The Third Reich in Desperation

However, Churchill actually didn't like this kind of cleverness used in the end.

After all, no one would mobilize civilians to serve as cannon fodder if they were not pushed into a desperate situation...

Chapter 466: The first of the four Italian generals

"Marshal Balbo, tell me..." At the time of parting, Ciano, the son-in-law of Mussolini, accompanied Balbo to the airport very respectfully, and frowned all the way: " This time we planned such a huge offensive without telling our German allies, will they know about it..."

After all, Ciano is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Italy. Knowing what happened in his position, he has never been very optimistic about Italy's diplomatic achievements.

Although Mussolini and Reinhardt became apparent brothers, Italy also formally entered into a military alliance with Germany.However, the cooperation between the two countries has always had problems.

But this time, Italy did not seek the opinions of its German allies, and directly decided on the combat operations in North Africa. It only sent a telegram to the German allies after the fact, and it was just a notification.From the perspective of military alliances, this approach is obviously disadvantageous.

After all, as two military allies, they should discuss strategic actions with each other to avoid conflicts with each other.

But Mussolini never informed his German allies about the relevant matters just because of his anger. He only informed Reinhardt of the date of action when the outbreak was approaching, which was regarded as a mention.

In case something goes wrong with today's military plan in the future, and the Germans are asked for help, then others will have plenty of excuses to refuse.

However, compared to Ciano's worry, Balbo seemed much calmer: "Count Ciano, you think too much. To be honest, we really don't need to care about the views of a country that is overwhelmed by itself."

Balbo, the only Marshal of the Italian Air Force who led the organization of the North African War, also has the title of veteran of the Black Sequoia Party, the head of the "Four Great Generals" under Mussolini, and the Governor of Libya.

Although he also advocated bringing in the Germans to fight together at the beginning, after Mussolini made it clear that Italy must go it alone, Balbo no longer considered Germany as an external force.

Yes, the Germans are slightly better at fighting than the Italians.

But they also have a lot of problems. On the one hand, they seem to be in an air battle with the British recently, and they are rushing to prepare for the landing.On the other hand, they mobilized troops to the east on a large scale to guard against the Soviet Union that had annexed the three Baltic countries and the two northern provinces of Romania.

Compared with Italy's superior defensive geographical environment where it can advance, attack, retreat, and defend, the Germans who were attacked on the two fronts should be most worried about their own safety.

Not to mention that they have no control over where Italy wants to fight and where they don't want to fight. If Italy really stops doing nothing, it will just allow the British to deploy African garrison troops to return to China to strengthen their homeland.

Once this is the case, the German landing operations will be even more difficult.

Therefore, from the perspective of Germany's interests, they should be eager for Italy to send troops to Africa as soon as possible to help them contain the main force of a British army.

Balbo turned his head and said to Ciano, who was still worried: "Germany is a country, you must know it very well. They will only respect the person who wins, whether this person is their own or their own. Allies, even their enemies. As long as who is strong enough, who can win the battle, they will respect whoever!"

Looking into Ciano's eyes, Balbo said indifferently: "Facing this ally of iron and blood, the harder I fight on the front line, the more you will have a say in diplomacy. As for cooperation and consultation, those It’s all useless.”

Balbo, the old Italian marshal, is quite thorough in his analysis of Germany.

Feeling that what the other party said was very reasonable, Ciano was also a little relieved: "I hope we can win smoothly, and Italy will be at the bottom of the league."

Ciano actually doesn't know much about the German nation, and all his insights are only superficial.

He was born in a noble family in Livorno, Italy. His father, Costanzo Ciano, the Count of Capri, was a close friend of Mussolini, a fascist veteran, and a major member of the joint plan of the Roman march with Mussolini.

Under such a background, Ciano can be said to be born with a golden spoon in his mouth. In addition, he and Mussolini became in-laws, so it can be said that he was destined to obtain high officials and generous salaries early on.

