Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 175: Sorrowful Italy

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As soon as the German fleet entered the Mediterranean, a big news came out. The ferocity of the Germanic barbarians once again opened the eyes of the Italians.

Anyone who has a little strategic vision should be able to see the military value of this island. This small island with a length of only 50 kilometers happens to be stuck on the main waterway connecting Italy with its African colonies.

Italian people of insight have also longed to take the island and completely remove the stumbling block that the British placed at the door of Italy. What is interesting is that this matter is only the intention of the people from the beginning to the end, but the Italian military has not even formulated a plan.

The reasons for this may feel a little absurd. The Italian Navy does not have its own Marine Corps and Air Force, and the Italian Army and Air Force are unwilling to fight for the benefit of the Navy.

The contradiction between the Italian army, navy and air force has a long history, and the cause of the problem lies with Mussolini.

His big chin loves the navy fanatically. Those big guns satisfy his hobby of showing off. At the same time, he believes that only a strong navy can help him complete the magnificent ambition of turning the Mediterranean into an Italian lake.

After he came to power, the entire government’s military budget was tilted towards the navy. The navy became Mussolini’s personal darling. Its comfortable working conditions and sufficient logistical supplies made young Italians who want to join the army even more attractive. In rush, a large number of school-age youths rushed to sign up for the navy, which undoubtedly caused dissatisfaction with the other two services, especially the Italian army. Seeing the navy, it was a look of envy and hatred.

When naval officers and soldiers lay comfortably on the deck of a battleship, sipping iced wine while eating lobsters and oysters, and sunbathing in the warm Mediterranean sun after lunch, those hardworking Italian soldiers could only carry With a ragged rifle, wrapped in a thin army coat, gnawing on half-baked potatoes, shivering in the post in the Alps, or under the heat of 50 degrees Celsius, against the scorching sun. Carrying dozens of kilograms of equipment, marching on the deserted Gobi of North Africa. Why is this, the Italian army is also the armed forces of the kingdom, and it is not raised by a stepmother.

Over time. Mussolini's inclination policy has become more and more intense, and the contradiction between the Italian army and the navy has also become more and more deep. Although not to the point of incompatible with fire and water, it is not much different from Japan. Speaking of the fact that the Japanese have always had a good impression of Italy, perhaps it is because the two are really similar in many places.

To build Italy's huge fleet. The Italian Navy took up a large amount of military expenses and resources originally belonging to the Army. This has led to the fact that the combat effectiveness of the Italian army has been greatly weakened. It is not that the Italians will not fight, but the problem is to fight the Second World War with World War I level equipment. This is indeed a bit difficult. The Italian leader has a good appetite, but lacks a good pair of teeth.

It's not that Italy can't produce advanced army equipment. When the Italians have a big brain, they can actually break through the sky like the Germans. The military technology of the Kingdom of Italy was actually at the forefront of the world for a time, because Apennine has always had a tradition of private scientific research since ancient times. Italian military inventors have made many strange but interesting inventions. Many things can be brought to the modern age. It can be regarded as a genius innovation.

But in the end, all this turned into a cloud of smoke when Mussolini came to power, and Italian fascism imprisoned thought. All creation must be carried out in accordance with the leaders' instructions, and only things that Mussolini are interested in can be funded and purchased by the government. Italians are unsophisticated by nature, and some inventors advocate freedom from the bottom of their hearts. Many people are dissatisfied with Mussolini’s policies. They have no ability to resist. They can only choose to flee Italy. A large number of technical talents are lost and a lot of cheaper A country across the ocean.

The Italian army claimed to have one million soldiers at the start of the war. The big mouth even boasted that the total number of Italian armed forces could exceed 10 million after the national mobilization. But in fact, at the beginning of the war, the total strength of the Italian national army was only 450,000. These people were organized into seventy-four two-two infantry divisions. Compared with other great powers, the two-regiment infantry division is miniature. Two infantry regiments and one artillery regiment are fully equipped with only 12,000 personnel.

Even among these seventy-four infantry divisions, there are only nineteen of them with complete weapons and full personnel. Most of the others just hang an infantry division brand, and there are serious shortages of both weapons and soldiers. The Italian army does look like a stepmother. It is strange that Mussolini has always regarded the army as the main foreign attack force, but did not give them the funds and arms they deserve.

Italy has good long-range artillery, but due to insufficient military expenditure and productivity problems, the total has never exceeded the three-digit mark. Most of the Italian soldiers were holding 1891 rifles from the First World War. Most of the main artillery in the infantry division was produced in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it was the spoils of Italy at the end of World War I.

Similarly, the Italians have good submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles. The problem is still limited production. As a result, they can only arm some black shirts and elite companies. Not to mention the distribution of ordinary big soldiers. Many soldiers have been defeated in Italy. I don't know that the Army has even equipped these weapons.

The Italian soldiers spend most of their time fighting against a group of enemies armed to their teeth, relying on a bunch of antiques, and they are participating in a war that is not at the same weight level.

Mussolini's character led to his ultimate failure. For his personal ambition, countless Italians lost their lives. Mussolini had a deep reflection after his arrest. He believed that his failure was because he overestimated the national character of the Italians. They are not descendants of the ancient Romans, Mussolini commented so, the current Italians are actually the descendants of foreign slaves, immigrants and Gothic barbarians.

The great leader angrily accused the Italians of being incompetent cowards, and their souls lacked something hard. Mussolini once said that after his defeat in the Alps, if you give Michelangelo a piece of marble, He can sculpt a statue of David and give him a lump of clay. He can only make a pitcher.

