Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 447: [Mussolini] Defense Line (End)

Sardinia fell, Lombardy, Parma, and Modina fell, Venice and Sicily fell, Lower Sicily was precarious, Tuscany was facing the German front.

This list almost includes all the richest and most developed areas in Italy. The Savoy royal family standing on the shoulders of the Kingdom of Sardinia has the greatest support for maintaining its rule.

The entire Northwestern Industrial Zone of Italy fell, making it impossible for the Italian army to obtain new ordnance supplies. What is unbelievable is that this kind of things that should have been strictly kept secret soon became known to all the women and children of the streets and alleys, so just as expected, the morale of the army and the people dropped by 30%.

Interestingly, the Savoy royal family, who was supposed to be furious, has remained silent during this period. This really makes Mussolini, who is under tremendous pressure, grateful, as long as the royal family is still standing behind him, Italy’s The political situation can continue to maintain stability.

He has noticed that in the past few days, some undercurrents within the Roman government have been surging, and some high-level party leaders and members of the royalist party have connected with each other in private, but Mussolini is still confident that he can control all situations. He has been in power in Italy for many years, and he has long established an inseparable chain of interests with these parliamentarians and politicians. He judged that these people were only psychologically shaken under the threat of war, and these cowards are destined to be impossible to do anything big.

Mussolini didn’t have the mind to bother about these problems. What he has been thinking about for the past two days is how to get Germany to agree to make peace with it alone, so that Italy can end this absurd war with dignity. .

Mussolini really wants to be soft. He is now convinced that the [Mussolini] line of defense cannot save the defeat of the Kingdom of Italy. Although the German army stopped advancing in the middle of the Apennines, the Italian army on other fronts did not Still retreating, if he hasn't seen what is hidden behind this, he has been a leader for so many years.

Some confidantes in the military reported to him that there is only one empty shelf left in several theater headquarters. The generals are like playing games when they make plans. There is no one at the grassroots army to command. The troops lack ammunition and supplies. The morale in the army is very poor, and many people are worried about whether their hometown has been attacked and bombed by the German army.

The rumors within the army are fraught with panic, but the officers don’t seem to have seen these things at all. If the situation is allowed to develop, I believe there will be no more people left who are willing to continue fighting soon.

Italian soldiers are not cowardly cowards, but they often lack judgment and generally have a low level of education. Many people worry that they will become meaningless cannon fodder in this war.

After all, that’s the problem. The Italian soldiers don’t see any hope of victory. Even if the [Mussolini] line of defense on the radio in Rome is blown like an iron wall, these people only see their hands. A hundred rounds of ammunition and a Carcano rifle older than him.

Mussolini believes these reports are true, but he can't come up with any useful plans for how to change all of this. It is impossible for him to punish the generals for "malfeasance" at this time. On the contrary, he will continue to use his benefits to win over these bastards. At this moment, he should be thankful that these people are still obeying his orders at least on the surface.

Mussolini can only control part of the army and the surrounding areas of Rome. The local councils of some provinces and cities in Upper and Lower Sicily have publicly resisted the prime minister’s order. They said that the Roman government must also consider the overall strategy. Consider the difficulties of the place.

At the same time, some politicians began to accuse Mussolini, claiming that it was because of his reckless actions that finally led to this unnecessary war. Although this is a problem that everyone recognizes, this is the first time someone Speaking in public, this is the first time in more than ten years that someone dared to point the finger at Mussolini.

This is simply an open rebellion against the prime minister. What Mussolini cannot tolerate is that many of the local leaders are still members of the Fascist National Party.

The main force of the Italian Air Force has been dragged to death in Albania, and their local fuel reserves have been run out. The supply line to the mainland has been cut off. The once powerful Italian Air Force Group was short of spare parts and fuel. , Hordes paralyzed in the Albanian base.

The German and Yugoslav coalition forces have invaded Albania, and the Albanians have shown a very cooperative attitude to this. The people even rushed to offer food and wine to entertain the German troops. The German Wehrmacht was seen as coming to help the Albanian people. The liberator who rescued them from the evil Italian colonists, the German soldiers received a warm welcome from the local people in every town he reached.

The fascist police and gendarmerie in Italy made little resistance. They surrendered their weapons to the Germans almost as soon as they contacted. Their only requirement is that the Germans are responsible for their personal safety, because once they fall into Albania, which is almost crazy Human hands will encounter extremely terrible things.

Keitel specifically asked for instructions from the High Command, and then conveyed an order from the head of state to the entire army. The German army must not only ensure the safety of prisoners of war, but also provide assistance to the Italian nationals in the controlled area. They can temporarily hide in the German barracks. Here, to avoid being harmed by local civilians, the German Wehrmacht will be responsible for their safety. Although these people will lose most of the assets accumulated here, they can at least save the lives of their families.

German fighter forces blocked the airspace around the Italian air base. Those cumbersome Savoia-Macheti 79 "Sparrowhawks" or Gunter Z1007 "Kingfishers" did not dare to take off at all and could only take off. The entire group was destroyed by German bombers beside the runway and in the hangar.

Admiral Alessandro Air Force, commander-in-chief of the Albanian Air Force, reported to Rome that his troops are in extreme danger. Albanians are attacking Italian garrisons and civilians everywhere. This country is becoming an Italian hell. He demanded that if Rome does not provide support or come up with a solution, he can only choose to lead his troops to surrender to the Germans at an appropriate time.

The Italian Air Force Wing suffered heavy losses in the confrontation with the German, French and British Air Forces. The pilots of the 6th Independent Fighter Group stationed in Naples actually resisted collectively and refused to take off for the mission. The early version of the Macchi MC200 they drove was originally Some deficiencies have not yet been resolved ~ IndoMTL.com ~ encountered the German ace driving Messerschmitt, they were immediately defeated, a flying brigade with 26 fighters, only seven people survived.

The Italian navy is even worse off directly with Mussolini. The Italian navy commander-in-chief, Admiral Angelo Iaquino, went to Taranto to inspect the fleet with the excuse of the former chief of staff. Back, the Roman Naval Command only left two or three kittens at this time, and the highest rank was only a colonel.

The naval fleet is all shrunk in several military ports, and even the usual basic patrols are not carried out. The once very active Italian submarine forces have also returned to their home ports and no longer set sail. The navy has made it clear. I am not ready to confront the three-nation coalition forces head-on.

But Mussolini could not condemn this kind of blatant treason, and he could not even mention it, because once the news leaks, it is hard to use the [Mussolini] defense to inspire the point The morale of the people will collapse immediately.

Admiral Graziani of Libya sends a telegram every day about urgent and asking for supplies. The Italian border troops stationed there have had several exchanges of fire with the French Foreign Corps. Obviously the French are doing one. Battlefield reconnaissance and temptation before a large-scale offensive. He needs more soldiers and tanks, artillery, and materials and fuel on the Western Front. Otherwise, it will be difficult to stop the French offensive from Tunisia. In the current intelligence, The French gathered a powerful mechanized force there.

What is even more worrying is that the Commonwealth forces stationed on the border of Eritrea are frequently mobilizing. Obviously, the British are also preparing to go to bed and use their brains on the first African colony developed by Italy. (To be continued.) What a book, home of book friends! Unique URL: