You can bet there will be those post-war who will argue that the USMC could have pulled it off if they'd been allowed into the ETO
It sounds like he definitely would have been in the militias but you never know he may well have survived.
Realistically the Communists are even more expendable...
Corpses on Holiday
The Germans had captured some two thirds of the city after the first week however the toll it had taken was enough to give even Hitler pause. German casualties numbered in the thousands alongside dozens of panzers, these were unsustainable losses despite the...
Culmination Point
Excerpts from the Diary of Unteroffizier Wendell Lilienthal, Commander of the Panzer IV, Ausf. C. 131. “Otto Lott.” of the 1st Panzer Division during Fall Gelb, 1940
May 9
Confirmation at last! For days we have been busy with our preparations, wondering whether...
Threadmarks: “A noi comunisti spettera di salvarla!”
“A noi comunisti spettera di salvarla!”
With the Regio Esercito in Northern Italy reduced to a handful of pockets of resistance, the SS Panzer Corps moved towards the original aim of the German invasion; the destruction of the Communist uprising which had caused the collapse of...
Yeah the massive expansion of the Red Army in such a short time was a much greater issue, a "mechanised" division which doesn't have any trucks is going to ineffective regardless of doctrine. You could probably pull off something akin to @Carl Schwamberger's with the PoD of the Soviets being...
Whether the equipment's new or old it comes down to shipping although with the Allies firmly cemented on the peninsula there will be support given to rebuilding the Italian army the shortages of food and what the Allies are willing to spare whilst preparing for Overlord will become a source for...
Un popolo alla macchia
Ambrosio was desperate to establish a direct link with the Allied commands but felt unable to leave Rome for direct talks. The reputation of the military regime had been badly damaged by the events of Mussolini’s death and its de facto leader did not want to leave...
The closest thing to such a movement in OTL would be the reaction to destalinisation by Georgian anti-revisionists and nationalists in 1956. As you say Stalin was a figure of national prestige and the sudden demonisation of him was taken by many to be slander and/or an insult to the Georgian...
Thanks! Was he in La Spezia or Milan at the time?
Yeah there's not much they can do tactically, similar to the Allied excuse for not intervening more directly from the air whilst also building up the Foggia Complex.
Equipping someone elses army is almost as difficult as sending your own...
"King of Aspromonte"
The Germans were being made to suffer in Southern Italy where General Paul Conrath’s remaining forces were overwhelmed in August by Allied forces approaching from north and south.
For a few days in July the German armoured convoy had swept all before it and appeared...
This is a common misconception, although there certainly were incidents of infighting and wider political repression the Republicans didn't spend more time fighting each other than they did the nationalists (who had infighting of their own) and held together a very big tent more or less until...
Gente dell'aria
Fuhrer Military Headquarters was satisfied with the breakout of the SS Panzer Corps and the apparent destruction of what remained of the Italian army but now pondered their next steps.
The Corps’ commander, General Paul Hausser was keen to ingratiate himself with Hitler...
Really enjoying this. Original, well written and clearly well researched. Spain fully joining the war on the Axis side is often discussed and occasionaly features but I can't think of there ever being a TL where it is the focus of the work. I would argue it's particularly important such a work...
I think it was still undergoing testing at this juncture and given the disruption to Italian industry I would say lend-lease is the safer bet.
I can just about manage with genosse google translate so will definitely have a look for that thanks!
I would say the direction the PCI has taken has...
La città che sale
The reassurances which continued to emanate from Rome following the German crossing of the Piave increasingly began to ring hollow in the ears of many Italian people. Although the new government was considered to have a good degree of legitimacy the bulletins which...