Grande italia

The Fall of Addis Abeba

Back in Rome, Mussolini's Foreign Minister Gianni Ciano came to him with an interesting proposal. He wanted to reinstate the terms of ths secret Hoare-Laval Pact and diplomatically embarrass both the French and British governments.



Although the proposal was sound, Mussolini had his heart set on claiming all of Ethiopia for the Kingdom of Italy. The plan was not implemented.


After Graziani's disastrous attack on Addis Adeba and with the Regina Aeronautica out of the picture, the final mopping up took longer than expected. The Ethiopian forces caught up in the battle of Gedo were now fleeing west. After the Italian victory and conquest of Gedo province, the Emperor and the bulk of the Ethiopian army were cut off from the capital.

The Ethiopians counterattacked from the west but were unable to dislodge the 24th Infantry (of the II Corps) and the Celere Division under the command Maj General Bitossi. This was partly due to the support of Italian divisions attacking from Debre Markos to the north. After repelling the previous Ethiopian counterattacks along the Blue Nile these divisions, elements of the Eritrean Corps along with the 5th Alpine Division, had turned the tables and attempted to push southwest over the Nile (into Nek'emte province). These forces were lead by the Eritrean Corps commander himself, Lt General Zingales who had now come forward from the rear.

Likewise Nasi's Libyan and 6th Blackshirts Division also had to dig in and repel an Ethiopian counterattack in the hills of Arba Minch.


Battle of Nek'emte and the Ethiopian counterattacks in Gedo

In early May the Italians were able to launch a renewed assault on the capital, this time the attack initially came from the north where fresh divisions had just reached the front. The assault was lead the 19th Infantry 'Venezia' (of the II Corps) under the command of Maj General do Feroleto and the 26th Infantry 'Assietta' (of the I Corps).

Supporting the attack were the battered front line divisions from the northern front, the 4th Celere (of the Eritrean Corps) and the 3rd Blackshirts (of the I Corps). From the southern front were the victorious 2nd Arab-Somali and 2nd Dubat Divisions of the Ogaden Corps. Even the previously beaten 29th joined the combined assault, although its contribution was negligible.

The already weakened forces under Lt General Katama were no match, their surrender followed within a few days.


Victory for the Italians, battle of Adis Abeda

It was around the end of April and the beginning of May that a series of reports began to reach Marshal Badoglio at his headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. These reports indicated a significant buildup of British troops all along the Ethiopian northwestern border. The information was quickly relayed to Marshal Balbo in Tobruk and then onto Mussolini in Rome.


British troop buildup along the Ethiopian-Sudanse border

After six days of fighting, Nasi's besieged Libyan and 6th Blackshirts Divisions in Arba Minch finally beat back the Ethiopian attacks from Jima. The Ethiopian force was poorly lead and the attack was repelled with few losses.


Failed Ethiopian counterattacks in Arba Minch


The Battle of Nek'emte where elements of the Eritrean Corps along with the 5th Alpine Division were pushing south over the Blue Nile against the bulk of the remaining enemy forces was won on the 4th May. When the 24th Infantry, Bitossi's Celere and the 1st Arab-Somali Divisions joined in the attack from Gedo in the east, the Ethiopian defense collapsed and the beaten army fled south to Jima.

After the defeat and surrender of the Ethiopian forces defending the lands around the Addis Abeba, the race to take the capital was on (Messe's Celere Division was in the lead).


Messe's Celere division on the move (foreground shows a CV-33 towing Italian artillery)


The Victory at Nek'emte and the race for the capital

Jima in the furtherest western reaches of the country was now the only enemy lands which harboured Ethiopian forces. Here the Ethiopians were protected by the Dinder River, a tributary of the Blue Nile. The initial Italian assault on these positions was lead by Nasi's forces in the south (Arba Minch) and then joined by the 5th Alpine Division to the north of Jima (having just advanced into Nek'emte). At this time, several companies of the 5th Alpine Division reported that they made contact with and were fired upon by British troops from across the Dinder River. The British denied their involvement in the battle.

Meanwhile Messe had won the race to Addis Abeba.


With the capture of Addis Abeba, the Emperors support dissolved and the remnants of his army surrendered or fled over the border into Anglo-Egyption Sudan. The Emperor himself also discreetly slipped across the border under the protection of British troops. He headed for Juba on the White Nile. After a short stay it is rumored that he traveled up the Nile to Cairo and into Exile.


Final battle of the war (were the British involved?)


Ethiopian surrender


Emperor Haile Selassie going into exile


Celebrating Italian troops in Ethiopia

The celebrations were shortlived, in the Governors Palace in Asmara, Badolgio received more news of the British buildup on the Sudanese border. It was estimated that nine British divisions now faced the Italians across the border, a mixture of colonial and national troops.


