FUORI DELLA STORIA L’UOMO È NULLA
January 1st 1936 – May 2nd 1938
NEW POST JUNE 21st
NORTH AMERICA SERIES GAME #4
Players (11/11): AXIS (Germany, Italy, Japan & Romania), ALLIES (UK, USA, France, China, Canada & Australia), KOMINTERN (USSR)
IL FASCI ITALIANI DI COMBATTIMENTO
Il Spazio vitale
Agenzia Stefani *
Summer 1936
Today, our Beloved Leader, Benito Mussolini, Il Duce, in an address to the Nation, made an important statement. We are reporting here the main part of His address.
“Italians, proud members of Il Partito Nazionale Fascista, today is a day to remember.
We promised, 15 years ago, to bring to Italy its past glory. In 1923, our actions allowed Italy to occupy the Greek island of Corfu. In 1924, Fiume was brought back to Italy by the strength of our will. Then, after years of hard work, we delivered the colonies of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan, unified in 1934 in our colony of Italian Libya.
Now, with the fall of Addis Ababa, the Second Italo–Abyssinian War brought us a complete victory in East Africa. What was once Ethiopia is now a part of what will be known, from now on, as Africa Orientale Italiana . Yes, my dear Italians, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somaliland no longer exist as distinct entities.
I appointed Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta, as Viceroy and Governor General of Africa Orientale Italiana and instructed him to ensure a peaceful and harmonious development of this latest addition to the New roman Empire.
Il Spazio vitale is now a reality.”
* Agenzia Stefani was the leading press agency in Italy from the mid-19th century until the end of World War II. It was founded by Guglielmo Stefani on January 26, 1853 in Turin, and was closed in 29 April 1945 in Milan. After the rise of fascism, Benito Mussolini grasped the potential usefulness of such a tool and on April 8, 1924, he placed Agenzia Stefani under the control of the sansepolcriste (Italian Fascist supporter) Manlio Morgagni who, in a short time, transformed the voice of the government within Italy as well as abroad. Source: Wiki.
La dottrina del fascismo
Agenzia Stefani
Winter 1937
His vision is not that of an ordinary man. Our Beloved Leader, Benito Mussolini, Il Duce, was wise when he dared challenge the tradition of instruction. Throughout Italy, now, we can see how he changed the way Italians think. He transformed them into something greater then themselves. He gave to their life, a meaning.
Here are some extracts of what every Italians is now well aware of: “
The Fascist accepts life and loves it, knowing nothing of and despising suicide; he rather conceives of life as duty and struggle and conquest, life, which should be high and full, lived for oneself, but not, above all, for others — those who are at hand, and those who are far distant, contemporaries, and those who will come after.”
This new way of defining themselves will allow Italians, in time, to prevail over the roughness of life. A new era is coming, an era in which Italy will be called upon to play a major role.
La classe Littorio: ultima e più perfezionata tra le navi da battaglia
Agenzia Stefani
Fall 1937
As per by-law 1937-00345, Il Duce, leader of Fascist Italy, ordered that the keels for Vittorio Veneto, Littorio, Roma and Impero be laid down on October 5th 1937, at the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico shipyard in Trieste and the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, each getting 2 battleships.
According to Chief Admiral Cavagnari, “Pride of Regia Marina, those vessels will turn a mere dream into reality: Mare Nostrum will no longer be words. The Sword of the Just can now be wielded. The Littorio class is THE new bloodline of battleships.” While Italian High Command is assessing how these magnificent vessels will help Italy rules over the Med, engineers are already working on the next evolution in naval technology, the “Il Duce” class.
The main characteristics of the Littorio class are as follow:
Displacement:
- Standard: 40,724 t (40,081 long tons; 44,891 short tons)
- Full load: 45,236 t (44,522 long tons; 49,864 short tons)
Length: 237.76 m (780.1 ft)
Beam: 32.82 m (107.7 ft)
Draft: 9.6 m (31 ft)
Propulsion & Speed:
- 4 Geared turbines
- 8 Yarrow boilers
- 160 000 shp
Range: 2.074 nautical miles (3,840 km) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Crew: 80 officers & 1 750 enlisted
Armament:
- 9 × 381 mm (15.0 in) L/60 guns
- 12 × 152 mm (6.0 in) L/55 guns
- 12 × 90 mm (3.5 in)/53 (AA)
- 20 × 37 mm (1.5 in)/54
- 16 × 2 20 mm (0.79 in)/65
Armor:
- Belt: 450 mm (18 in)
- Deck: 150 millimetres (5.9 in)
- Turrets: 350 millimetres (14 in)
Aircraft carried & Aviation facilities: 3 seaplanes & 1 catapult
Il Vittorio Veneto
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21226#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21230
(1) Click to enlarge the picture.
Il Patto d'Acciaio
Agenzia Stefani
April 1938
On April 18th 1938, Our Beloved Leader, Benito Mussolini, met with his counterparts from Germany (Adolf Hitler), Romania (Gheorghe Tatarascu) and Japan (Emperor Hirohito) for the Conference of Bucarest. There was only one topic on the agenda: the adhesion of Italy to the Axis. The result of these 4 days of discussion is a unique pact between the powers who shall reign over Europe: the Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy, also named The Pact of Steel (Il Patto d'Acciaio).
Count Galeazzo Ciano, who worked over the details of the Pact, revealed that the Pact consists of two parts: the first section is an open declaration of continuing trust and cooperation between Germany and Italy, while the second, a "Secret Supplementary Protocol" encourages a union of policies concerning the military and economy.
During this conference of Trust, Italy announced that it would help Romania pacifying the regions of Craiova and Calafat, on the Bulgarian borders, where groups under bolshevist influence are devastating the country for the last year. As such, Italy sent the Bombardiare Inferno Squadra to help reduce the ongoing rebellion. Count Galeazzo Ciano also added: “As was done during the Spanish Civil War, Italy stands with those who share its vision of a new and unique Europe.”
The Architects of a new and unique Europe
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21226#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21227
(1) Click to enlarge the picture.
Fighting Bolshevism throughout Europe: The Inferno Squadra in Romania
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21226#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21228
(1) Click to enlarge the picture.
IT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY
NDLR: Given recent comments in the AAR, we feel we should try, this time, to cover more ground than just our country's actions. Accordingly, we will developp a new section in which we will try to give a global perspective of the current game and close gaps or provide missing links to help our readers get a better sense of what is happening in the game.
Major events
Agenzia Stefani
1936-1938
Anschluss: February 17th, 1938
Australia joining the Allies: Fall 1937
Romania joining the Axis: Fall 1937
2nd Sino-Japanese War: July 1st, 1937
...
Some pictures provided by war correspondents
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21226#cid=E6AF355183388B4A&id=E6AF355183388B4A%21229