been reading your Sudden Carnage AAR this week - its great. Cant wait to read your others. I wish I had time to join in on MP.

He wondered whether Malta was worth it?

Blotting out that pink blotch from the middle of the Mediterranean is always worth it. Your disorganized units will recover, but the Brits will not get Malta back. If you had not taken that island out early in the war, they would have rebased some subs there and they would have wreaked havoc with your convoys.


BTW, I'm impressed that you could take Malta with only two infantry brigades.

Now, on to Gibraltar!

Thanks tl, I do hope the air and naval units recover, otherwise I fear I might get into a deadlock. I think I might have to create a custom event for this, it should be a bonus to Italian unity and moral to take Malta.

I am not sure what the key to victory was, there were three factors:
- the Tactical Bombers at the end;
- the poor supply to the island becasue of my sub convoy raiding; or
- the flimsy one brigade garrison.

Maybe all three. Do the battleships make a difference, bombarding the shore?

Corsica, Cyprus, Gibraltar, this list of required conquests is long.
 
Capture of Port Sudan and Berbera

Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italians. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” for a war against the Allies to Mussolini. It was accepted and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May 1936.

The Allies were caught by surprise and the Italians made good ground in the French Alps, Tunisia and Egypt. On the 20th May the Italians scored a major victory by taking Malta from the British.

(Note: I borrowed this “Recep” idea from Cpt Easy)


Europe
Alpine Front
24th May: On the Alpine Front, two newly formed guard divisions were deployed to guard the ports of Savona and La Spezia. By deploying the new guard divisions in the north, it would allow the 8th Army (formerly held as a reserve) to move forward and dig in along the fortified line along the Alps.

On the northern part of the frontline the 1st Army began spreading out and taking strategic French territory (high ground). The 4th Army in the south of the front line begins its drive to Marseille.

9f-AlpineFront.jpg

Reinforcements and the Alpine Front

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Italian Alpini troops taking a break and reading letter (Alpine Front)

25th May: Early in the morning, in the Albertsville sector to the north, the 33rd Infantry lead by Maj. General Negro became locked in combat at Annecy. The French forces here were in a full battle ready state, unlike the unprepared border forces previously faced.

Further to the south the 6th Infantry Division(1st Army) had pushed all the way south and caught up with remnants of the French mountain troops that had been guarding the Little Maginot Line.

9g-AlpineFront2.jpg

Battles of Annecy and Manosque

FEC-03.jpg

French troops trying to escape the invasion

In the forests of Corps the 4th ‘Livorno’ Division met up with French resistance in the woods of the Corps region. As nightfall began to set in, the 4th Alpine Division which had advanced into and taken the undefended mountain province of Cluses now swung southwest and joined in the attack with the 33rd against the French forces at Annecy.

9h-AlpineFront3.jpg

Left: Battle of Corps; Right: The 4th Alpine Division outflanks the French 25th in the battle of Annecy

27th May: In Provence, now that the 4th Army was out of the mountains it began a more rapid advance to its objectives on the coast. Realising they were about to be cut off, French forces in Nice fled west in an attempt to avoid encirclement. The 11th 'Brennero' Division turned south and advanced towards undefended Nice.

In the centre of the front the Italian forces continued their advance as the battered French mountain divisions attempted to form a stable defensive front.

9m.jpg

The Italian 11th Infantry Division advances unopposed towards Nice

In the north of the front, the 33rd Infantry and the 4th Alpine were supported in their attack against the French Infantry Division by Italian bombers.


Austro-Yugoslav Border
In the northeast the 2nd Army was now thinly spread over the borders with Austria and Yugoslavia. Something has got the attention of the Austrians.

9b-thinlyspread2ndArmy.jpg

Thinly spread 2nd Army


The Mediterranean
With the main Italian battle fleet in repair at Tarento and the naval bombers still wrecked from the battle of Malta, the Regina Marina stayed quiet not wishing to risk the wroth of RN and its carriers. Convoy hunting became more difficult and in an effort to boost results, the submarine flotilla’s were spread out to cover more area.

9a-convoysintheMed.jpg

Convoy hunting in the Mediterranean is slowing down


North Africa
Egyptian Border
Across the Egyptian border the 1st Division ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ had now caught up to the leading divisions of the 10th Army, Alexandria was getting closer. Still no resistance had been met. Just east of Benghazi, was the recently disembarked 2nd Division ‘Emanuele Filiverto’, driving east through Cyrenaica and on its way to the Nile and ultimately Khartoum in the Sudan.

