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defensedefumer

First Lieutenant
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Jan 12, 2014
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Ciao everyone! This is my third AAR after All Hope Lies in Rome. This is my first time writing a World War 2 AAR, but I will try my best.

In this AAR, I will narrate my playthrough of Fascist Italy, and I will put in Chapters below. I will link them later for easier access.

Chapter 1: Colonial Dreams
Chapter 2: Adventures in Ethiopia
Chapter 3: Battle of Gondar
Chapter 4: Crisis in Iberia
Chapter 5: Iberian coast
Chapter 6: Crisis elevated
Chapter 7: Invasion of Portugal
Chapter 8: Fall of Lisbon
Chapter 9: Overseas adventures
Chapter 10: Italy and Japan
Chapter 11: War drums
Chapter 12: All quiet on the African front
Chapter 13: World War 2
Chapter 14: Team Italy
Chapter 15: Battle of the Western Mediterranean
Chapter 16: Grand Theft Egypt
Chapter 17: Marseille Offensive
Chapter 18: Dispatches to London
Chapter 19: France is reborn
Chapter 20: Gibraltar falls
Chapter 21: Looking for Suitable Landing
Chapter 22: Operation Leone Marino
Chapter 23: Battle of Edinburgh
Chapter 24: March to Birmingham
Chapter 25: The Modena Project
Chapter 26: Old Ties
Chapter 27: Flight from UK
Chapter 28: London has Fallen
Chapter 29: The Global Italian
Chapter 30: The German-Soviet War
Chapter 31: Quagmire
Chapter 32: Case Blue
Chapter 33: Relations with North America
Chapter 34: The war escalates

[Chapters to be added and edited later]
 
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Chapter 1: Colonial Dreams

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January 1935
"Where do I go?" the newcomer Luigi asked. The bespectacled corporal was given a quick, annoyed glance by his superiors. After confirming his name and rank, Luigi was assigned to be the driver of the third L3 tank on his right.

"Go familiarise yourself with the L3," the officer gestured to him. Luigi half-wondered why he was conscripted into the army. He knew that Dictator Mussonlini had dreams of expanding the colonial empire to include Ethiopia, but surely that was the job for the Italians in Eritrea and Somalia.

Little did he know that a grand plan was being enacted all the way back in Rome, away from his camp in Modena.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

In Rome, Dictator Mussolini was pushing for war against the Ethiopians and to take it by 1936. His military advisors were against it.

"I promised to make Italy Roman again!" the enthusiastic dictator insisted.

General Messe and Admiral Fioravanzo knew that Ethiopia was never part of the Roman Empire, but decided to remain quiet and warned against a hasty invasion. In 1895, Italian attempted a failed invasion of Ethiopia. The Italian people still had the memory of heavy losses fresh in their minds.

Nevertheless, Air Marshal Balbo knew how to placate Mussolini. Unlike Messe and Fioravanzo, Balbo was a political animal and knew how to negotiate around the topic.

"We will take Ethiopia but on a military timeline".

"You promise?" Mussolini asked. Balbo nodded. That was the answer Mussolini needed to hear. He then placed Balbo in-charge of the invasion of Ethiopia.
The plans for invasion would begin.

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Italy 1936
 
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Not that Rome ever ruled Ethiopia, but we'll let that one pass :D
 
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Chapter 2: Adventures in Ethiopia

June 1935

Air Marshal Balbo laid out his plans for the war. The plans included some controversial ideas such moving all three Italian armoured divisions to assist the invasion, a naval strike at the Suez Canal, and the boost in construction for Aquila, the first Italian aircraft carrier.

"The British might shut down the Suez to prevent us from reinforcing our soldiers at Ethiopia," Balbo explained. Admiral Fioravanzo pointed out that Aquila would only be finished by 1940s. The war in Ethiopia would have ended by then.

Balbo explained that he was preparing for the future. Already Germany was demanding territory from Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Union was looking to Finland for expansion.

"Peace in Europe is on thin ice. We must make sure that Italy and Fascism must survive this."