Downtown Asmara


British troops across the border


When this inormation was relayed from Asmara via Tobruk to Rome, Marshal Italo Balbo the Governor of Lybia was able to intercept the information and use it is push his own agenda.


Marshal Italo Balbo

Back in 1935, as the "Abyssinian Crisis" worsened, Balbo the Governor of Lybia began preparing plans to attack Egypt and the Sudan. Mussolini made his intentions to invade Ethiopia clear and relations between Italy and the United Kingdom became more tense. Fearing a "Mad Dog" act by Mussolini against British forces and possessions in the Mediterranean, Britain reinforced its fleet in the Mediterranean and also reinforced its military forces in Egypt. Should Britain choose to close the Suez Canal, Balbo reasoned, Italian troop transports would be prevented from reaching Eritrea and Somalia. Thinking that the planned attack on Abyssinia would be crippled, Balbo asked for reinforcements in Libya. He calculated that such a gesture would make him a national hero and restore him to the center of the political stage. Three divisions and aircraft were immediately sent from Italy to Libya. Balbo also secretly received intelligence concerning the feasibility of advancing into Egypt and the Sudan from famed Hungarian desert researcher Lszlo Almasy.

By 1 September 1935, Balbo secretly deployed Italian forces along the border with Egypt without the British knowing anything about it. At the time, British intelligence concerning what was going on in Libya was woefully inadequate. In the end, Mussolini rejected Balbo's overly ambitious plan to attack Egypt and the Sudan and London learned about his deployments in Libya from Rome. Lost of the Italian border troops were re-deployed to support the war in Eritrea.


Balbo flying to Rome takes a postcard with him showing Toburk harbour with Italian submarines

Still out of favour in Rome and now further in the shadows after Marshal Badoglio's Ethiopian victory, Balbo dusted the Saharan sands off his previous plans and flew to Rome to state his case for an immediate attack on Egypt and Sudan.

King50000 said:

seems like Balbo wants to openly bite off more then you will be able to chew

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Wait until you see Balbo's plan. They dont look very prepared.

I think I can take on the British by myself but not the French and the British at the same time. The French are a member of the allies but are not allied with the British. Germany is their biggest threat, do you think the French will declare war on me if I declare war on the British?

tommylotto said:

Nice update. Now I need to ask about units. I see the tankettes are different than just light armor. How so? Also are the CCNN motorized like in ICE? Also, I was looking at your map of the Med. showing NAV ranges. What happened to the air base on Rhodes? Finally, have you considered building CAGs without the carriers. Then those islands really would be static carriers. I always look forward to your updates.

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The tankettes (CV-33 to CV-35 for the Italians) are an earlier form of tank, I have classified them as all tanks under 5 ton. They have the same attack values as light armor but are weaker in defensive areas and a bit slower. They share a misture of armoured car and light armour techs. The stats were taken from a HOI2 page. They also add a bit of flavour. It would also be interesting to add them, along with all other armour as support brigades.



CCNN are not motorised in '36 but are upgradeable to semi-motorised (see tech picture below). There is also Blackshirt Elite (equivalent to infantry but with better morale) which can go all the way to motorised. I am still contemplating putting in Blackshirt mechanised and perhaps even Blackshirt Armour. I cant see why not if Italy is outdoing itself compared to its historical results, like in your AAR.



Motorised tech is not dependent on Semi motorised

Good point I forgot about the airbase on Rhodes., I will update the pic. I see the CAG's are superior to the Naval Bombers in all aspects and cheaper, thanks for the tip.

If Balbo can convince Mussolini to take on the British now I may not get the chance to build any.

tommylotto said:

Nice to see Italy get some customization. Maybe unlock those ahistorical units only if Italy performs ahistorically well by 42 -- such as requiring a certain amount of IC and national unity. The semi-motorized is a nice addition that should be available to all nations.

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Thanks tommy. Yes, I agree a certain amount of additional IC and national unity are good thresholds to work from.

Turkey IC25 Yugoslavia IC31 Spain IC44 Switzerland IC19 Greece IC20

80 looks like a good number for IC.

King50000 said:

The Allies have the ability that an attack on 1 is an attack on all, so yes, attacking the British will get the French and all the other Allies attacking you as well. Though the French never do that well in Africa in any of my Italy or Germany games, its the British you have to watch.

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Thanks for the advice. The plan will have to call for war against the entire Franco-British alliance. At the moment, Iraq is the only other power in the alliance that warrants my attention.

Badoglio's War Report - Victory Speech - early May 1936

On the flight to Rome, Balbo was working at a frenetic pace trying to organise and piece together his plan for all out war with Britain and France. Meanwhile in Rome, Mussolini had already finished reading through the campaign reports sent back by Marshal Badoglio from East Africa the day before. Crowds had began to gather in the Palazzo Venezia awaiting Mussolini's victory speech.


