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superjames1992

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Aug 11, 2010
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benito-mussolini1.jpeg

The man ... the legend ... the one and only IL DUCE!!!

It is time to finish (er... restart?) what I started quite a few months back before I lost my save when I upgraded to HPP 2.0.4. It is time to explore that path of taking on Italy in the HPP mod.

Italy is an interesting country to play with, but the HPP mod takes it to a whole new level. Italy's IC is greatly lessened (you start at ~82 IC). In addition, most countries in the Balkans (and otherwise) have their independence guaranteed by someone or another, so it is not possible for Italy to go on a warring rampage through the Balkans and beyond in 1938 before World War II breaks out. The British will not sit back and watch while Italy seizes the Balkans (as they likely wouldn't have in real life, either).

Anyways, off we go! I have quite a bit of free time while I am on my Spring Break, so I should be able to easily handle this along with my ongoing AARs with Germany and the United Kingdom (HOI3 is the only strategy game that I really play on a consistent basis).

I will be playing on medium difficulty and will start from the 1936 scenario (though it is not as if you have a choice with HPP)
 
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Chapter 1
The War in Abyssinia
January 1st - February 29th, 1936


It was in the wee hours of the morning of January 1st, 1936 and the Kingdom of Italy's armed forces were currently invading Abyssinia. It was on this morning that Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini (though, in actuality, Il Duce was nothing but an authoritarian dictator) had what he described as a "life-changing experience". Mussolini had a "vision", as he called it, that would change Italy's course forever.

As Mussolini observed the tactical maps of the invasion of Abyssinia on the morning of the 1st, he was suddenly struck with the complete lack of strategic thought put into it. Mussolini had previously left most of the invasion to his generals, but after reviewing their plans that morning, he felt that he must begin to intervene more often in his military's tactical affairs. His generals, he believed, were largely incompetent and he, being the great military tactician he was (or at least he thought he was), must spoon-feed them if Italy hoped to gain from the increasingly hostile continent that Europe had become.

The first order of business was for all militia troops to be recalled from the Eritrean Front. These non-professional troops provided little value, particularly in an offensive war such as this. All they did was drain supplies in an area in which logistics were already exceedingly difficult. The infrastructure in Abyssinia was putrid and could not support a large, lumbering army as Italy currently employed in the region. However, on the Sudanese Front, the four militia divisions would remain until the war's conclusion as there were simply no professional divisions available on that front.

With the reshuffling, a general halt to offensive operations was ordered by Il Duce, who had declared himself "Commander-in-Chief" of all Italian armed forces, including the Regio Esercito. On January 8th, what had developing into a de facto ceasefire was broken when the 29a Divisione along with two militia divisions assaulted an Abyssinian militia division at Mustahill. The Abyssinians were outclassed and outnumbered and were forced to retreat on January 11th after suffering horrendous causalities in the face of the Italian assault. In all, over 220 Abyssinians were killed in the assault while only 11 Italian fatalities were reported.

On the 15th of January, the light cruiser RM Eugenio di Savoia was commissioned as the newest member of the Regia Marina.

On January 18th, the Eritrean Front saw hostilities resumed when a general assault began all across the front. Eight professional divisions began advancing against the Abyssinian defenses. Unlike on the Somalian Front, the Abyssinians on the Eritrean Front would have much more success as northeastern Abyssinia was very mountainous and was excellent defensive territory. Contrarily, Southern Abyssinia, along the Somalian Front, was mostly flat desert and was much more suited for swift offensive operations. This would play out as the war developed as, despite having the majority of her forces deployed along the Eritrean Front, much more offensive progress was seen in the South.

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Fighting broke out again on the Eritrean Front on January 18th.

Over the next two weeks, battles were won at Afrera Terrar in northeastern Abyssinia and at Feerfeer in the South. Serdo was taken in early February and by the end of the first week of February, Italian forces had essentially marched unopposed into Nazret and Awash. The capture of these areas put the Abyssinian capital of Adis Abeba at great danger. Shortly thereafter, on the 11th of February, Italian forces began to mount an offensive against the Abyssinian capital city.

