Mussolini is always right - Italy AAR

Chapter VI: End of the Monarchy


Civil war in Spain was raging on, and Il Duce has decided to send supplies and men to help the Nationalists.
This decision has caused protests among the people and the international community, but we will not allow that to bother us.


We now consider all of Balkans as our sphere of influence.


With the help of Italy and Germany the Nationalists have quickly been victorious in their war, however the republicans have retreated to a strong defensive positions and now they wait for the international community to help them.
We all hope that Franco can defeat them before the allies decide to help the republicans.

Mussolini arrives to Libya




Il Duce and the Sword of Islam.


On april 7th Il Duce ordered the creation of the "Guardia Pretoriana", as his personal bodyguard.
It was founded as a single brigade, but after the italian volunteers from Spain returned it was expanded to a regiment.
In few years it would reach a size of a full division.


King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy has been king since 29th of July 1900.
He has been on the way of the National Fascist Party ever since we took power, but that will now end.
Despite the fact that he at least seemingly supports us, Italy can never be great with this reactionary monarch at the helm.
Il Duce expects that the removing of the Royal family will create issues with the people, maybe even violence, but we must remain calm and determined.


Il Duce preparing the Praetorians in the morning of the coup d'etat.
The troops marched to the royal residence at the Quirinal Palace and
announced to the king that he was no longer in power.
He and his close relatives were allowed to go into exile into Principality of Monaco.
Il Duce declared the italian monarchy officially over, and the birth of the Italian Fasicst Republic.
This time the crowds were not so jubilant...


New Italy was born, with Benito Mussolini as both Head of State and Goverment.
Italian national symbols were also renewed, the Savoyan Coat of Arms were removed from the flag and the national seal.
This new order has lowered the popularity of the fascist goverment, but we also gained some support from certain anti-monarchist movements.


In 1937 it was time for some diplomacy, Il Duce met with the austrian corporal, who appears to have grown powerfull, and was hungry for more.
Mussolini spent ten days in Germany and visited many places, like München were he was greeted by all the splendour the nazis were able to muster.
Il Duce was very impressed when he visited the famous Krupp factories.


So we let Germany take Austria, and even signed this little thing called the "Anti-Comintern Pact"
World is moving rapidly towards conflict...

Deus Eversor said:

luti australes Danuvii dandum ad Romam!

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Dont worry, the old imperial province of Raetia will be roman again in the near future.

Ticket Cookie said:

More seriously, I would prefer keeping the green and italian-style. Rome already seems IMO odd in CK2 time-frame, in DH's it ridiculous.
Great AAR anyway, you could probably makes me change my mind on this issue!

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I wont be restoring the Roman Empire, it would be ridiculous to try to restore the old borders, and to be honest, modern italians have very little to do with ancient romans.
I think that the Italian Empire is enough.

Chapter VII: Conquest of Dalmatia


Royal Yugoslavian army manouvers near italo-croatian border.
Many manouvers such as this have been organized by our neighbours in recent months.


This is clearly a provocation towards honorable italian nation, so naturally we start moving troops to the border.
The Italian Navy performs gunnery exercises near Yugoslavian coastline, and scouts possible landing locations..


Todays session in the Grand Council of Fascism shocked many members of the council, Il Duce included.


Some pro-german members of the council proposed these "laws" to show our support for Germany.
Il Duce was stunned to hear these kind of proposals in HIS country, he immediately yelled that
"There are no pure races, rascists live in a delusional world and their teachings are madness!
Jews have always been good citizens, and as soldiers they are good fighters.
Racism does not belong to Fascism, and it should not belong to 19th century at all."
After this, these matters were never spoken again.

October 8. 1938

After several border clashes with the Yugoslavian troops Italy can no longer remain idle.
Troops were quickly prepared to cross the border.


Italian embassy in Belgrade delivered the Declaration of War.


Italian troops began the offensive from the north, 24 divisions under the command of Marshall Badoglio began offensive operations, supported by strong air and artillery support.
The italian marines landed near the city of Dubrovnik, under the cover of heavy naval guns of the italian battleships.


Destroyed Yugoslavian Renault FT tank


Italian Bersaglieri troops, they proved very skilled in the battles taking place in the Dinaric Alps.


Situation one month after the start of the invasion, fighting capabilities of the Royal Yugoslavian Army have been largely destroyed.
Large numbers of tanks, artillery, small arms and prisoners have been captured by our victorious troops.
International community stands silent and paralyzed, Yugoslavia is alone.


Il Duce visited the front, he gave medals and congratulated the soldiers for the victories they have achieved.


Italian troops pass a burning village on their way to Belgrade.


After the capture of the Yugoslavian capital, their goverment escaped trough Bulgaria and Greece to Britain.
The country capitulated to the victorious italian nation.


Italians marching in the streets of Belgrade.


Few days before the end of the war battleships Littorio and Vittorio Veneto were delivered to the Navy.
They left their shipyards at Trieste and Genoa, and proceeded to join the fleet in Taranto, where the fleet had just returned from the Yugoslavian coast.
Littorio took the duties of flagship from Caio Duilio.


Littorio and Vittorio Veneto during gunnery trials.


New order in the Balkans, Yugoslavia (also known as "the Great Protection Wall") controls the eastern part of the country, coastal areas were incorporated to Italy, but the central areas remained "under occupation".


Peace also returned to Spain, Nationalists defeated their enemies and Franco established his dictatorship.
Italian troops gained more combat experience, wich together with the experience gained in Yugoslavia will greatly improve the quality of our armed forces.


