AAR #4
ITALIA
NEW POST JANUARY 21st
NORTH AMERICAN MP GAME
http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?573357-North-America-Series-FTM/page1
During the period of July 30th to December 31st, the Mediterranean theater saw its share of events, as usual. The Cartagine Operation was repelled by the British, while the Operation Zanzibar encountered great success. At the same time, Italia, supported by Germany, invaded Yugoslavia freed Albania and reunified its core provinces to the Roman Empire. Finally, war with Greece was declared, as the Italian-German troops moved South of the Albanian newly freed territories and the ashes of what was once known as Yugoslavia…
THE TUNIS TRAP
Il Popolo d’Italia
July 30th – August 20th 1940
“
Our soldiers have a tendency to surrender. If they can see how well their life would be in the other countries, how will we manage to keep them?”, Duce’s thoughts at a dinner with Ciano, Vice-Governor of the Ethiopian Protectorate and of all African territories.
Lured by the possibility of catching the convoy supplying the troops in Tunis, the British CAGs Fleet moved swiftly into the Tunis Gulf by July 22nd. They did sink one convoy on July 22nd then, they searched in vain, for any new convoys for the next 20 days…
This was the opportunity the Regia Aeronauticai was waiting for and it seized it, without hesitation. By dawn, on August 10th, both the Flottilla Aeronautica I & II (NAV Bombers) of Piacentini and Balbo, supported by the Cacciatore Squadriglia I (Interceptors, under the command of young ace Pellegrini), fell from the sky on the Birtish Fleet. For 10 days, the British CAGs Air Force and the Regia Aeronautica faced each other, the latter winning 90% of the fights. Famous Aces, like Franco Lucchini, Adriano Visconti and Teresio Martinoli, terrorized the RAF during what would be later known as the Great Air Battle of Tunis. During that period, the CAGs Fleet was hit multiple time and the RAF lost many airplanes, while the Regia Aeronautica lost few aircrafts. With that Battle, the Regia Aeronautica got his revenge on the Regia Marina, and as such, the Admiral Domenico Cavagnari lost the confidence of Il Duce, our beloved Leader Mussolini.
But while the war was turning to the Italian advantage in the air and at sea, on the ground, the picture was less rosy…
The failure of Operation Cartagine
In order to slow down the Free French and British advance, the 22a Divisione Cacciatori delle Alpi dig itself in the mountain pass of Sidi Bouzid on July 30th. Major Rossi troops fought for 2 days before being overrun by the Allies force, as a quick British landing in the port of Sousse cut his supply line.
Entrenched in Tunis and its surrounding, Major Silvestri and his men from the 3a Divisione Ravenna held the place for 5 days. Defending Tunis with all their heart and their 120 mm pieces of artillery, the Italians offered a stiff resistance. On day 2, the 14th regiment was hit from forces coming from South and West and it shattered after 48 hours of continuous fighting. On day 4, the 15th regiment, while trying to retreat to the inner city, was overrun by the Free French armor troops. On the last day of the battle, the 16th regiment finally surrendered. The Allies were then able to seize control of the last sectors of the city that were still not under their controls, the southern suburbs of Tunis. In the battle, the Italians lost 10 000 men, either killed, wounded or POW. Major Silvestri was awarded the Military Order of Savoy for his courage and to honor the fight of his men against a vastly superior Allies army.
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The origin of the Military Order of Savoy is be traced back to the first honorary degrees granted by Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia to its soldiers, later this degrees went into disuse because of the Napoleonic regime in Italy and especially in Piedmont. On the 1st of April 1815 these honorary degrees were used again by Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and later abolished on the 14th of August of the same year. Later again, all of these honorary degrees become part of one, and became, the Military Order of Savoy. This military order was to be granted to the soldiers who fought in the Italian army of Napoleon and became part of the Legion of Honor (or either obtained the honorary degree of Order of the Iron Crown) due to military merit. This honorary degree was conceded to everyone no matter what religion or rank the soldier was. This degree was a typically French honorary degree. Another purpose this Order was created to reward all other kind of military merit, to the simple soldier and up to the high-ranked officer, that performed a special military feat during battle. Source: Wiki.
NDLR: Because of the swift British counterattack, it appeared very quickly that the invasion was unsustainable. The 1st problem was the total inability of the Regia Marina to ensure the safety of any cargo fleet in the sector, which resulted in all the reinforcement to be recalled before entering the Tunis Gulf Sea zone. So, as early as July 26th, the Italian invading forces were condemned to a pitiful destiny.
While the whole operation allowed Italia to hit the British CAGs Fleet, the invasion of Tunis proved premature, as it was quickly repelled and Italia could not sustain the ambitious plan with proper means. Switching to air supply gave great results as Italia was able to protect (most of the time) its aerial bridge, but nonetheless, tactical superiority was unable to defeat the British material superiority.
OPERATION “ANNUNZIO”
Il Popolo d’Italia
Fall 1940
“
In the name of all those who died defending Italia unity, I pledge to honor the sacred cause of Fiume… Fiume or Death”, August 31st 1919, Riccardo Frassetto, while planning the 1919 coup of Fiume.