The 29a Divisione, Divisione Libya, and 6a Divisione CCNN would mount the final assault on the city, which was only defended by the 1st Begemder Sefari and the Abyssinian theater headquarters brigade.

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The Battle of Adis Abeba begins.

The Regia Aeronautica saw its first extensive action at Adis Abeba as several squadrons of medium bombers launched attacks on Abyssinian defenses in and around the city. Mussolini decred that special attention was paid to try to minimize collateral damage as Il Duce had hoped to establish a puppet regime in Ethiopia after it had been conquered. Mussolini saw no real value to the invasion of Abyssinia and, in the event of war, especially if it were against Britain or France, he saw no way that he would be able to adequately defend Abyssinia.

Adis Abeba finally fell on the 21st of February after a long battle in which Abyssinian forces suffered considerable casualties. Blood was spilled by Italy, as well, however, as nearly 50 Italians gave their lives in the assault.

Ironically, the most intense fighting of the war was still ongoing on northeastern Absynnian as the Eritrean Front had developed into a sort of gridlock. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the Battle of Maych'ew, which, though it was tactically an Italian victory, was disastrous as far as morale and manpower was concerned. Outnumbered Italian forces found it hard to mount a capable offensive in the treacherous terrain. By the end of the battle, nearly 900 Italian servicemen had given their lives. Abyssinian casualties were considerably less, numbering just under 500.

Nevetheless, on February 24th, Emperor Haile Selassie I fled the country and Abyssinia surrendered. On February 25th, a puppet regime was installed in Adis Abeba. Surprisingly to some outsiders, the new regime was given control not only of all of Abyssinia but also of the entirety of Italian Eritrea. Italy did retain its colony in Somalia, but the entirety of Italian Eritrea was annexed into the new nation of Ethiopia. Of course, Ethiopia was a client state of Italy, but this move greatly lessened the pressure that the international community had been placing on Italy as a result of her war of conquest. Also, with the German reoccupation of the Rhineland in early February, some international pressure was placed on Adolf Hitler's German Reich, which helped to ease the international scorn against Mussolini's endeavor in East Africa.

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The borders of Ethiopia following its "restoration".

The League of Nations formally relinquished the sanctions that had been enacted against Italy on February 27th. On the same day, Italian forces demobilized. Finally, after several months of war dating back to 1935, Italy was at peace. But, though Italy's armed forces were now demobilized and the Italian population settled back into a peacetime mindset, Mussolini had other plans. It was now Italy's time to take back what was hers. After his visions on the morning of New Year's, Mussolini was convinced that he was the man to lead Italy back to greatness! He was the man to restore Italy to what she once was! He was the man to restore the Roman Empire!
 
Hurrah for more HPP AARs!

I like the annex-release of Ethiopia, to give it Eritrea. Italy's one of the most interesting countries to play IMO so good luck with it!
 
I'm gonna follow this.

Good luck!
Thanks! :)

Am in too. Nice start, good luck
Thanks! :)

Hurrah for more HPP AARs!

I like the annex-release of Ethiopia, to give it Eritrea. Italy's one of the most interesting countries to play IMO so good luck with it!
HPP has totally transformed HOI3 for me. HOI3 had gotten stale for me, then I discovered HPP this summer and it all changed! :)

The reason I gave Ethiopia Eritrea was to give it a port so that I could trade with it. I think it will work out well, although when/if I end up at war with the Allies, Ethiopia will be indefensible. I plan on completely abandoning Ethiopia and will let them fend for themselves.
 
Chapter 2
Rearmament Begins
March 1st - December 31st, 1936


With the war in Abyssinia over, Mussolini was finally able to turn his focus back towards domestic issues as well as rearmament. It was clear that Italy's armed forces were currently not in proper shape to be able to take on the great military powers of the West. Italy's army was considered rather backwards when compared to Britain's or France's and her navy, while formidable, was also largely considered to be inferior. Italy did have a decently strong air force, though.