9c-NorthAfricanBorders.jpg

North African borders

Tunisian Border
In eastern Libya, the colonial troops of the 3rd Eritrean Division had crossed the French Tunisian border and were now on their way to take the port of Gabes. The 3rd Division ‘Principe Amedeo’ had recently disembarked at Tripoli and was also on the move west.

Nile Delta
27th May: The 102nd ‘Trento’ Division had reached the outskirts of Alexandria. Much to the surprise of the British Infantry guarding the city, the Italians did not launch and attack but swung south. The 1st Division ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ had overtaken the 7th Blackshirts and was catching the “Trento” Division.
At the Nile Delta Italian submarines report a heavily escorted British convoy on its way to England.

9o.jpg

The Nile Delta


AOI
Sudanese Border
26th May: Having driven the British Sudan Garrison from Gondar, the 4th Blackshirts Division had taken possession of the region. Soon after, fresh British Divisions consisting of the 14th Indian and the Ugandan Colonials began an assault on their positions from Sudan across the Blue Nile. The Blackshirts were outnumbered but held a strong position over the river and in the mountains.

9j-SudanBorder.jpg

Top: British counterattack on Gondar; Bottom: British 20th Indian Division advances into Jima; Inset: Port Sudan falls to the Ovest Bassacampi Corps


In the south British Infantry had moved in and taken control of the Ethiopian Jima. The battle across the Nile in Nek’emte still raged. Here the British 23rd Indian Division was getting the better of the 1st Arab–Somali Infantry Division, despite from strong strategic position held by the latter.

Close to midnight the Ovest Bassacmapi forces captured the undefended Port Sudan. This was a major strategic objective in this theatre. British forces in Khartoum were now completely cut off from the Red Sea supply route, they would now have to rely on the tenuous Nile Rail and River route running south from Cairo or bring up supplies from the south.

27th May: The previous day the British 20th Indian Division had taken control of Jima and now struck north along the eastern bank of the Dinder River to turn the flank of the 1st Arab-Somali Division in Nek’emte. This could have disastrous consequences for the Italian line along the Ethiopian-Sudanese border. The only Italian Divisions available for counterattack were the 24th Infantry and the 4th “Celere” Eritrean Division. Both divisions were still in bad shape following the Ethiopian War but were still thrown against the British 20th Indian Division in Jima in an attempt to stop its advance.

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Advancing forces of the British 20th Indian Division (moving along the eastern bank of the Dinder River)

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Italian counterattack on Jima


French Somaliland
22nd May: In the Dankalia Uplands, after nine days of fighting, the 2nd Division Est Bassacampi was hard pressed by the French 81st Infantry Division. To the north, in the lowlands, the other divisions of the Est Basscampi Corps were faring better but were also hard pressed by two French mountain Divisions.

9d-FrenchSomalilanda.jpg

Battle of Afrera Terar lost

23rd May: Unable to hold the line against the superior French infantry the Massaua bande fled leaving the Libyan militia of the 2nd Division alone. Eventually they gave ground and then also broke. The casualties among the colonial troops were high.

25th May: Further to the south, de Stefanis continued his drive to Djibouti with the 30th and 19th Infantry Divisions. His drive to the French colonial capital kept being hampered as confused French forces stumbled south into his path from Daddato. Other forces that he had pushed aside and overrun had routed to the east into British Somaliland but here they ran into the advancing forces of the 2nd Arab-Somali Division and the 2nd Dubat Division.

Minor victories were achieved by both Italian forces against the French.

9e-FrenchSomaliland2.jpg

Further battles for Djibouti, battle of Lughaye

26th May: After a minor battle, early in the morning of the 26th May, the 30th and 18th Infantry Divisions took the French colonial capital of Djibouti. Later that same day the French 83rd Infantry had succeeded in conquering Serdo (after having driven out the II Corps HQ Division). They did not know that the Italian 26th ‘Assietta’ Division had been advancing north from Bati until the saw them across one of the broad mountain valleys. Scared of being outflanked by de Stefanis in Djibouti and now with the threat of the 26th, the French forces quickly turned tail.

9i-FrenchSomaliland3a.jpg

Serdo is lost and then retaken, Di Stefanis takes Djibouti


It wasn’t long after de Stafanis’s divisions had taken Djibouti, a French mountain division launched a counterattack in attempt to retake the colonial capital. Marshal Graziania was hoping that de Stafanis would be able to launch an attack against the French forces attacking Ed. This would relieve the pressure on the beleaguered Italian troops in the Dankalia Lowlands which were protecting the Eritrean capital Asmara. The French counterattack pinned the two Italian divisions in battle and took away this strategic initiative.

