This. Italy has gone through 3 Kings in a period of less than 10 years. Their deaths were by assassination, so Mussolini just wanted to get rid of the monarchy since it became more of a burden than a propaganda machine.
Giovinezza: An Italian Timeline
- Thread starter Noravea
- Start date
This. Italy has gone through 3 Kings in a period of less than 10 years. Their deaths were by assassination, so Mussolini just wanted to get rid of the monarchy since it became more of a burden than a propaganda machine.
A burden? If the murder in cold blood of a little kid is not the perfect fluel for propaganda...
Originally Posted by lukedalton
Yes but probably Benny use the situation as an explanation as : We need a clear leaderships we don't have time to search for a new king who will basically uselless as the more worthy and experienced candidate are dead. So using the excuse of the good of country in his more darkest hour and wearing the mantle of sacrifice...he can finally get ridden of the monarchy (and wisely he don't send them away he put them in the senate as a 'reward' for the family deed and history)
In any modern kingdom the king itself is just a figurehead, with very few powers, the real helm belongs to the prime minister and the parliament (generally speaking). So having a "more experienced candidate" means nothing. Unless the possible candidate is morally or mentally unsound, there no reason to suprress the kingdom itself.
Doing so, Mussolini had just betrayed the same kingdom he swore to defend and while he can get away thanks the current war, this should come back to bite him later. I strongly doubt that the others Savoia will meekly accept the place of senator instead of the crown.
Besides, there were a lot more monarchists than fascists OTL, to the point that the monarchy/republic referendum was won by the Savoia in the south, notwithstanding their coward behaviour. In this ATL, they are martirs and so much more popular than they have ever been OTL.
I have to agree with this - this will cause political problems for Mussolini, perhaps not during the war but afterwards. The Italian people will be expecting someone else to ascene the throne, and when nobody does, but the surviving members of the royal family get pensioned off with sinecures in the Senate, people are going to start wondering why. In fact, the surviving royals might even become foci of postwar opposition to the Fascist regime.
I think Benny would have been much better advised to have found a suitable survivor of the royal family and put him/her on the throne. He'd have been able to control the king or queen quite easily. This way is just going to be more politically difficult for him, in the long run.
"Ulster will fight, and Ulster will be right".
I find it hard to believe that Britain would even consider such a transfer, particulaly with Churchill running the government. Nor do I think that the Republic would entertain the inclusion of the six counties in such circumstances. Rhetoric might say yes, but by this time de Valera was displaying that he was a wily politician.
In OTL Churchill actually basically did propose this but Ireland said no not wanting to join the war
Churchill actually offered Ulster to Ireland if the Irish joined the war. ITTL, that offer is taken, but the Irish mostly went to war over the annihilation of much of the Vatican leadership.
A very interesting TL, somebody for once remembered French promises to Mussolini about possible new territories if he stays neutral. 
I must still nitpick your map; I don't see Germans being able to take the whole Kola Peninsula. The terrain there is almost inadequate for any kind of warfare.
Otherwise, amazing work.
I must still nitpick your map; I don't see Germans being able to take the whole Kola Peninsula. The terrain there is almost inadequate for any kind of warfare. Otherwise, amazing work.
A very interesting TL, somebody for once remembered French promises to Mussolini about possible new territories if he stays neutral.
Otherwise, amazing work.
Thanks! I'll be sure to fix the map.
Glad to be your help!
It's a kinda common cliche in TLs that Russians/Finns/Germans/Swedes sweep trough Lapland, Kola and Karelia even there really is no infrastructure and terrain is almost perfect for defenders. IOTL Finns actually tried to warn Germans when they told about their plans to attack Murmansk but Hitler didn't want to listen. (He thought the attack would be easy as the distance seemed very short on a map.)Holy crap. Hitler, now bored of eating royal babies is going after Popes?! His anti-Christ resume just got a big star!
I'l real iffy about this Italian Empire thing. Seems to me Mussolini would just name himself Regent indefinitely like Franco and Horthy did. He gets total state control without actually shaking up the organizational structure that much.