Crowds building in the Palazzo Venezia

Satisfied with the report Mussolini turned his mind to his victory speech due to be held the following day. That night he slept fitfully his mind clouded by thoughts of the British declaring war and liberating Ethiopia.

SUMMARY OF BADOGLIO'S REPORT:

Estimated enemy casualties: 98,000
Estimated enemy prisoners: 30,000

Estimated Italian casualties: 12,000

Industrial capacity gained: 4
Metal supplies gained: 1
Energy supplies gained: 3

Revolt chance: low
Threats: Significant British troop build up on Ethiopian-Sudan Border (estimated between 8 to 12 divisions)
​

Mussolini reading through Badoglio's report on the war

Proposed Army promotions:
- Major General Armellini Q. commander of the 5th Alpine Division, I Corps, Northern Front
- Major General Beraudo do Pralormo commander of the 24th Infantry Division, II Corps, Northern Front
- Lt General Zingales commander of the Eritrean Corps, Northern Front
- Major General Giovanni Messe commander of the 4th Eritrean 'Celere' Division, Eritrean Corps, Northern Front
- Major General Giovasio Bitosso commander of the Ovest Basscampi 'Celere' Division, Eritrean Corps (formely of the Ovest Basscampi Corps), Northern Front
- Lt General Frusci commander of the Ogaden Corps, Southern Front
- Major General Oxilia commander of the 1st Arab-Somali Division, Ogaden Corps, Southern Front
- Major General Goida commander of the 1st Somali Dubat Division, Ogaden Corps, Southern Front

Proposed Airforce promotions:
- Major General Nannini - 1st Air Transport Wing, Northern Front
- Air General Pricoli - Northern and Southern Fronts

Lessons learned:
1) Air support - at the battle of Tembien the Regina Aeronatica had shown that a concentrated bombing attack on enemy ground forces engaged in combat with friendly forces could decisively turn affect the outcome of a battle.

2) Binary Divisions - the various binary divisions of the Eritrean and I Corps had performed poorly against stiff resistance. Triangular divisons performed better.

3) Tech/Prod Knowledge - land and air combat knowledge continued to build throughout the entire course of the war while knwledge of all other practicals and theories continued to drop away
​

The next day Mussolini delivered his speech from a balcony of the Palazzo Venezia and declared the establishment of amalgamated colony of Italian East Africa (Italian: Africa Orientale Italiana, or AOI). AOI was to be a colonial administrative subdivision, resulting from the merger of recently conquered Ethiopia with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea.




Mussolini delivering his victory speech

The Italian peoples ardour for further war was strengthened with the victory speech and the fascists popularity increased further. The thought of a renewed Roman Empire increased national pride and lead to thoughts of personal prosperity in the future. The British did not get off lightly in the speech, the rumoured border clash, the support they had given Haile Salaisse in his escape from Jima and now the posturing of the British forces along the Sudan border were all brought up. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy at the thought of the British stealing their spoils of war. Little did Mussolini know that his threatening bravado against the British matched in perfectly with Balbo's plans.

Marshal Italo Balbo touched down at the newly opened Rome Viterbo Airport soon after Mussolini's speech. There was no chance to rest or catch up with old friends and family, he had his appointment with Mussolini booked for the next morning.

This night would be spent behind closed doors planning his proposed campaign against the Franco-British coalition



Balbo busily planning for his meeting

King50000 said:

Might want to wait and build up your techs and troops before starting a major war, the British are not going to be push overs, especially with so many of their troops on your colonial border.

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Balbo has been working on his plan and it looks very solid. Any idea what I would have to do to get a peace deal out of the Allies?

King50000 said:

I have no clue. Ive never fought the Allies as a nation outside of another faction. I think that after a few swapping of provinces on either side after a little while will give you the excuse to sue for peace, either giving you or them any provinces that you or them took from you or them. Or setting the borders back to pre-war settings.

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Thandros said:

IF you want anything out of them then you'll have to go and conquer them unless you give yourself cores on them then a peace deal with the leader will give you cores you have but they own

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Thanks King and Thandros. It sounds like there is some hope of gaining territory. Its a good thing we can a make custom decisions for cores. All within historical and plausible boundaries of course.

damnt512 said:

as always, i love your attention to details

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Thanks mate. The next post isnt so detailed but there will be more coming.

Marshal Balbo's Plan (Drin-drin Plan)

Throughout the night Balbo gathered old plans and continued reworking and combining them into his new grand plan. As dawn broke, he had the workings of a series of campaigns involving a full scale multi-front war with the Allies. A collage of plans if you like.

Mussolini's office was located in Rome's Palazzo Venezia which was also called “Sala del Mappamondo” (hall of the two hemispheres). The large hall was completely empty. Mussolini's desk and an old candelabrum were placed at a corner of the hall. The place was gloomy and mystical.


