Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Fall of the Duce (2)
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Mussolini was lost in a haze of brandy and drugs.
“What the hell did I do wrong?”
Everything he had done was for this country.
He had only dreamed of restoring Rome’s glory, giving the people back their pride, and turning the nation into a new Roman Empire.
For a moment, it seemed like everything was going according to plan.
But what Mussolini had grasped—what he could have grasped—slipped through his fingers like a mirage.
And the beautiful illusion came to an end.
The Duce’s dream, the myth, the people’s faith.
In the place where the Duce had once been hailed by all, there was now only a middle-aged man pointed at by every finger.
“Duce. His Majesty summons you.”
The Duce let out a deep sigh and rose from his seat.
On his way to meet the King, he startled at the sight of unexpected military police.
Surely His Majesty wasn’t having second thoughts.
The Duce couldn’t hide his complicated feelings.
It was the King who had trusted the political thug Mussolini and given him the great responsibility of Prime Minister.
“If even His Majesty abandons me...”
The Duce entered the dimly lit hall and paid his respects to the King.
Vittorio Emanuele III’s eyes carried a tension unlike his usual demeanor.
The Duce bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty. I have come at your summons.”
The King idly stroked his ring before speaking to the Duce.
“How many years has it been since I entrusted this country to you?”
“Twenty-one years, Your Majesty.”
“Twenty-one years. Time flies.”
It was a casual remark, but Mussolini fell into a momentary reverie.
The glory and disgrace of Mussolini’s life were all contained in those words.
“Indeed, it has.”
The King avoided jumping straight to the point, probing Mussolini’s intentions.
What was he so wary of?
Finally, the King’s expression hardened, and he spoke firmly.
“I remember the efforts you’ve made for the kingdom all this time. But things have come to this. Why not step down here?”
Mussolini flinched at the unbelievable words from the King’s mouth.
But the Duce, who had already lost all will after the defeats in Libya and Tunisia, had no desire to cling to power.
He gazed at the King for a moment, then shed thick tears.
“I... I failed to live up to Your Majesty’s expectations. I wish luck to my successor.”
Mussolini paid his respects to the King and withdrew from the audience chamber.
Waiting soldiers then approached and seized him.
Mussolini was arrested and dragged away limply.
News of Mussolini’s arrest soon reached the German embassy.
The anti-Nazi German ambassador, Otto Christian Archibald von Bismarck, took the situation gravely.
Whether he agreed with Nazism or not wasn’t the point.
If Italy left the front lines, Germany would be finished before it could even react.
Berlin hesitated upon receiving the ambassador’s report.
With the southeastern front collapsing and troop demands surging, debates raged over whether to commit large field armies to Italy.
Finally, Hitler put an end to the debate.
“We cannot lose Italy. Act.”
At Hitler’s word, the Germans mobilized a massive force.
Divisions poured into Austria, southern France, and Hungary.
Meanwhile, Ribbentrop visited Rome to confirm whether Italy would remain with the Axis.
“Of course. The Duce’s fall is merely punishment for a failed leader. Rome has no intention of betraying its alliance with Germany.”
Both Count Ciano and Ribbentrop knew it was an obvious lie.
Yet Ribbentrop didn’t press Ciano.
Germany needed time to assemble forces for intervention.
Italy needed time to negotiate with the Allies.
With their interests aligned, the two could shake hands with smiles.
“Then I’ll report that to the Führer.”
“Please do.”
The moment the plane carrying Ribbentrop departed for Germany, the Italian government sent envoys to Tunisia to begin talks with the Allied forces.
“We wish to discuss Italy’s surrender terms.”
The British and Korean generals burst into laughter.
“You have no standing to dictate terms. Either go home or surrender unconditionally. Choose one.”
The Allies’ attitude was overbearing.
No, when Italy was offering its homeland and over two million Italian troops, couldn’t they at least hear one condition?