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Early January 1936

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Luigi drove his L3 tank on the naval transport. As he wiped his sweat from his brow, he prayed. He was actually going to war in a country he had never visited. To calm himself, his decided to list his advantages.

His tank commander, Sergeant Toldo, was a tall confident man. They would be fighting against the Ethiopians who lacked anti-tank weaponry. They would have strong air support. His Italian commanders would have learnt from the lessons of the past.

He laughed at the last point. He had to rely on God to survive this war. What did Luigi know about war? He was a simple college student studying Biology when he got conscripted.

Dragging his luggage, he finally found his bunk on the naval transport to sleep in. Best not to dwell on his chances of survival.

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Late January 1936

The British had allowed the Italians to pass through the Suez without much disruption. Luigi was kind of hoping that a delay might stopped him from being involved in actual combat. No such luck.

Upon arrival on Ethiopia, Luigi unpacked his gear and drove his L3 tank out of the transport. Sergeant Toldo joined him in the vehicle. Saying nothing, Luigi drove his vehicle commander to the base camp. He allowed Toldo to do the talking, who claimed that the Ethiopian war would be over within a few months. Luigi felt different. It was a weird feeling. It was like studying for a major examination, except that if you failed, you would die. He also heard horror stories of Italian soldiers being mutilated upon capture. Within a week, he would be part of a major offensive.

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23 January 1936

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Through his dust-covered spectacles, Luigi did not fancy his chances. The terrain did not favour the Italians. Sure, it was arid with plenty of open spaces and good for vehicles. But the Ethiopians had the high ground.

The CR 20 fighter biplanes went first, firing on the hilly regions. This was followed by movement by the Askari (Italian colonial troops). The Askari's job was simple. They were to act as bait, and draw fire from the enemy positions. Italian artillery would then follow, and then L3 tanks would move in to pick off the remnants.

Everything was proceeding as planned. The Askari took the brunt of the attack and suffered few casualties. Italian artillery hit at the right spots. Luigi then awaited his orders.

"Avanti Savioa!" (Forward, Savoy; Italian battle cry)

As they approach the sandy hills, shots rang out. One of the rounds hit a fellow L3 tank and it exploded. The Ethiopians had anti-tank weaponry!

"Evasive action!" yelled Toldo. Luigi immediately swerved his vehicle and took cover against an rocky outcropping. Italian cavalry supported him and rode against the hills. Toldo started firing the L3's machine guns against the hills. This would be where Luigi would spend majority of the battle -- behind a huge boulder in prayer.

More artillery had to litter the hills before the Ethiopia over the day before the Ethiopian resistance halted. Luigi finally could leave his cover to drive up the hill to encounter dead and wounded Ethiopian soldiers. He had survived his first battle.

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Northern Ethiopia offensive
 
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Time to get the job done.
 
Chapter 3: Battle of Gondar

24 January 1936

After the battle of Tembien concluded, Marshal Balbo was given pictures of the Ethiopian anti-tank weaponry. He slammed his fists on his briefing table, to the shock of his senior officers. The Germans had been supplying the Ethiopians! This was probably due to the Italian opposition to German aggression in Europe.

The war needed to be concluded quickly before too many Italian casualties are piled up. Already they had lost four L3 tanks during the Battle of Tembien, and his armoured divisions needed to be supplemented with cavalry.

"We will proceed through the Shire (Northern part of Ethiopia) and attack their stronghold at Gondar," Balbo instructed. "Tell General Cavallero to start his invasion of Southern Ethiopia."

His senior officers nodded in response. Gondar would be a major challenge. It hosted an estimate of 30,000 to 40,000 Ethiopian soldiers. A decisive victory at Gondar would eliminate any chance Ethiopia had at victory.

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27 January 1936

"Cigarette?" Luigi offered the Askari next to him. The black soldier happily took his offer and smoke next to him. The Eritrean soldier introduced himself as Isaiah. The soldiers were given a break for the night after advancing 20 km into enemy territory. They would be approaching Gondar soon.

