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no you need all your manpower and military forces to defend against the soviet union if it goes to war.
This is a great AAR, you have pulled off an interesting post war world. It would be good if you could bring Spain and Portugal into the orbit too, as their regimes are somewhat similar to yours. I don't know how you will go against the Soviets though, a monumental task.
Independent african state? This will never happen. Italian Empire won't abandon it's Spazio Vitale.
Indeed, it's time for Great Crusade.
Damn! Poland has rightful German eastern clay. This must be fixed in the inevitable war with the Bolsheviks....
10 - Quid pro Quo
"Limit to courage? There is no limit to courage."
1948
After what was called 'Nazi War' in Italy, odds didn't changed, despite many new fascist allies. USSR still existed, United Kingdom didn't changed it's attitude towards Mussolini's New Order and USA's foreign policy remained same tough: total economic embargo and still recognizing de Gaulle's 'French government in exile' as the only legitimate government of France. By contrast, Pétain's 'French State', no longer weak puppet state, focused on rebuilding and rearmament, same as rest of the Europe under fascist control. France was no longer a reliable British ally it was few years ago: Dunkirk, Mers el Kebir and Dakar renewed historical animosity, while Italy, despite it's forced claims, appeared as much more 'natural' ally. In the meantime, Grand Council of Fascism sought more than alliance: an economic bloc, already nicknamed 'Latin Axis', by american newspapers. Dominated by Italian Empire of course, but preferential for 'valued allies' as well. France and Spain.
Italians felt, that to withstand any Soviet or American onslaught, they still need every help possible and avalaible.
Barcelona, 1948. Once bastion of anarchism, now the place, where idea of 'Latin Axis' materialized in full. It was more than sentiment which forced Franco to sign an treaty: years after Spanish Civil War, cities still needed reconstruction and industry needed new industrial machines, same as investments.
Spain also connected it's African provinces into one colony.
Activities of communist saboteurs were stronger every passed day. Both OVRA and MVSN did their best, crushing many red cells, but Soviets, same as British, continued their efforts with unstoppable fervor.
Roman Pact in 1948. Any de-colonization plans for Africa were rejected altogether as Bolshevik agenda.
1st April 1948, Roman Pact declared war to Soviet Union, move, which more or less surprised rest of the world. Germany and France, same as Spain, were in no state to wage expected attrition war with Soviets, especially not with such limited manpower and oil resources. Italy, on the other hand, was almost untouched by previous war, which made the state only much stronger and willing to destroy communism once and for all.
Royal Hungarian Army in Poland, 1948. States of Roman Pact basically scrapped everything usable against the red menace: obsolete vehicles, Great War weapons, ex-Soviet weaponry, even Japanese grenades massively produced by China: the only state in the world which could still afford Human wave attack.
Experience of 'Nazi War' learned Italians well: their divisions were capable enough to start offensives before most of the reserves arrived to the front, with many of them joining their already victorious armies, marching to the depth of Soviet territory.
From Italian newsreel, 1948, with an annotation: "MVSN fully prepared for the now ongoing Great Crusade against Communism"
Grand Council of Fascism, same as Duce himself, weren't sure if and when China will declare war to USSR. However, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek not only wanted to clearly express his disgust towards communism, but to also retake Xinjiang, Mongolia and Tannu Tuva, regarded as rightfully Chinese provinces. He clearly still remembered the humiliation by their puppet warlord Sheng Shicai, when Soviets invaded western China and then still expected his servility for few planes and guns against Japanese. Like it was a charity.
Italy was considered as very convenient ally. Never having any ambitions in Asia, too distant, rather playing with their enemies as a toys against each other...and it just happened, that everything 'accidently' seemed like acting in China's best interests, including Roman Pact acting as best Chinese customer, hungry for their raw materials, not accessible anywhere else.
Hostilities started literally a second before formal announcement of the war. In aerial warfare alone, not mentioning planes destroyed on airfields, hundreds of them were destroyed in first days of the conflict.
1st April 1948, Italian soldiers exchanging fire with Soviet border guards in Bessarabia.
In first seven weeks, Poland was liberated, with European armies were already marching in three main directions: Leningrad, Moscow...and Stalingrad. Still far away from the last one, but no so far for the first two targets. With enough time to conquer and secure them before winter will arrive again.
Frontlines, end of May 1948.
Bersaglieri in Ukrainian field, Summer 1948
"Limit to courage? There is no limit to courage."