9k-FrenchSomaliland4.jpg

French counterattack against Djibouti

27th May: In British Somaliland, terrified French HQ units were still on the run after fleeing from the attack of the 2nd Arab-Somali Division. Heading west they attempted to reach the British colonial capital of Berbera but were beaten and cut off by the advancing 1st Dubat Division. It was likely that these forces would soon be forced to surrender. Berbera was now in Italian hands.

Fifteen hours after the French counterattack against Djibouti had started, it was beginning to show signs of weakness.

The colonial troops in Ed had suffered the brunt of the French attack and it was not sure for how much longer they could hold out. To make matters worse, the victorious French infantry division that had defeated the 2nd Est Bassacampi Division in the Dankalia Uplands, was now on their right flank.

9n.jpg

Top: French infantry secure Afrera Terar(Dankalia Uplands); Bottom: French forces trapped in British Somaliland


With the capital of Eritrea unprotected, Marshal Graziani panicked and ordered the recall of the Ovest Bassacampi Division from Port Sudan to the north to defend the Eritrean capital Asmara.

9p.jpg

The Ovest Bassacampi Division is ordered to head south to defend Asmara

Jubaland Offensive (British East Africa (Kenya))
In the far south the Nasi’s 1st Libyan and 6th Blackshirts Divisions were still reorganising after the Ethiopian War and making slow progress. The 1st Libyan Division was marching toward Mogadishu, so that it could refit and recuperate while the 6th Blackshirts was advancing south over the border.
Out of Mogadishu, the Somaliland Zapite brigade had already crossed the border. As no British resistance was evident the Zaptie brigade would advance on Mombassa, the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate.

9q.jpg

Jubaland Offensive
 
The war seems to be going well. The French and Brits seem to be reacting slowly, or you are acting fast. Mombassa looks undefended and is going to fall to a single brigade of Zaptie, Port Sudan falls, Italian troops already in the Nile delta. Looking good.

However
the recently disembarked 2nd Division ‘Emanuele Filiverto’, driving east through Cyrenaica and on its way to the Nile and ultimately Khartoum in the Sudan.
I think the terrain in there is unpassable, unless you modded in some more infrastructure.

As always great work. One last question. di Stefanis' division looks like some special kind of motorized infantry division with a large "L" in the middle of the counter and some kind of badge in the corner. How is that division different from regular motorized?
 
The war seems to be going well. The French and Brits seem to be reacting slowly, or you are acting fast. Mombassa looks undefended and is going to fall to a single brigade of Zaptie, Port Sudan falls, Italian troops already in the Nile delta. Looking good.

However

I think the terrain in there is unpassable, unless you modded in some more infrastructure.

As always great work. One last question. di Stefanis' division looks like some special kind of motorized infantry division with a large "L" in the middle of the counter and some kind of badge in the corner. How is that division different from regular motorized?

Yes I modded in infrastructure along the Nile, to represent the old rail line, the northern half is level 4 and the southern half level 3, with one province of level 2.

The brigade showing in di Stefanis's divison is a Bersaglieri brigade. The "L" is for light infantry. They are also motorised and elite. WW2 pictures I have found show them on motorcycles, trikes and trucks. The occasional picture (Albania) shows them on bicycles. The little symbol is their helmet badge.

BTW, I checked the results of a peace with the British. Remember I now have cores of Egypt and Sudan, etc through the decisions in the mod. The provinces I controlled were granted to me in the peace deal. This is a good result and what I am after.:D

Things are going good, but what is that nation between France and Italy? More specificaly, between Nice and San Remo

Its Monaco. Later I will consider changing the map to that its smaller. :D
 
And the Blue one in Italy? I wouldn't be surprised if you had Vatican City in the game.
 
I dont think so, they have nothing that is useful to me at the moment (although its got a strong fort level). They have been offering military access. I didnt want to take it at the start because I thought it might help me cheat on the invasion but now I realise that I wouldnt be able to attack from their land anyway.

The "Poor French" are starting to scare me.
 
Capture of Mombasa and the French Riviera

Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italians. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” for a war against the Allies to Mussolini. It was accepted and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May.

Following the fall of the Little Maginot Line (in the Alps) and the capture of Malta on the 20th May, the Italians were able to capture other strategic locations of Port Sudan and Berbera in East Africa. In Provence, the French had fled Nice and looked like they were abandoning the whole of the French Riviera including Marseille.