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Shire

They had continued their progress through the highlands of Shire, and it was a slog. They were harassed by hit-and-tun tactics by the Ethiopians at every turn, and lost an additional two more L3 tanks. Luigi was unlucky enough to be assigned as the new point vehicle. This meant his L3 tank was closest to the enemy frontlines and would be the prime target for anti-tank fire. He needed a distraction to get that thought off his mind.

"Why do you fight for us?" asked Luigi curiously.

"I just want to killed Ethiopians. I have yet to get 1 kill yet," the Askrai replied in broken Italian. Luigi pondered over Isaiah's words. Maybe he just needed something to look forward to in the war. Surviving was a reward in itself.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

1 February 1936

After a week of tenacious travel, the Italians found themselves at the outskirts of the mountain fortress of Gondar. If their commander's prediction was right, this would be the last major engagement of the war.

"Avanti! (Forward)!"

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Once again Luigi revved his tank into full gear as they assaulted the fortress. Artillery and bombers planes had breached the fortress. Counter battery fire from the Ethiopians were weak and inaccurate. As Ethiopian soldiers poured out of the gaps in the fortress, the Italian fired at them.

Toldo's bloodlust eyes lit up as he gunned down enemy after enemy. He told Luigi to speed up into the fortress -- he wanted to slaughter more Ethiopians. Luigi complied. The L3 tank grunted as it changed direction and rushed towards the gap of the fortress.

Immediately, gunfire lit up around the L3 tank. Toldo fell silent. Luigi did not need to be look at the his vehicle commander to know that he had been shot. The silence from the L3's machine gun spoke enough. Wisely, Luigi swerved his vehicle aside.

Toldo was dead. His face had been shot off into an unrecognisable pulp.

"Rest well, sergeant," the scared Luigi prayed as he continued machine gun fire on the approaching Ethiopians. The approaching soldiers returned fire, and their rounds bounced off the L3's armour. The college students knew he had to do something soon. The L3's armour was thin, and all the Ethiopians needed to do was to use a well-placed explosive and he was done for.

As if to answer his prayers, a loud explosion diapered the Ethiopians. Where did it come from?

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

"I will make another pass around the surrounded L3 tank," reported Lieutenant Caviglia. Expertly, he twisted his CR 32 biplane around and fired a short machine gun burst at the mass of Ethiopian soldiers.

So far in the war, they had encountered zero enemy fighter planes. This meant that the CR 32s were assigned to strafe any open ground units.

"We have air superiority; the air is clear," a fellow pilot replied over the radio. Within half an instant, the same voice screamed. "Not clear, I repeat, not clear!'

In the distance, Caviglia saw approaching enemy fighters - they were British-made Gloster Gladiators. They numbered 13. He dipped his plane and joined his fellow pilots in formation to protect the bombers. As the Gladiators drew near, he noted that their pilots were mainly Caucasians. They were mercenaries.

Initially the dogfights caused zero casualties. One of the Gladiators eventually singled Caviglia out and made a beeline for him. Caviglia grinned as the opponent fell into his trap. Executing an expert an Immelmann turn, he managed to reposition his plane behind the tail of his adversary. With a short burst of machine gun fire, the Gladiator's left wing evaporated and was forced to crash land. That was first time Caviglia ever downed a plane. A rush of thrill ran down his spine. He was ready for the next fight.

Unfortunately the remaining planes broke formation and retreated. "Do not pursue," his wing commander instructed.

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**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
2 Feb 1936

It took the entire day to finally enter the fortress. Fierce fighting erupted at the base but Isaiah and the Askari cavalry was finally through. Isaiah hacked down the nearest Ethiopian with his shotel (traditional East African sword), and turned. The streets of Gondar was filled with a mix of panicked military and civilian personnel. It was going to be difficult to discern between the two.

Yet fighting continued. At every street corner hid a potential ambush, and in every window positioned a potential sniper. Isaiah found himself in high alert at every junction he entered, or at every door he opened. His trusty shotel saved him from two street ambushes so far.

