I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 80



Only Krnovel

EP.80 Mediterranean Campaign (2)

The direct confrontation between Italy and Britain escalated into an unexpected turn of events.

“We have Germany behind us. If the British continue to advance towards Türkiye, we will drive them into battle!”

The Italian Navy rammed a merchant ship from the side and caused a major accident.

Of course, the British Empire, the greatest empire in the world, was not just taking it easy.

“Pay me back in the same amount!”

On the same day, an incident occurred where a British cruiser rammed an Italian supply ship that had arrived to provide supplies to the Italian navy.

This time it was a sinking.

“Oh, there were 100 deaths?”

The Italian government was horrified.

I really couldn’t understand why these guys were so tough.

Are you saying that they weren’t the ones who dropped out of the war because they were afraid of Germany?

In that case, I had no choice but to show it.

The fact that if we touch Italy, we will have no choice but to fight Germany again.

“Ask Germany for help!”

Duce now believed that all that remained was for Britain to surrender.

but.

“What the hell are you talking about? I told you to take care of your own problems.”

Berlin returned the answer that Rome’s problems should be solved by Italy itself.

“This is betrayal!”

Duce could not hide his excitement at Hitler’s brazen retreat.

Since Britain was coming out a bit strong, it was clear that the Führer was about to back down.

Then what about me?

It was not easy for Mussolini to back down at a point when Britain had already caused casualties.

If he doesn’t take a strong stance, his prestige will decline.

“Stop those British bastards by any means necessary!”

Duche once again gave orders to physically stop the British fleet.

And then another ‘collision accident’ happened.

This time, a British destroyer tried to protect a merchant ship but was rammed and sunk instead.

The death toll reached 150.

Repeated maritime disasters were enough to excite the British government.

“Look at this! Because we are being so soft on Germany, Italy is making fun of us!”

“Are you just going to let Turkey go like this? Is this the ‘peace in our time’ that you speak of? What is the difference between Chamberlain and Your Excellency?”

“The Prime Minister must take responsibility for this situation. Admit it. The Geneva Peace Treaty has failed!”

British Prime Minister Halifax could not withstand the barrage of hardliners’ attacks.

“I will take responsibility for this situation and resign.”

Finally, Halifax resigned as prime minister.

The retreat of Halifax, the leader of the pro-German conciliatory faction, meant the rise of the pro-German hawks.

And Anthony Eden, representing the pro-Germany hardliners, became Prime Minister.

As soon as Eden became Prime Minister, he appointed Churchill as Foreign Secretary.

As the British cabinet changed, America also began to move.

Roosevelt had nothing to fear as he crushed isolationists and pro-Nazi groups.

Roosevelt explained the necessity of the Anglo-American alliance to senior Democratic leaders.

“If we continue to let this war go, Europe could be completely red-flagged by the Communists. Or, on the contrary, it could be a world ruled by Hitler forever. Either way, it is clear that Europe will no longer be our market. Is that in our national interest?”

“Of course not. But are you sure the British people are really ready to stand up to Hitler? They are the ones who gave in so easily when they deserved to fight more.”

“The British Ambassador confirmed it. Lord Eden is not a man who would compromise with Hitler like Halifax.”

The MPs were half in doubt, but nodded at the name of Foreign Secretary Churchill.

If Churchill had been included in the cabinet, it would have been persuasive.

Washington’s intentions were quickly relayed back to London.

Anthony Eden was secretly pleased with the idea of ​​an Atlantic airlift alliance proposed by the United States.

If the conflict with Italy escalated into a dangerous situation, American help would be indispensable.

Churchill, like Eden, could not hide his joy.

“The voice of freedom is heard from across the Atlantic.”

As long as the United States helped, the victory of the liberal nations was certain.

If the US had shown any intention to take action, there would have been no reason to go soft against Italy.

A hard-line response was essential, if only for the sake of their own political standing.

“Continue with Operation ‘Freedom of Navigation’.”

No matter what the Axis powers do, the British Empire will not stop.

As Britain took a hard-line stance, Mussolini also began to feel nervous.

It was burdensome to just confront Britain, even if Hitler was watching over us.

“First of all, please refrain from clashing.”

Mussolini chose to retreat before the conflict reached its peak.

But there was no way to withdraw from Türkiye.

If he had gone that far, Mussolini’s political life would have been in danger.

While the Italian army was struggling in Yugoslavia, it was forced to fight a bloody war in Anatolia against Turkish forces supported by the Soviet Union and Britain.

It was only a month.

There were 80,000 casualties in one month.

Compared to the German invasion that left tens of thousands dead or injured every day, this may not seem like much, but it was a shocking number for Italy.

“Your Majesty, this will not do. You should withdraw from Anatolia.”

Even Mussolini’s son-in-law, Count Ciano, advised a retreat.

However, there were too many chips already on the table to back out now.

Either return home rich or become penniless.

The two bodies’ choices were set.

All-In!

Duche ordered the four divisions formed for sending to Yugoslavia and eight divisions from the Yugoslav Front to be sent to Anatolia.