The future of Fiume was discussed at the Paris Peace Conference during the course of 1919. Italy based its claim on the fact that Italians were the largest single nationality within the city, 88% of total. Croats made up most of the remainder and were also a majority in the surrounding area, including the neighbouring town of Sušak. On 10 September 1919, the Treaty of Saint-Germain was signed declaring the Austro-Hungarian monarchy dissolved. Negotiations over the future of the city were interrupted two days later when a force of Italian nationalist irregulars led by the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio seized control of the city by force; d'Annunzio eventually established a state, the Italian Regency of Carnaro. On 12 November, Italy and Yugoslavia concluded the Treaty of Rapallo, under which Rijeka was to be an independent state, the Free State of Fiume, under a regime acceptable to both. D'Annunzio's response was characteristically flamboyant and of doubtful judgment: his declaration of war against Italy invited the bombardment by Italian royal forces which led to his surrender of the city at the end of the year, after five days' resistance. Italian troops took over in January 1921. The Treaty of Rome (27 January 1924), which assigned Rijeka to Italy and Sušak to Yugoslavia, with joint port administration, finally settle the dispute between the two countries. Formal Italian annexation (16 March 1924) inaugurated twenty years of Italian government. Source: Wiki
The Balkans Campaign
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Avenging d’Annunzio
On the eve of October, the German and Italian troops entered the Yugoslavian territories. Provocations by Yugoslavians were denounced by the Italian government as early as 1937. Initially hoping to settle this peacefully --- Italia brought this matter to the League of Nations before the war --- Italia had no other choice than to declare war on a stubborn and unimaginative neighbor, after 3 years of unsuccessful talks. While the German panzers were progressing steadily toward Belgrade, divisions of the Armata VIII “Truppe Albania”, under the command of General Grossi, launched a frontal assault on the entrenched Yugoslavian divisions in Slovenia. Supported by artillery and the Aerial Bombardieri Squadriglia I & II, the Italian divisions quickly broke their foe, forcing many of them to surrender. Attacked for everywhere, the Yugoslavians tried to withdraw behind Zagreb but, as their supply lanes were cut by the German advance, troops were left without clear directive and thus, surrender one after the other. The front collapsed in less than a week. By the end of October, Italian flag was standing in every ports along the coast, except two (Split and Dubrovnik are part of the German protectorate). Above all, Fiume was reattached to the Roman Empire, as was Dalmatia. A great victory for Fascism.
Tirane liberated
Not waiting for Belgrade to surrender, the Armata VIII advanced units, e.g. Corpo V, push forward toward Tirane. News quickly spread that the British garrisons had left a few days earlier. The city fell without any shot being fired. The campaign allowed Italia to recover the oil Albanian fields near of Tirane.
The Old Feud
In 1939, the High Command proposed to our Beloved Leader, Benito Mussolini, to issue an ultimatum to the Greek. The quarrel over Crete and Kerkyra (the province along the border of Albania, mostly populated by Italians) could not be settled through diplomatic means. The League of Nations, probably after a British request, postponed the audience and talks could not proceed. Even if it was tempting, the ultimatum was postponed as it came at the same time the British were invading Sicilia. Italian war effort, at the time, could not be diverted from its main priority: protect the main land.
What could not be made in 1939, for sure could be done in late 1940. As such, the Axis declared a full war against Greece in late December. The Axis Balkans campaign was making a rather swift progress, as Bulgaria had just surrendered, a couple of days after Yugoslavia. Greek resistance at the fortress of Ioannina was valiant but the combined effort of Divisions Messina, Aosta, Cosseria and Pavia, supported by the Gruppo I di Bombardieri d’Assalto (Drago y Centauro squadriglias) prevailed. Italians losses were minimal, while the Greeks left behind all their material and supply.
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OPERATION “ZANZIBAR”: THE AFRICAN HORN IS ROMAN AGAIN
Il Popolo d’Italia
October 1940
“
I announce, to the Italian people and to the world, that Peace was re-established, our Peace, the Roman Peace, Ethiopia is, as the whole East African Horn of Africa, Italian”, said Benito Mussolini, on a public meeting on the Piazza Venezia, after the news that Italians troops re-occupying the port of Assad (Eritrea) spread in the city.
Free French and British possessions falling at the hand of the Camice Nere
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The Italians kept advancing in Kenya throughout the Fall, until they encountered territories with such a low infrastructure level that no advance could be done South. The 7a Divisioni Cirene was ordered to entrenched itself and defend the new coast, South of Mombasa, at all cost. The advance toward Belgium uranium field in Congo, even if planned on paper, could not be fulfilled on the field. An invasion from the East proved to be impossible.
At the same time, and with less help than hoped from the Ethiopian Army, but some help even though, the 151 Divisioni Peruga, and the 153 Divisioni Palerma moved North, trying to encircled the Free French army in Djibouti. The French were able to move out in time, but Italia was able to seize the land and secure all the ports in the area but one (as Djibouti is still a Free French possession, for the moment). The Free French army was defeated in fierce fighting in the mountains, where the lack of infrastructures proved to be a real hurdle to any quick resolution of the Zanzibar operation.
NDLR: Looking North, the Italians can now assess how they will implement the second part of the Zanzibar Operation, e.g. freeing Sudan from the British domination and occupying the South-East Coast of the Arabic Peninsula. As expected, the low infrastructure level was a real drag to any operation in the region. Nonetheless, we were able to fully reach our objectives. The contribution of the Ethiopian army was rather small as the Puppet did not commit to take the targets that were assigned to him. The Camice Nere troops had to do the job all by themselves, the Ethiopians coming after to pacify the few pockets left behind.