Fighting continued throughout the night. Despite a sense of finality, the Ethiopians fought twice as far and even barricaded themselves behind the inner walls of the fortress. Finally on 8 February with annihilation of the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, the city was taken.

After the loss of Gondar, the Ethiopian authorities agreed to a ceasefire.

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Pushing forward nicely.
 
Chapter 4: Crisis in Iberia

26 February 1936

Marshal Balbo and General Cavallero marched smartly into the palace of Addis Ababa. The Ethiopians were solemn and quiet as their government representatives signed the surrender documents and agreed to submit to Italian rule. Balbo scanned his eyes around the room and noted that the Ethiopian Emperor Selassie was missing. He had fled to Portugal during the ceasefire and left the remnants of his government to negotiate a surrender.

According to procedure, the new Ethiopian head announced the surrender to his people. They had fought bravely, but were outgunned and outnumbered. They had lost 200,000 men, while the Italians suffered 4,000 losses. Thus they suffered a quick defeat. Ethiopia should not continue to resist to avoid further bloodshed and accept Italian rule as an opportunity to learn new skills and technology to better their society.

Then it was Balbo's turn. Through a translator, he affirmed that Ethiopians fought well, and they were one of the fiercest opponents he had ever faced. He also proclaimed the Ethiopia would now reap the benefits of being part of the new Italian Empire. This was where the politician in Balbo excelled. He knew how to promise tangible items to his listeners.

Firstly, there would be an end to slavery. All slave owners would be given a month to free their slaves or be executed. Oppressed minorities would be given equal rights to to the ruling class.

Secondly, there would be construction of 3,200 km of rail and road to improve the transport infrastructure of Ethiopia in 2 years.

Thirdly, there would be implementation of over 20 hospitals across the country to combat malnutrition and other neglected diseases over 2 years.

Fourthly and most importantly, there will be food supplied to Ethiopia over the year to help reduce famine caused by the destruction of pastures during the war.

Though first silent, there would soon some cheering from several Ethiopians. General Cavallero would be appointed as military governor to ensure they did not lose the support of the occupied Ethiopians.

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Early March 1936

Upon return to Italy, Corporal Luigi was greeted with a cheers and celebrations from the Italian people. He had never been to Rome, but the government had organised a parade. Dictator Mussolini declared the celebration as a Roman Triumph, to echo the days of the Roman Empire. Greeted with kisses and flowers from the public, Luigi temporarily forgot the woes that he had faced during the war. He should enjoy the moment.

Being granted leave, he went straight to his family in Modena. His mother prepared a huge meal of gnocchi and spaghetti. His father announced Luigi's return to his neighbours. His younger sister dragged him to church to thank God for his safety. His younger brothers begged him to share his war stories.

"How many did you kill, fratello (brother)?" they asked.

"Officially zero," Luigi smiled as he told the truth deceptively. He did not want to lose the awe his brothers had of him. He definitely wanted to stay in Modena for the forseeable future.

Little did he know, that his vacation would be cut short.

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9 April 1936

Spain was in flames. Civil war erupted between the Fascist Nationalist and the anti-fascist Republicans. It was not the business of the Italians to interfere with Spanish affairs. However, a Nationalist Spain was better for Italian interests.

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"Recall the armoured divisions to active duty. We are going to send some volunteers," Marshal Balbo advocated.
 
The "volunteer" sort of volunteres one presumes?
 
Chapter 5: Iberian coast

20 April 1936

Corporal Luigi could not believe his ill luck. Just after surviving his Ethiopian adventures, he now found himself being on a naval transport to be deployed in Northern Spain. His new vehicle commander, Lieutenant Davide, did not inspire confidence at all. Davide came from a family of military officers, and sought to hunt for glory in combat.

"Relax, Corporal," a pilot assured Luigi. Introducing himself as "Caviglia ", the calm pilot informed Luigi that their job was to observe the war in Spain. Odds are, Luigi would not even participate in combat. They were there to ensure the Italian volunteer observers did not get too much in trouble.

