Officers are human beings too, and they also have their own joys, sorrows, and joys. Their country has been humiliated, and they are passionate but unable to do anything. It is normal for them to commit suicide in anger. There are always one or two Italians out of 40 million who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country.
Speaking of population, Italians are indeed peace-loving.
Among the three major axis powers of World War II, 80 million Germans mobilized 17 million, 72 million Japanese mobilized 9 million, and 40 million Italians mobilized 1.2 million. This ratio is indeed very low.
Corresponding to the Axis Powers, on the Allied side, the United States mobilized 16 million people from 130 million people, the United Kingdom mobilized 4 million people from 440 million people if India was included, and France mobilized 2 million people from 41 million people.
The country with the highest mobilization ratio was Russia, with 160 million people mobilizing 34 million people.
From these data, it is clear who is the real main force.
When it comes to dealing with the issue of Italian officers, Arthur's approach is to handle it cautiously. It is best to delay the investigation process for half a year and a few months, and then make a low-key announcement when everything is calm and no one pays attention to this issue anymore.
Maybe there is no need to announce it.
Don’t forget that we are still at war. Tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people die every day on the Russian battlefield. Who cares about the cause of death of an Italian officer? This is not the era of self-media, and the scope of communication is really not that wide.
The delay was shameless, but very effective. Soon the Italian officers and soldiers who followed the fleet to Cyprus turned their attention to other aspects, and no one paid attention to this matter anymore.
Nearly 18,000 Italian naval officers and soldiers arrived in Cyprus with the Italian fleet.
The situation of the Italian Navy is different from that of the French Navy. France has the Free France on the Allied side. After the French Navy arrived in North Africa, it immediately joined the Free France and became part of the Allied Forces, and was successfully accepted by the Allied Forces.
After arriving in North Africa, Emmanuel III also tried to form a government in exile, but he did not receive support from the top Allied forces.
Rock, Winston, and Roosevelt were not fools either.
During the last world war, it was Emmanuel III who defected midway and joined the Allied Powers. After the war, he successfully became one of the victorious countries, which severely devastated the whole world.
This time Emmanuel III repeated his old tricks, but the effect was far less than the last time.
The last time Emmanuel III rebelled, he brought the Kingdom of Italy to join the Allies, which was somewhat valuable.
This time Emmanuel III fled to North Africa with only members of the royal family and senior government officials. The Kingdom of Italy was taken over by the Germans, and the Italian army stayed with the Axis powers and continued to fight the Allies. In this case, Emmanuel III The value has also plummeted, and no one cares about it at all.
Since the Kingdom of Italy does not even have a government-in-exile on the side of the Allies, the Italian Navy no longer exists, and the status of Italian naval officers and soldiers in Cyprus has gradually become embarrassing.
Strictly speaking, these Italian naval officers and soldiers have surrendered. Even if they cannot become part of the Allied Forces, at least they are not prisoners, and their daily treatment should still be guaranteed.
At the Casablanca Conference, Allied leaders unanimously decided that the war would only end if the Axis members surrendered unconditionally.
After the war, the Allies should conduct a thorough liquidation of the Axis members, and all those who committed crimes during the war must pay the corresponding price.
Here comes the problem.
Apart from the French, the most resolute attitude toward Italy within the Allied Forces was the British.
The French and Italians are feuding, and the two countries have a long history of conflicting interests in the Mediterranean. If possible, De Gaulle supports a complete liquidation of Italian naval officers and soldiers.
Britain's hatred of the Italians stems from the damage the Italian Navy caused to the British Navy in the war over the past three years.
Putting aside everything else, the Italian Navy's sneak attack on Alexandria was a pain that the British Navy could never heal.
Cunningham had a more resolute attitude towards the Italian naval officers and soldiers, hoping to put all the Italian navy into prisoner-of-war camps and make all Italians pay the price for his attitude towards prisoners of war.
So in Cyprus, some rumors slowly spread.
This is a valley next to the East Cape Military Port. The terrain in the valley is flat, and thousands of white tents are neatly arranged. There is a small river at the mouth of the valley. On the other side of the river and on the highlands around the valley, there are outposts of the Southern African Army, and Italian naval officers and soldiers.
It was placed here.