I do like the touch of Ireland joining the war over the killing of the Pope. Though seems that the Vatican would be evacuating to Spain at this point. Are we gonna see a Gustav line in reverse?
Well not if Patton's calling the shots. Worse general they could pick to fight a defensive campaign.
I'l real iffy about this Italian Empire thing. Seems to me Mussolini would just name himself Regent indefinitely like Franco and Horthy did. He gets total state control without actually shaking up the organizational structure that much.
I do like the touch of Ireland joining the war over the killing of the Pope. Though seems that the Vatican would be evacuating to Spain at this point. Are we gonna see a Gustav line in reverse?
Well not if Patton's calling the shots. Worse general they could pick to fight a defensive campaign.
I doubt ol' Georgie Patton is in Italy to stand pat on the defensive, though the Germans will certainly run into serious trouble once they hit the mountains; the Italians' blood must be up to an incredible degree, and from the positions that must already have been prepared there, they'll bleed the Nazis of every drop they can. Waiting on Noravea to give the details of the Allied buildup, but once Eisenhower - who I suppose is in overall command also TTL - finishes with West Africa, we shall certainly see the ports of southern Italy jammed with Liberty ships, LST's and whatnot.
I'd heard that story but thought it had been shown to be 'somewhat exaggerated' insofar as what actually was offered.
Part III: The Roman Campaign, Late 1943
"The lavender hills of Tuscany are stained with Italian blood. The lakes and rivers filled with the blood run towards Rome, where the final battle shall take place. We either succeed in Rome, and live on, or we die. Sixteen hundred years ago, barbarian hordes took over Rome, it will not happen again!"
-Benito Mussolini, August 20th, 1943, on the eve of the Battle for Rome
Operation Alaric was launched on the 21st of July, 1943, with German tanks under the command of Erwin Rommel, and German forces under total command under Albert Kesselring moving down the Italian Peninsula from the Alaric Line, which ran from Rimini to Pisa, where heavy fighting for the last month had been taking place between the two sides. The entrance of San Marino into the war on the 15th of July allowed for Italian and American forces (Which were still small, and under the command of General Patton) to build up an effective defensive line. Mussolini particularly spend time planning for a defense around San Marino. The Italians knew that the Germans would reach Rome eventually, and that any battle before then was just to slow down the Germans, or to put a thorn in their side.
Operation Alaric began with a massive offensive towards Florence, where Italian and American forces were setting up defenses along the road to Rome. The attack was sudden, with most Allied leaders believing a German attack into Italy would not take place until August or September. On July 21st, when the offensive began, General Patton sprang into action against the Germans, quickly beating back German forces from the city by the 23rd. This caused friction between Mussolini and Patton, who met in Siena on the 24th of July. Mussolini personally wanted to be on the defensive up until the Germans reached Rome, and at that time, he would launch a new offensive. Patton wanted to defeat the Germans before they got to Rome. Both minds clashed on the issue, since Mussolini wanted the glory of "Crushing the Visigoths at the gates of Rome", according to Ciano's memoirs. Ciano was the mediator between the two egos, and along with General Eisenhower (Who set of Allied operations in mainland Europe in Naples, although officially Rome), convinced the two to come up with a solution. The Italians and Americans would lure the Germans into a trap, by reserving the better trained troops in and around Rome and the mountains, while the recruits would fight in the cities, mostly to cause as much damage to the Germans as possible before they reached Rome. When fighting in Rome began, the better trained troops would spring into action, and catch the Germans by surprise.
The meeting they had in Siena ended with word of another German attack in Florence. On the 25th of July, Florence fell with heavy Italian and American casualties. German forces continued down towards Siena, which fell on the 28th of July, once again with heavy casualties on both sides. Rommel immediately began to push for massive gains along the Italian coast, with Pisa falling to his tanks on the 1st of August, and Livorno on the 3rd of August. San Marino, which was heavily fortified by Italian and American forces was besieged on the 5th of August. German forces continued down towards Rome, capturing Piombino on the 7th of August. Otto Skorzeny on that day led one of his many exploits during the war on the 9th of August, when his SS teams entered the island of Elba, capturing it within two days.