Therefore, although he is the foreign minister of Italy, the origin of this position is undoubtedly full of water.

This also led to the fact that even though Ciano participated in major events such as the Munich Conference and the German-Italian Alliance, he has never calmed down to understand the German nation as an ally of Italy like an official who should have real talents.

Based on what Ciano has seen and heard during his several visits to Germany, the German nation is a barbaric, vulgar, and artless nation.

The beautiful mountains and forests on their border will become a pile of sandbags and isolation nets in just a few months after they fall into their hands. A base that stinks of sweat and cold steel.

Ciano always felt that, unlike the Italian soldiers, everything the German soldiers did seemed to be suffocating themselves to death.

Their poor brains seem unable to accept and appreciate all things romantic, they are only interested in rigid discipline, boring training and their ugly tanks, battleships and weapons.

In Ciano's eyes, even if those Germans conquered the world, it would be pathetic.Because their lives are completely meaningless!

If the life of the Italians is like a beautiful lakeside, then the life of the Germans is like a depressive and gloomy garbage factory with no color at all!Those German soldiers who are rigid, have no artistic ability, and do not understand life should not go to the grave when they die, but should be thrown into the metal waste recycling bin!

How did they sing that phrase, Brother Jun?

"If we are doomed, at least our faithful tanks will give us a metal grave."

That's right, Ciano has always felt that German soldiers can only be thrown into this kind of metal grave.

Although Italy has formed an alliance with Germany, Ciano does not like the German nation in his heart.

However, there is one thing that Ciano cannot deny or understand.

That is, in his eyes, this rigid and romantic German nation has produced a large number of world-famous writers, poets, philosophers and musicians such as Goethe, Schiller, Bach and Beethoven in the hundreds of years of history. .

Finally, when Ciano and Balbo arrived at the airport, the old man Balbo patted him on the shoulder and said, "Minister Ciano, don't worry too much. The Germans are not as complicated as you think. Our Italian army Not for nothing. Why should we care what the Germans think, as long as we can win it ourselves?"

"I hope so." Ciano smiled, shook hands with Balbo and said goodbye: "Then I wish the Marshal a big victory in North Africa!"

Chapter 467 Bad Premonition

North Africa, Tobruk, an important town in Libya.

This is an important port city. So far, the air forces of the United Kingdom and Italy have repeatedly competed for air supremacy in this area for many days.

The strength of the Italian Air Force must have a huge advantage in the African battlefield. Unfortunately, the quality of the fighters is so poor that they are always chased by British planes.

The air force couldn't win, so they called the Italian navy and dispatched some warships with anti-aircraft artillery to support them.

But the Italian navy also knew that the anti-aircraft firepower on its warships was basically useless.

On the contrary, in order to support the air force to send warships to join the air battle, the cost performance is definitely not worth the loss.

After all, the cost of a battleship is enough for them to import hundreds of German me-109 fighters.

But the Air Force is begging to come to the door, and it seems that it is not good not to give this favor.

As a result, the Italian Navy compromised and dispatched a decommissioned cruiser Gilgio at the end of the 1th century, plus several small ships equipped with small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery to support it.

It seems that the navy has also sent a tall cruiser.But in fact, this is already an old-fashioned cruiser that is about to be scrapped, and it won't feel bad if it is destroyed.

How old is this cruiser?

So to speak, the aircraft had not yet been born when it entered service.

Because this cruiser was decommissioned in the 19th century, there were no aircraft at that time, so it did not even have an anti-aircraft gun.

And this captain is a guy with a strong sense of responsibility. He thinks that anti-aircraft guns should be installed to prevent enemy air strikes.

But his superiors didn't think it was necessary, because they didn't have any hope for this broken ship.

But the captain of the cruiser argued repeatedly, which annoyed all his superiors.

In the end, the superiors, to keep their ears quiet, approved the installation project of the Gildio's anti-aircraft artillery.