Europe
Alpine Front

28th May: Battles were now being fought along the entire front, from the southern coast where the Italian 4th Army was engaged along the French Riviera, in the north where the Italian 1st Army were fighting right up to the point where the Italian, Swiss and French borders meet near Mont Blanc. In the north, the 1st Alpine Division had now joined in on the attack on the lone French division defending Annecy.

In the south, a French division was desperately attempting to break out from the coast to the west by attacking the 2nd Infantry Division at Brignoles. Its attack was soon arrested, when the 1st Infantry Division assaulted its position from the north.

10c-AlpineFront.jpg

Battles of the Alpine Front

29th May: The British, Armstrong Whitworth Whitely’s returned and continued to drop their payloads on Milan. The air defences of Milan had been wiped out in the first bombing runs and now the heavy industry was being targeted.

An overworked French interceptor squadron continued to harass the Italian bombers, it was significantly outnumbered and failed to achieve any significant results because of the Italian escort fighters.

10g-Battlefortheskies.jpg

Bombings and air battles on the Alpine Front

At ground level, the French forces in the north and the centre of the front suffered a trio of defeats throughout the day as the Italian 1st Army continued to hit them hard. The French defeat at Annecy was a bitter one for the Italians, having lost almost 500 men.

10h-AlpineFront2.jpg

Victories on the Alpine Front: Chambery, Annecy and Corps

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Mussolini touring the conquests, much to the delight of irredentists

30th May: In the south the Italian 4th Army continued its conquests with the 11th Infantry Division marching uncontested into Nice. At the same time Italian bombers incessantly harassed the French infantry throughout the day. When the 11th Infantry Division in Nice hit west against the French infantry division trying to break out of Cogolin, it proved too much for the French and the entire French 30th Division surrendered to the Italians. French bombers flying out of Marseille counterattacked against the 2nd Infantry Division which was marching on Toulon and inflicted heavy casualties.

10i-FrenchRiv.jpg

Battle of Cogolin on the French Riviera

31st May: On the night of the 31st, Italian recon forces brought back news that French armour had been sighted that day at St-Claude, directly to the northwest of Italian 1st Army positions at Annecy.

FCM36_01.FVH.jpg

French FCM 36 Infantry Light Tank unloading from its transport

1st June: Recon indicated that the French armoured continued to journey south along the Italian lines. Along the Mediterranean coast the Italian 4th Army had now been occupied Cogolin. The 2nd Infantry Division was close to taking Toulon as it advanced south.

2nd June: The 2nd ‘Sforzesca’ Infantry Division advanced into Toulon early in the morning of the 2nd of June and secured the airbases, AA and shore batteries for the Kingdom. The seizure of the Toulon airbase was very important as it would allow Italian bombers to launch more effectively against Marseille with the goal of bombing it into submission. French bombers flying out of Marseille continued to attack the 2nd ‘Sforzesca’ Division.

10o.jpg

Italian and French bombing, reported French forces on the front and the siege of Marseille

With rumours of two French armour divisions heading south, the 4th Army had no option but to launch an immediate attack against Marseille. Following orders from General Pintor, Maj. General Dalmazzo ordered the 2nd ‘Sforzesca’ Infantry Division to advance to the west against the city. In the air, the interceptor squadrons which had been escorting the Italian bombers since the beginning of the war were formed into their own unit. At the forward airbase at Toulon, it was expected that they could continue to cover the Italian bombers and intercept the French bombers and gain control of the skies, putting an end to the devastating attacks on Italian troops.

The siege of Marseille had begun.

The Mediterranean
The Italian submarine convoy raiders had recently adopted a new strategy of spreading out their forces to cover a broader area of the Mediterranean. This yielded better results but at the same time the French Marseille convoys were fitted out with heavier escorts. Italian losses were low, with British attacks in the east and a French attack in the west.

10b-Medconvoys.jpg

The convoy war in the Mediterranean


North Africa
Nile Delta
30th May: At the Nile Delta forward elements of the 10th and the 6th Army, the 102nd ‘Trento” and the 1st Division ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ had bypassed Alexandria to the south. The 102nd now aimed to take undefended Cairo while the 1st hooked north around Alexandria. There it found, just east of Alexandria, none other than the British Middle East Command headquarters who had safely positioned themselves outside of Alexandria in the case of an attack. Di Berdolo ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Division immediately launched an attack.