Allied soldier speaking to Italian boy, August 10th, 1943
Mussolini on the 11th of August signaled for the first time publically that Rome would be the site of a future battleground. He placed Badoglio in command of Rome's defenses, sending Graziani to take his place in Venice. De Bono would also be placed in command of Italian reserve forces in the mountains and to the south of Naples, to serve alongside General Patton. On the 14th of August, SS Divisions captured Perugia. On that same day, Adolf Hitler ordered the Italian puppet state to the North to start rounding up the Jewish population for extermination in 3 death camps set up near Milan, Bolzano, and Modena, as well as other camps located across Europe. Mussolini found out about the order through spy rings, and ordered the creation of the Jewish Divisions, made up of refugee Jewish civilians in Italy and other parts of Europe in an effort to gain support within the Jewish community.
The German forces on the 17th of August captured Terni, Viterbo, and Ancona, leaving only small towns between the German army and Rome. On the 19th of August, Mussolini made his famous "Defense of Rome" speech, calling for everyone of every faith and government to come to the defense of Rome. The Pope on that day refused to leave Rome as well, calling for the "Soldiers of Christendom and the civilized world to fight for the city of Rome." While the Pope and Mussolini remained in Rome, much of the Italian Government and College of Cardinals were relocated to Palermo, where if Rome was lost, Italian actions would continue there. On the 20th of August, the Italians held one last massive military parade to celebrate their Italian Empire, before the city of Rome was dragged into war. Mussolini and the Pope personally took part in the parade, showing that they were remaining in Rome. Over 600,000 Italian troops, and 200,000 Americans, as well as nearly 250,000 largely untrained civilians from across the Catholic world were preparing for the battle.
Parade of the Countrymen, 20 August, 1943
The Battle for Rome officially began on the night of August 20th, 1943, when German artillery hit the outskirts of Rome. Tens of thousands of SS soldiers began to charge into small Roman neighborhoods, pushing slowly into Rome. Panzer Divisions and Heer Divisions also took the lead. Every day during the battle, German bombs fell over Italian and American positions within the city. Many historical areas of Rome were destroyed during the air raid, with areas like the Vatican and Quirinal Palace being heavily damaged by German bombs. German troops on the 25th of August began to fight in Ostia, the main port for Rome. The fighting continued on the outskirts until on the 1st of September, General Kesselring broke through Italian defenses, and started to capture areas within central Rome. On the 3rd of September, the Battle of the Vatican began, with Catholic/Italian troops fighting reportedly to the last man alongside American troops. The Jewish Divisions also were holding out with Italian troops in the Castel Sant'Angelo, and other parts of the city along the Tiber. On the 5th of September, SS troops under Otto Skorzeny's control broke into the Vatican, where heavy combat took place for nearly a week before the structure fell under German hands. German troops on the 9th of September surrounded the Castel, and crossed the Tiber at Augustus' Tomb, where heavy fighting once again took place between Italian and German troops. On the 11th of September, German troops continued to push south towards the Trevi Fountain, where once again, heavy combat took heavy casualties on both sides. On the 15th of September, German troops were at the outskirts of Quirinal Palace, where Mussolini's government was located. On the 16th of September, German troops reached the Coliseum, where Mussolini's personal command center was located. Fighting continued until on the 20th of September, General Patton and De Bono's surprise offensive came into play.
Ruins in Rome, 12 September 1943, fighting had left much of the city under German occupation.
