Iron Cross

Ps: Tomorrow’s first update will be adjusted from around zero o’clock to 12 noon, and the second update will be at 8 o’clock in the evening. Thank you for your support.

Late at night on December 11, Marshal Kesselring, commander-in-chief of the German Southern Front, boarded the Italian Navy flagship Veneto battleship and rushed to Crete with the main force of the Italian fleet.

After the Kungunil Plan was quickly launched and the first wave of successful landings were achieved, Hoffmann immediately requested the Italian Navy to dispatch support and provide fire support according to the deployment of the overall combat plan. Although the Italians agreed readily, they took their time. Progress was very slow. The Naval Command received the order to sail at 10 a.m., but until 4 p.m. it was still busy making preparations for ammunition, fuel, supplies, personnel, etc., which made Kesselin very anxious. After the establishment of the German-Italian joint command system, although Germany has stationed liaison officers on each warship, if the Italians deliberately want to delay, liaison officers alone cannot do anything.

Kesselring knew that the Italians did have difficulties: First, in order to maintain maximum confidentiality, Germany did not notify the Italians in advance. Not only did the Italian Navy not understand the content and details of the combat plan, it did not even know that Germany had such a large operation. , when Kesselring was ordered to report to Mussolini, the latter was so surprised that his mouth opened in an O shape; secondly, the Italians are like this in nature - used to dilly-dallying, used to delaying, and hastily ordered the main force of the entire fleet. It was indeed a little difficult for them to set sail; the third was the indescribable mental fear - the Italian Navy had fought against the Royal Navy many times, and had suffered losses and setbacks many times. When they heard that they were going to fight against the British again, especially the British Navy, they frowned. head.

So the Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Navy, Admiral Angelo Iachino, complained to Kesselring about the lack of preparation, and at the same time asked for aircraft cover (he was frightened by the inconsistent German air support during the Battle of Cape Matapan). , the debate continued until the afternoon with no conclusion. In order to speed up the progress, Kesselring could only call Mussolini to urge him. Although the latter agreed very well, he kept complaining to him about the head of state on the phone. The German High Command did not notify them in advance, which resulted in the current panic. The implication is that the Germans must bear full responsibility.

But the dawdling situation disappeared by the evening of that day - after the telegram that the German naval aviation had wiped out all the main ships of the British Mediterranean Fleet was sent to Italy at 5:30 pm, the Italians could not sit still, and all their actions began to change. It had to be fast. The original slow pace turned into galloping all over the place. Admiral Iyakino patted his chest and told Kesselin that he would set sail on time at 6 o'clock, not to mention the air support he had been requesting. ——The British aircraft could not move that night anyway, and they entered the Cretan air defense circle after dawn.

After hearing the news that the head of state himself was commanding on the spot on the island of Crete and that Germany had won a complete victory, Mussolini immediately called the pier and scolded Iyakino in front of Kesselin. He was furious, and asked with concern whether any additional support was needed - such as aircraft, armored units, etc., and even insisted on sending the Italian Youth Fascist Division to accompany the German troops to land. After dealing with the leader for so many years, Kesselring clearly knew Mussolini's little plan, but he did not want to reveal it. He only said that time was urgent and it was too late to send another army.

The two sides kept arguing on the phone for 10 minutes. Kesselin, who knew the leader's temper, finally unleashed a big weapon and promised to call him when the city entry ceremony was held after occupying Cairo. He also promised to let the Italian paratroopers who were fighting hard on the Tobruk front line go. As the representative of the Italian troops who entered the city to be reviewed, Mussolini was elated as soon as he said these words and felt that he had gained face. Naturally, he did not care about the lack of timely notification. In the end, Kesselring felt that it was not too inconvenient to dampen the enthusiasm of the Italians, so he asked the leader to coordinate the Italian Air Force to suppress the British naval and air forces on the island of Malta to prevent them from causing trouble at the critical moment of landing. Mussolini responded with a pat on his chest. ensure.

After putting down the phone, Iakino smiled awkwardly at Kesselin, hoping that the other party would not take the afternoon dispute to heart. Kesselin generously expressed his understanding for this - only one person made the navy so slow to prepare. The reason was the leader's own idea, but he still found it inconceivable that Mussolini behaved so arrogantly and respectfully.

In the official residence of the Italian Prime Minister in Rome, Mussolini put down the phone and began to pace triumphantly. His son-in-law and Foreign Minister Count Ciano asked with concern: "Leader, do you think it is possible for the Germans to Lying about the war situation?"

Mussolini thought for a while and then said seriously: "It's unlikely. I know the head of state. He likes to brag and talk big, but he would never lie to me directly."

"You really believe the British Mediterranean fleet is doomed."

"Of course!" Mussolini laughed meaningfully, "If this were not the case, his Grossdeutschland Division would be finished, and even he himself would be finished - haven't you heard that he is now on the island?"