10k-marchtotheSuez.jpg

Italian forces skirt around Alexandria and the defeat of the British Middle East Command

31st May: After a stinging attack, by the ‘Eugenio di Savoia’ Division, the outgunned Middle East Command retreated west toward Alexandria before it was completely overwhelmed. Intelligence reports indicated that both British and Iraqi units were present in the city itself.

French Tunisia
1st June: In French Tunisia, the Italian 9th Army’s advance continued without resistance. The 3rd Eritrean Division was currently advancing on ancient port city of Sousse on the Gulf of on the Hammamet. To the south of this division, the 2nd Libyan Division and the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Divisions had reached the port of Gades.


AOI
Sudanese Border
28th May: At Nek’emte at the southern section of the border, the British 23rd and 20th Indian Divisions continued to make progress as they assaulted the position of the 1st Arab-Somali Division dug in on the other side of the Dindar River. Further south the tired Italian 24th Infantry Division and the 4th Eritrean ‘Celere’ Division continued their counterattack against the 20th Indian Division which had slipped east of the Dindar to attack Nek’emte from the south.

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The battle for Nek’emte still rages, while the Italian counterattack on Jima continues

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Artillery position of the Arab-Somali Division

29th May: In the north of the long front, the battle for Gondar still raged. Here the 4th Blackshirts Division which had driven off two previous British assaults earlier in the month, could no longer sustain its positions against the two fresh British divisions. The 4th Blackshirts began their retreat to Lake Tana. This was outcome could be a serious threat to the Italian position in the north because Gondar holds a strategic position in northern Ethiopian, where the British divisions could strike north toward Eritrea or east to link up with French Somaliland.

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Defeat of the 4th Blackshirts in Gondar

30th May: Further south at Nek’emte things were not much better. Under attack from two directions, the 1st Arab-Somali Division, despite is strong position, was forced to retreat from Nek’emte to Debre Markos in the north. Casualties for this defeat were never able to be accurately reported. To the south, the tired Italian 24th Infantry Division and the 4th Eritrean ‘Celere’ Division which were counter attacking against Jima called off their attack. The attempt to relieve the Arab-Somali Division had failed.

10l-Jima2.jpg

Defeat of the 1st Arab-Somali Division at Nek’emte. The 24th Infantry and 4th Eritrean ‘Celere’ pull back from their attack on Jima.

Along this front the Italians had now suffered defeats in the south at Nek’emte and Gondar in the centre. The only saving grace for this front, were the Eritrean I and II Infantry Divisions. These divisions went undefeated during the Ethiopian War and had fully recovered at Debre Markos in the centre of the line.

31st May: East of Jima in the Ethiopian Highlands, the 3rd Blackshirts Division and the 29th ‘Piemonte’ Division were pushing south to Arba Minch. The Ovest Bassacampi ‘Celere’ Division, further south was advancing from Arba Minch into British North Horr, its aim to hook west and cut of the British troops to the north from supplies being transported up the British East Africa and the Uganda Protectorate.

10m-SouthofJina.jpg

Inset: Italian troop movements behind the front; Main: British 20th Indian Division retreats from Jima

10m-pic.png

Mobile forces of the 'Celere' Division travel across the arid savannah east of Lake Rudolf (Turkana)

1st June: The 3rd Blackshirts Division arrived in Arba Minch and attacked northwest against the British 20th Indian Division in Jima. At the same time the Ovest Bassacampi ‘Celere’ Division had reached North Horr and continued its advance to the southwest towards Uganda. The 20th Infantry Division in Jima declined battle and wisely began a retreat to the southwest, their commander new that they did not want to be cut of completely from the supply route coming up from British East Africa.

3rd June: Tto the west of Eritrea, the 5th ‘Cosseria’ Division had now moved within striking distance of Khartoum and immediately launched a probing attack across the Blue Nile. Its sister division of II-AOI Corps, the 2nd Blackshirts, had not advanced anywhere after beating the Tanganyika Colonial Division at Kassala on the 22nd May due to poor supplies.

10p.jpg

Failed attack on Khartoum

An enraged Major General Vilanen called off the attack on Khartoum as it was suicide without the support of the 2nd Blackshirts. Several days later when Marshal Graziani got word of the delay, he had General Ettore Bastico of the II-AOI Corps demoted to Lt General and dismissed from his unit. His replacement was Lt General Mario Berti.

French and British Somaliland
28th May: The beleaguered French HQ units trapped in British Somaliland continued to be hunted across the deserts of Lughaye.