- Gabriele D'Annunzio, founder of fascism
1948
After what was called 'Nazi War' in Italy, odds didn't changed, despite many new fascist allies. USSR still existed, United Kingdom didn't changed it's attitude towards Mussolini's New Order and USA's foreign policy remained same tough: total economic embargo and still recognizing de Gaulle's 'French government in exile' as the only legitimate government of France. By contrast, Pétain's 'French State', no longer weak puppet state, focused on rebuilding and rearmament, same as rest of the Europe under fascist control. France was no longer a reliable British ally it was few years ago: Dunkirk, Mers el Kebir and Dakar renewed historical animosity, while Italy, despite it's forced claims, appeared as much more 'natural' ally. In the meantime, Grand Council of Fascism sought more than alliance: an economic bloc, already nicknamed 'Latin Axis', by american newspapers. Dominated by Italian Empire of course, but preferential for 'valued allies' as well. France and Spain.
Italians felt, that to withstand any Soviet or American onslaught, they still need every help possible and avalaible.
Barcelona, 1948. Once bastion of anarchism, now the place, where idea of 'Latin Axis' materialized in full. It was more than sentiment which forced Franco to sign an treaty: years after Spanish Civil War, cities still needed reconstruction and industry needed new industrial machines, same as investments.
Spain also connected it's African provinces into one colony.
Activities of communist saboteurs were stronger every passed day. Both OVRA and MVSN did their best, crushing many red cells, but Soviets, same as British, continued their efforts with unstoppable fervor.
Roman Pact in 1948. Any de-colonization plans for Africa were rejected altogether as Bolshevik agenda.
1st April 1948, Roman Pact declared war to Soviet Union, move, which more or less surprised rest of the world. Germany and France, same as Spain, were in no state to wage expected attrition war with Soviets, especially not with such limited manpower and oil resources. Italy, on the other hand, was almost untouched by previous war, which made the state only much stronger and willing to destroy communism once and for all.
Royal Hungarian Army in Poland, 1948. States of Roman Pact basically scrapped everything usable against the red menace: obsolete vehicles, Great War weapons, ex-Soviet weaponry, even Japanese grenades massively produced by China: the only state in the world which could still afford Human wave attack.
Experience of 'Nazi War' learned Italians well: their divisions were capable enough to start offensives before most of the reserves arrived to the front, with many of them joining their already victorious armies, marching to the depth of Soviet territory.
From Italian newsreel, 1948, with an annotation: "MVSN fully prepared for the now ongoing Great Crusade against Communism"
Grand Council of Fascism, same as Duce himself, weren't sure if and when China will declare war to USSR. However, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek not only wanted to clearly express his disgust towards communism, but to also retake Xinjiang, Mongolia and Tannu Tuva, regarded as rightfully Chinese provinces. He clearly still remembered the humiliation by their puppet warlord Sheng Shicai, when Soviets invaded western China and then still expected his servility for few planes and guns against Japanese. Like it was a charity.
Italy was considered as very convenient ally. Never having any ambitions in Asia, too distant, rather playing with their enemies as a toys against each other...and it just happened, that everything 'accidently' seemed like acting in China's best interests, including Roman Pact acting as best Chinese customer, hungry for their raw materials, not accessible anywhere else.
Hostilities started literally a second before formal announcement of the war. In aerial warfare alone, not mentioning planes destroyed on airfields, hundreds of them were destroyed in first days of the conflict.
1st April 1948, Italian soldiers exchanging fire with Soviet border guards in Bessarabia.
In first seven weeks, Poland was liberated, with European armies were already marching in three main directions: Leningrad, Moscow...and Stalingrad. Still far away from the last one, but no so far for the first two targets. With enough time to conquer and secure them before winter will arrive again.
Frontlines, end of May 1948.
Bersaglieri in Ukrainian field, Summer 1948
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@Vlad_Dracul1989
You're back! I was kind of worried we'd never get to hear how the story of la Roma Nova wiped the red plague from the face of the earth!
You're back! I was kind of worried we'd never get to hear how the story of la Roma Nova wiped the red plague from the face of the earth!
- 1
General Winter will make short work of the Italian madman's armies.
Just wondering is there any mud in Russia during April?I can't remember.
Just wondering is there any mud in Russia during April?I can't remember.