Mussolini's words are indeed a bit too much. The Italians are not lack of courage. What they lack is the motivation to ignite courage. Once they find a reason to fight bravely. This group of guys are crazy even they are afraid.

Due to the contradictions between the arms, all arms are guarding strictly and guarding their territory. I will not interfere with you. Similarly, don’t even want to step into my field. The Italian Navy was forbidden to form a marine force, and it was also forbidden to have its own aviation power.

All those who can fly are owned by the Italian Air Force. In this regard, the Italian Air Force has the style of Fat Goring. As a trendy emerging arms, the romantic and adventurous air force is the first choice for the Italian elite to join the army. Because all the pilots are officers and do not need to come from a professional military school. This fits the appetite of those noble children, because these dudes do not want to waste time in the military academy, but also want to be officers as soon as they join the army. Moreover, the training of the Air Force is far from that of the Army. Those in the air don’t have to carry a 35-kilogram rucksack to march in the sun. They can drink iced beverages under the parasols and lazily mix. After a whole day, as long as the crew member is a member of the plane flying a few times a week, if you have an adventurous spirit, you can also drive a fighter jet to play tricks and other tricks. Military discipline is for the civilians. Fixed. No one in the Italian army dared to trouble a nobleman.

The Air Force has become the best place for mixed seniority. Often a child of a nobleman enlists in the army for three or four months, and then immediately leaves the army with a chest of medals and the rank of Lieutenant in the Air Force. Military experience and rank are the backgrounds that Italian nobles must have. Only with these backgrounds can they enter the political arena with confidence. This is a process that the new blood of the power class must go through before coming to power.

The Italian Air Force is performing the same story every year, and it is truly an iron-fighted soldier. Outsiders have always been surprised. As a gilded tool, the Italian Air Force does not seem to receive any special treatment. Except for a few fighter battalions that have been dedicated to the rich and powerful to get some of the latest toys, the other companies are filled with Italian eras. The tattered.

Before the war, the Italian government claimed to the outside world that it had established Europe's top flight force, and the powerful Italian Air Force had more than 2,300 various advanced models. Can easily turn the enemies of Italy into fans. In fact, Mussolini himself did not know how much moisture was in this propaganda. What role did the Italian Air Force seniors play in it? There are different opinions afterwards. It is difficult to have a clear conclusion.

The scandals of the Italian Air Force’s waste of money, corruption and military spending have never been cut off. Because there are a lot of powerful and powerful people behind and even take action in person, there has always been only big things small, small things and witnesses.

The true strength of the Italian air force at the beginning of the war was reduced by half compared to the propaganda. At least 1,300 aircrafts only exist on paper. In fact, these aircrafts have long been waiting for disassembly because of their age. Or because it is no longer suitable for flying, it can only be locked in the hangar and waiting to be scrapped.

There are only about 1,000 aircraft that can be used. More than 80% of them are various old models from the 1930s, and the remaining 10% are improved versions of the above models. Only 10% are barely enough. Advanced models of the previous era.

Although Italy claims to be a European power, it cannot change its nature as a resource-poor industrial country. Most of Italy's urgently needed production materials must be imported from abroad. This problem has severely restricted Italy's military production and the upgrading of equipment.

Italy has a good industrial system, but it is stuck on the insurmountable moat of resources. It is not that Italy does not want to update the army with guns and weapons. The problem is that its steel output is only more than two million tons per year, and most of it is used to build the navy in addition to civilian use.

Now turning the topic back to the strategy of Malta, some officers in the Italian Navy actually considered before the war that they must immediately take action to occupy Malta and reduce the threat of the British Royal Navy to the Italian Navy.

But in the end it turns out that they can only think about it. The Italian army firmly opposes fighting for the benefit of the navy. Malta is of no use to the Italian army. After the fight, it will only be cheaper. Group of navy and air force. Of course, the Army will not openly express opposition in person. They use the most used methods, drag the word formula, must go through investigation, verification, research, discussion, calculation, and so on. . . . So you can only wait and wait.

As mentioned earlier, the Italian Navy does not have a Marine Corps, and their warships can’t get ashore. They rely on the sailors to merge with the British Army. The Italian Navy has no confidence in this.

On this issue, the Italian Air Force is also very ambiguous, and they are not interested in fighting the British for the Navy. So, like the Army, the Air Force replied that the Navy must study and plan carefully on this issue. The British are very troublesome. Unlike the Italian army, which has a stubborn muscle, they are still playing the abacus of picking peaches afterwards.

Finally, the Navy gave up its plan to capture Malta. Anyway, something happened and there was a tall man, as long as the time comes, don't say I haven't reminded it before.

So ~IndoMTL.com~ After a series of games between the three armies in Italy, the jewel of the Mediterranean finally fell into the hands of the Germans.

When the German Mediterranean task force with three British-made battleships as the core appeared on the waters of the island of Malta, the heart of the British commander stationed on the island was broken. For such a small island, would you dispatch such a strong fleet? ? We must know that at this time, the British army, navy and air force stationed on the island of Malta had only one battalion.

A German fighter group taking off from Tunisia became the last weight to overwhelm the psychological balance of the defenders. The fierce Messerschmitt fighter jets circumvented the six hurricanes tremblingly around the German fleet in five minutes. All the slaughter, this is all the British Royal Air Force troops on this island.

When the German Army soldiers climbed the ropes and began to transfer to the landing craft, a white flag was slowly rising on the flagpole on the roof of the British Command in Valletta Port.

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