So, what would be a "best case" scenario for Italy here?
Stay out of the war.
So, what would be a "best case" scenario for Italy here?
1 How does Italy keep this fortress supplied? - the land route goes through British controlled Sudan, and the sea route either via the Suez canal, or around Africa.
2 Not really. OTL the Italians had a naval flotilla based in Eritrea which did not achieve much:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea_Flotilla
3 Aden is a major British naval centre which can be used as a base for escorts. Long term solution is land invasion - the British successfully invaded Abyssina from India as far back as 1868.
Second-rate Indian troops were probably the one enemy the Italian army in East Africa could feasibly go toe-to-toe with and come out on top in an even fight.
where did I do that ?You may call the 4th Indian division second rate
I think it was you reference to second rate Indian troops ...where did I do that ?
I think I replied to wiking where I specified those were NOT second rateI think it was you reference to second rate Indian troops ...
Which was funny because Indian troops took Keren in East Africa and were used in preference to Australian troops ..
I think I replied to wiking where I specified those were NOT second rate
then they could take the rest of that SHIP and use it as a breakwater/ sunken obstetricalHonestly the money time and threat to the RN make it completely impossible for the Italians to do this . Their red sea flotilla was fairly powerful . If the port was fortified , given a years supplies plus a full division of well equipped infantry backed up by several batteries of old guns removed from their WW1 battleships . It is conceivable to take the entire turret and magazine and transplant it into a land battery , however it is difficult in the extreme . The gun turrets the USSR used in Sevastopol make a good example of the sheer difficulty in rendering heavily armoured turrets unserviceable .
then they could take the rest of that SHIP and use it as a breakwater/ sunken obstetrical
Probably better use for the Cavours than rebuilding them, put those dual and triple 12" turrets in nice beds of near maintenance free reenforced concrete
then they could take the rest of that SHIP and use it as a breakwater/ sunken obstetrical
Probably better use for the Cavours than rebuilding them, put those dual and triple 12" turrets in nice beds of near maintenance free reenforced concrete
Putting them within a few miles of the border with a French colony creates its own problems - it needs to be a large well-manned complex to defend against land assault, but that increases the stocks of supplies it will need to hold.