The first thing that must be dealt with, Mussolini decided, was to retrain the militia troops. The Regio Esercito had over 30 militia brigades in its arsenal. These militia brigades were a drain on manpower and were largely ineffective in combat, particularly when on the offensive as Mussolini hoped to be when war eventually would break out.

In a meeting between Mussolini and his General Staff, it was decided to retrain all of Italy's militia into specialized Alpine Mountain Brigades. If Mussolini was going to reclaim many of Rome's former conquests, his forces would have to fight through all kinds of territory, including mountains in the Balkans and Asia Minor and deserts in North Africa and the Middle East. Italy would need a formidable force of mountain brigades to be able to mount an offensive in these environmental conditions.

Mussolini also decided to build a second fleet for the Regia Marina made up of modern battleships and cruisers. The new fleet would have four battleships, two heavy cruisers, and four light cruisers. Work would initially begin on the two battleships, but it was hoped that the fleet would be ready in full by 1941, at the latest.

Italy's current standard infantry divisions consisted of two brigades of infantry and one brigade of artillery. To increase the strength of the Regio Esercito's fighting divisions, an addition artillery division was to be added to all infantry divisions. In the future, Italian infantry divisions would consist of two infantry brigades and two artillery brigades. The makeup of these divisions would be excellent for fighting in the Balkans, though against more industrialized foes such as Britain, France, and perhaps even the Bolsheviks, it may be prudent to replace one of the artillery brigades with a tank destroyer brigade.

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A look at the production que showing the upgrading of the militia troops to Alpine mountain brigades.

On March 25th, 1936, Mussolini made his first provocative move. Feeling isolated on the international stage following the fallout of the war in Ethiopia, Italy declined to sign the Second London Naval Treaty. Mussolini even went further and outright left the naval treaties, declaring them to be "creations of the socialists and leftists to limit Italian power".

Great Britain, France, and the United States signed the Second London Naval Treaty, but the Empire of Japan, like Italy, declined to sign the treaty as Japan began to gear up for war against China.

On April 2nd, a new flotilla of submarines was deployed to Sicily. This was the last submarine flotilla that would be constructed in the near future as Mussolini would divert all naval resources towards building a new surface fleet that could challenge the Royal Navy and the Marine Nationale in the Mediterranean.

On May 15th, a civil war broke out in Spain between the existing Socialist government and Francisco Franco and his fascists. Of course, being a fascist himself, Benito Mussolini immediately pledged his support of Franco's movement in Spain.

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Civil War in Spain!

A week later, Mussolini announced that thousands of soldiers and many tonnes of supplies and war materiel would be shipped to Spain to aid Franco in his quest against the Socialists. German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler did, as well, which helped to strengthen the already-growing relations between Germany and Italy. Austria remained a major point of argument as Italy favored an independent Austria while Germany wished to annex Austria into her own country, however. Until these conflicts could be ironed out, an Italo-German alliance was out of the question.

In August, the Games of the XI Olympiad were had in Berlin. It was a tremendous success and greatly increased Germany's prestige around the world. It was becoming clear that Germany was emerging from the shackles of Versailles and was on the road to becoming a major player in European politics.

On October 2nd, King George V of the United Kingdom died. His son, Edward VIII, succeeded him as King. Edward VIII maintained friendly relations with Germany and it was thought that with him as the monarch in Great Britain, relations between Hitler's Germany and the UK Great Britain would grow.

On the evening of October 2nd, Italy signed the Anti-Comintern Pact. The Anti-Comintern Pact was another step on the road to an Italo-German Alliance, though no formal one yet existed. However, with both Germany and Italy being fascistic governments, they were united in their hatred of Communism and all it stood for. The Bolsheviks in the East looked very ominous in the mid-1930s and many countries in Central and Eastern Europe became increasingly worried, Germany and Italy included.

The rest of the year was relatively uneventful. Mussolini concerned himself primarily with internal matters as Italy's industry began to quietly and discreetly gear up for war. Italian spies had been working to increase the perceived threat posed by neighboring Yugoslavia as Mussolini had a burning desire to control the Balkans and began to recreate what Rome once was. Meanwhile, propagandists in Italy worked to persuade the populations that war may be necessary in the future. The State-controlled media began to print newspapers detailing the horrible atrocities being committed against ethnic Italians in other countries, especially Yugoslavia.