General Patton and Marshal De Bono launched their surprise offensive on Kesselring and Rommel on the 20th of September, sending hundreds of thousands of American and Italian troops towards the north of Rome from the mountains. Their objective was to cut off the German line of supply, and force a large scale retreat. Their armies managed to march into Rieti and Terni with little opposition on the 22nd, cutting off roads from Perugia into Rome. The Germans as a result started to lose their gains inside Rome, retreating from the Quirinal Palace on the 25th of September, and the Coliseum on the 1st of October. Italian troops under Badoglio launched massive attack to recapture Ostia, which was liberated by Italian troops on the 4th of October. Other counter attacks by Italian and American troops quickly regained control over the Vatican on the 9th of October, and the Pantheon on the 11th of October. Patton's and De Bono's troops, at the order of Mussolini and Eisenhower, continued North towards Perugia, which they believed would end the Battle of Rome. Fighting under heavy conditions for nearly two weeks, the armies finally reached Perugia on the 1st of November. Kesselring ordered an immediate retreat from Rome on the 3rd of November, and relocated his headquarters back to Milan. Hitler flew into a rage, and accused Rommel of the defeat, sentencing him to death. Rommel defected to Italian troops on the 6th of November, the same day the Battle for Rome ended in Italian victory. For the remainder of 1943, Italian troops continued to push north, finally capturing Perugia on the 10th of November, and Ancona on the 22nd of November. By the end of 1943, Italian troops were ready to push back into Northern Italy.
Italian and American troops fighting along the Italian coast, 5 November 1943
The Roman Campaign, as the entire Alaric Operation was named by most contemporary historians, left nearly 3 million people dead. Over 1,500,000 soldiers on both sides were killed, around half German, and half Italian, with nearly 100,000 additional American deaths. 2 million civilians were reportedly killed during the offensive. The Germans lost one of their most capable commanders during the Campaign as well, with Erwin Rommel defecting to Italian troops after Hitler ordered his execution. With him, vital information about German defenses in Northern Italy and Southern France. His defection would perhaps save Erwin Rommel's future in military and political affairs as he would after the war become an influential German leader.
"The lavender hills of Tuscany are stained with Italian blood. The lakes and rivers filled with the blood run towards Rome, where the final battle shall take place. We either succeed in Rome, and live on, or we die. Sixteen hundred years ago, barbarian hordes took over Rome, it will not happen again!"
-Benito Mussolini, August 20th, 1943, on the eve of the Battle for Rome
Operation Alaric was launched on the 21st of July, 1943, with German tanks under the command of Erwin Rommel, and German forces under total command under Albert Kesselring moving down the Italian Peninsula from the Alaric Line, which ran from Rimini to Pisa, where heavy fighting for the last month had been taking place between the two sides. The entrance of San Marino into the war on the 15th of July allowed for Italian and American forces (Which were still small, and under the command of General Patton) to build up an effective defensive line. Mussolini particularly spend time planning for a defense around San Marino. The Italians knew that the Germans would reach Rome eventually, and that any battle before then was just to slow down the Germans, or to put a thorn in their side.
Operation Alaric began with a massive offensive towards Florence, where Italian and American forces were setting up defenses along the road to Rome. The attack was sudden, with most Allied leaders believing a German attack into Italy would not take place until August or September. On July 21st, when the offensive began, General Patton sprang into action against the Germans, quickly beating back German forces from the city by the 23rd. This caused friction between Mussolini and Patton, who met in Siena on the 24th of July. Mussolini personally wanted to be on the defensive up until the Germans reached Rome, and at that time, he would launch a new offensive. Patton wanted to defeat the Germans before they got to Rome. Both minds clashed on the issue, since Mussolini wanted the glory of "Crushing the Visigoths at the gates of Rome", according to Ciano's memoirs. Ciano was the mediator between the two egos, and along with General Eisenhower (Who set of Allied operations in mainland Europe in Naples, although officially Rome), convinced the two to come up with a solution. The Italians and Americans would lure the Germans into a trap, by reserving the better trained troops in and around Rome and the mountains, while the recruits would fight in the cities, mostly to cause as much damage to the Germans as possible before they reached Rome. When fighting in Rome began, the better trained troops would spring into action, and catch the Germans by surprise.