In Djibouti, de Stefanis’s 30th and 18th Infantry Divisions beat back the counterattack from the French mountain division, dishing out severe losses – would they now be able to take the initiative and attack the main French force to the north?

The main French positions in Daddato were suffering from the poundings of the Italian bombers, while the troops in the French breakout in Afrera Terar to the northeast appeared to be setting themselves for another move.

10e-FrenchSomaliland.jpg

De Stefanis beats of the French counterattack on Djibouti. Italians bombers plague the French forces in Daddato

1st June: With the French counterattack beaten, di Stefanis was able to take the initiative and launch his own attack against Daddato. Coinciding with his attack, a series of bombing runs were also rolled out on the French positions. Much to the relief of Marshal Graziani in Asmara, the French troops withdrew from their advance into Ed to the northwest. Casualties were very high on both sides. They French were now in a battle for their own survival and could not afford to fight two battles at once.

10n.jpg

Victorious battles against the French forces in British and French Somaliland

2nd June: Finally in the deserts of Lughaye, the mixed Arab-Somali and Dubat Divisions were able to roll up the fleet-footed French HQ units. After killing a few, the rest surrendered. French command in East Africa was almost completely decimated.


Jubaland Offensive (British East Africa (Kenya))
28th May: Nasi and Orsi crossed the British border into Jubaland and no resistance was sighted. Along the coast, the Somaliland Zaptie brigade had reached the outskirts of Mombassa. Their first target was to seize the Uganda Railway. This line extended from the port of Mombasa, to Kisumu on the shore of Lake Victoria and from there to Kampala in the Uganda Protectorate.

vo084imb.jpg

Italian flag is raised over a fort in Wajir (Jubaland)

This was another terrible blow to the supply lines of the heavily concentrated British troops along the Sudanese-Ethiopian Border to the north.

10d-Mombassataken.jpg

Capture of Mombasa
 
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I dont think these are actual French men fighting in Africa. They must be colonial troops in disquise, inorder for there to be so much resistance against your advancing troops. It seems like the lack of supplies is starting to catch up to your AOI troops, lets hope that Alexandria falls quickly and the 102nd can race to the canal after taking Cairo.
 
I'm more concerned with the French armor making their appearance. They may roll back the green tide a bit in the South, but there is some rough terrain and forts that the Italians should be able to hold onto.

In Africa, with Port Sudan and Mombassa in Italian hands, where will the Brits get their supplies? I imagine Khartoum has a nice stockpile, but they have a lot of troops in there. How long can that stockpile last?

The battle of Daddato looks interesting. I cannot tell who has the upper hand. The out numbered de Stefanis is getting tired, but the French are even more tired. The French have no where to go. So, I suspect the Italians will need to move more troops into that battle if they want to win it.
 
These French in Somalia fight better than in France.

They are tough nuts in Somaliland but once your crack a nut...

I dont think these are actual French men fighting in Africa. They must be colonial troops in disquise, inorder for there to be so much resistance against your advancing troops. It seems like the lack of supplies is starting to catch up to your AOI troops, lets hope that Alexandria falls quickly and the 102nd can race to the canal after taking Cairo.

Lack of supplies are not a real problem yet. I am about to reach the magic 30 day mark so it could get nasty for both sides. I have also taken some key British depots so that will help. It will soon be a month after the war started so I think I will do an overview after the next post.

I'm more concerned with the French armor making their appearance. They may roll back the green tide a bit in the South, but there is some rough terrain and forts that the Italians should be able to hold onto.

In Africa, with Port Sudan and Mombassa in Italian hands, where will the Brits get their supplies? I imagine Khartoum has a nice stockpile, but they have a lot of troops in there. How long can that stockpile last?

The battle of Daddato looks interesting. I cannot tell who has the upper hand. The out numbered de Stefanis is getting tired, but the French are even more tired. The French have no where to go. So, I suspect the Italians will need to move more troops into that battle if they want to win it.

The French armour has me terrified. The binary divisions I have on that front cant stand up to it. A solid push could seriously stress my line.

Khartoum and Lake Victoria are like the carotid arteries on a human. Enough pressure on both and its lights out for all of the British Indian and African divisions to the east of Ethiopia. :eek:

You are very right in relation to French Somaliland, its been a tough battle. The results will be in the next post.
 
