Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 474: Taranto (Part 2)

All afternoon, the fleet was busy mobilizing the berths of the ships, gathering and arranging soldiers to go ashore. The captains were ordered to fill the keyholes of the ammunition depot with tin and remove the bolts of the deck artillery.

All high-ranking military officers were gathered in the headquarters for a meeting. The generals advised them on their kindness and power, hoping that these subordinates would recognize the current reality and at the same time be able to distinguish right from wrong and stand on the side of justice.

Mussolini is doomed. In order to preserve the royal navy, he must stand beside the victor. The generals firmly believe that the situation will soon become clear and everything will return to normal track. The Kingdom of Italy will negotiate a truce with Germany, Marshal Badoglio will give a plan that satisfies the Germans, and then Italy will truce with Britain and France, so that the kingdom will be completely free from this stupid war. .

Italy may be suppressed by foreign countries for a period of time, but this is only a temporary difficulty. When the giant bear in the east shows its fangs, the Germans will surely remember the importance of Italy, and the kingdom will Re-emerge and become a hero who saves European countries.

This is an opportunity as well as a challenge. Italy hopes that every citizen can face difficulties bravely and regard humiliation as the price that must be paid for the rise of a country, because Germany is the best example. After years of hardship, he finally stood on the top of Europe.

If you want to blame anyone, you can only blame the Italians for choosing an arrogant leader, which has attracted a group of difficult opponents to the kingdom.

How many people really listened to what the generals said, they couldn't be sure, anyway, these captains could only stay on the shore for the time being, waiting for further instructions from the Roman command.

As a result, I waited until the evening, and Rome did not respond, which made the navy leaders of the coup d’état become unsure.

Accordingly, the coup in Rome should have ended at this time, and the overall situation of Bagdoglio has been determined, but Rome seems to have disappeared from the earth. No matter how many telegrams are sent, there is no news.

This is really abnormal, and according to the original agreement, Bagdoglio should announce Mussolini's resignation to the whole country through the radio station in Rome after the successful formation of the cabinet. But no matter how you adjust it, only noise is received on the frequency of Radio Rome.

The commander-in-chief of the navy did not want to wait like this. He sent a contact group to fly to Rome on a navy transport plane. Their task was to contact the Marine Corps in Rome to understand the current situation in Rome.

Cabriani felt a little irritable. He didn't know what went wrong, what Badoglio was doing, and why there was no response.

But at this time, the former Chief of the General Staff of the Navy still does not believe that the coup will be defeated. He and Badoglio had conducted several deductions before, and every step was considered in great detail. Solini's troops have been transferred from Rome, and the prime minister has no ability to resist.

Cabriani believes that the coup must have been successful. The current situation may be that something unexpected happened in the action. For example, Mussolini has noticed some clues and has not entered the preset trap, and has even moved from Rome. get away.

If this is the case, Bagdoglio should be searching for the leader with all his strength, so it is too late to release the news of the government reorganization. This should be the case. The former chief of staff of the Navy thinks his inference is very logical.

Just waiting until midnight, the group of liaison personnel sent to Rome sent back a shocking news that the German African Legion had landed in Anzio and had now completely occupied the whole city of Rome. It is said that Bagdoglio and the members of the high command were captured on the way to escape. His Majesty the King is temporarily missing. Now it is the "former Prime Minister" Mussolini who has stepped up to control the situation in Italy.

This is really one of the worst jokes God has given them. The rebels have completely lost their square inch. The generals refused to believe the authenticity of the information. They thought that the contact person might have fallen into the hands of Mussolini’s party members. , Was finally forced to send out this forged message.

At three o'clock in the morning, the radio station of the Roman High Command sent a secret telegram, which finally completely shattered the dream of the coup.

Mussolini, in the name of the Prime Minister of the country, declared in the telegram that the country is in a state of emergency. All naval vessels must stay in the harbor on standby, and no warship is allowed to be dispatched until his next order arrives. In the end, Mussolini told Admiral Iaquino in the message that the coup in Rome had failed, and the masterminds of the rebel groups had all been arrested. These traitors would be tried by the people. I hope the navy can recognize the facts. Get lost.