"So the war in Egypt is promising."

Mussolini nodded: "Although the Germans hid it from us very hard, it was indeed a good plan that caught everyone by surprise. No one expected that during the fierce fighting in the direction of Tobruk, he actually stationed a heavy force on Crete, and even dared to Forced landing without naval cover - this kind of boldness is beyond the imagination of the British, and I dare not even think of it."

"It's not like there's no cover at all. They still have a small fleet."

"The French have only Adolf who treats them as a treasure. Why don't they beg us to dispatch a fleet to cooperate? It means that they can't survive in the Mediterranean without us." Mussolini himself put a golden face on his face, "He knew that the British and American fleets were about to land in Egypt. Without reliable naval cover, his few troops would sooner or later be swallowed up by the Allies."

"You expect him to make a big mistake?" Ciano asked curiously.

"No, I hope he can succeed! Only if he succeeds will we be in good hands." Mussolini pointed at Ciano, "You will also be a leader in the future. Don't get upset over trivial things. Keep your mind high." Broadly speaking, what's wrong with the Germans winning? At least we should be able to take back all our colonies, and even more - Adolf promised to take a share of our pie in Sudan and allow us to pass through Sudanese territory to enter Libya. Establish a direct corridor with Ethiopia. In addition, there are a lot of British colonies in Central Africa, South Africa, and the Middle East waiting for us to pick them up. Do you think the British can get up again after they fall? "

"Then...give them both the Goshawk aircraft carrier and the Empire?"

Although Mussolini looked pained, he still said resolutely in the end: "Give it to them if they like it. Anyway, if you don't give it to them, they will force us to fight with him. Let's give it. Besides, we won't suffer any loss."

On the issue of aid to Italy, Hoffmann was more generous than Hitler. Not only did he personally promise to give Italy a series of benefits after recovering North Africa, but he also provided great support to Italy in other aspects: in recent months, even if the fuel supply has If there is a gap, we need to rely on reserves to solve it. There is no shortage of Italian fuel supply; radars are installed on the main warships of the Italian Navy, allowing them to get rid of the dilemma of being blind in night battles; and the Goshawk aircraft carrier is half-finished due to material shortages. The battleship Reich was also directly built with the help of Germany's personnel and materials - due to the lack of qualified sailors in Italy and the lack of capital ships in the German Mediterranean Fleet, according to the agreement between Germany and Italy, both ships will be directly controlled by the German Navy. It was returned to Italy after the war.

The Italians, who handed over command of the navy and air force and two unfinished ships, did not suffer. In the two months of October and November alone, Germany gave more than 100 replaced Panzer 3 tanks and 200 captured British or Russian tanks (mainly T-70\\T-60 and KV), more than 100 37mm anti-tank guns, and 800 aero engines. It also helped Italy improve its air defense system and improve its industrial layout and technical system. The Italians only provided part of the military rations and logistics. Supplies and supplies, and the biggest contribution made in other aspects is to provide 600,000 laborers to Germany - anyway, Italy cannot accommodate so many people for employment.

With Mussolini's clear instructions and the annihilation of its old rivals, the morale of the Italian navy was so high that the work speed suddenly accelerated. In order to seize time, the overall speed was set at 21 knots, even the usual evasive preparations were made. The submarine's Z-shaped route was ignored, which made Kesselring shake his head repeatedly. However, the Maltese submarine probably did not expect that the main force of the Italian navy would run wildly through the night. They all had an uneventful journey, and in the end they hurriedly arrived at the scheduled time. Crete.

Hoffman had already anticipated the attitude towards the Italians, and even prepared for the worst case that the Italian fleet would not come. Now it seems that Kesselring is still very effective in handling things, and the Italian leader, who has always been unreliable, is also difficult to handle. It was a smart thing. He didn't ask about the rights and wrongs of it, but only expressed his gratitude to Iakino for coming.

The huge landing fleet has also returned to Crete. The second wave of landing Viking Division, 20th Motorized Division, Paratrooper Brigade and a large amount of supplies are stepping up to board the ship. With the assistance and ships of the Italian fleet, the boarding speed is faster. Quickly, Marshal Rommel finally boarded the ship with his command. These troops, together with the Grossdeutschland Division, would be temporarily formed as the "Canal" Army Group to take on the task of conquering Egypt and the Middle East. Hoffman also wanted to follow, After being persuaded by everyone, he gave up and agreed to stay on the island to wait for news and wait until Rommel captured Cairo and Alexandria before entering.

When shaking hands and saying goodbye, Hoffman reminded him with a smile: "I finally accomplished everything I promised at the beginning of September."

Rommel did not expect that Hoffman would still remember this, his eye circles suddenly turned red, and he choked and said: "Führer, I shouldn't..."

Hoffman patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him: "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm waiting for the news of your victory. Your achievements will always be remembered by the German nation!"