11 - Aut Vincere Aut Mori
"Fascism, since that is the word that is used, fascism presents, wherever it manifests itself, characteristics which are varied to the extent that countries and national temperaments vary. It is essentially a defensive reaction of the organism, a manifestation of the desire to live, of the desire not to die, which at certain times seizes a whole people. So each people reacts in its own way, according to its conception of life. Our rising, here, has a Spanish meaning! What can it have in common with Hitlerism, which was, above all, a reaction against the state of things created by the defeat, and by the abdication and the despair that followed it?"
1948 - 1949
Italian Empire, although able to manoeuvre with it's supposed allies and enemies, fought for survival still. Rapid industrialisation and modern, experienced army, used much of limited italian manpower, not mentioning prisoners of war and cheap labour coming from puppet states and desperate war refugees. On the outside, Italian state exceeded every thinkable limits: population grew as much as fascist state's expanse, modern cities in both Northern and Southern Italy no longer resembled rustic poor land it was decades earlier.
On the inside, the homeland of fascism found it's limits after all: military absorbed many talented men, which couldn't help elsewhere, notably in the research and technical developments, in which Italy greatly struggled to keep up with not only UK and USA, but with it's French and German 'allies', slowly realizing, how fragile Italian 'new order' is. With poor puppet states and colonies, with Allied embargo still enforced, Italian industry was heavily dependent on French and German coal and steel.
Palace of Justice, Milan, example of Italian fascist architecture in 1940s.
One of the few technical developments debated in Italian military, rockets, seemed like especially efficient way to strike enemy's strategic targets without endangering pilots or overloading industry, in case of rejected strategic bomber force.
In 1948, Italy was not the only country founding finally it's limits: so called 'British Empire' greatly suffered under nationalist and anti-colonial movements, at home and abroad, knowing well, that any 'decolonized' country will quickly fall under fascist influence, be it Africa or Asia, Italy or China.
Meanwhile, war in the east continued in June 1948, with both sides locked in the seemingly unending bloodshed. Campaign was full of inefficiency, corruption, friendly fire, but Imperio Esercito, as suggested by Wehrmacht veteran commanders, prefered independent army groups, using mostly Italian and French language to communicate between them, to cooperate actions against Red Army, concentrated on defense of Moscow and Ukraine.
Battle of Melitopol ended June 14th, 1948. Armies in the Ukraine, consisting mainly from Spanish, Benelux and Italian armies, greatly suffered, when half of them were relocated to the north for conquest of Moscow.
June 27th, 1949. French tank army arrived to quickly cut off escape route of Soviet armies trapped in Eastern Ukraine.
July 11th, 1949, fascist coalition, last weeks concentrating half of it's military on central frontlines, finally started Battle of Moscow.
After five days, defenders of Moscow now faced onslaught from west and north, with growing probability of total encirclement.
After three more days, French, German and Italian units entered the destroyed city. It was the most decisive and bloodiest battle of the entire war. In next days, Red Army ceased to exist.
What remained from Soviet armies, was in the next weeks annihilated. Nothing now stood between fascist legions and total victory over the communist bear.
In the October, fascist armies had all key parts of the USSR under their control. Cities, industry, railways, everything.
October 16th, 1948, was the official date of Soviet surrender, although serious resistance stopped two months ago, with official capitulation of last Central Asian and Siberian units.
Fourteen independent states were formed from ashes of Soviet Union.
Poland was the exception. Due to support for anti-soviet Polish resistance, pre-Nazi War italian refusal to back Hitler's 'Generalplan Ost' and finally it's destruction by Italian armies, fascist troops were greeted as liberators, holy warriors against communism, much like how Spanish soldiers were treated. With no surprise, Germans rather gave occupied Polish territories to Italians and Spaniards then.
Prototypes of guided missiles was another indisputable success of Italian rocket scientists.
Then it came.
Republican candidate, Thomas E. Dewey, desperate to defeat incumbent president, changed his rhetorics in the last moment: United States must defend it's 'spheres of influence' and 'help democracy in the world', to found support from less moderate republicans and growingly more and more anti-fascist population.
He won, but it had consequences: Non-aggression pact with fascist empire wasn't renewed and hawks in increasingly rebellious U.S. military, were unwilling to obey any isolationist orders, making United States now encircled on all sides by fascists and their allies. Crumbling British Empire wasn't reliable ally either.
Italian Empire and it's allies, 1949.