Perhaps the stimulus was too strong. Cavgliani lost control on the spot. The admiral drew a pistol and broke the radio station. He also wanted to shoot at the commander-in-chief who blocked him. Finally, the former navy staff officer The commander was subdued by several guards, tied his hands and feet and sent him to the ward of the headquarters hospital.

The generals of the Italian Navy were caught in a rather embarrassing situation. They also vowed to tell their officers and soldiers that Rome had changed their bosses. As a result, these words did not arrive for a long time, and the reality was severely beaten. Their faces.

At this time, they don’t know how to explain their previous actions. The Navy’s previous resistance orders can be regarded as rebellion. What’s more, what happened at noon was to fulfill this charge. They used actions Proved that he had participated in the Rome conspiracy, Mussolini had no reason to let these people go.

The generals panicked and quarrelled. Some of the hardliners declared that they would resist to the end and force Mussolini to pardon everyone’s crimes. At the same time, others have begun to consider how to betray their accomplices. , In exchange for the trust of that leader with practical actions.

The latter are all military officers who are not deeply involved in this matter. They are not usually seen and trusted by the commanders. They think they should be regarded as the crowded people. These people are not interested in accompanying the masterminds. Desperate, so they strongly oppose the proposal of the hardliners to use force.

They reminded those militants, don’t forget the battle fleet of the Three-Power Allied Forces outside Hong Kong. The other side repeatedly rejected the Italian fleet’s request to leave the port, turning a blind eye to the fleet’s release in good faith. Even if the Germans are willing to open the net, the French will never give the Italian navy a chance, and the British cruise and destroyer fleet is a huge threat.

At the same time, they remind those hardliners not to forget that the coalition also has an extremely powerful air force. Although no German bomber has appeared over the port so far, intelligence shows that both Sicily and Tirana in Albania are stationed in the German bomber wing. If Germany is willing, they can launch a devastating attack on this military port from both east and west. With the current air defense firepower on the port and warships, it is simply unable to cope with air strikes larger than the brigade.

In the headquarters of the port area in the middle of the night, the quarrels of the generals resounded throughout the building. When it was almost dawn, there were several shots suddenly and intermittently in the headquarters. Then someone in the hazy morning mist saw the headquarter guard carrying some objects wrapped in curtains and sending them into the warehouse in the backyard. Witnesses swore that it looked like a human body, and blood stains appeared to be seen.

At eight o'clock in the morning the next day, Admiral Iyakino, commander of the navy, gave an order to gather all the officers and soldiers on the square of the base. Then the admiral led all the generals to the scene and announced to the sailors. Gave a touching speech.

He first apologized to all officers and soldiers for the order he issued yesterday afternoon, and claimed that this order was issued entirely under force of force. As the commander-in-chief of the navy, he was also one of the victims of the conspiracy.

Iyakino claimed that the former navy chief of staff, Cavgliani, had conspired with the traitors in Rome, tried to hold the Royal Navy, and launched an armed coup aimed at overthrowing Prime Minister Mussolini. .

Fortunately, some of the generals of the base were not bought by the conspirators. They resolutely launched a rebellion in the early morning, completely shattering the conspiracy of the traitors, and at the same time rescued the commander who was held captive.

Now the conspiracy of these traitors has completely failed. Some people have been captured on the spot, and the rest have fled in embarrassment. Among them are several core members of the treason gang, such as Admiral Arturo Cardi, Lieutenant General Riccardo Palatini and Lieutenant General Carlo Catania, who have fled with the remaining party members. After arriving at the base, the headquarters has already ordered the Marines to dispatch immediately to search for these traitors.

Just halfway through the commander's speech, there was already an uproar at the scene. The sailors were enthusiastic. They chanted slogans supporting the leader and demanded the arrest of the traitors lurking among them.

Some of the officers who had done their best to suppress the sailors yesterday were picked out on the spot by the crowd. They were regarded as traitors’ party members. They were brutally beaten by their subordinates. The military police who maintained order took a lot of effort to get a few The poor officer lifted out of the crowd, and two of the majors stopped breathing immediately because they were injured.