Caviglia knew why they were here. They were here to test new Italian equipment. Italian performance against well-fortified positions in Ethiopia was underwhelming.

Sighing, Caviglia knew he should have spent more time with his family and girlfriend. He should proposed to her before this stupid war started. Unlike the armoured divisions, he actually had to provide air support to the Spanish Nationalist troops. His risk of dying was way higher.

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Early May 1936

Finally, Ethiopian Emperor Selassie made his first official speech to the League of Nations in Lisbon. He condemned the Italians for the annexation of his country, and then UK and France for doing nothing.

"It is us today. It will be you tomorrow," Selassie ended the speech.

Mussolini was furious. He condemned Portugal for supporting Ethiopia and harbouring the criminals Selassie. In retaliation, he announced the formality of stopping steel transport to Portugal. Italy needed Portuguese tungsten more than Portugal needed Italian resources. Yet he knew it was not enough. Portugal would allow Selassie to continue to criticised Mussolini.

"Get me, Balbo," Mussolini called his assistant.

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Late May 1936

Agent Faye had been working for Italian intelligence in Portugal for 2 years. And today came her biggest assignment. Her mark, Emperor Selassie had just been spotted at the Hotel Continental. She needed to find out where he would be in a moment.

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Dressed like a simple village girl, she entered the lobby and pretended to be providing floral service for the hotel.

"Who's that in that fancy gear?" she asked, gesturing to Selassie in his traditional robes.

"That's the Ethiopian Emperor-in-exile," a porter replied. "He will be staying with us tonight."

Faye noted that the porter was loading some of the luggage to be delivered to room 808. After a short conversation, she travelled to a safe spot to report her findings.

"We will take him out tonight, for the legacy of Rome."
 
Well one might as well pick a fight with Portugal as well.
 
Chapter 6: Crisis elevated

Late May 1936

Agent Faye relayed the coordinates of Emperor Selassie to the Italian sniper team. The Emperor was preparing to retire for the night and move his seat at the hotel cafe.

"Take the shot."

The sniper fired, and missed. At the last possible moment Emperor bend over to pick his dropped hat and bullet whizzed past him. It hit a chair nearby, leaving a prominent hole at the back. His bodyguards professionally took action and flipped the table over. They made sure Selassie was under cover.

"Abort!" Agent Faye ordered. She could hear the disappointed sigh from the snipers over the radio. They had to report bad news to their superiors.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************
Late July 1936

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Lies, lies and more lies. Despite being reassured that they were only there for observation, Luigi and his fellow L3 tankees found themselves involved in the invasion of the Spanish Republican stronghold of Navarre. Furthermore, his L3 had been attached with a extra fuel for their brand new flamethrower. This increased his chances of dying exponentially. A well-aimed bullet at the exposed fuel tank would detonate his tank. Once again, Luigi found himself holding his crucifix necklace and praying.

The Battle of Navarre was drawn out. Each time the Spanish Nationalists moved into the city with force, they were expelled with a greater force of Republicans. The Italians were finally ordered to give supporting fire.

Finally, the order to advance came. With the Spanish Nationalists charging forward, Corporal Luigi drove his vehicle towards potential hideouts. Automatically, Davide would burn the hideouts. When he was satisfied, he moved on to the next hideout and flamed it again. Most of the time the hideouts were empty. But some of the time, a immolated man would dash out, and Luigi would gun him out of mercy. He did not even know if the escapee was a Republican soldier. It did not matter. He was just following orders.

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Early November 1936

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The attempted assassination of Emperor Selassie in May stirred controversy within the League of Nations. Portugal accused Italy of the deed, and Dictator Mussolini passionately denied it. Instead, he condemned Portugal of harbouring Selassie, who was a well-known criminal of using illegal Dum-dum bullets and owning slaves. Finally, Portugal and Italy cut ties with each other. Even the Pope could not mediate a peace between them.

