Post by Diarist on May 3, 2016 14:07:43 GMT 1
Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin gave a much awaited speech in the House of Commons this morning. He described the repeated attempts to deter Italy from going to war with Abyssinia, both in the League of Nations and through direct negotiations. Mussolini however was determined to resolve the conflict on the battlefield. The United Kingdom and France sent extra troops to East and North Africa and bolstered the air forces there but to no avail. Mussolini also reinforced his invasion force. It was decided to take advantage of Mussolini's actions by secretly planning an invasion of NW Italy while openly planning an Abyssinian Expeditionary Force.
The ruse succeeded. The Royal Navy together with the French Navy surprised the Italy Navy in port. Within a couple of hours the Regia Marina effectively ceased to exist. French Alpine and motorized divisions crossed the border just after midnight and before daybreak advanced forces were in Savona - 50 km from the border. Torino was being threatened from the north, west and south. The Italians were taken completely by surprise and never really recovered from the early paralysis.
British and French forces also entered Libya, Eritrea and Italian Somalia, all three of their colonies in Africa, disrupting their invasion plans. Swift and bold moves quickly outmanoeuvred the Italian forces. The months spent instructing and equipping the Abyssinian forces with surplus war materials paid off. They fought stubbornly and eventually pushed the invaders back to their starting positions. One by one key cities in the African colonies fell to allied forces and after the capture of Tripoli, Tobruk and Mogadishu coupled with the catastrophic reports arriving from Rome the local commanders started surrendering.
Yesterday the Grand Council of Fascism met in Rome and ousted Mussolini. King Victor Emmanuel III has abdicated in favour of his son Umberto and peace talks are underway in Bern, Switzerland, hosted by the Swiss Foreign Secretary. Considerable progress has been made. The PM also praised the British, French and allied armed forces which received unanimous support from all MPs. He finished by informing Parliament that he will be travelling to Paris later in the day to meet his French counterpart and discuss post-war policies.