Wank Mussolini

[Kaze]

There are several thousand different wanks of how the Nazi's could win - most of them wanking Germany, but rarely any of the other partners (Japan is the exception). So here is a new one... try wanking Italy.

Yes, I already know that Italy was the worst player of the War.

Here is the challenge:

Wank Mussolini's empire so that he is more effective and is the major player of World War Two - conquering the Med, France, England, and a failed invasion attempt of the US.

 

[Grey Wolf]

I don't want to wank Mussolini

 

[Theoretical_TJ]

There are several thousand different wanks of how the Nazi's could win - most of them wanking Germany, but rarely any of the other partners (Japan is the exception). So here is a new one... try wanking Italy.

Yes, I already know that Italy was the worst player of the War.

Here is the challenge:

Wank Mussolini's empire so that he is more effective and is the major player of World War Two - conquering the Med, France, England, and a failed invasion attempt of the US.

That's a lot more than a wank...that's more like a Return to Castle Wolfenstein-level ASB occult technology explosion.

 

[Resurgam]

He needs to stay away from Hitler. In fact, Addy needs to be butterflied all together.

I'm trying to process how he'd succeed at the Mammal AND attempting to invade the US when he couldn't even take Greece however...

 

[nbcman]

Impossible without ASB intervention or a completely different Italy that Mussolini took over. Italy had the lowest war making potential of the 7 Majors at 2.5% of the total world. The UK had 10% and the US was over 40%.

 

[Augenis]

Step 1: Be Rachele Mussolini

 

[Clandango]

The title and the first post do not exactly mean the same thing. Mussolini and Italy's fate need not be tied. Additionally, them being the major power int he War would just mean... Well, big target. Hardly as if we are moving back far enough for them to have swallowed up and Italianizing Provence and the Crown of Aragon. No, Italy will need to make do with hegemony over their neighbors, as well as trying for greater influence in Latin America.

 

[Deleted member 1487]

Smaller military, less invasions, better organization, more culling of bad generals, smarter investments, more licensed production of German equipment earlier, more coordination with Germany, etc. I.e. a very different Mussolini.

 

[Arkenfolm]

Mussolini's best strategy would be to stay out of World War II and try and be a non-aligned yet very anti-communist leader in post-war Europe. If he can set Italy on a path that leads to peaceful democratisation, then he'll be remembered as a controversial yet brilliant politician with a huge legacy (both good and bad) unlike OTL where he's regarded like he was Hitler's idiotic little brother. I'm sure he'll be very good friends with the United States. If you give Mussolini another 10-15 years before he dies/retires, then he'll end up being a highly important figure of the early Cold War.

So basically similar to Francisco Franco, but the lack of something like the Spanish Civil War will be helpful in Mussolini's international image.

 

[NOMISYRRUC]

As it's a wank start by doubling the output of Italian manufacturing industry, especially steel. IOTL they only made about 2 million tons a year for the 3 years that they were in the war. As this is a wank doubling their steel capacity by 1940 won't be a problem financially.

The ASB part is finding the coal and iron ore for the extra steel works to use. IOTL they Italians bartered 4 destroyers and 214 aircraft (82 Ca 313, 72 CR.72 and 60 Re 2000) with Sweden for iron ore.

Except that Libya has a lot of iron ore. So you could bring forward the discovery of that to the early 1920s so there is plenty of time to develop the mines, build a railway line to take it to the coast and build up a stockpile in Italy in case the British and French overrun Libya or the British forces on Malta are so strong that they cut communications with Libya.

 

[Jukra]

Step 1: Be Rachele Mussolini

I think Clara Petacci would be a better choice...

But really, aside from the usual "The only winning move is not to play" the Italian ambitions should be more focused and Mussolini should first focus on aggressive industrialization - perhaps with co-operation with Soviet Union for cheap raw materials (Soviets would get western tech in exchange). Aggressive industrialization would please industrial interests and minimize unemployment. Then, Il Duce would need to cull the armed forces and focus on quality instead of quantity as it would be the best choice for any kind of offensives.

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

Mussolini's best strategy would be to stay out of World War II and try and be a non-aligned yet very anti-communist leader in post-war Europe. If he can set Italy on a path that leads to peaceful democratisation, then he'll be remembered as a controversial yet brilliant politician with a huge legacy (both good and bad) unlike OTL where he's regarded like he was Hitler's idiotic little brother. I'm sure he'll be very good friends with the United States. If you give Mussolini another 10-15 years before he dies/retires, then he'll end up being a highly important figure of the early Cold War.

So basically similar to Francisco Franco, but the lack of something like the Spanish Civil War will be helpful in Mussolini's international image.

Exactly. If he remains Italy's version of Franco, he can stick around and maybe exercise some influence over some neighbors, but that's as good as it gets for Italy. Even in an unmitigated Axis-victory scenario, Italy is basically superfluous to the Nazis and utterly irrelevant to the Japanese.