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mankle30

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From the personal journal of General Giovanni Messe:

Il Duce was furious. He had recalled me to Rome from my assignment in Abyssinia where I was fighting our little war against the Africans. As I rode the train into the city, I wondered what had prompted the recall. We were busy fighting and our troops were advancing, albeit slowly; perhaps Il Duce wants to give me some rest in the warm sun of Rome.

When I arrived in Rome, I stayed overnight in a hotel before meeting our esteemed leader. I had met him before but never in a formal meeting such as this. Mostly, I had seen him in military parades, inspecting troops. I had no idea that he would take such an interest in a lowly Brigadier General.

I arrived at 0800 only to hear Il Duce raging to some lowly minister. He had just sacked Cesare Ame, the head of espionage and the Italian leader was unleashing his wrath. The door opened and Ame left in a state of shock. It didn’t look good for me; the nerves that I had known just before a battle began had appeared in my stomach and I prepared myself for the worst.

His secretary nodded to me to go in and I passed through the open door, feigning confidence in a military manner as I strode towards the large desk that commanded the room. The door closed behind me and Il Duce’s demeanor changed immediately. He wasn’t “happy” but a new sense of confidence and calm passed over his face while he maintained a forceful presence.

“General, welcome back to Rome. There is much work to be done.”

“Of course, Duce. There is always work and a war to be won in Africa,” I replied.

Mussolini laughed. “Yes. A war to be won,” he muttered. “General De Bono tells me much about the war and he tells me a great deal about a Brigadier General with big ideas who is doing things differently in his brigade.”

I felt like I was being interrogated about General De Bono, our commander in the war in Ethiopia, but with trickery rather than physical violence. It was as if Mussolini was trying to get me to report on his failings as a commander; I needed to be careful with my words. “Duce, with my experience in the Great War, I found that certain tactics can be more effective on the ground than ones that our superiors are ordering. Our objectives remain the same but if we can achieve them faster and with fewer casualties, I feel that it is my duty to adjust my tactics accordingly.”

Mussolini seemed to be in a much better mood than he was just a few minutes ago. “Excellent answer, General, excellent answer. You needn’t worry about speaking harshly of a superior officer. You are now his superior, Maresciallo d’Italia Messe.”

My jaw dropped. Instead of being sacked, I was being promoted -- several ranks -- to a field marshall of Italy. “I don’t understand, Duce.”

He pushed a thick folder with hundreds of pages towards me. “This is your new assignment, Marshall Messe. I have been meeting with our friend in fascism to the north, Fuhrer Hitler. He has great ambitions for the German people and we shall have even greater ones for Italia. The conquerers of the known world once came from Rome, and they will again. But there is much work to be done. Read the file. Return tomorrow and we will discuss our plans.”

I stared at the sheaf of paper thrust in front of me and wondered if it would be my end or if it would usher in an era of greatness for Rome and the Kingdom of Italy.


Starting Date: January 1, 1936
Edition: Their Finest Hour
Setting: Normal

This AAR is the story of Italy's journey to become the preeminent power in Europe independent of Germany, told through the eyes of the General considered to be Italy's best in the war, Giovanni Messe. Messe, in real life, was not in charge of the war build up but was an important leader within the ranks. In this alternate reality, we will see the war through Messe's eyes as he tries to fulfill the lofty goals of his leader, Benito Mussolini. This, of course, is a work of fiction and bears no relation to the real Giovanni Messe.

Index

Chapter 1: A Prelude to War (January 1, 1936 to March 8, 1938)

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

Chapter 2: Gaining Power (March 9, 1938 - June 26, 1939)

Part 8: The War Begins (March 9, 1938)
Part 9: The Single Front War (March 9 to April 11, 1938)
Part 10: A Second Front Opens (April 11 to May 1, 1938)
Part 11: The Two-Front War Continues (May 1 - June 11, 1938)
Part 12: Driving to the Black Sea (June 11 - July 8, 1938)
Part 13: The Anti-Climactic Lightning War (July 9 - August 2, 1938)
Part 14: A Historical Re-Conquest (August 2 - September 18, 1938)
Part 15: Beyond the Balkans (Sepember 19, 1938 - February 28, 1939)
Part 16: The Iberian Gambit Begins (March 1 - April 1, 1939)
Part 17: Taming Iberia (April 1 - June 26, 1939)

Chapter 3: Consolidation 1 (June 26, 1939 - February 15, 1940)