Mussolini's office

Behind closed doors the grand plan was unveiled.

Executive Summary:

The casus belli for the war was already in place. For a start their was the rumored border skirmish with British troops on the western Sudanese-Ethiopian border during the recent war. The was also the very real threat that the British and French were planning an invasion of Italian East Africa. This was evident by the troop build up of both nations in the region. They wanted to steal Italy's hard won East African Empire for themselves. It was also evident that the British had assisted the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Salaisse escape and now set up a government in exile with which he could undermine Italian efforts to combine Ethiopia into their nation. In addition, Balbo had serious reports of hostile espionage being committed by both the British and French against the Italian nation.

British (8-12 Divisions) and French (2-6 Divisions) buildup in East Africa

British and French espionage

How would Italy win the war against the Allies?

There were three main premises to Balbo's plan relating to a successful land campaign. Firstly in Italian East Africa, the British had made the critical mistake of concentrating their troops along the western Sudanese-Ethiopian Border. This left Sudan proper, British Somaliland and British East Africa very vulnerable. Balbo believed that these factors could be exploited to secure an overwhelming victory in Italian East Africa.

Secondly, further north in Libya, a troop build up originally 'pegged' to secure the Suez in the event that it was closed by the British at the start of Second Ethiopian-Italo War could now be used for this exact same task. British forces in Egypt appeared weak - an Italian attack now is expected to carry through all the way to Beirut. Likewise Italian forces would drive west into French Tunisa and deprive the French of their ports along the Mediterranean coast. Another overwhelming victory was expected in these campaigns.

Balbo's grand plan - later to be dubbed the "Drin-Drin plan" by Mussolini

Thirdly assuming the French join the war, their unprepared forces in the Western Alps will be driven back and the key mainland French ports along the Mediterranean coast secured. A defensive line will be established and these gains held.

The Mediterranean will become a graveyard for Franco-British trade and supply convoys thought incessant patrolling by Italian naval bombers and submarines. The Regina Marina will attempt to engage and defeat the French Mediterranean fleet in a sea battle and where possible smaller RN fleets. The Regina Marina will also be supported by Italian naval bombers and interceptors. Early on an attempt would be made to seize Malta through an amphibious landing by elements of the 7th Army. With the land forces securing all of their objectives, the French and British navies would be all but driven out of the Mediterranean, confined only to Gibraltar and perhaps Cyprus.

It was expected that the British and the French would seek an amicable peace with the loss of these key assets. For the British especially, the loss of the Suez Canal could be a death blow to their Empire in the Far East.


Balbo's ambitious plan both excited and frightened Mussolini. If it was successful it would placate his desires for empire and put Italy as one of the leaders among the first rate powers. After much debate Balbo was able to sway Mussolini's opinion that the attack must come now while the British and French were still unprepared. If they waited, the British and French build up of arms would be unstoppable. “Inactivity is death” Balbo said, reminding Mussolini of one of his personal phrases.



Mussolini now sat back in his chair to contemplate the plan, his fingers subconsciously wandering to the wart on his neck. Years ago when playing with his children, they would push the wart on his neck and he would chime “drin-drin” (Italian for “ding-dong”) for fun.

It was now time to knock on the door of the British.

King50000 said:

Thats a bold plan right there, you are gona have to make sure you have the fire power to push the French out of the mini-maginot line along your border, as well as moving fast to keep British and French naval bombers from doing the same to you as you plan to do to them.

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The campaign for the Little Maginot Line will be very similar to the campaign in Oct 1940 except I will have the element of surprise on my side.

You are starting to worry me by bringing up Allied Naval Bombers

tommylotto said:

Balbo is a madman, but I can't wait to see how he does.

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The stress of it will send Mussolini to an early grave.

mnplastic said:

I really like those photographs you are getting. I would say you have a big plan for numerous operations at once. Italians are not going to sit and wait

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Thanks mn. I am hoping for a short war with some crucial territorial gains, the longer it drags on the worse off I will be.

Rensslaer said:

Wow! Just read through all of this (I started reading when you first started, but didn't notice it was still going). An excellently detailed AAR, with great flavor pics and explanations that really draw the reader in!

How confident are you of victory against the French/British? I don't recall that I've ever seen this kind of plan played out. How does Germany figure into your planning, if at all? You say you're aligning to Axis, so -- do you intend to make them a minor partner?

Very ambitious -- looking forward to seeing more.

Rensslaer

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Thanks Rensslaer.

My best forces and a significant bulk of my forces are in Ethiopia, if I can win there and drive north I will be able to sustain a longer war by shipping forces back to Italy. This should keep the French at bay.

I wanted to join the Axis but now I am not so sure. If I join, I know I can't get a peace deal, there will be perpetual war between the Axis and Allies. This is a fall back plan. The Germans will have to save me.