I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 894 Explosive Seed
The Suez Canal is now occupied by Russian troops. After occupying the Suez Canal, the German-Italian coalition forces will face the Russian army directly.

The combination of Montgomery and de Gaulle has made it impossible for the German-Italian coalition to take care of both ends.

Add to that the Russian army, are they asking for too much life?
Bastico was in a difficult situation. He wanted to seize command of the German-Italian coalition forces, but he was worried that he would not be able to defeat Montgomery and de Gaulle after gaining command.

Bastico didn't hesitate for long.

During the last world war, the Kingdom of Italy defected midway and was laughed at by the whole world, but it was not dismembered along with the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. Instead, it became a permanent member of the League of Nations. Its ability to adapt to changing circumstances is admirable.

Now the Kingdom of Italy has reached the most critical crossroads again.

In Russia, 50 German troops were surrounded and their future was uncertain.

In North Africa, the German-Italian coalition forces were in a difficult situation. No matter how good Rommel was at fighting, he was ultimately unable to turn the situation around due to the limitations of the German army's logistical supplies.

Following the counterattack of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Italian mainland has been invaded by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Not only did Mussolini not try to drive the Yugoslav army out of the territory of the Kingdom of Italy, but he also demanded continued mobilization and sent more troops to the Russian battlefield.

This forced Italian King Vittorio Emanuele III to begin to doubt Mussolini's position.

After the little mustache man came to power, he reformed Germany and concentrated all power in his own hands. He was not a king, but better than a king.

In 1922, Mussolini successfully came to power through the "March on Rome" and was ordered to form a cabinet.

In the Kingdom of Italy, Mussolini's power was indeed very great.

But the most powerful person in the Kingdom of Italy was not Mussolini, but King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy.

After the Yugoslav army occupied Padua, it did not stop the attack and continued to advance southward.

Vittorio Emanuele III summoned Mussolini and asked him about his response plan.

"Yugoslavia is nothing to worry about. As long as we can defeat Russia, the threat from Yugoslavia will naturally disappear. Our war with Russia has reached the most critical moment, and victory is just around the corner."

Mussolini disappointed Vittorio Emanuele III.

"Mr. Prime Minister, you are Italian, not German, and you should put the interests of the Kingdom of Italy first."

Pietro Badoglio, Field Marshal, Chief of the Italian Army Staff, who led the Italian army to conquer the Abyssinian Empire and was named Duke of Addis Ababa, was also very dissatisfied with Mussolini.

Badoglio and Mussolini had serious differences on the issue of attacking Russia.

In view of the situation in the Kingdom of Italy, Badoglio believed that the most elite troops should be kept in Italy to deal with the threat of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Mussolini insisted on sending his best troops to Germany to assist the German army in its attack on Russia.

Of the Axis troops in the Warsaw Pocket, approximately 10 were from Italy.

"It is precisely because I put the interests of the Kingdom of Italy first that we must do our utmost."

Mussolini was determined that if Germany was defeated, the Kingdom of Italy would not be able to survive on its own.

This is indeed true.

But Mussolini overlooked that the Kingdom of Italy had another option.

Mussolini, who was born in a small town and graduated from a normal school, had an understanding of politics that was not only inferior to that of old hands like Vittorio Emanuele III, but also inferior to that of a soldier like Badoglio.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is no longer able to perform his duties and lead the Kingdom of Italy forward. Please order his removal from office."

Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano spoke sternly.

"Are you crazy?"

Mussolini never expected that the fatal blow to him would come from his son-in-law.

In 1930, Ciano married Mussolini's daughter, Edda Mussolini.

In 35, at Mussolini's insistence, Ciano was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In Mussolini's cabinet, Ciano's power was so great that Mussolini's cabinet was also called Ciano's cabinet.

Ciano's father, Costanzo Ciano, was an old friend of Mussolini and the planner of the "March on Rome".