Capture of Tunis and the battle for Marseille

Recap: After the Italian victory in Ethiopia in May 1936, the large build-up of British forces on the Ethiopian-Sudanese Border unnerved the Italians. Marshal Balbo pitched a “grand plan” for a war against the Allies to Mussolini. It was accepted and a multi-front war began between Italy and the Allies on the 11th May 1936.

Following the fall of the Little Maginot Line (in the Alps) and the capture of Malta on the 20th May, the Italians were able to capture other strategic locations of Port Sudan, Berbera and Mombasa in East Africa. In North Africa, the Italian 10th Army and elements of the 6th Army have surrounded Alexandria and the Suez is within their grasp. In Provence, the French either fled or have been driven out of the French Riviera, Marseille is now under siege by the Italian 4th Army.



Europe
Alpine Front
3rd June: In the south, French bombers and British naval aircraft terrorised the Italian 2nd Division (4th Army) which had launched its attack on Marseille from Toulon. The Allied bombings inflicted serious damage on the 2nd Division. In the north, the front was generally quiet, the Italian 1st Army repositioning and recuperating their men. They were worried about an assault from the French armour.

4th June: Along the central and north part of the front, the French armour and their scattered infantry divisions were skirting the positions of the 1st Army to their east. They did not engage. Perhaps this was because of the strong positions held by the Italians in the hills and woods. Although the two French armour divisions had been heading in a southerly direction, reports now indicated that they might be heading to the west.

In Toulon east of Marseille, the Italian 2nd Division continued to suffer under intensive Allied bombing during its advance westward to Marseille.

7th June: At Marseille, the French infantry had counterattacked to the east against the weakened Italian 2nd Division in Toulon. Hard pressed from the air and now also by land, the 2nd Division, broke and retreated from their positions on the coastal road to Marseille. Luckily, the Italian 4th Army had also pushed forward the 6th ‘Cuneo’ Division and it was able to join the attack from the north and maintain the assault on Marseille.

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Intensive Allied bombings save Marseille but the attack continues from the north.

8th June: The 2nd Alpine Division had now reached the outlying suburbs of Marseille and began to press in behind the 6th Division in an attempt to get to the front line and intensify the attack.

9th June: North of Marseille in Aix-en-Provence, the Italian 6th ‘Cuneo' Division which was now leading the attack on Marseille, suddenly came under attack from the north when tanks of the French 1st Armour Division rolled across the scrubby hills against the Italian positions. Worse still, this was a co-ordinated attack, with a French Infantry Division hitting the 6th from the west.

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The 6th 'Cuneo' Division is hard pressed by French armour and infantry

10th June: In Marseille the French forces had put up an honourable stand. As the Italians brought more and more troops into the fray, they found it more and more difficult to hold their positions in the port city. The battle had lasted for over 8 days. With the odds building out of their favour and with the constant fear of being cut off in the west, it was too much. They began their withdrawal to Marignane to the west.

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Battles in Provence (the French tanks rip through the Italian 6th Division)

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Italian troops fighting through the streets of Marseille

11th June: The initial success of the French armour against the 6th ‘Cuneo’ Division, caused momentary panic in the Italian command. The 3rd Alpina “Julia” Division was ordered forward from the bombed ruins of Milan. Then the 5th Corps of the 2nd Army currently guarding the border with Austria, was order directly to the Alpine Front.

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Reinforcements are called in, the 5th Corps of the 2nd Army.

12th June: The 1st Infantry Division finally forced its way into Marseille just in time for lunch at midday on the 12th June. Several companies raced down to Vieux-Port (the old port) with the expectation of trying Marseille Bouillabaisse (its famous seafood soup). They were bitterly disappointed to find out that they had to prepare for the defence of the city against two fresh French infantry divisions moving in from the west.

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The battle for Marseille continues


North Africa
Nile Delta
At the Delta, the 10th and the 6th Army were closing their grip around Alexandria and its British garrison. The strong 7th 'Cirene' Blackshirts Division had circled all the way around to the eastern side of the city, while the 27th ‘Sila’ Division continued its advance to its allotted assault position.

In a change to Balbo’s original “grand" plan, one of the cavalry brigades of the 2nd ‘Emanuel Filiberto’ Division had split off. With the successes in East Africa it was now thought that the single brigade could clear the route south to Khartoum while the main part of the division assisted with the assault on Alexandria.

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The Italian divisions in the Delta

To the east, the 1st ‘Eugenio di Savioa’ and the 102nd ‘ Trento’ Divisions had seized control of more ground and were on the way to the Suez.