To garner support for his aggressive policies, Mussolini tried to court other nations into his sphere of influence. Greece laughed off his advances, while Albania condemned his Ethiopian policies. UK, Germany and France agreed not to interfere with Italian politics. Only Yugoslavia responded positively.

While international military experts predicted that Italy would not have enough industrial might to conduct a successful invasion of Portugal, Marshal Balbo managed to convince his military colleagues of the feasibility of the invasion. He would personally organise the air campaign, while General Messe and Admiral Fioravanzo would plan the land and sea operations respectively.

"Portugal would be incapable of attacking us here and here," he pointed confidently at a map. "Or they would risk an international incident."

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4 December 1936

"Viva!" Lieutenant Caviglia cheered as another Republican plane went down. He had been engaging Soviet-supplied aircraft during the Battle of Madrid. He already scored 2 kills, and yet another I-15 came up to challenge him.

This time, the pilot was better trained. The I-15 dodged his first machine gun burst, and returned with a burst of its own. Caigilia swerved his plane and quickly checked his gauges. Nothing important was hit.

The I-15 moved to engage again. Caviglia turned his CR 32 aside in a attempt to flank the I-15. However, his enemy had other ideas. the I-15 made a dangerous turn towards the CR32. the two planes clipped each other, and a sickening rip was heard. The CR 32 had lost its tail.

Right, do not panic, thought Caviglia as he considered his options. As black smoke poured out from the exposed part of his plane, he glided the craft safely into outskirts of Madrid, back in Nationalist Spain territory. A nearby L3 tank crew noted the wreck and moved to collect him.

"Lieutenant Caviglia," reported the pilot to the L3 commander. "Can you drive me to the nearest airfield to get another plane?"

The vehicle commander shook his head. "We are all being redeployed. Haven't you heard? We just declared war on Portugal!"

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Well I didn't see an attack on Portugal I must say.
 
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Chapter 7: Invasion of Portugal

12 December 1936

Everyone expected that the African colonies of Portugal and Italy to clash first, but the first major battle of the war was at sea. For his deck of the battleship Vittorio Veneto, Admiral Da Zara engaged six Portuguese destroyers. Despite being outnumbered, the Portuguese had expected an attack on the Southern Coast of Portugal and heavily mined the area.

The Italian ships fired the first barrage, and missed. The night sky was too dark and the destroyers remained expertly hidden. The first casualty occurred when an Italian submarine hit a naval mine and lit up the darkness. Da Zara knew that this was a bad sign. All the Italian ships were visible but the none of the Portuguese vessels were. It was time for the Portuguese to retaliate.

A loud explosion filled the sky as battleship Littorio took heavy damage. It received a torpedo strike. Two more Italian destroyers were sunk before Da Zara could organise some sort of an effective offense. Cornering the enemy destroyers, Vittorio Veneto managed to sink one of the ships. Another Portuguese ship sunk when an Italian submarine caught it off-guard. The remaining four destroyers retreated.

"Casualty report," Da Zara asked. He knew today was a tactical victory for the Portuguese. The Portuguese lost 2 destroyers, but sunk 2 submarines, 2 destroyers, 1 cruiser and heavily damaged 1 cruiser and 1 battleship. Current Italian tactics were old-fashioned.

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15 December 1936

Lieutenant Caviglia smiled at the brilliance of Marshal Balbo's strategy. Using the bases of the Spanish Nationalist, he launched an air campaign against Portugal. Portugal was powerless to strike since Spain was a neutral country. The International response was minimal. UK allowed the Italian navy to pass through Gibraltar. The French condemned the attack on paper, but did nothing. The Japanese sent observers to the war.

Within three days, the Italians had neutered the enemy air force. From then on, Italian bombers would focus their efforts on factories, airstrips and munitions. For this night, Caviglia had a front row seat on the highlands to see the effectiveness of the new SM79 bombers. He was glad that he was Italian and not Portuguese. Lighting up a cigarette, he wondered where the next operation would take place.