Mussolini's plan was going nearly perfectly. He disliked that his nation was slowly drifting away from Britain and France, but he seemed to have found a new ally in Germany. He had a deep desire to control the Balkans, but he knew that Britain and France were unlikely to sit idly by while he pillaged his way through Sarajevo, Belgrade, and other Balkan cities. In this, he had a potential ally in Hitler, though. Mussolini knew that, sooner or later, Hitler was likely to get involved in a war against Britain and France, himself. With the Allies focused on Germany, that could be his chance to strike for the Balkans and beyond. The Suez Canal was in reach of Libya and the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits in Turkey were not out of reach, either. The sky was the limit for Italian expansionism, Mussolini thought, as he gazed out the window as 1936 turned to 1937 in Rome.

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A view of Italy, sans her colonies, at the end of 1936
 
Chapter 3
Fascism Grows Ever Stronger
January 1st - December 31st, 1937


1937 started with a bang when Stanley Baldwin resigned as British Prime Minister following the fallout from the Wallis Simpson scandal. Anthony Eden replaced Baldwin as Prime Minister while Edward VIII weathered the storm and maintained his status as King of England, despite some protests for him to step down and abdicate the throne.

In February, work on the first of four planned Italian battleships began. The new battleship was to be of the Vittorio Veneto Class and it was thought that, as head of a Regia Marina fleet, it could help to challenge the Royal Navy for domination of the Mediterranean Sea. In March, work began on a second Vittorio Veneto Class battleship.

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The two battleships were let to be named.

Meanwhile, some industrial capacity was devoted to the production of new factories as Italy began to increase its industrialization in preparation for war.

On March 15th, the Civil War in Spain ended with Francisco Franco and his fascists defeating the Socialists. The Spanish State was established. This was a huge delight to Mussolini as it gave Italy another potential fascist ally.

The Italian expeditionary army that participated in the conflict was sent home soon thereafter. Much valuable experience was gained from the conflict in Spain and it was a huge propaganda success for Mussolini at home.

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A look at the Iberian Peninsula following the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War.

In April, with the process of retraining the militia divisions finally complete, work began on building the equipment and training the men needed for 28 new artillery brigades, which would be added to every regular Italian infantry division. This process would take awhile, but with its completion, each Italian infantry division would be as good as any infantry division any other nation could field.

On July 17th, war erupted in China following a skirmish at the Marco Polo Bridge. Immediately, the Imperial Japanese Army crossed over the border into China. The Japanese would make quick progress.

By September, Beijing was conquered and much of Northern China was now under Japanese control. Shanxi surrendered on September 13th. Japanese forces were now beginning to push into the portion of China that was under Mao's communist rule.

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The situation in China, circa September 1937.

In October, Mussolini was invited by Hitler to Germany. Hitler would give Mussolini a full-scale tour of Germany from the French border to the Polish frontier during the first week of October. Mussolini was extremely impressed by the work Hitler had done in transforming and rearming Germany.

At the same time, Mussolini was weary of a formal alliance with Hitler. He feared that Hitler was a bit overreaching and, though he had no doubt that a Germany under Hitler could conquer vast tracts of land, he worried that Hitler might eventually overextend himself. In addition, Mussolini worried that he may play second-fiddle in an alliance with the German Reich.

At the same time, Italy was becoming increasingly isolated in the international community and needed a strong ally. Germany could be that ally.

The Austrian situation was the biggest obstacle to a formal alliance, though. However, during Mussolini's week in Germany, he and Hitler discussed the Austrian matter thoroughly. In the end, Hitler refused to back down on the Austrian question, but gave Mussolini a promise that he was free to do with the Balkans and North Africa as he saw fit.

Essentially, Hitler demanded Austria but have given Mussolini a free reign elsewhere to restore the Roman Empire. Mussolini, realizing this, finally began to back down on the Austrian issue.

