At its peak, the Italian Navy had 285 surface ships, including 7 battleships and 7 heavy cruisers, and 116 submarines.
This is a large fleet, but not powerful. In addition to the three "Vittorio Veneto" class battleships, the remaining two "Count of Cavour" class battleships, and the two "Andre" class battleships
The "Adoria" class battleships are nearly 30 years old. Although they underwent a modernization upgrade in 1936, they were warships from the last world war after all, and their improvements were limited.
Of the seven battleships of the Italian Navy, only six can be dispatched. The battleship "Count of Cavour" built in 1915 was sunk by the British army in Taranto three years ago. In 1941, the Italian Navy will "Count of Cavour"
The ship was salvaged and restoration work began at the beginning of this year.
The resources of the Italian Navy are seriously insufficient, and the repair work is progressing slowly. It has not been completed yet and cannot sail with the fleet.
"So, there are only six Italian battleships that can reach North Africa -" Eisenhower also coveted the Italian Navy, so why not want the free battleships.
"Not necessarily. The German army will definitely intercept along the way. It's hard to say how many warships will arrive in the end." Alexander said with a straight face. In the Battle of Sicily, the US military entered Messina first. The British army failed in the competition. Alexander could not say no.
Its to blame.
In fact, Alexander cannot be entirely blamed for this.
Patton's performance in combat was superior to that of Montgomery. The two were outstanding generals highly praised by the United States and Britain respectively. It is normal for the British and Indian troops under Montgomery to be inferior to the American troops under Patton.
The Eighth Army is still dominated by British and Indian troops, with backward equipment and low morale.
The U.S. forces under Patton's command were all made up of Americans, and their equipment level and logistics supply were far superior to those of the Eighth Army, so it was normal for them to win the competition.
"Our air force in Malta can provide cover for the Italian Navy." African Patton took the initiative, which surprised both Eisenhower and Alexander.
Southern Africans, like the British and Americans, have the same character of not getting up early.
During the previous Battle of Sicily, Eisenhower and Alexander hoped that the Southern African Air Force could provide cover for Allied operations, but Patton politely refused.
Now that Patton is proactive, then there must be something worthy of Patton's initiative in the Italian Navy.
The only valuable items in the Italian Navy are the three "Vittorio Veneto" ships.
"Southern Africa suffered heavy losses in the battle with Italy. We captured Italian East Africa from Italy, drove the Italians out of the Abyssinian Empire, and recovered the Dodecan Islands and Greece. In the North African Campaign, the Southern African Army
He has also made great contributions, so His Majesty Victor Emmanuel III has agreed to hand over three 'Vittorio Veneto' class battleships to the Southern African Navy as compensation." Patton has already negotiated with Victor Emmanuel III.
Manuel III agreed.
Victor Emmanuel III had to pay something if he wanted to maintain his status after the war. The warships of the Italian Navy were Victor Emmanuel III's only capital now.
Victor Emmanuel III was definitely not willing to give in, but now that he had said it, Patton didn't waste much effort in getting Victor Emmanuel III to agree to Patton's request.
Of course, this is not the final result. Even if Patton and Victor Emmanuel III reach an agreement, they still need the consent of the British, Americans, French, and even Russians.
"Humph, all three 'Vittorio Veneto' class battleships will be compensated to Southern Africa, so what can we get?" Alexander was very dissatisfied. Southern Africans had too much appetite and took a bite of the fattest meat.
Bite away, Britain and the United States can only chew the bones.
This is not bad, the French and Russians are not even willing to cut bones——
Not to mention the Greeks watching helplessly in the corner.
When it comes to the damage caused by Italians, Greece is undoubtedly the greatest.
"You still have two 'Andreas' -" Barton did not treat the British badly. The "Andrea" is an improved version of the "Count Cavour", and there is only one "Count Cavour".
"So, we can only get one 'Cavour', right?" Eisenhower was even more dissatisfied. This was not a distribution at all, it was simply a charity.
The only remaining Cavour ship in the Italian Navy is the Caesar.
The two ships "Andrea" and "Caesar", both nearly 30 years old, were given to Britain and the United States for nothing. Neither navy wanted them. The British Navy and the United States Navy had no shortage of battleships.
