Post by Diarist on Oct 26, 2015 10:48:43 GMT 1
I briefed Sally yesterday about AEF's mission so that she was prepared for this morning's meeting. I had explained that we only enter Italy if Mussolini attacks Abyssinia and our goal is to take their colonies and destroy their Navy, ultimately making them a useless ally for Nazi Germany.
The CoS briefed those present about my report on the situation in NW Italy. When asked I added that the Mont Blanc route looked very formidable but our friends in Turin said they had a few surprises for the Italians in Aosta. Hopefully they'll consider the threats to Turin from the south and west much more dangerous and send no reinforcements north. The good news is that the Italians appear to have no knowledge of our pending attack.
I'd identified a dozen bridges which should be targeted, also a couple of private airfields for our own use - one north of Cúneo, the other west of Albenga. They were very pleased with the photos Sally had taken while I was driving down the valleys, i.e. their routes of advance.
After the meeting I confirmed what Sally was thinking. The nice guys in Cúneo were in the way of two French divisions which have to overrun the town in order to threaten Turin. Naval gunfire will probably destroy a lot of the coastal towns we visited. But this only happens if Mussolini attacks Abyssinia - their fate is in his hands.
We stayed in Toulon all day answering the planning staff's questions, we intend leaving for Paris tomorrow morning.