The meeting they had in Siena ended with word of another German attack in Florence. On the 25th of July, Florence fell with heavy Italian and American casualties. German forces continued down towards Siena, which fell on the 28th of July, once again with heavy casualties on both sides. Rommel immediately began to push for massive gains along the Italian coast, with Pisa falling to his tanks on the 1st of August, and Livorno on the 3rd of August. San Marino, which was heavily fortified by Italian and American forces was besieged on the 5th of August. German forces continued down towards Rome, capturing Piombino on the 7th of August. Otto Skorzeny on that day led one of his many exploits during the war on the 9th of August, when his SS teams entered the island of Elba, capturing it within two days.
Allied soldier speaking to Italian boy, August 10th, 1943
Mussolini on the 11th of August signaled for the first time publically that Rome would be the site of a future battleground. He placed Badoglio in command of Rome's defenses, sending Graziani to take his place in Venice. De Bono would also be placed in command of Italian reserve forces in the mountains and to the south of Naples, to serve alongside General Patton. On the 14th of August, SS Divisions captured Perugia. On that same day, Adolf Hitler ordered the Italian puppet state to the North to start rounding up the Jewish population for extermination in 3 death camps set up near Milan, Bolzano, and Modena, as well as other camps located across Europe. Mussolini found out about the order through spy rings, and ordered the creation of the Jewish Divisions, made up of refugee Jewish civilians in Italy and other parts of Europe in an effort to gain support within the Jewish community.
The German forces on the 17th of August captured Terni, Viterbo, and Ancona, leaving only small towns between the German army and Rome. On the 19th of August, Mussolini made his famous "Defense of Rome" speech, calling for everyone of every faith and government to come to the defense of Rome. The Pope on that day refused to leave Rome as well, calling for the "Soldiers of Christendom and the civilized world to fight for the city of Rome." While the Pope and Mussolini remained in Rome, much of the Italian Government and College of Cardinals were relocated to Palermo, where if Rome was lost, Italian actions would continue there. On the 20th of August, the Italians held one last massive military parade to celebrate their Italian Empire, before the city of Rome was dragged into war. Mussolini and the Pope personally took part in the parade, showing that they were remaining in Rome. Over 600,000 Italian troops, and 200,000 Americans, as well as nearly 250,000 largely untrained civilians from across the Catholic world were preparing for the battle.
Parade of the Countrymen, 20 August, 1943
The Battle for Rome officially began on the night of August 20th, 1943, when German artillery hit the outskirts of Rome. Tens of thousands of SS soldiers began to charge into small Roman neighborhoods, pushing slowly into Rome. Panzer Divisions and Heer Divisions also took the lead. Every day during the battle, German bombs fell over Italian and American positions within the city. Many historical areas of Rome were destroyed during the air raid, with areas like the Vatican and Quirinal Palace being heavily damaged by German bombs. German troops on the 25th of August began to fight in Ostia, the main port for Rome. The fighting continued on the outskirts until on the 1st of September, General Kesselring broke through Italian defenses, and started to capture areas within central Rome. On the 3rd of September, the Battle of the Vatican began, with Catholic/Italian troops fighting reportedly to the last man alongside American troops. The Jewish Divisions also were holding out with Italian troops in the Castel Sant'Angelo, and other parts of the city along the Tiber. On the 5th of September, SS troops under Otto Skorzeny's control broke into the Vatican, where heavy combat took place for nearly a week before the structure fell under German hands. German troops on the 9th of September surrounded the Castel, and crossed the Tiber at Augustus' Tomb, where heavy fighting once again took place between Italian and German troops. On the 11th of September, German troops continued to push south towards the Trevi Fountain, where once again, heavy combat took heavy casualties on both sides. On the 15th of September, German troops were at the outskirts of Quirinal Palace, where Mussolini's government was located. On the 16th of September, German troops reached the Coliseum, where Mussolini's personal command center was located. Fighting continued until on the 20th of September, General Patton and De Bono's surprise offensive came into play.
Ruins in Rome, 12 September 1943, fighting had left much of the city under German occupation.
