Rise Of The Second Empire - A New Rome AAR

[Friedericus Rex]

February 3rd, 1943:

The Italians decision to finally join the Axis alliance was met with approval and enthusiasm all across Europe. The final signature at the Reichstag in Berlin was celebrated with great pomp and fanfare as the two leaders cemented the new cooperation in front of the eyes of the public. While the German leadership has continually fostered relations with the Italian Empire over the last couple of years, accompanied by extensive trade between the two nations, serious pleads for a permanent alliance were made only recently, after the Soviet Union surprisingly declared war on the Reich on December 27th, 1942.

At first the Italian leadership was reluctant to engage in any larger scale conflict, in order not to jepordize the numerous new aquisitions made over the last years. After annexing Turkey, the Italian Empire now shared a common border with the SU, which would have to be defended. More importantly however, a war with the allies would mean challanging the British Mediterranean Fleet on the sea and and the North African Army on the ground. Invigorated by the impressive military successes of recent years, the Italian High Command eventually came to the conclusion that not only deserve their facist brothers over the alps a helping hand, but if Germany were to loose this war, it wouldn't be long before the British would try to remedy the situation in the med, possibly with American help and that was not a prospect Italian military planners dared to contemplate.

Having fought and won numerous battles on just as numerous battlefields the Italian Army considered itself more than ready for the challanges that lay ahead. The revamped Italian Navy still hadn't been faced with a real foe and was eagerly awaiting the chance to proove itself and wrestle control of the Mediterranean from the Royal Navy.

The stage was set for the new Roman Empire to make its mark on the world....

State of the Italian Empire on February 3rd, 1943

Btw, if anybody could tell me the proper size in pixels to which to format my screenies I'd appreciate it.

 

[Tim O]

Nice job so far. After you whip the Reds take out vichy France and Portugal and you'll by close to restoring the Empire's borders.

 

[Friedericus Rex]

February 27th, 1943 - 2200 hours:

Admiral Ghé, commander of the Italian 1st Fleet charged with patroling the Egyptian Coast, stood aboard the bridge of his flagship, the RM Aquila, impatiantly waiting for his radar officer to confirm the contact report. After almost a month at sea, he had grown tired of the enerving cat and mouse game the Royal Navy had played with him. On several occasions now, either one of his air patrols or a ship in the destroyer screen had made contact with one of the RN's vessels only to slip from his grasp at the last moment. For some reason he couldn't comprehend Admiral Ramsey had chosen again and again to evade his task force, but not know. Several minutes ago an air patrol had radioed in a message stating that a large number of enemy vessels was sighted on an intercept course with 1st Fleet, apparently the British were ready to fight. With barely contained exitement in his voice the radar officer reported to detect sevreal vessels with corresponding size and bearing, the battle was about to beginn.

After both fleets tried to make out the enemies composition and manouver themselves into a favorable position during the night, the first rays of morning light signalled the commencment of the battle as torpedo bombers and escort fighters took of from the decks of their carriers in the morning hours of February 28th . The air wings of the RM Aquila managed to score the first hits of the day as the Ju87T "Picchiarello" torpedo bombers managed to evade interceptor screens and unload their deadly cargo, scoring multiple hits on the battleships HMS sovereign and HMS Valiant. The damage these vesells recieved was more than they could absorb and after enduring multiple attack waves during the day both slipped beneath the waves shortly before night fall. Unfortunatly for the Italians their heavy cruisers RM Zara and RM San Giorgio dropped out of formation during the night, leaving them without sufficient fighter cover and making them easy prey for the HMS Courageous and HMS Furious air wings. Frantically trying to catch up with their formation, their captains incompetence cost their crew their lives and the Italian Fleet their first capital ships in the war. The RM Zara exploded at 1300 as a fire reached one of her magazines and the RM San Giorgio sank three hours later after absorbing to many torpedo hits. However the battle wasn't over yet.

