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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