This was strongly opposed by Marshal Pietro Badoglio, Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Army and Chief of Staff.

“Your Majesty, absolutely not. If you reduce the number of troops on the Yugoslav front, the guerrillas will run wild.”

“Are you saying that it is absolutely not possible?”

“yes.”

“Then go home and see your grandchild.”

Mussolini was already thinking of cutting down Badoglio, who was fighting in Yugoslavia.

He cut down Badoglio and installed his obedient Marshal Ugo Cavalero as Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

He wanted to concurrently serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Army like Hitler, but he gave up on that idea due to strong opposition from the Italian military.

In fact, there was no way that uniformed professionals would agree with Hitler’s attempt to interfere in the military despite not achieving as many results as he did.

In any case, the new commander-in-chief, Marshal Caballero, faithfully carried out Duce’s instructions.

“His Majesty the King has given orders. The units that have been ordered to be mobilized are to be moved to Anatolia immediately.”

The Italian military was seething over the situation.

“You two idiots. You’re so impatient because you can’t run the country.”

They began to deliberately sabotage work and obstruct the movement of troops.

As a result, Yugoslavia and the Anatolian front also fell into a quagmire.

In Yugoslavia, where Italian pressure had eased, guerrillas were rampant.

“You pasta bastards! Instead of getting beaten up like idiots here, go back to Rome and lick some ass!”

In Türkiye, where troop reinforcements were not going as planned, the Turkish army, which was supported by the great powers, had a hard time.

“Those guys, are they really a superpower?”

The Italians were also laughed at by the Axis allies who were watching the war from the sidelines.

Italy’s prestige was at rock bottom.

The Italian Fascist Grand Council also took the situation very seriously.

“This year alone, there have already been 150 cases of communist riots in the country. In some areas, they have created ‘liberated zones’ and are operating. Now is the time to reduce military spending and somehow start rebuilding the economy, but now there’s war.”

“Who can stop the stubbornness of two people?”

“His Majesty also finds the current situation uncomfortable.”

Even among the fascists who had supported Mussolini until Germany took control of Europe, voices of discontent began to openly circulate.

Mussolini was not unaware of this situation.

“Turkey is a weak country. Why are we having such a hard time when we have modern tanks, aircraft, and battleships?”

“That’s right, the enemies are formidable.”

Turkey, with the support of Britain and the Soviet Union, was by no means an easy opponent.

The Turkish National Army had already mobilized over a million troops and was outnumbering the invading forces.

“Then use poison gas.”

It was gas that always saved Italy when the going got tough.

In Ethiopia, as well as before the invasion of Yugoslavia, gas saved the Italian army from crisis.

This time was no different.

“Yes? But the opponent is not just Turkey. Behind it are the Soviet Union and Britain.”

“Are you even aware of those guys right now!?”

Mussolini thought it would be no problem for those who got into trouble to get gassed.

“This is the order from Duche. Begin spraying poison gas.”

Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, commander of the Italian Expeditionary Force, gave orders to actively use poison gas.

“Spray it!”

Poison gas was also sprayed from airplanes,

“Chiiik.”

And also pour it into a cylinder,

“Shoot.”

They also sent it flying with shells.

The Italian army’s reckless chemical warfare shocked the Turkish army.

“Those guys, can’t you really see anything?”

Italy had a brief moment of fun with its surprise use of gas.

But they forgot one thing.

“We will give you gas masks and gas.”

Behind Turkey was Britain,

“Using gas in Türkiye openly?”

There was the Soviet Union, the world’s second or third largest industrial power, which could spray more poison gas than Italy.

Soon after, the Italians began to turn the poison gas on their own troops.

“Ugh.”

Even though we had gas masks, the poison gas itself was exhausting.

“Well, like a gentleman, let’s take out the poison gas, shall we?”

Only then did Italy propose a gentleman’s agreement,

“Yeah, eat a lot.”

Turkey pretended not to hear.

The casualties from the muddy war were skyrocketing.

The duo now had no idea how to handle the situation.

In the end, the only one I could trust, whether I lived or died, was Germany.

After much thought, Duce made up his mind and summoned Count Ciano.

“Son-in-law, this won’t work.”

“So, you have decided to withdraw from Anatolia?”

Of course, if that was the case, it wouldn’t have been two bodies.

“We should declare a war zone in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

At least the British bastards’ land lease could have been blocked to improve the situation in Anatolia.

Duce believed that if he could just stop it, he would still have a chance of winning the war to conquer Türkiye.

Ciano was shocked to hear that.

That was tantamount to declaring war on Britain.

“Two! If you do that, the British will not stay still.”

“That doesn’t mean Germany will just sit by and watch as we get pushed back.”

Duche decided to trust Germany and play with guts one last time.

If things go wrong, don’t you feel sorry towards Germany?

Ah, it’s not the one who asked for the guarantee, it’s the one who is at fault for guaranteeing the Steel Alliance.

The two bodies ignited the fuse of the powder magazine.