The RM Zara exploding after a fire reached one of her magazines


After keeping contact with the British Fleet during the night Admiral Ghé tried to put more distance between his fleet and the RN carriers during the next day, hoping to capitalize on his air wings longer range. The gamble paid off. While being out of range for the enemy fighters and bombers the air wings of the RM Aquila and RM Sagittario were ordered to concentrate their fire on one of the British carriers. An intense arial battle ensued over the British fleet with the British fighters desperatly trying to keep the Italian torpedo bombers from dropping their payload. In the end it was invain. The HMS Glorious suffered so many hits along her entire trunk that her captain ordered "Abandon Ship" at 1800 with the ship already leaning hard to star board. The once impressive carrier sunk completely at 2300. After suffering such a decisive defeat, Admiral Ramsey decided to call it a day and ordered his fleet to make for Alexandria at full speed.

After suffering multiple hits, the HMS Glorious is already dangerously leaning.


OOB:

British Fleet:

CV HMS Courageous
CV HMS Glorious - sunk
BB HMS Queen Elizabeth
BB HMS Sovereign - sunk
BB HMS Valiant - sunk

3 CL
3 DD

Total: 11 ships


Italian Fleet:

CV RM Aquila
CV RM Sagittario
BB RM Conte Di Cavour
BB RM Giulio Cesare
CA RM San Giorgio - sunk
CA RM Zara - sunk
CA RM Gorizia
CA RM Fiume

6 CL
4 DD

Total: 18 ships

 

[Friedericus Rex]

The Naval War:
After dealing such such a decive defeat to the Royal Navy Admiral Ghé and his 1st Fleet were charged with blockading the Suez Channel, to prevent more Allied Fleets from entering the Med, as well as patroling the harbour of Alexandria in case Admiral Ramsey tried to break out again. Admiral Campioni, commander of the 2nd Fleet, was charged with patroling the Aegean Sea and Amrila Bergamini commander of the 3rd Fleet was charged with patroling the Tyrrhenian Sea in case any Allied break out attempts were succesfull. As was the case on March 10th, when a combined UK and American task force intercepted the 3rd Fleet in the Gulf of Gabes and maneged to sink several destroyers before Admiral Bergamini disangaged and sought refuge in Palermo. 2nd fleet was immediatly ordered to find the Allied taskforce roaming in the Mediterranean but only managed to corner the British contingent in the Agean Sea on March 29th. In the ensuing battle the air wings of the RM Sparviero sunk the battleship HMS Nelson and the carrier HMS Furious. Along with the carrier HMS Courageous, which was sunk during a break out attempt on March 21st, this brought the total tally of sunk British carriers to three, leaving the Royal Navy with only one more carrier.

The final moments of the british battleship HMS Nelson, by unknown artist


Italian deployments in the Mediterranean Sea, May '43:


1st Fleet - On patrol in the Agean Sea:

CO Admiral Ghé

CV RM Aquila
CV RM Sagittario
BB RM Conte Di Cavour
BB RM Giulio Cesare
CA RM Gorizia
CA RM Fiume
CL RM Bari
CL RM Alberico da Barbiano
CL RM Luigi Cadorna
CL RM Duca d'Aosta
CL RM Muzzio Attendolo
CL RM Alberto da Guissano
4 Destroyer Flotillas


2nd Fleet - Blockading the port of Alexandria and the Suez Channel:

CO Admiral Campioni

CV RM Sparviero
CV RM Falco
BB RM Andrea Doria
BB RM Caio Duilio
CA RM Pola
CA RM Trento
CA RM Bolzano
CA RM Trieste
CL RM Libia
CL RM Armando Diaz
CL RM Bande Nere
CL RM Bartolomeo Colleoni
CL RM Raimondo Montecuccolio
CL RM Eugenio di Savoia
4 Destroyer Flotillas


3rd Fleet - Currently undergoing repairs in Palermo:

CO Admiral Bergamini

CL RM Taranto
4 Destroyer Flotillas

 

[Amadeus]

Wow, really impressive !