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31 December 1936

It was New Year's eve, but no one was celebrating in Portugal. The city of Lagos was being bombarded day and night by Italian capital ships. The Portuguese soldiers have retreated into their bunkers.

Admiral Da Zara knew he had to impress his superiors, especially Chief Admiral Fioravanzo . Yet the Portuguese resistance was firmed. Portuguese artillery still took potshots at the ships with minimal effect.

Da Zara was expecting to support a major invasion of Lagos. And the bulk of Portuguese defenders were there. Little did anyone expect the next master stroke of the invasion plans.

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Those six Portuguese destroyers gave a pretty darned good account of themselves.
 
Interesting strategy of trying to remake Rome...friends with Yugoslavia, and invading Portugal. Where to next? Having secured Iberia for fascism, and pro Italian governments, and presumably gotten whats left of the Portuguese empire, where do Italy go next?

Oh, and loved the Italians planning the Ethiopian war after the fighting had begun, much like everyone has to in HOI4.
 
Chapter 8: Fall of Lisbon

22 January 1937

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General Meese waited with baited breath as the amphibious transports moved into Lisbon. The unsuspecting Portuguese expected a larger attack at Lagos or over the Spanish border. Little did they know that three Alpini divisions had been snuck into Lisbon.

While disorganised resistance occurred in the city, the Alpini suffered minimal casualties as they quickly controlled key areas of the city. Within two days, General Meese quickly declared Lisbon to be under Italian administration. Once again, Selassie had fled Lisbon. His current whereabouts at that time was unknown, but it was later revealed that he escaped to London.

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The Alpini pushing into Lisbon

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29 March 1937

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The imminent fall of Portugal shocked the world. Experts had predicted a lengthy war leading to a stalemate or a Portuguese victory. Fearing Italian aggression, King Zog of Albania agreed to being annexed by Italy to avoid destruction. Despite promises by UK and France for protection, King Zog noted that Ethiopia and Portugal received none.

Dictator Mussolini proudly declared that Italy was becoming Roman again as its borders had expanded both Westwards and Eastwards.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

5 June 1937

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"Glory is before you, go take it! Avanti Saviola!" announced General Meese over the radio. The last Portuguese stronghold in Porto was all that stood in the way of complete Italian victory.

Unlike the previous wars, Corporal Luigi actually felt confident. General Messe had organised the forces in such an efficient way that the army had actually become an actual modern army. Instead of carelessly pushing his soldiers forward, General Messe would ensure he had enough intelligence to pick out key enemy hotspots. The Alpini went in first, and called artillery on enemy areas. Then armour and infantry will enter to handle whatever was left.

With instruction from Lieutenant Davide, Corporal Luigi charged his vehicle into Porto and ignited any suspected holdouts with his attached flamethrower. Their execution was methodical and foolproof. It was slow, but it reduced casualties. And going home safely was Luigi's ultimate aim.

Porto would fall a week later.

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16 June 1937

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At the treaty of Luanda, Marshall Balbo and General Meese met the the Portuguese representatives.

The following points of agreement were stated.

A) All slavery in both colonies would be banned. To ensure a smooth transition to non-slavery, all Portuguese overseas territories including Angola, East Timor, Goa, Madeira and Azores would be under Italian administration.

B) Italy will help rebuild Portugal, especially along the west coast. To help facilitation, Marshall Balbo will place the Lisbon and the west coast under Italian administration. Marshal Balbo promised an expansion of the Lisbon port, creating more jobs for the Portuguese.

C) The new Portuguese administration will run the rest of Portugal. Under Italian advisory, this new Portugal will be a greater Portugal, free from the ineptness of the old.

The war was over. The Italians lost 2,000 men while the Portuguese suffered 35,000 casualties.

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So - you you took all the colonies and the Azores, and then puppetted the rest?
 
Goodness me, Italy just became a colonial empire again with one war and barely any casualties. Well done! Random, but inspired I suppose. Are you going to bully Franco into giving up Spanish med islands as well, or just get him into the faction as an ally?