General Patton and Marshal De Bono launched their surprise offensive on Kesselring and Rommel on the 20th of September, sending hundreds of thousands of American and Italian troops towards the north of Rome from the mountains. Their objective was to cut off the German line of supply, and force a large scale retreat. Their armies managed to march into Rieti and Terni with little opposition on the 22nd, cutting off roads from Perugia into Rome. The Germans as a result started to lose their gains inside Rome, retreating from the Quirinal Palace on the 25th of September, and the Coliseum on the 1st of October. Italian troops under Badoglio launched massive attack to recapture Ostia, which was liberated by Italian troops on the 4th of October. Other counter attacks by Italian and American troops quickly regained control over the Vatican on the 9th of October, and the Pantheon on the 11th of October. Patton's and De Bono's troops, at the order of Mussolini and Eisenhower, continued North towards Perugia, which they believed would end the Battle of Rome. Fighting under heavy conditions for nearly two weeks, the armies finally reached Perugia on the 1st of November. Kesselring ordered an immediate retreat from Rome on the 3rd of November, and relocated his headquarters back to Milan. Hitler flew into a rage, and accused Rommel of the defeat, sentencing him to death. Rommel defected to Italian troops on the 6th of November, the same day the Battle for Rome ended in Italian victory. For the remainder of 1943, Italian troops continued to push north, finally capturing Perugia on the 10th of November, and Ancona on the 22nd of November. By the end of 1943, Italian troops were ready to push back into Northern Italy.
Italian and American troops fighting along the Italian coast, 5 November 1943
The Roman Campaign, as the entire Alaric Operation was named by most contemporary historians, left nearly 3 million people dead. Over 1,500,000 soldiers on both sides were killed, around half German, and half Italian, with nearly 100,000 additional American deaths. 2 million civilians were reportedly killed during the offensive. The Germans lost one of their most capable commanders during the Campaign as well, with Erwin Rommel defecting to Italian troops after Hitler ordered his execution. With him, vital information about German defenses in Northern Italy and Southern France. His defection would perhaps save Erwin Rommel's future in military and political affairs as he would after the war become an influential German leader.
Great update! Thoughts:
- I'd think that Rommel's defection was driven as much, or more, by the atrocities against civilians (two million civilian dead?!), as by Hitler's having turned on him.
- The formation of the Jewish Divisions will have interesting effects on the development of an "Israeli" army in the postwar period, assuming a Jewish national homeland is founded then (whether or not it's actually called Israel, and whether or not it's located in Palestine). Whether he wanted it or not, Mussolini will find that, having called the Nazis publicly on their death camps in the north, and having formed such a sizable Jewish military force (which played such a distinguished part in the Battle of Rome, which is TTL's Western answer to Stalingrad), will likely find his fortunes and those of his regime linked with the Zionist movement.
- For that matter, the U.S., having sacrificed 100,000 dead in the Roman Campaign, will now find itself inextricably bound by ties of blood to Italy, and by extension to Mussolini and his regime. This will make U.S.-Italian relations...mmm...complex in the postwar period, especially because it's going to complicate any attempt to call the Fascists on undemocratic excesses. On the other hand, the United States, having sacrificed so much to defend Italy and Rome, will have a LOT of street cred with Italy which it can cash in to press the regime to liberalize and democratize.
- By that same token, there's going to be a sea change in the attitudes of a lot of Americans toward Italy and its rulers, I should think. Liberals and the left will never warm up toward the Fascists, but there'll be a huge outpouring of public sympathy and admiration for the heroic fight of the Italians. Again, there are going to be some very interesting pro-Italian movies coming out of Hollywood during the remainder of the war.
- Who's going to play Benny the Moose opposite George C. Scott in TTL's version of "Patton"?
- I'd think that Rommel's defection was driven as much, or more, by the atrocities against civilians (two million civilian dead?!), as by Hitler's having turned on him.