On October 16th, this culminated in a full-scale Italo-German Alliance. It was formally known as the "Pact of Steel", though many referred to the alliance as the Axis Powers. Europe's two greatest fascistic nations had now linked their fates together. Europe was heading towards war and just about every sensible person knew it. The question was if, not when.
 
Quick Updates! I see the Pact of Steel is fully underway. Hitler's Germany may be a useful ally, but don't let them stop you from rebuilding the Roman Empire!
 
Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!
 
I like the annex-release of Ethiopia, to give it Eritrea. Italy's one of the most interesting countries to play IMO so good luck with it!

Unless I'm mistaken, you don't really need to do that. You can simply puppet them, then use the "Give back territory" decision, since you don't have cores on those provinces while they do :)
 
Unless I'm mistaken, you don't really need to do that. You can simply puppet them, then use the "Give back territory" decision, since you don't have cores on those provinces while they do :)
On Semper FI (HPP mod) if you puppeting Ethiopia you always give that territory back... So i had.
 
Quick Updates! I see the Pact of Steel is fully underway. Hitler's Germany may be a useful ally, but don't let them stop you from rebuilding the Roman Empire!
Oh, I won't! I also must make sure that I take leadership in the future wars. I don't want Mussolini to be Hitler's you-know-what as he was in real life! :laugh:

Updates should be quick initially (plus, I don't like to focus too much on the pre-war stuff as I oftentimes find it a bit boring as a writer and a reader), but will slow down once I go back to University next week.

Great start, but without the Germans as alliance you can make the Holy Roman empire so try it without them! (It's still you're choise :p)
I'm going to join Hitler in his quest for now, but perhaps later on when (not if!) the Allies and Comintern are defeated, I can take on Germany.

So much of the former Roman Empire is either part of or guaranteed by the Allies that I am bound to be at war with the West at some point, so I might as well and make a formal alliance with the Fuhrer. For example, Yugoslavia is guaranteed by France, though if I can raise their threat levels high enough, perhaps I can make a DOW against them and France will not honor their guarantee, especially if they are occupied with Germany's rise.

For now, I'm mainly focusing on the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa, though much of France and Spain were also once parts of the Roman Empire. Of course, England was, too...

I find it weird i always see a shade of green in France & Spain with HPP, game looks to be going good so far.
Some of the colors in HPP are a bit different (USSR being a deeper red, Japan being a deeper yellow, etc.).

Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out!
Thanks!

Unless I'm mistaken, you don't really need to do that. You can simply puppet them, then use the "Give back territory" decision, since you don't have cores on those provinces while they do :)
I think you are right, Slan. I didn't think about that.

On Semper FI (HPP mod) if you puppeting Ethiopia you always give that territory back... So i had.
Ah, well, it worked out either way. :)
 
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Chapter 4
The Peaceful Conquests
January 1st - December 31st, 1938


In late January, Germany began to mobilize her armed forces in preparation for the Anschluss of Austria. Austria was annexed on February 3rd, 1938, heating up old fears of German expansionism. Nevertheless, Austria was Hitler's homeland and it had a significant German-speaking population, so perhaps it should rightfully be part of Germany?

Nevertheless, France mobilized her armed forces on the 15th of February.

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Germany after Austria's annexation in February.

On March 9th, Germany signed a decree recognizing the Japanese puppet State of Manchukuo as relations between Berlin and Tokyo continued to warm.

In April, the last of the serial order of artillery support brigades was rolled out. From now on, every regular Italian infantry division would consist of two infantry and two artillery brigades.

With free industrial production available, production immediately began on five light armored divisions.

On July 6th, following the Treaty of Munich, Germany annexed the German-majority region of Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia. Neither France nor Britain raised a finger to stop Germany. In fact, both countries, along with Italy, supported Germany. British Prime Minister Anthony Eden went as far as to say that now Europe can have "peace in our time".

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Czechoslovakian soldiers abandon their defenses as Germany annexes the Sudetenland.