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Italian propaganda "Each day of battle brings us closer" - inaccurate?


French Tunisia
7th June: As the evening closed in, the 3rd Eritrean Division of the Italian 9th Army, finally reached the outskirts of Tunis and started advancing through the outlying suburbs. French forces consisted of their African Army HQ units – they had been caught off guard by the fleet footed Italian colonial irregulars.

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Italian colonial irregular troops attack the lightly defended Tunis.

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Bersaglieri of the 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division, advancing quickly through the Tunisian deserts

11th June: The 3rd Eritrean Division continued its attack on the Tunis. The 3rd ‘Principe Amedeo’ Division had now also reached the outskirts of the colonial capital and stuck north threatening the city with a dual attack. The weak French forces could not face a two front battle and quickly began their withdrawal to the west. Tunis had been secured for Italy.

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Victory at Tunis.

AOI
Sudanese Border
9th June: The strong British Indian forces along the Sudanese frontier had made ground in Gondar in the north and Jima/Nek’emte in the south. The ruined infrastructure in these areas prevented the British from advancing further.

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Main: Infrastructure “black zones”; Top inset: British using ferries (ruined bridge in the background); Inset bottom: another ruined bridge over a gorge.

10th June: British colonial forces retook the war ravaged Gondar province after driving off the Italian 4th Blackshirts Division. The British now threatened a possible push further east which would cut off Eritrea from Ethiopia and link them with their French allies in French Somaliland.

To the south, the I and II Division of the Eritrean Corps came under attack from the Kenyan Colonial Army. The Italians initially thought the good condition of these divisions and their defensive position would make this a hard battle for the Kenyans. This was soon in doubt after British bombers flying out of Khartoum launched a ferocious attack on the Eritrean positions killing many men.

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British offensive along the northern part of the Sudanese-Ethiopian border

11th June: The next day the Eritrean Divisions in Debre Markos found themselves under an even more intense attack, with the 23rd Indian Divisions attacking from the Nek’emte from the south and the 14th Indian Division attacking from the recently conquered Gondar to the north.

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Indian colonial troops of the 14th Indian Division.

North of Gondar, British forces had reconquered Gedaref. With the British advances, the battle for Debre Markos might decide the fate of the entire Sudanese-Ethiopian Front.


French and British Somaliland
10th June: After the Italian victories in the previous week, the French troops holding out at the port at Daddato were very hard pressed, disorganised and low on supplies. De Stefanis continued to press from the south with the 30th and 18th Infantry Divisions. From the west, Rossi’s 26th “Assietta” Division had also joined in the attack. To make matters worse for the French, the Italian colonial troops they had been attacking in Ed now turned the tables and counterattacked.

Surrounded on many sides and with no apparent maritime escape route the only option left to them was to retreat into the desolate Dankalia Uplands where they had previously achieved a break out.

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Stunning victory at Daddato

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Troops of the 30th Infantry Division raise the Italian tricolour over a fort in Daddato

12th June: The remaining French forces, now marooned in the Dankalia Uplands had attempted a counterattack the previous day as soon as De Stefanis’s 30th Infantry Division had secured Daddato. They attackers were outnumbered 3:1 and within a day the attack had faulted.

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Left: French counterattack against Daddato is repelled; Right: Desperate attempt by the French to link up with the British in the west

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Italian troops pressing home their advantage over the French forces.

14th June: Likewise two days later the French forces attempted one last desperate breakout, this time to the west in an attempt to link up with the British forces in Gondar. Within a few hours the attack had fallen away and the reality of the situation emerged – the French were not attacking they were trying to flee.


Jubaland Offensive (British East Africa (Kenya))
The Ovest Bassacampi Division had reached Kisumu on Lake Victoria, narrowing the supply line of the British forces to Kampala to the west of the lake. A cavalry brigade was detached and sent west to secure this region but its advance was arrested by the attack of the 20th Indian Division. With no chance to refit and rest after the Ethiopian War the Ovest Bassacampi Division would have no option but to fall back.

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Italians are attacked soon after reaching the shores of Lake Victoria
 
It was getting scary there with the British and French almost linking up, but even if they do now it won't split your forces. Hopefully those forces freed from the imminent destruction ofthe French will be able to push to British back and get that offensive back up. Anyway to get your own bombers down their with the airbase in Cairo, if there is one?
 
Things look like they are going well. Suez looks undefended and will fall in the next update. Your forces in Debre Markos are in good order and should be able to hold out until supplies decide the issue. The French in East Africa are doomed.