I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 155



Only Noblemtl

EP.155 The Italian War (1)

Ahead of the war, the Soviet Union pressured Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito to prepare for war.

Unlike the original, Tito remained a member of the Comintern.

The reason was that the Soviet army was stronger than the original territory and the surrounding area was surrounded by countries belonging to the Comintern.

More than anything else, it was fatal that Northern Italy became a communist state.

Considering these circumstances, Tito also showed a somewhat obedient attitude toward Stalin.

‘No matter what, it’s not participation in the war.’

Tito decided to reject the unreasonable demands of Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov.

“Our People’s Army is too powerful to even defend our own country.”

“Comrade Tito, this is for the good of the Comintern. If you do not step forward to help the Italian comrades, will the communist fraternal countries consider you a member of the Comintern in the future?”

The threat was that if they did not comply, they could be expelled from the Comintern.

Tito tried to hold on though.

“Comrade Molotov. We, Yugoslavia, have not yet recovered from the aftermath of the war. We need more time. Please understand the situation.”

“That goes for reactionaries too. If you’re really worried, just watch the demonstration the Federation will show the West. After you see that, you’ll change your mind. I guarantee it.”

Tito was confident that whatever the Federation had in store for him would not change his mind.

‘Who would give in to a little extortion?’

Stalin’s reach did not stop at Yugoslavia.

The Soviet Union began to prepare volunteer forces to support northern Italy, squeezing its allies, including Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

The Soviet Union’s war preparations were also known to the West.

In fact, considering the remnants of democratic forces remaining in Eastern Europe, it was impossible to completely hide the Soviet Union’s movements.

The U.S. government was shocked by the news.

“The Soviet Union is preparing for war?”

“Ivans clearly intend to attack Germany.”

There was talk of attacking Italy, but the U.S. government saw the German problem as more pressing.

Germany was an empty house without the Allied forces, with nothing but a police force.

U.S. President Truman decided to rearm West Germany as soon as possible.

“But Germany is a place where the Nazis and militarists are in power. What if we rearm them now and they cause trouble?”

“Right now, the communists are in a hurry, so who’s the problem with the Nazis or the militarists? Our primary task is to stop the communists’ challenge.”

The officials bowed their heads as the president’s intentions were firm.

Secretary of State Acheson pointed out a major difficulty.

“This matter requires Korea’s consent. We cannot rearm West Germany without Korea’s consent.”

“Then quickly seek the consent of the Korean side.”

Truman urgently dispatched a special envoy to Korea.

The Korean government readily expressed its intention to accept the United States’ request.

“Please do so.”

Korea’s attitude was unexpectedly refreshing.

The United States did not understand this change in South Korea’s attitude, but it was not surprising given the nature of the Lee Seong-jun administration.

‘If the Soviet Union keeps making moves, the warning needs to be a little stronger.’

Pyongyang thought it was West Germany’s rearmament.

Stalin was not particularly embarrassed by Korea’s betrayal.

In fact, Korea had already sought Stalin’s understanding on this issue.

“Instead, we will tolerate whatever the Secretary General does.”

Stalin took the Korean story as a sign of condoning the Italian war.

If so, West Germany’s rearmament was acceptable.

In any case, it would take at least 15 years for West Germany to rearm itself and challenge the Soviet Union.

If Italy had been communized, it would have caused several times the damage to the West.

Of course, the West would not have completely turned a blind eye to the Italian war, no matter how difficult it was, but Stalin also had his own calculations.

If a large army is stationed in Central Europe and war is threatened, the West will hesitate to intervene in Italy.

‘A million would be enough.’

Although it may have been a bit expensive, it was not that expensive if you think of it as a cost to prevent the West from intervening in the Italian war without permission.

And nuclear.

The secretary summoned the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Sergei Gorshkov, and asked him to transport important ‘cargo’.

“There can be no mistakes in the transportation of this item.”

“Don’t worry, Comrade Secretary.”

Gorshkov did not know what cargo the secretary had entrusted to him, but he promised to protect it with the fleet’s life.

On May 1, 1950, a group of Soviet ships passed through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits and began sailing into the Eastern Mediterranean.

The West did not know their intentions, but did not forget to send cruisers to pursue them.

On May 8, when the Soviet fleet entered Yugoslavia and silence followed, the West also became uncertain.

‘Did they just send their fleet to threaten us?’

The power was too ridiculous to be seen like that.

Could a few old destroyers and cruisers pose a threat to Western navies with their aircraft carriers and battleships?