In January 1939, or XVII E.F Albania was added to the empire with a quick campaign.
Once again our agression went unpunished, despite the protests of the foreign powers (excluding Germany).


Italian empire in Europe, by now the western allies realise that Italy might be a threat working with Germany, rather than an ally against it.


Early 1939, German and Hungarian troops occupy Czechoslovakia, Münich agreement proved useless, and world is now closer to war than ever, only one more agression and everything will come crushing down.

Migthy said:

I still don't know what are you planning to do.
I mean, you hated the Germans, then you liked them, and now you again hate them.
I can only think of a third bloc which you will rule..

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Doesn't the great Sun Tzu teach that one must always be unpredictable? :laugh:
(Italy is merely pretending to be a good friend with Germany, their might works in our advantage for now...)

Chapter VIII: Guerra di domani


Benito Mussolini sits in his office at the Palazzo Venezia, his eyes are on the map, showing the Italian Empire, all of its territories and colonies.
Il Duce sighs, he has led the italian nation for nearly sixteen years, the Italian Empire is his Empire.
Since the National Socialists came to power in Germany the European continent has been racing towards war.
Despite all negotiations and attempts to resolve the situation, Germany was once again strong, militarily and economically.
Italy has tried its best, latest failure was the Treaty of Munich, Germany never ment to honor the agreement.
Germany and Hungary divided Czechoslovakia, and Britain quaranteed polish independence, finishing the setting for war.
So, war is coming, we would be fools not to try and take advantage of it, italian troops are readied in Africa and Europe.
Il Duce looks at the marble bust of Julius Caesar decorating his office, and signs the latest order to deploy few more divisions to Libya.

June 24. 1939

Germany and Soviet Union sign a Non-Agression pact in Moscow, the world is shocked.
This treaty will be known as "Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact", after the foreign ministers of the two countries.
(Look at uncle Stalin, he is so happy:happy

June 28. 1939

Germany invades Poland.
France and Britain declare war on Germany.
Il Duce send messages to both Paris and Berlin, announcing Italys neutrality.
(Message to Berlin was that because Germany had decided to go to war without any kind of announcement to her ally, Italy was not obliged to join the war.)


The german advance was faster than anyone dared to imagine, Stalin fears that germans will destroy Poland before his own troops can secure any territory.
The Western Allies demand that the Soviets withdraw their troops from Poland, this ultimatum was useless.


German motorised units in Poland.


Poland didnt stand a change, by mid-july the campaign was over.
(german and russian officer shaking hands.)


The nazis didnt waste time in this war business, with a true german efficiency they attacked the West on 11 August 1939.
This was bad news for Italy, this was too soon.
Now we need to jump into the war, if we want to have any territorial gains from France.

[video=youtube;0Vf_gUvPVUU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vf_gUvPVUU[/video]


So it has come to this.
Despite the protests from the General staff, declaration of war has been delivered.
We will fight this war until victory, or until death!
Viva Il Duce! Viva Italia!


Offensive against France, "Operation Alesia". (named after the battle that ended with decisive Roman victory and led to the final conquest of Gaul by Rome.)


Invasion of Egypt, "Operation Octavian" (Octavian, future emperor Augustus, who annexed Egypt to the Roman Empire)
Our forces also invaded Tunisia, resistance was futile.


Italian tankers posing in front of their tank, slightly before the invasion.


In the french front we tasted bitter defeat.
The mountaineous terrain of Savoie department proved costly, breaching of the Alpine wall was unsuccessful.
Only major sucess was when the famed Bersaglieri units broke into the one of the command bunkers of the french defensive line and destroyed it.
In the south however things were different, Nice was taken after a tough battle, and the motorised units continued to Toulon, and then turned to flank the defenders of the Isère department (based in Grenoble).


Italian troops in France.


Africa is far more pleasant field of battle. Tunisia has fallen and the invasion of Egypt is going smoothly.
(Invasion of Malta, codenamed "Operation Herkules" is being prepared, and will be executed by the marine infantry sometime in the future.)


East African theatre, a push trough Sudan towards Egypt is merely meant as a distraction, only six divisions are advancing, and the high command is certain that the british will stop them at some point.
Troops of the Italian East Africa are advised to proceed with caution in their invasion of the neighbouring colonies, fall of France might cause the british to start sending a lot of units our way.


Situation in France. Paris fell on September 15th.


German troops parade in a beautiful autumn day in Paris.

In less than four months German Army has conquered Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and most of France.
Il Duce comments that its an "okay performance from an austrian corporal with a funny moustache."


Casualties of the main combatants so far.
(Please note that the french have been fighting against rebels since 1934.
and that Italy has taken losses from Abyssinia and Yugoslavia.)

Ericafaq said:

Just add default DH full Germany flag.No need remove svastika on every screen.Interesting idea join to war after attack on Poland.Fhurer will happy your decision

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It wasnt my decision, Germany attacked the West only few days after Poland fell, all my preparations were ruined. Damn you Hitler, why cant you fight historically!
(About the swastikas, i did it right after finishing this chapter.)

SomeDude said:

How successful though. Germany is crushing many of her enemies too fast. It's not quite as grand if Italy is too obviously Germany's petulant little brother.

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Oh, Italy has plans for bouncing from Germanys side to form a side of her own, as you can see, im not officially in the Axis, reason for that is quite simply Germanys eastern neighbour.
I dont want to get involved to that inevitable conflict.
(And Italy is not Germanys little brother, more like that annoying cousin that you never want to meet.)