Part 18: Watching and Waiting (June 26 - December 31, 1939)
Part 19: Final Preparations (January 1 - February 15, 1940)

Chapter 4: The Offensive War - France, Switzerland and UK Holdings (February 15 - July 15, 1940)

Part 20: Lighting the Fire (February 15 - 22, 1940)
Part 21: Mounting Losses (February 23 - March 6, 1940)
Part 22: The Fight Continues (March 6 - April 1, 1940)
Part 23: Running out of Titles (April 1 - 15, 1940)
Part 24: A Mighty Rock Falls (April 16 - 30, 1940)
Part 25: Triomphe, almost (May 1 - 19, 1940)
Part 26: An Unpleasant Surprise (May 19 - June 8, 1940)
Part 26: Quick and Messy (June 8 - July 15, 1940)

Chapter 5: Consolidation 2 (July 15, 1940 - January 31, 1941)

Part 27: The Preparations Begin (July 15 - August 2, 1940)

Part 28: Cleaning up the Mess (August 2 - September 15, 1940)
Part 29: Operazione Cosce di Rana (September 15 - November 5, 1949)
Part 30: Final Preparations (November 5, 1940 - January 31, 1941)

Chapter 6: Operazione Otaria (February 1, 1941 - June 30, 1941)

Part 31: Operazione Otaria 1 (February 1 - 15, 1941)
Part 32: Operazione Otaria 2 (February 16 - March 1, 1941)
Part 33: Operazione Otaria 3 (March 2 - 10, 1941)
Part 34: Operazione Otaria 4 (March 10 - 31, 1941)
Part 35: Operazione Otaria 5 (April 1 - 15, 1941)
Part 36: Operazione Otaria 6 (April 16 - 30, 1941)
Part 37: Operazione Otaria 7 (May 1 - 31, 1941)
Part 38: Victory in the British Isles (June 1 - June 30, 1941)

Chapter 7: Consolidation 3 (July 1, 1941 - May 2, 1942)


Part 39: Cleaning Up (July 1, 1941 - August 31, 1941)

Part 40: The Long Wait (September 1 - December 31, 1941)
Part 41: Strategic Patience (January 1 - May 2, 1942)

Chapter 8: The Road To Glory (May 3, 1942 - )

Part 42: The Eve of Destiny (May 3, 1942)
Part 43: Shots Fired (May 3 - 9, 1942)
Part 44: The Race Against Time (May 9 - 16, 1942)
Part 45: Running out of Individual Titles (May 17 - 23, 1942)
Part 46: Back and Forth Battles (May 24 - June 3, 1942)
Part 47: A Meeting in Rome (June 4, 1942)
Part 48: The Cost of War (June 4 - 11, 1942)
Part 49: Pushing East (June 11 - 17, 1942)
Part 50: The Fight Continues (June 18 - 24, 1942)
Part 51: The Grind to Berlin (June 25 - July 1, 1942)
Part 52: Paying for Land with Blood (July 2 - 13, 1942)
Part 53: A Last Hope (July 14 - 17, 1942)
Part 54: Turning the Tide (July 17 - 31, 1942)
Part 55: The War in the North, Phase 1 (July 31 - August 18, 1942)
Part 56: Holding the Line (August 18 - 23, 1942)
Part 57: The Final Assault Begins (August 24 - 31, 1942)
Part 58: Closing the Gaps (September 1 - 7, 1942)
Part 59: To the Brandenburg Gate! (September 8 - 13, 1942)
Part 60: Tightening the Noose (September 14 - 21, 1942)
Part 61: A Hard-Earned Victory (September 22 - 27, 1942)

Chapter 9: Consolidation 4 (September 28, 1942 - )


Part 62: A Taste of Victory (September 28 - October 1, 1942)
Part 63: Plans for the Future (October 1 - 31,1942)
Part 64: Managing Local Interests (November 1 - 30, 1942)
Part 65: A Mostly Peaceful Year End (December 1 - 31, 1942)
Part 66: Baltic Battles and Partisan Parrying (January 1 - 31, 1943)
Part 67: February 1943 (February 1 - 28, 1943)
Part 68: The Baltic War Continues (March 1 - April 30, 1943)
Part 69: Baltics and Revolts! (May 1 - 31, 1943)
Part 70: Mopping Up (June 1 - 30, 1943)
Part 71: A Summer Away from Battle (July 1 - August 31, 1943)
Part 72: Uprisings! (September 1 - October 31, 1943)
 
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Haven't figured out how to add photos that actually show up . . . can anyone help out with that?