On weekdays, the treatment of these Italian navy officers and soldiers is still good. Their diet is rich, with fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as poultry, eggs and meat. Ice cream and wine are also provided, but the quantity is not large.
When the Italian naval officers and soldiers first arrived in Cyprus, they could enter and exit the camp freely.
After many accidents, the access of Italian naval officers and soldiers was restricted, but fortunately they can move freely in the camp.
In the activity area in the center of the camp, there is a large prefabricated house built with wooden planks. This is the entertainment area for officers and soldiers, including a cinema, billiards room, football field, library, etc. All facilities are free.
On the football field, a dozen Italian soldiers were playing football. Many soldiers were watching on the sidelines, cheering for the team they supported.
On the hillside not far from the field, a dozen Italian soldiers were half lying and half sitting chatting.
"Have you heard, our food may have to be charged, and the price is still very high." Tony, who came from Rome, was holding a box of locally produced beer in Cyprus, which was specially produced for the Italian navy officers and soldiers.
Local beer in Cyprus used to be packaged in glass bottles.
However, after a number of drunken brawls, the glass bottles were replaced by paper boxes.
Italian officers and soldiers are not good at fighting. Fights are commonplace, and they are fought in groups, often involving hundreds of people.
"If the price can match the quality, then it's not unacceptable." Birrell, from Milan, looked at the beer in his hand with a troubled expression on his face.
Generally speaking, Italians are considered the most enjoyable country in Europe.
Most European countries are food deserts, especially the United Kingdom. A country that can regard French fries and fried fish as its national dishes should not have too high expectations for it.
Italy is pretty good. It not only has pizza and macaroni, but also many other delicacies. Italy is considered the ancestor of cooking on the European continent, and many of the mainstream dishes of Western food are Italian cuisine.
In addition to fresh vegetables and fruits, most of the food provided by Cyprus to Italian naval officers and soldiers is bulk goods collectively supplied by the Allies. These military supplies, such as luncheon meat, although rich in nutrients, taste so hard to describe that many Italian officers and soldiers would rather go there.
I didn’t want to eat at expensive restaurants in East Capay City, and I didn’t want to eat the military meals provided in the camp.
The food style in Cyprus is the same as that in southern Africa, with traditional oriental cuisine being the main focus. Although the price is expensive, it is worth the money and can satisfy picky Italians.
However, after Cyprus began to restrict the freedom of Italian officers and soldiers to enter and leave the camp, dining in East Cape became an elusive thing, which made many Italian officers and soldiers heartbroken.
"This is not the scariest thing. I heard some time ago that we might be sent to Egypt to build the canal. The British are not as kind as the people in southern Africa." Congreve, who is also from Rome, said with fear, and the British
Compared to the prison camps, Cyprus was paradise.
"impossible!"
"Where did you hear the news?"
"God, I don't want to go to Egypt, it's better to let me die."
The surrounding Italian officers and soldiers complained that what was more terrifying than the hard labor was the dark British cuisine.
What's scarier than dark British cuisine is sticky Indian curry.
Compared with Indian curry, French fries and fried fish look lovely. As expected, happiness comes from contrast.
"If the southern Africans get our warships, they should be responsible for us. We will never accept going to Egypt." Tony stood up angrily and slammed the beer box in his hand to the ground.
empty.
"Yes, we should let southern Africans know our demands. We are not weak French people who can be bullied."
"Let's go find the general, we are not prisoners"
"Forget it, the generals are all in East Cape, enjoying Nyasaland steak and Cape Town red wine. They don't care about our life or death."
“Got to try it”
The discussion became louder and louder, and more and more soldiers gathered around.
When they heard that they might be sent to Egypt, all Italian officers and soldiers were filled with indignation.
It's okay to surrender to the southern Africans, because they really can't be defeated.
What does it mean to be sent to Egypt?
The British Navy has never really defeated the Italian Navy. If it were not for the powerful air force in Southern Africa in the Battle of Taranto, the Italian Navy would not have lost at all.
So hundreds of Italian naval officers and soldiers rushed toward the valley entrance with great momentum, and officers and soldiers continued to join along the way. By the time they reached the valley entrance, the number of Italian officers and soldiers already numbered in the thousands.