This was a terrible riot, but it was what the generals wanted to see. When the lower-level officers were under siege, they easily got rid of their suspicion.

The attitude of the generals sitting on the sidelines made the soldiers think that the officers were on their side. They felt that their actions were acquiesced, so they became even more unscrupulous.

The aristocracy in the Italian navy is not the same as the British navy back then. The treatment between officers and soldiers can be described as a huge gap.

Due to the special nature of the military, the officers on the ships have absolute authority. The officers are like parents, and they can even punish soldiers physically for no reason. The abuse of soldiers in the Italian Navy is more serious than that in the Army, but based on the navy's generous treatment and fear of cruel military laws, Italian sailors can only silently endure bullying by superior officers.

Suddenly there was an opportunity to avenge private revenge. How could the sailors give up in vain? Many officers who usually treat sailors more harshly have finally received retribution at this moment.

In the Italian navy, there is a serious gap between officers and sailors. They usually rely on some non-commissioned officers to maintain the relationship between the two sides. At this time, those non-commissioned officers who like to please the officers are also besieged by the sailors. These are usually as brutal as beasts. The ordinary non-commissioned officers were so scared as mud at this time, they only knew that they were holding their heads and letting the surrounding soldiers beat and kick them.

Feeling that the goal has basically been reached, the commander-in-chief of the navy finally ordered to stop the continuation of the atrocities. A group of marines with live ammunition rushed into the sailing group and carried the dying officers and non-commissioned officers out of the assembly square. , I don't know how many of these poor guys can survive that night.

At this time, the dissatisfaction of the soldiers was vented, justice was done, the traitors got their due end, and the generals got rid of suspicion. It was a happy ending indeed.

However, the sailors were still not allowed to return to the ship. Admiral Iaquino stated that this was Mussolini's order and that no ship could leave the port without the Prime Minister's permission.

At this time, the sailors expressed resolute obedience to this same order. In fact, they prefer to live in spacious dormitories instead of shaking hammocks.

The admiral subsequently announced that all sailors will be released for a day off. They can enter the city of Taranto and have to return to camp before midnight. The generals need to spare a day to find a way to clean up the current bad situation.

The commander-in-chief of the navy sent a telegram to Mussolini, congratulating the Prime Minister for thwarting the coup plot and declaring that the Royal Navy is still the solid backing of the opponent. Those rebels who had been unsuspecting the Prime Minister had been cleared away at this time. The admiral swears to Mussolini that the Italian naval officers and soldiers are still full of loyalty to the leader and the kingdom. He also described in detail what happened on the square, which is the best proof.

Mussolini did not respond quickly, and there was no response for the entire day. This made the Navy Commander nervous. It was a bit unreasonable, unlike the leader's usual reaction. It stands to reason that with the prime minister’s character, whether he believes his words or not, he will react immediately.

Finally, on the next day ~IndoMTL.com~, on the morning of November 1st, Mussolini finally sent a reply. He said that he would send a handling team to thoroughly investigate the Navy's problems. At the same time, he comforted the commander-in-chief of the navy that he still trusted the admiral and never doubted his loyalty. I believe that the navy’s previous disobedience was entirely the responsibility of Cavgliani. He had long removed the chief of staff from the post. The prime minister ordered the admiral to immediately arrest the criminal and send him back to Rome by the processing team. Take the traitor personally to the military court.

At the same time, he praised the naval commander's decisive handling, but it was not thorough enough. All sailors should be evacuated from the ship, and no one should be left on the ship. It is necessary to prevent the traitors still lurking in the sailors, or those who sympathize with the traitors, and to prevent these people from facing desperate danger and destroying the warship. Mussolini specially reminded that these warships are Italian treasures and cannot be harmed in the slightest. No one can board the warship until the investigation team has completed the screening of the personnel.

At noon on November 2, the expectant admiral ushered in the investigating team at the train station. The team arrived at Taranto at the same time, along with an Italian army infantry regiment. What surprised Iyakino even more was that he saw Mussolini at a glance in the crowd getting off the car.

PS: The four thousand-character chapters are here. I ask for monthly and recommended tickets. Thank you for your support. (To be continued.)