EDIT: Fixed.
 
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I'd say the best way to WIN is to stick with Germany. We'll see how well my plans turn out!
 
Part 2

From the personal journal of General Giovanni Messe:

I returned to my hotel and began to read. I started to see the method in what appeared to be the plan of a madman who was bent on taking over the world. Hitler had intimated to Mussolini the scope of his dreams and desires and Mussolini would be willing to go along with it, helping where he could but without formalizing an agreement of alliance.

The plan was audacious and Il Duce would have to walk a very fine line, careful to help Germany strengthen its position but not too much so that it would become invincible when the time came to make the ultimate move. We would be gaining our own strength in Germany’s shadow, expanding our rule throughout Europe to make us the second most powerful state on the continent. We would grab land, people and resources where we could, dominate the Mediterranean and eventually be able to supersede the country that will mask our own ambitions by appearing far more dangerous to the world order.

And Mussolini wanted me to be his chief planner.

I devoured the information about Il Duce’s plans, about the structure of our military, our technological base and our ability to fund our campaigns. Sleeping for only an hour, I returned to Il Duce at 0800 the next day looking far less refreshed than I did the day before.

This time, there was no outburst, no eruption. Mussolini was calm and collected and wanted to hear me talk. “Duce, I believe that your plan can be achieved but it will be neither easy nor cheap. We will need to make massive investments into our military research, recruiting and propaganda. Our people must believe that we are in the fight for our existence so that we can completely militarize our industry.


Messe takes over.

“First, We must completely restructure our army. I propose that we eliminate many of our corps and army level headquarters. We must get four or five divisions to each corps commander. At first, we will organize our corps into armies of two or three and we will concentrate our power in the army group. We must put our most efficient generals in charge of our army groups in order to effectively organize the distribution of supplies.

"When it comes to technology, we first need to focus on infantry and artillery. We have no artillery and we must attach at least one regiment but optimally two regiments to each binary infantry division. We must upgrade our equipment for the infantry, artillery and, eventually, our anti-tank regiments that we will train. From what I can tell, we will require between 45-55 full infantry divisions to meet our goals before 1940 and more in the coming years. We must retrain all of our militia to be proper, regular infantry. We must upgrade our cavalry to tanks and we will, eventually, develop better armoured forces. If we're to remain independent, we cannot rely on benefitting from an ally's better technology. We must become self-sufficient.


Upgrading the cavalry

“The navy and air force must also reorganize completely. We will have several battle fleets and escorted troop transports rather than the scattered, disorganized fleets we have now. I noticed in your files that the navy is about to completely reorganize its research around the deployment of aircraft carriers. I believe that this is a wise move. While our battleships are powerful and the British are correct to be wary of our navy, we must have a fleet of ships who can project our power anywhere in the Mediterranean and beyond and the research that we have already done along this path will help greatly. If my calculations are correct, we will be able to have our first aircraft carriers deployed by the time we begin our campaigns and certainly before the time when we face some of our bigger potential adversaries.


Mussolini had already begun research into Carrier technology

“While our air force will not be neglected, I have determined that it is the least important branch of service for the next several years. We will research to upgrade our fighters but we already have enough, once upgraded, to meet our needs for the time being.”

“Excellent, Marshall Messe. And what of Africa?” asked the Italian leader.

“In Africa, we will lose, Duce,” I said, bracing myself for his wrath.

He smiled. “Tell me more.”

“Duce, we will need those troops in our European campaigns. We must eventually withdraw our troops from Abyssinia but not before allowing them to earn experience in the field. Militarily, we cannot lose there. We have far too many troops who are better equipped and trained than the Ethiopians but we do not have the troops required to keep order after we leave. In addition, we must keep our troop withdrawal a secret. We will still be ‘at war’ in Ethiopia and we will allow the Italian people to believe that we need to maintain the economic and military mobilization to be able to produce the materiel that will enable us to be successful in Europe.”

“So we will tell the people that the war is going well or poorly?”

“Duce, it is not for me to say. I’m sure your ministry will know how best to motivate the populace. All we need to do is maintain the present level of production from our factories in order to produce the required amounts of artillery and weapons for our troops and to keep the shipyards building our carriers and escorts.”

“Well done, Marshall. I want your report of full details on my desk within the week. On January 1, we begin our work.”

“Of course, Duce.” I said as I saluted and walked out. I went back to my hotel to sleep a little before beginning my report. Success will mean the greatest military conquest of the modern age. Failure will mean the defeat of Italy. If that happens, I don’t expect to survive it.
 
I'm enjoying what I read so far. I'm going to follow along to see Italy's accomplishments in the war.
 
Part 3

From the personal journal of Giovanni Messi:

Relocated to Rome, I, along with my new staff, conducted the extensive reorganizations required for the new Royal Italian Forces. Ships were, temporarily, ordered to harbors containing only ships of their own classes. Battleships were all sent to Bari, transports to Pescara, light cruisers to Livorno, etc. Eventually, when the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) is ready for combat, new fleets will be drawn up.

The Royal Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) was reorganizing along similar principles with interceptors grouping with their like. Unlike the Navy, the Air Force brass believes that keeping similar types of planes together will maximize efficiency. We had also begun an aggressive training program for our country’s best and brightest, recruiting spies to head to our neighbours to try to drum up a legitimate threat that will enable us to begin our conquests of the Balkans. Once we have recruited enough spies, we will transfer the energies of our intellectual elite to research and development of weapons and doctrines that will enable to catch up to the rest of the world’s powers in terms of fighting and industrial efficiency.



We started building light tanks and bringing our old, outdated cavalry units into the 20th century. Much of our military industrial capacity would be tied up in their construction until the beginning of June. We were beginning our massive construction and training of artillery regiments but we were unlikely to really spool up construction until early 1937.



It was now time to tackle the reorganization of the Royal Italian Army (Regia Esercito). I looked at General Graziani's original order of battle (OOB) for his Army Group East and was dismayed at the mess and inefficiency. Three armies for just 11 divisions (including the three cavalry division which will soon become the beginnings of our motorized and armoured corps)? What was he thinking? I almost sacked him there on the spot but my staff assured me that he wasn't incompetent but just hadn't had the initiative to change things after he took over.



I think that I had finally simplified a reorganization into two army groups (West and East). Army Group West would be charged with maintaining a presence in the Alps at the French border while Army Group East would start expanding, taking all of our reserve units for home defense and shaping them (and our forces in Africa) into a powerful sledgehammer for use against European enemies.



With all of the reorganization complete, I would now be able to turn my attention back to where this all began for me: Africa.
 
Nice read so far, I'm on board for sure! I actually haven't played Italy yet so I'll be tagging along to see what I can learn from you :).
 
We will finally see some action in Africa. While it won't be exciting, at least the combat there will give your men valuable experience. In addition, I may get some ideas for my AAR where I have some fights taking place in Africa as well :p. Will Gibraltar be on your agenda for the near future?
 
Welcome one and all!

We will finally see some action in Africa. While it won't be exciting, at least the combat there will give your men valuable experience. In addition, I may get some ideas for my AAR where I have some fights taking place in Africa as well :p. Will Gibraltar be on your agenda for the near future?

Yes, we'll get to see some action in the next part (coming tomorrow, probably). As far as Gibraltar goes . . . that's a long way away!
 
Part 4

From the personal journal of Giovanni Messi:

Once I had sent out my orders to our Abyssinian commanders, there was very little left to do but micromanage and get reports from my subordinates about the minutiae of running a military. Fortunately, Mussolini was keeping me out of the politics. He correctly understood that since I came from the lower ranks of the army generals, I had little inclination for the political games of the upper echelon leaders. I had learned long ago that if one cared about covering his own behind, one could rise in an army but would not have the trust of his men when it mattered most. Those types of officers were beholden more to their careers than to the men who serve under them.

In Africa, I gave my orders to a leadership who outranked me just a few fleeting months ago: Form a tight line in the east to block off any escape and close the noose around Addis Ababa from the north with our huge numbers of troops.



Our troops vastly outnumbered the Ethiopians in the north and our generals could take their time, flanking the native army. While the battles weren't necessarily immediately decisive, it was a good thing because it would give our troops more experience, which they would need in the coming years.





On February 24, I received a report from our technology and industry department and I was pleased with the results. The project that I was spearheading myself was titled "Operational Level Organisation" by some bureaucratic staff officer. This was my pet project. I wanted our military leadership to be able to reorganize quickly and be able to press the attack in our many campaigns to come. A major area that our engineers were within months of a breakthrough for was that of aircraft carrier technology. Soon we would lay the hulls of our first aircraft carriers to be able to try to keep pace with the other powers in the Mediterranean. We were also trying to make improvements in the equipment given to our infantry, the guns on our light tanks (which are still being produced to get the Cavalry off their horses) and light cruisers and the barrel and ammunition available for our artillery. We were also busy developing new doctrines for infantry fighting seeing as how these troops would be the backbone of the Regia Esercito.