"Fascism, since that is the word that is used, fascism presents, wherever it manifests itself, characteristics which are varied to the extent that countries and national temperaments vary. It is essentially a defensive reaction of the organism, a manifestation of the desire to live, of the desire not to die, which at certain times seizes a whole people. So each people reacts in its own way, according to its conception of life. Our rising, here, has a Spanish meaning! What can it have in common with Hitlerism, which was, above all, a reaction against the state of things created by the defeat, and by the abdication and the despair that followed it?"
- Francisco Franco, interview with Henri Massis, 1938
1948 - 1949
Italian Empire, although able to manoeuvre with it's supposed allies and enemies, fought for survival still. Rapid industrialisation and modern, experienced army, used much of limited italian manpower, not mentioning prisoners of war and cheap labour coming from puppet states and desperate war refugees. On the outside, Italian state exceeded every thinkable limits: population grew as much as fascist state's expanse, modern cities in both Northern and Southern Italy no longer resembled rustic poor land it was decades earlier.
On the inside, the homeland of fascism found it's limits after all: military absorbed many talented men, which couldn't help elsewhere, notably in the research and technical developments, in which Italy greatly struggled to keep up with not only UK and USA, but with it's French and German 'allies', slowly realizing, how fragile Italian 'new order' is. With poor puppet states and colonies, with Allied embargo still enforced, Italian industry was heavily dependent on French and German coal and steel.
Palace of Justice, Milan, example of Italian fascist architecture in 1940s.
One of the few technical developments debated in Italian military, rockets, seemed like especially efficient way to strike enemy's strategic targets without endangering pilots or overloading industry, in case of rejected strategic bomber force.
In 1948, Italy was not the only country founding finally it's limits: so called 'British Empire' greatly suffered under nationalist and anti-colonial movements, at home and abroad, knowing well, that any 'decolonized' country will quickly fall under fascist influence, be it Africa or Asia, Italy or China.
Meanwhile, war in the east continued in June 1948, with both sides locked in the seemingly unending bloodshed. Campaign was full of inefficiency, corruption, friendly fire, but Imperio Esercito, as suggested by Wehrmacht veteran commanders, prefered independent army groups, using mostly Italian and French language to communicate between them, to cooperate actions against Red Army, concentrated on defense of Moscow and Ukraine.
Battle of Melitopol ended June 14th, 1948. Armies in the Ukraine, consisting mainly from Spanish, Benelux and Italian armies, greatly suffered, when half of them were relocated to the north for conquest of Moscow.
June 27th, 1949. French tank army arrived to quickly cut off escape route of Soviet armies trapped in Eastern Ukraine.
July 11th, 1949, fascist coalition, last weeks concentrating half of it's military on central frontlines, finally started Battle of Moscow.
After five days, defenders of Moscow now faced onslaught from west and north, with growing probability of total encirclement.
After three more days, French, German and Italian units entered the destroyed city. It was the most decisive and bloodiest battle of the entire war. In next days, Red Army ceased to exist.
What remained from Soviet armies, was in the next weeks annihilated. Nothing now stood between fascist legions and total victory over the communist bear.
In the October, fascist armies had all key parts of the USSR under their control. Cities, industry, railways, everything.
October 16th, 1948, was the official date of Soviet surrender, although serious resistance stopped two months ago, with official capitulation of last Central Asian and Siberian units.
Fourteen independent states were formed from ashes of Soviet Union.
Poland was the exception. Due to support for anti-soviet Polish resistance, pre-Nazi War italian refusal to back Hitler's 'Generalplan Ost' and finally it's destruction by Italian armies, fascist troops were greeted as liberators, holy warriors against communism, much like how Spanish soldiers were treated. With no surprise, Germans rather gave occupied Polish territories to Italians and Spaniards then.
Prototypes of guided missiles was another indisputable success of Italian rocket scientists.
Then it came.
Republican candidate, Thomas E. Dewey, desperate to defeat incumbent president, changed his rhetorics in the last moment: United States must defend it's 'spheres of influence' and 'help democracy in the world', to found support from less moderate republicans and growingly more and more anti-fascist population.
He won, but it had consequences: Non-aggression pact with fascist empire wasn't renewed and hawks in increasingly rebellious U.S. military, were unwilling to obey any isolationist orders, making United States now encircled on all sides by fascists and their allies. Crumbling British Empire wasn't reliable ally either.
Italian Empire and it's allies, 1949.
- 1
Damn, I was hoping the decadent Americans would give Roma at least a little time to benefit from the new order!
Fascist world domination is coming! America had better prepare itself for its most humiliating defeat since Little Bighorn!