At the checkpoint at the entrance of the valley, Captain Sun Jia from the Transvaal was helpless.
These Italians have too many people, and they make requests every now and then. Sometimes there are bugs in the vegetables, sometimes the fruits are not fresh enough, the movies played are all old movies, the number of tables is not enough, the turf of the football field is not replaced in time, and the camp is full of too many men.
Lonely, even when the weather is bad and it rains for several days, I always come to see Sun Jia, as if Sun Jia is the Dragon King.
"What are you doing today, my Apennine brothers?" Sun Jia has a good opinion of the Italians. Although these Italians love to make trouble, they are disciplined and not difficult to manage.
Being troublesome and disciplined may seem contradictory, but actually they are normal.
The most obvious manifestation is that although the Italian soldiers made some random demands every now and then, the process was absolutely harmonious and they never resorted to violence. Even the railings that were knocked down due to too many people would be actively raised and restored.
Therefore, although there were thousands of Italian officers and soldiers, and there were only eight people on Sun Jia's side, Sun Jia did not panic at all.
The soldiers were even less panicked. They had their rifles slung on their shoulders and had no intention of taking them off.
Two soldiers also lit cigarettes, obviously watching the fun.
"Sun, I heard in a few days that we are going to be sent to Egypt. Is that true?" Tony said angrily.
"Who did you listen to?" Sun Jia took out a cigarette and handed it over.
"Congreve" Tony immediately shamelessly betrayed his teammates. After taking over the cigarettes, he took out two cigarettes, hung one by himself, handed the other to Birrell beside him, and put the others in his pockets.
"Hey, hey, what do you mean? Shouldn't we split up?" Oliver from Tunisia was very dissatisfied. He was careful not to have a bad mouth if he ate alone.
"There are so many of us, how can we be separated?" Tony looked at Sun Jia as he spoke.
"Don't look at me, I only have one pack, I'll give it all to you." Sun Jia took the initiative to put on his pocket and showed the bottom of the pocket to Tony.
"Sun, you haven't answered our question yet." Bilor was very skilled in manpower.
"Where is Congreve?" Sun Jia asked carefully.
Immediately Congreve was pushed down in front of Sun Jia.
"I saw it in the newspaper." Congreve took out a newspaper from his pocket. It was the "Cyprus Daily News" published in Cyprus.
Sun Jia took the newspaper and almost laughed out loud after reading it.
Yesterday's newspaper published an interview with a logistics director. In the interview, the logistics director complained about the serious waste of Italian naval officers and soldiers. The supplies provided to 18,000 Italian naval officers and soldiers were almost equivalent to the share of two Allied infantry divisions.
An Allied infantry division has about 16,000 people.
"Yes, that's what it means. If you are still so wasteful, I will send you to Egypt to suffer some hardships." Sun Jia added fuel to the fire because he thought the matter was not big enough.
"Sun, you are going too far. We gave you two powerful 'Veneto's. What's wrong with giving you something to eat?" Tony was furious. He had communicated with Sun Jia more during this time and knew that
"Rice bucket" is a derogatory term in southern Africa.
"I solemnly tell you that it is impossible for me to go to Egypt. I will stay here and not go anywhere!" Bilor's attitude became more intense and he simply sat cross-legged on the ground.
"We didn't waste it either. You only gave us ten cigarettes per person every day. Don't think we don't know that each of your own troops needs at least one pack per person per day."
"You don't even have wine, so you have the nerve to say we're wasting it?"
"There was wine, but it was all drank by the generals. Maybe the leftovers were used to wash their feet."
Italians are still very humorous. One person and one sentence will not make the scene that was originally serious become serious anyway.
"Brothers, go back. I will report your request to my superiors and give you a reply as soon as possible." Sun Jia glanced at the soldiers watching the excitement.
The soldier immediately understood and took out his cigarette and handed it over.
"Go back, go back, maybe there will be wine delivered in the evening."
"We will also respond to the issue of cigarettes, but you smoke too much. Smoking is not good for your health."
Sun Jia and several southern African soldiers talked earnestly.
"Sun, we trust you and will listen to your persuasion. You should let your superiors know that we are so cooperative with your work. We are no longer enemies. I am your Apennine brother." Tony was very happy, he was like this