By the beginning of April, our encirclement of Addis Ababa was almost complete. The troops had been blooded to some degree but we were nowhere near losing any units. We would allow the stranglehold to continue in Ethiopia for a while before recalling the troops.



While the generals in Abyssinia wondered why I ordered them to halt at the outskirts of the capital, I wasn't going to explain every little detail to them. My former commander, De Bono actually dared to question me. I'll admit that it gave me no small measure of satisfaction when I flew him up to Rome and gave him a lecture before relieving him of command and leaving him to sit on the sidelines.

The Ethiopians did mount a successful counterattack at Goba towards the end of April, General Nicolosi quickly moved in to close the line and trap the Ethiopians back in their capital.




 
Rising in rank above one's superior is always a good feeling. The campaign in Ethiopia seems to be going smoothly. How much longer before you can wrap things up and focus on elsewhere? And where is this elsewhere? The Balkans?
 
Rising in rank above one's superior is always a good feeling. The campaign in Ethiopia seems to be going smoothly. How much longer before you can wrap things up and focus on elsewhere? And where is this elsewhere? The Balkans?

I'm pretty sure nothing will be wrapped up for the moment ;). Let's call it "contain the situation in Addis Ababa" for now :D.
 
Ah you are trying to keep the war economy going. But doesn't Ethiopia have too little power for you to be on the maximum laws anyways, thus rendering it a bit moot? I haven't played Italy seriously since FTM so I don't know.
 
I'm pretty sure nothing will be wrapped up for the moment ;). Let's call it "contain the situation in Addis Ababa" for now :D.

Indeed.

Ah you are trying to keep the war economy going. But doesn't Ethiopia have too little power for you to be on the maximum laws anyways, thus rendering it a bit moot? I haven't played Italy seriously since FTM so I don't know.

I think there is a boost there. It enables you to have the 3-year draft and, a war economy setting rather than bumping you back to the lowest or second lowest settings of both those laws. I do produce all of my units (mostly artillery brigades at this point) as full units (not reserves). It increases the size of the standing army but the penalty isn't nearly as bad if you're not "at war" with Ethiopia.
 
Part 5

From the personal journal of Giovanni Messe:

Should I feel guilty that I can spend this summer in the glorious sunshine of Rome instead of in the hot, dusty battlegrounds of Africa? Thanks to my good fortune of having been noticed by Mussolini, I can spend the time here in Italy rather than in harm's way. Since the frenetic takeover of the army and completely changing its direction, my work life has calmed down and settled into a regular rhythm complete with briefings of Mussolini and getting briefed by my staff.

They come to me regularly with updates from our research department. May alone saw the development of new equipment for our infantry including a new rifle and new mortars. We also discovered new ways of producing our equipment efficiently which will pay dividends in our industrial production down the road. We also completed the first three of our artillery regiments to add to our infantry in order to beef up their punch. I couldn't understand why our army leadership didn't learn the lessons of the Great War. I knew first hand how effective good, accurate artillery can be and the fact that our army was almost completely bereft of it was troubling when I took over my new job.



On July 9, the first major fruit of our naval technological program was borne: We completed the plans to our first aircraft carriers and immediately began construction on the first two while also researching more advanced versions thanks to help from our allies (and studying our potential enemies). We also developed new technology for our artillery, new main guns for our light cruisers and our light tanks, new designs for our light aircraft (both ground and carrier-based) and our Operational Level Organization technology had progressed as well.

Overall, it was an uneventful summer full of good news on the technological front. In Abyssinia, our troops had finished surrounding the Ethiopian capital by May 15th and remained in a holding pattern.



In August, I attended the Olympic Games in Berlin at the invitation of Il Duce. My stay in Berlin was lovely as the excitement of the world's athletic greats gave the city a buzz. I particularly enjoyed seeing the American Jesse Owens' success. America had much to be proud of and the way in which their great athletes like Owens and the boxer Joe Louis excelled on the world stage was thrilling. I just hoped that we would never face the Americans in combat.

I returned to Rome as the days grow shorter once again and September is just around the corner. I am reminded of how much more work needs to be done.
 
How many carriers can Italy field at the moment? Is it possible for you to starve out the Ethiopian capital by just holding?

At the moment, it does seem like your main focus is becoming a naval power. I guess controlling the Mediterranean will be your priority in the upcoming war.