Now that the Southern African Navy wants to take away all three "Vittorios", what is the point of the hard work of the United Kingdom and the United States?
"This is impossible. Of the three 'Vittorio's, the United Kingdom should get at least two. In the battle with the Italians, our navy of the United Kingdom made the greatest contribution and suffered greater losses." Alexander immediately had his own allocation.
plan.
"Can you defeat the Italians with the United Kingdom? Three 'Vittorios', at least one from each of our countries." Eisenhower also had his own plan.
"Haha——" Barton sneered.
Eisenhower was dreaming. Considering the poor performance of the U.S. military in North Africa and Sicily, let alone the "Vittorio", he was able to give the Americans a "Caesar" for the sake of their allies.
"Why don't we inform everyone and discuss this issue together." Eisenhower knew that the United States alone was unable to resist southern Africa and the British alliance, so he deliberately muddied the waters.
The UK has a long history of discussing the fate of third countries behind closed doors. At the Paris Peace Conference, Britain and France joined forces to eliminate the United States and formulated a final benefit distribution plan behind closed doors.
Now that France has lost its qualification to participate in the discussion, southern Africa and the United States are eligible to participate.
Taking into account the relationship between southern Africa and the United Kingdom, Eisenhower hoped to expand the scale. The French and Russians would not join the British.
"There is no need to inform other people, they are not qualified to participate in the discussion." Alexander disagreed. France had become a second-rate country and lost its right to speak in international affairs.
As for Russia——
That's a hostile camp. Americans, you need to wake up.
"Gentlemen, please clarify the fact that I am not discussing with you anymore, but informing you of the final plan." Patton was domineering and leaked. British people, you should also be more sober.
"Marshal Patton, what do you mean?" Alexander and Eisenhower were dumbfounded at the same time.
Probably since the recapture of Greece, southern Africa has become accustomed to acting alone without the United Kingdom and the United States.
This is not conducive to the unity of the Allied forces, but it is in the interests of Southern Africa. The Southern African army and the British and American troops jointly operate, and the energy spent on coordination is far greater than fighting the enemy.
To put it bluntly, it's just holding back.
"What I mean is that the Southern African Air Force is fully capable of protecting the Italian Navy's withdrawal to North Africa." Patton said that it would be best if you don't help, because he is afraid that you will not help.
"Oh, our air force is also capable of protecting the Italian Navy." Eisenhower was also angry. The current US military is no longer the US military during the North African Campaign.
The U.S. Second Army's battle at the Kesselring Pass completely exposed the Americans. At that time, other Allied forces were advancing in triumph, and even the Free French Army was invincible. Only the U.S. Second Army was overthrown by Rommel and lost all face.
lose.
In the Battle of Sicily, although the British and American coalition won the final victory, the heavy losses of the airborne troops made the victory of the British and American coalition inferior.
What's more, the Battle of Sicily, in terms of scale and significance, is completely incomparable with the battles that broke out on the Russian battlefield at the same time. The British and Americans really couldn't find anything to brag about, so they could only use the Battle of Sicily.
Big blow, special blow.
"Come on, your air force can't even protect your own army." Patton said this too bluntly, not giving him any face.
In the later stages of the Battle of Sicily, if the Southern African Air Force had not dispatched strategic bombing troops, Patton and Montgomery might not have been able to break through Hube's defenses.
Hubei was not defeated, but calmly retreated from Messina after completing the evacuation of materials and personnel. From beginning to end, the British and American navies did not block the Strait of Messina.
It’s not that he doesn’t want to seal it, Cunningham is also an experienced veteran and must know the importance of blocking the Strait of Messina.
The purpose of not imposing a blockade was to reduce the German army's will to fight. If the German army's only escape route was cut off, the German army's bestiality might become more brutal, and the trapped beasts would still fight, and the British and American coalition forces would suffer greater losses.
"Marshal Patton, your words are too inappropriate. No matter what, you should learn to respect your allies." Eisenhower was very angry. He did not slap people in the face, scolded them but did not expose their shortcomings. Don't go too far.
