Battle of the Third Reich

At 12 noon on October 29, Italian Prime Minister Mussolini surrendered on behalf of the Italian government to the Great German Empire at the surrender ceremony held in the National Parliament Building in Rome. The German representative was the third Admiral Yoder, director of the Combat Bureau of the Imperial Command.

This is because all the marshals in the German headquarters at that time all ran back to Berlin for the meeting, leaving only the front commander in the top tank in Italy.

Yodel changed four pens when he signed, so he signed the full name of Alfred Joseph Ferdinand Yodel on the surrender, which is said to be the trick he heard from the head of state The Secretary also believes that these pens will be the best souvenirs and gifts.

Mussolini maintained a calm leadership style throughout the ceremony, which made the British and French representatives participating in the ceremony feel a little dazzled by them. They originally wanted to see the proud side of this proud dictator, but in Mosso There was no loss or frustration in Rini’s face. Obviously, the war and the slapstick coup had given him a profound lesson, and he finally recognized the reality of Italy and where he should stand.

The ceremony of Italy’s surrender to France and Britain will take place the next day. This is Mussolini’s only request. The Kingdom of Italy cannot surrender to three countries at the same time. He believes that from the time of declaration of war, Germany, Britain and France It should be distinguished.

Italy admits that it has been defeated, and the news spread across Europe as a flash, but the people seem to be not very interested in this, because this is a thing that has already been doomed. Europeans are more concerned about the establishment of a new European order, because the surrender of Italy means that the state of war in Europe is completely declared over, and Europa finally ushered in peace and tranquility.

The prospect of the European Union proposed by Germany does seem very tempting now. If according to the plan of the German head of state, the European countries may really be able to live in harmony and get rid of war forever.

Germany has become the ally of Europe, and German has become the official language of choice among governments. In the financial market, Mark has become the main trading currency together with the British pound and the French franc. At this time, it can be seen that Schacht's sophisticated financial skill is holding the victory, but the currency value of Mark has not risen sharply. Maintaining a ratio of one to four with the pound, as for the dollar, Europe is still the gold standard at this time, and Schacht never thought of linking the mark to the dollar.

"The lira is depreciating rapidly, and it is necessary to regain confidence in Italian society." Dr. Schacht pointed the document in front of him and stated to Xu Jun.

"Mussolini is preparing to come to Berlin to talk to me. His Deputy Minister of Economy has resigned." The German head of state stood on the window sill of the command office with his hands behind him, enjoying the street view downstairs through the white window screens.

"My head, according to the latest news, the deputy minister jumped from his balcony three hours ago." Weiler reported.

"Murder or accident?" Xu Jun turned his head in surprise, he was amazed that the big chin's revenge on the betrayal was so fast.

"It's not what you think, my head, we are sure that it is caused by excessive mental pressure, and we judge that in the future, similar things within the Italian government will be very frequent. Some people take their Everything was put on Mussolini's downfall, and no one expected you to support Mussolini back on stage." Weierle replied respectfully.

"My head of state, we cannot sit back and watch the economic collapse of the Kingdom of Italy, which will cause a chain reaction in the European financial industry." Schacht wanted to bring the topic back.

"I have discussed your proposal with Prime Minister Chamberlain and President Betan. We have agreed that Italy can use part of the state-owned assets such as physical objects, industrial and mining enterprises to offset part of the war compensation, and if necessary, we can also subscribe for an Italian national debt. The specific amount will require you to discuss with the economic ministers of Britain and France." Xu Jun walked back to the desk and picked up the report of the Ministry of Economy from the table.

"This is great. I started preparing as soon as I went back. In addition, some domestic banks want to get government permission to allow them to invest in Italy and give Italian companies low-interest loans." Speaking of Shakht here His attitude was somewhat hesitant. The Nazi government imposed strict regulations on banks, and many rules were set by him.

"You can give these bank permits, but you should pay attention to avoid the outflow of foreign exchange. You are an expert in this area. I believe you know how to solve this problem. At the same time, we should also encourage German companies to participate in the economic activities of Italy. Italy has A lot of advanced technology is what we need now." Xu Jun looked at a few pages of the report and then put it on his desk.

"This is really good news. My head of state, I believe many companies will be interested in this." Schacht nodded his head complimentingly.

"I will read this report as soon as possible, Your Excellency Minister." The head of state leaned against the armrest and patted the report with his hand raised.

"Okay, my head of state, then I will say goodbye today." Shakht is the so-called old-fashioned cunning guy, he is very clear about the division and advance and retreat. It seems that the head of state does not want to discuss this issue again, and made it clear. The apostle had a clear idea in his mind.

"Goodbye, Dr. Schacht." Xu Jun stood up and shook hands with the Minister of Economy to say goodbye.

"How is the situation over Mussolini." The Minister of Economics watched the departure, and the head of empire turned his attention to his staff.

"My head, I don't know what you mean" Weierle scratched his head.

"Don't play tricks, Weierle, you know what I mean." Xu Jun said with a smile.

"Well, my head of state, from the time point of view, it should have begun now. I have asked Colonel Dougan to stare at the telecommunications room and send it to you as soon as there is a report." Weiller closed The lid of the solid alcohol stove picks up a boiling kettle and pours hot water into the teapot on the table.

On Saturday, November 2, 1940, the fourth day after Italy's surrender, the atmosphere in the port of Taranto remained dignified, and the dark clouds of the war were still over the port.

The British, French and German fleets once again rejected the request of the Italian Navy, and the fleet of four battleships and eight light and heavy cruisers and fourteen destroyers still firmly blocked the port.

From a purely power comparison perspective, the Italian naval fleet in the port should have the upper hand. The Italian navy has gathered all five battleships, eight heavy cruisers and twelve light cruisers, as well as 26 various destroyers and Sixty submarines, it can be said that two-thirds of the Kingdom Navy is parked here.

But the problem is that the Royal Navy of Italy did not dare to clash with the coalition fleet, because the morale of the bottom sailors of the fleet was low, and the senior officers were seriously divided.

When the Roman coup took place, Admiral Angelo Iyakino, the fleet commander, could not wait to announce to all the naval officers and men that the Mussolini government had fallen and the Kingdom Navy fully supported the new cabinet.

As a result, the sailors on part of the naval ships were muted. They refused to acknowledge the news that the prime minister had resigned, claiming that the generals had betrayed the leader. This was a premeditated coup against Mussolini.

Especially the battleship Count Caffar, which was parked by the dock. The angry sailors opened the ammunition depot on the ship. They took out the firearms stored inside, shouted the slogan of hanging the traitor, and detained all the seniors on the ship in one fell swoop. Officers and sailors even switched the muzzle of the main gun and tried to bombard the fleet headquarters in the port area. Fortunately, the marines on the dock responded quickly, and they forcibly recaptured the warship.

In order to avoid similar accidents, Iyakino and General Cavallani, who rushed back to Taranto from Rome, negotiated and ordered all the sailors on the battleship to live ashore, and only some necessary maintenance was kept on the ship. personnel.

The previous riots have inspired conflicts between officers and soldiers, and the new command of the headquarters has caused dissatisfaction among all sailors. There was a rumor among the sailors that Prime Minister Mussolini did not fall. The generals were in a coup. They wanted to remove all the sailors who supported Mussolini from the fleet, and then took the fleet to shell On the coast of Rome, the government was forced to accept their terms of betrayal by force. (To be continued.)