- The formation of the Jewish Divisions will have interesting effects on the development of an "Israeli" army in the postwar period, assuming a Jewish national homeland is founded then (whether or not it's actually called Israel, and whether or not it's located in Palestine). Whether he wanted it or not, Mussolini will find that, having called the Nazis publicly on their death camps in the north, and having formed such a sizable Jewish military force (which played such a distinguished part in the Battle of Rome, which is TTL's Western answer to Stalingrad), will likely find his fortunes and those of his regime linked with the Zionist movement.
- For that matter, the U.S., having sacrificed 100,000 dead in the Roman Campaign, will now find itself inextricably bound by ties of blood to Italy, and by extension to Mussolini and his regime. This will make U.S.-Italian relations...mmm...complex in the postwar period, especially because it's going to complicate any attempt to call the Fascists on undemocratic excesses. On the other hand, the United States, having sacrificed so much to defend Italy and Rome, will have a LOT of street cred with Italy which it can cash in to press the regime to liberalize and democratize.
- By that same token, there's going to be a sea change in the attitudes of a lot of Americans toward Italy and its rulers, I should think. Liberals and the left will never warm up toward the Fascists, but there'll be a huge outpouring of public sympathy and admiration for the heroic fight of the Italians. Again, there are going to be some very interesting pro-Italian movies coming out of Hollywood during the remainder of the war.
- Who's going to play Benny the Moose opposite George C. Scott in TTL's version of "Patton"?
Well, Patton ITTL will be very different. George C. Scott will still play Patton, but Patton's career is much, much more extensive than just General (I won't spoil anything). Mussolini would probably be played by his son, one of whom I plan for TTL to go into the Italian Cinema.
As for who plays Mussolini in modern films, I am thinking Bruce Willis.
EDIT: As to explain why Rommel defected, I will go more into it, but his main reasons was that he didn't do enough to stop civilian deaths. Most of the civilian deaths were from Luftwaffe carpet-bombing campaigns in Rome, Perugia, or Florence, or SS massacres. While the Heer commited a lot of crimes, Rommel only did them when he absolutely had to. He was also on the brink of capture by the Italians, Hitler condemned him to death, so he really had no other option. Also, the 2 million civilian deaths is NOT counting those killed in Venice, which would become officially the most deadly military battle in human history.
As for who plays Mussolini in modern films, I am thinking Bruce Willis.
EDIT: As to explain why Rommel defected, I will go more into it, but his main reasons was that he didn't do enough to stop civilian deaths. Most of the civilian deaths were from Luftwaffe carpet-bombing campaigns in Rome, Perugia, or Florence, or SS massacres. While the Heer commited a lot of crimes, Rommel only did them when he absolutely had to. He was also on the brink of capture by the Italians, Hitler condemned him to death, so he really had no other option. Also, the 2 million civilian deaths is NOT counting those killed in Venice, which would become officially the most deadly military battle in human history.
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Well, my next update will be about the African Campaign, which goes from 1942-1944. So, some interesting things will happen there. I am also trying to find something for our good friend Silvio Berlusconi to be doing. Also, Ghaddafi ITTL is so far 2 as of the Battle of Rome. He'll be more prominent in the future.
Interesting update... But you should have added a few scenes with the swiss guard fighting the SS... They are the mercenary guard of the pope .
Some nitpicking:
The germans pass through the Appenines too easily: the range between Emilia and Tuscany is really difficult to cross, especially without good roads. A determinate force could hold for a long time there...
.Some nitpicking:
The germans pass through the Appenines too easily: the range between Emilia and Tuscany is really difficult to cross, especially without good roads. A determinate force could hold for a long time there...
Interesting update... But you should have added a few scenes with the swiss guard fighting the SS... They are the mercenary guard of the pope
Some nitpicking:
The germans pass through the Appenines too easily: the range between Emilia and Tuscany is really difficult to cross, especially without good roads. A determinate force could hold for a long time there...
Yeah, frankly I'm surprised the Germans weren't bogged down for a year or more in North Italy.
Mussolini's throwing the enemy back at the gates of Rome fantasies... totally believable!
And Patton?! Carreer after the war?! President Patton?! Does MacArthur kill himself, launch a coup or laugh gleefully he'll be allowed to nuke East Asia?!