"Haha——" Barton sneered and said goodbye.
If you can't reach an agreement, then don't talk. Anyway, even if the British and Americans don't help, Southern Africa can handle it.
Time is really too tight.
Just like the situation faced by the French Navy, the Germans did not let go of the Italian Navy and required the Italian Navy to obey the command of the Italian Social Republic.
Admiral Borgemini, commander-in-chief of the Italian Navy, knew very well that the Italian Navy was simply unable to fight against the Allied fleet in the Mediterranean. If the Italian Navy accepted the command of the Italian Social Republic, the Italian Navy would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of total annihilation.
Borgemini tried to ensure the independence of the Italian Navy, but the situation in Italy was different from that of France. President Pétain of the French Vichy government worked with the French Navy in a tacit understanding to resist the pressure from Germany.
The Italian Navy did not have the cooperation of the Italian government. The Social Republic nominally had a fat bald man as its president, but the outside world did not know whether the fat bald man was alive or dead. The so-called Social Republic had completely become a puppet of the Germans and could not protect the Italian Navy at all.
After receiving a secret telegram from Victor Emmanuel III, Borgamini decided to lead the Italian navy to North Africa.
At this time, Borgamini did not know that Victor Emmanuel III had already lost the Italian Navy.
The evacuation operation of the Italian Navy is strictly confidential. La Spezia is about 1,000 kilometers away from the destination of Malta. Along the way, it will pass through Corsica controlled by Germany, Sardinia controlled by Italy, and Sicily controlled by the British and American coalition forces.
Germany has an air force base in Corsica. If the Germans discover the actions of the Italian Navy, they will definitely dispatch their air force from Corsica to intercept the Italian Navy.
In order to cover the actions of the Italian Navy, the Southern African Air Force in North Africa, the Cyprus Squadron, and the Free French Navy were dispatched to launch attacks on Sardinia and Corsica.
"The navy and air force must coordinate closely. The air force bombs the airports in Sardinia and Corsica. The navy launches attacks on the ports. The army must also be prepared to attack Sardinia and Corsica if the opportunity arises.
If we can capture these two islands, we will completely seize the initiative in the Mediterranean region." Patton has high requirements for the troops, and the British and Americans should learn from it what a landing operation is.
"Aren't the British and Americans participating in our actions?" De Gaulle attended the combat preparation meeting. After receiving Patton's answer, De Gaulle breathed a sigh of relief.
"Great, we can let go without the involvement of the British and Americans!"
What this said——
So true!
"Should we send out airborne troops in the first wave of attacks and carry out airborne operations on the two islands at the same time? We have the ability-" Martin Mack, commander of the 6th Airborne Division, was murderous. The Third Army led by Patton had four
Airborne Division, the other three are deployed in Spain, and only the 6th Airborne Division is in Algiers.
The 6th Airborne Division alone is seriously under-strength and cannot carry out airdrops in Corsica and Sardinia at the same time. All the other three airborne divisions must be mobilized.
If that's not enough, you can also ask for assistance from Arthur's Fifth Army, which has five airborne divisions.
This is possible thanks to the full support of the Sultanate of Najd.
In the last world war, the Sultanate of Najd sent seven cavalry divisions to participate in the war, which was an important part of the southern African expeditionary force.
In this world war, the Sultanate of Najd sent an armored division and two cavalry divisions, and also purchased 120 large transport aircraft. These transport aircraft were attached to the Fifth Army and accepted the command of Arthur. In terms of transportation capacity alone, the Fifth Army's
Its strength is second to none among all armies in southern Africa.
"No, no, no, we must be cautious in the use of airborne troops. Our first wave of ground attack troops still have to rely on the Marine Corps." Mike Tolan actively requested a fight. The Cyprus Squadron has the largest Marine Corps in southern Africa.
There are 11 brigades in total, with a total strength of more than 100,000.
"The Marine Corps can only be used to establish beachhead positions. To attack the fortified positions, we have to rely on our armored forces." Nelson Mathieu, commander of the Fourth Armored Corps, said that the armored forces are the king of land warfare.
De Gaulle looked at the Southern African generals who were actively asking for war, and his expression was filled with envy.