It was a force that could easily be ended by mobilizing only ground-based aircraft without seriously involving the Navy.

But that thought was a mistake.

On May 12, 1950, the sun rose unexpectedly on an uninhabited island 20 km off the Dalmatian coast.

The West was shocked when it learned belatedly that the communists had brought nuclear weapons to Yugoslavia.

Ivan was also ready to use nukes.

Of course, the United States knew about this in advance, but the European countries were not fully informed that the Federation had deployed nuclear weapons.

“What should we do if Ivan has nukes?”

Even if we don’t know exactly what power a nuclear weapon has, we all know from the United States that it is a formidable weapon.

So, the European countries had no choice but to recalculate the pros and cons of confronting the nuclear-armed Federation head-on.

‘Even if the US protects us, aren’t we the ones who end up getting hit by nukes?’

If the Western European countries were terrified, Tito of Yugoslavia was about to wet his pants.

‘Hey, a nuclear weapon? Isn’t that a threat?’

If Yugoslavia had disobeyed the Federation’s wishes, there was no way that the weapon of terror could not have fallen on Belgrade.

To Stalin, lives were just numbers.

Tito surrendered to the Soviet nuclear weapons displayed before his eyes.

“I will cooperate with the federal plan.”

Tito expressed his submission more politely than ever.

With this, the groundwork for the Italian War was completely laid.

Stalin summoned Grieco, the general secretary of the Italian Communist Party, to Moscow.

“Comrade Grieco, this war is a matter of great interest to the International Party as well. If we win here, the world will believe that Western imperialism has completely collapsed. Do you understand the weight of the task that lies on your shoulders?”

“Of course, Comrade Secretary.”

Grieco was convinced of the necessity of this war by the Soviet nuclear blackmail.

If the Western bastards dare to think of intervention, they should think of the Federation’s core first.

While they are struggling, if we wipe out Southern Italy, the war will be over.

What good would it do for them to decide to go to war after Southern Italy is gone?

“Finish it in exactly three weeks.”

But Grieco was also taken aback by the secretary’s words.

Even if the Southern Kingdom’s military power was inferior, it was impossible for Northern Italy to push back so easily.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of giving you too many challenges.”

Stalin spoke of volunteers coming from Eastern Europe.

A large volunteer force of 100,000 men, sent with their affiliations concealed, could have been sufficient to increase the strength of the Northern Italian army.

100 thousand.

It was a scale that could determine the whole situation in one go.

Only then did Grieco sense the reality of Stalin’s words.

‘If that’s the case, then it’s worth a try.’

His predecessor, Togliatti, had opposed the war, but if unification could be pushed through so easily, it was a gamble worth taking.

“Comrade Secretary, I would like to ask for one more request.”

“Tell me the story.”

Grieco wanted to elaborate a more elaborate justification for this war.

However, it was not easy to manipulate the pretext due to the weak capabilities of Northern Italy.

Stalin heard Grieco’s story and promised support.

“Don’t worry. Any human with pierced ears will find a reason to believe that Northern Italy is right.”

Grieco expressed satisfaction with Stalin’s promise.

The start of the war was set for June 25, 1950.

It was pure coincidence that it happened on this day.

The northern Italian government took deceptive measures in preparation for the war.

“I propose talks to resolve the Italian problem peacefully.”

The Kingdom of Southern Italy, which had already felt the need for dialogue, agreed to peace negotiations.

The negotiations were conducted with the North taking the initiative throughout.

The North raised its voice even when the negotiation content was slightly unfavorable.

“What the heck, did they come here to negotiate or to argue?”

The Italian government was embarrassed by the high-handed attitude of the North.

The negotiations broke down after just one week.

The North propagandized that the breakdown of these negotiations was evidence of the attitude of conservative reactionaries in the South.

“These people want Italy to be divided forever, so they can keep their little power!”

The North launched a strong propaganda campaign while also carrying out provocations along the military demarcation line.

It started out as an accidental clash, then led to constant skirmishes along the border.

“The conservative reactionaries in the southern hemisphere are anxious because they cannot provoke a war in this land.”

The Communist Party used this propaganda to promote southern Italy’s belligerence.

“Even though we are not a NATO member state, we know full well that the British and French are behind us. Would we really go to war?”

“What if the Soviet Union has nukes? Does the United States not have nukes?”

The South, relying on the West’s support, took the North’s provocations lightly.

Meanwhile, northern Italy was finalizing its preparations for war.

The war was now virtually imminent.