"Mr. Prime Minister, wake up. Germany can no longer bring benefits to the Kingdom of Italy. The Kingdom of Italy is facing an invasion by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. We cannot continue to go further and further down the wrong path." At the end of last year, Ciano separated from Edda, with whom he had three children.

Look at their political sensitivity.

"Oh, in the last world war, we got promises from Britain and France, and now what do we get?"

Mussolini was desperate, and this was another complete mistake.

The reason why Italy rebelled in the last world war was because Britain and France promised to give the Kingdom of Italy due territorial compensation after the war, which led to the 11 Battles of the Isonzo River.

No one expected that the Austro-Hungarian army, led by Conrad, the Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff who was defeated by George, would fight back and forth with Italy without a clear winner.

At the Paris Peace Conference, the Kingdom of Italy made demands on the territory of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire in accordance with the commitments made by Britain and France.

Lloyd George and Clemenceau reneged on their promises and gave the territories promised to Italy to the Russian-backed Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

The last time they made a promise, the British and French went back on their word.

This time it is obvious that after the end of the world war, if Germany cannot achieve final victory, Russia will dominate the world. Did George give a mysterious promise to the Kingdom of Italy?
Nothing at all.

"So what if they get it? The Russians have even less credibility than the British and French. Even if they make a promise, they can tear it up!"

Ciano trusted no one.

"Russians have no credibility? Are you saying that Grand Duke Yuriev has no credibility? Even if we are enemies, you shouldn't say such things!"

George would have been pleased to know that Mussolini thought so highly of him.

"Grand Duke Yuriev is already old. The most important thing for us now is to avoid further fighting with Russia and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia."

Ciano was worried that the Italian army would inflict too much damage on the Russian and Yugoslav armies, leading to a blood feud.

Referring to the performance of the Italian army in North Africa and the Isonzo River Basin, Ciano thought too much.

Many times, human potential is unlimited.

No one expected that the Italian army, which had repeatedly held back the German army in North Africa and was weak in attack and defense in the Isonzo River Basin, would burst out with powerful combat effectiveness in Russia, which was on the verge of despair.

Busch commanded the German army to launch a frenzied attack on Vasco, hoping to rescue the Axis forces in the encirclement. At the same time, the Axis forces in the encirclement were also actively trying to survive.

Andrei would not let any Axis soldier go, and ordered the Russian army to begin to tighten the encirclement and completely eliminate the Axis forces within the encirclement.

Neither Busch nor Andre expected that the first and only Axis force to break out of the encirclement would be the Italian army.

In North Africa, the Italian army could defeat the British army in order to surrender and force the British army to accept its surrender.

In Russia, the desperate Italians, in order to survive, after running out of ammunition and food, launched a hand-to-hand combat with the Russian army that tried to destroy them, and successfully fought their way out.

“Can anyone tell me how the Italians did it?”

Andre couldn't believe it. Putting hand-to-hand combat and Italy together was too incongruous.

"Our soldiers did not expect that the Italians would dare to launch a hand-to-hand fight against us. They had already used up all their bullets and lost their supplies. The artillery had no shells, the armored vehicles had no fuel, and almost everyone had no cotton clothes. Many people even lost their boots. When they launched the charge, our soldiers thought they were eager to surrender, so -"

Lieutenant General Linsov, commander-in-chief of the 14th Army, also found it hard to believe, but it was the fact.

"Great! We haven't won yet, but our troops have become complacent. Have you forgotten how the empire fell?"

Andrei glared at Linsov. The Italian army broke through the defense line of the 14th Army.

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. It seemed normal for a certain unit to suddenly explode on a battlefield with tens of millions of people fighting at the same time.

Lin Suofu blushed.

The German army was not as powerful as portrayed. The German troops in the Berlin encirclement did not resist to the end. Faced with the attack of the Russian army, many troops chose to surrender.

This is normal. There are too many officers in the German army who have received training in Russia and they know the Russian army very well.

Under George's strict requirements, the Russian army did not treat prisoners well, but at least they did not abuse them.

(End of this chapter)