On the 2nd of August, research on marine infantry was completed and five new marine divisions were ordered to be trained. They would be ready in early 1939.

The rest of the year would pass with few major world events, with the exception of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in November.

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Italy at the end of 1938.
 
Lots of Marines. I do enjoy my Italian Specialist Divisions.
 
Chapter 5
The Invasion of Albania
January 1st - March 31st, 1939


On January 27th, five new marine divisions were deployed at Taranto.

In early February, a short skirmish between Soviet and Japanese forces ended in a victory for the Russians. However, the Soviets did not wish to press the issue with a resurgent Germany beginning to expand to her west and signed a ceasefire just days later returning the borders back to the status quo.

February 7th, 1939 will always be remembered as the day that Europe began to explode.

First, Germany backed Josef Tiso's Slovakian nationalists as they declared Slovakia to be an independent country. Meanwhile, in the ensuing chaos, German troops marched into Czechoslovakia unopposed and deposed the Czechoslovakian government. Germany annexed the western portion of Czechoslovakia, creating the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The new nation of Slovakia was formed in central Czechoslovakia while Hungary annexed the eastern portions of the Czechoslovakian nation.

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Czechoslovakia was partitioned between Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary.

With this takeover of Czechoslovakia, the Allies realized that Germany could not be stopped diplomatically. The only way the Germans could be stopped was by the barrel of a gun. Thus, they guaranteed the independence of Poland. If Germany threatened Poland's territorial boundaries, the Britain and France would have no choice but to declare war against Germany.

However, these were not the only events of February 7th.

Earlier in February, an ultimatum was delivered to King Zog I of Albania. Italy gave him two choices. He either was to abdicate and allow his kingdom to be annexed into the Kingdom of Italy and receive a large sum of money in return or Italy would declare war on Albania and take the small nation by force.

Unfortunately for all parties involved, Zog I took the latter option and on February 7th, Italy, believing the rest of Europe to be distracted by the events in Czechoslovakia, declared war on Albania.

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Zog I refused to abdicate, prompting an Italian invasion of Albania.

Immediately, new laws were enacted to help to mobilize the economy to support the war effort. It was expected that this action would increase Italy's industrial output by roughly 25%. In addition, all Italian armed forces were mobilized as Italy prepared to go to war.

The main fleet of the Regia Marine immediately set sail into the Adriatic with their eyes set on the Albanian coast. The battleships' big guns wreaked havoc on the Albanian defenses while several squadrons of medium bombers pummeled any Albanian troops along the coastline.

On February 8th, 1a Eritrea Divsione and 2a Eritrea Divisione landed at Lezhe in northern Albania and immediately began to march south to take the Albanian capital of Tirane, which was already under fire by the Regia Marine and Italian bombers.

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The Battle of Tirane was a decisive Italian victory.

The Albanians were outmatched qualitatively and quantitatively. They never had a chance. After a few skirmishes and battles, Tirane was taken on February 12th, with very few casualties being suffered by the two Italian divisions.

On February 13th, Albania formally surrendered and was annexed into the Kingdom of Italy. King Zog I of Albania fled into exile in Greece.

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Albania was annexed into the Kingdom of Italy.

The British mobilized their armed forces on the 13th following the Italian aggression against Albania. The German expansionism in Northern Europe also likely played a role, as well.

With the economic reforms due to the war, Italy's industrial capacity now allowed it to become a "Major Power". This greatly increased Italy's ability to research most projects and would allow Italy's armed forces to modernize and keep on par with other major powers' armed forces. However, for now, most Italian research was geared towards the training of new officers as Italy geared up for war against Yugoslavia.

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Italy is now a "Major Power"!

Hungary and the Empire of Japan were also accepted into the Axis on February 14th and on the 17th, Poland mobilized her armed forces.

In March, five new infantry divisions were ordered, though it would be some time before they could be deployed. Taxes were also raised as Italy was now running a budget deficit due to the increased spending due to the mobilization.

It should be noted that Italy did not demobilize following Albania's defeat as Italy geared up for a declaration of war against Yugoslavia on April 1st.