How you managed to have 4 CV in jan. 43 ?
I guess that controlling half of mediterranian coutries helped a bit.
Its a little bit disappointing you chose to start your AAR so late in game time.

Please keep feeding us with yours illustrious acts of war.

Best regards, Amadeus

 

[berhaven]

Wow, really impressive !

How you managed to have 4 CV in jan. 43 ?
I guess that controlling half of mediterranian coutries helped a bit.
Its a little bit disappointing you chose to start your AAR so late in game time.

Please keep feeding us with yours illustrious acts of war.

Best regards, Amadeus

Well he probably choose to build 4 CVs instead of the 4 Littorio Class BBs.
Some foresighted admirals proposed this in the 30s, but someone stated that "Italy is a carrier in the center of the Mediterranean Sea!".
In any case IRL Aquila was almost ready in '43, and one should consider that shipbuilding had a painful downturn with the beginning of the war.
Italy WAS short of raw materials and when trade agreements disappeared (like it looks it does within the game), production slowed down.

 

[Friedericus Rex]

Field Marshal Ironside Capitulates in Gaza:

In the morning hours of June 25th, General Graziani begann his final assault on the last british holdout in the Middle East at Gaza. Having crossed the Suez Channel a week earlier, Field Marshal de Bono eliminated the last british defenders on the Sinai and approached Gaza from the west, while Army Group Middle East under Field Marshal Balbo, having defeated the british forces in Jordan and occupying Palastine, was closing the siegering around Gaza from the east and south.

British forces under Ironside in their last holdout at Gaza


Although the british soldiers fought valiantly, their struggle was ultimatly in vain. Surrounded, without supplies and with no hope of being relieved, the exausted troops were overun within several hours. At 10:00, Field Marshal Ironside surrendered himself and his remaining forces to General Graziani. With the defeat at Gaza the last british troops in North Africa and Palstine were defeated and the Italian Empire asserted itself as the dominant power in the Mediterranean, controlling its only two acces points and occupying most of the meditarrenean coast.

Italy - Ruler of the Mediterranean

 

[Friedericus Rex]

Wow, really impressive !

How you managed to have 4 CV in jan. 43 ?
I guess that controlling half of mediterranian coutries helped a bit.
Its a little bit disappointing you chose to start your AAR so late in game time.

Please keep feeding us with yours illustrious acts of war.

Best regards, Amadeus

Thanks, first of all let me say the reason I choose to start this AAR so late in the game was because not a lot was happening before and I didn't want to bore anybody with reports of me doing nothing.

The carrier building program started sometime in 1941, after I researched the proper techs. The carriers are improved level designs, as are the air attachments, which potentially explains my easy time defeating the british Fleet. The order for six carriers went along with an order for two new battleships, wich are also improved level designs.

Contrary to your statement, you'd be surprised what little effect conquering all those nations had on my IC, which is still quite low as you can see in the screenies.


berhaven - Like I said, I ordered the carriers along with the battleships. In hindsight that was money down the drain though, as the only role battleships have in carrier battle is playing target for enemy aircraft, which a heavy cruiser is just as good at. There still cool to have though

I hope everybody finds my AAR at least slightly entertaining.

Have fun reading, next update coming soon....

 

[berhaven]

Good reading!

Just a question: do you still have as a FM Balbo in 1943?
I thought that leaders died on their RL death date and the guy was shot by friendly AA fire in 1940.

 

[Friedericus Rex]

Good reading!

Just a question: do you still have as a FM Balbo in 1943?
I thought that leaders died on their RL death date and the guy was shot by friendly AA fire in 1940.

Yes I still have him because I installed the leader mod.
I got a little fed up with Rommel always dieing on me in '44, so now all the leader death dates have been set 1960.

 

[Tim O]

The Germans don't look like they're doing so well with the Soviets. Are you going to help them out? I sugesst an invasion of the Cacusus from Turkey.