Cesare De Vecchi, the special envoy who had crossed the sea on Italy’s behalf, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“What will it be? Surrender or war?”
With Mussolini ousted, the Fascist Grand Council had no choice left.
“We surrender.”
Cesare De Vecchi could hold out no longer and raised the white flag.
The Korean and British governments received the news and issued their respective communiqués.
The British government stated,
“Then please prepare for our forces to make administrative landings in southern Italy and Sicily.”
Britain planned to secure a foothold and leisurely enter Italy.
The Korean government thought differently.
“Hand over Mussolini first.”
“No, that’s...”
“It’s Marshal Yi Seong-jun’s firm demand.”
With one of the Allies’ key leaders, Yi Seong-jun, stubbornly insisting on taking custody of Mussolini, the Italian government was in a bind.
Even so, handing over a former national leader to foreign hands felt wrong.
The Fascist Grand Council decided to drag the issue out.
“Absolutely not.”
“Didn’t you surrender unconditionally?”
“Even so, there are lines that can’t be crossed.”
The war of words dragged on for nearly a month.
In the meantime, the Allies completed landing preparations and made administrative landings in Sicily and Naples.
There was zero resistance from Italian forces.
“Don’t resist. Surrender peacefully.”
Italian generals obeyed the orders without hesitation.
Even the Italian expeditionary force in Turkey, which had stubbornly held out until then, handed over their weapons to Turkish forces on government orders to surrender.
Italy’s surrender now seemed a foregone conclusion to anyone watching.
That was when Germany moved.
“Rescue Mussolini at all costs.”
“Leave it to us.”
Otto Skorzeny’s specially trained commando unit, which had spent a month tracking Mussolini’s whereabouts, glided in and raided the mountain hotel where he was imprisoned.
Operation Oak, the Mussolini rescue, ended before the Italians could blink.
The Germans seized the hotel, then leisurely descended the mountain via cable car and escaped.
“Th-the Prime Minister has fallen into German hands?”
“Y-yes, Excellency.”
The Italians were thrown into panic.
Germany taking the Prime Minister meant full-scale intervention was ready.
Koreans harshly rebuked the Italians.
“You’ve ruined everything. If you were going to hand Mussolini to the enemy, you should’ve just shot him!”
Italy was speechless, even if it had ten mouths.
Mussolini’s rescue was just the beginning.
German forces attacked Italian troops like waves across southern France, northern Italy, and all of Yugoslavia.
Italy had far more troops numerically, but in organization, morale, and equipment, they were no match for Germany.
“How are we supposed to beat the Germans? They’re not human—they’re machines.”
Italian soldiers surrendered to their once-allied Germans.
As the Germans advanced at lightning speed, the Italian government was caught flat-footed.
“We haven’t even officially declared surrender yet?”
They had ordered the military to surrender without resistance, but the government hadn’t.
So they hadn’t betrayed the Axis.
Italy might have clung to that logic, but Germany wasn’t fooled anymore.
“These idiots made the war so damn hard. Crush them all.”
The Germans showed no mercy.
The Germans advancing south outpaced the Allies moving north by a wide margin.
Allied commanders gathered in Naples for a meeting.
“At this rate, we’ll run into the Germans. Should we push north to Rome?”
Baek Dong-seok ran the numbers.
‘The opponent this time is the German army, and our forces aren’t sufficient. We’ve already opened a second front to show goodwill to the Soviets, so better to settle for part of Italy, dig in, and buy time.’
Unlike Britain, which was fixated on the Mediterranean, Korea had no intention of spilling more useless blood.
Hadn’t Marshal Yi Seong-jun ordered minimizing sacrifices?
Against Baek Dong-seok’s firm opposition, the Allies halted at the Rapido River, a geographically advantageous defensive line.
It was directly opposite the Gustav Line, where the Germans had entrenched in the original timeline.
The British voiced regrets.
“Still, handing such a natural defensive line to the Germans feels off. Breaking through that by force would be brutal.”
But Baek Dong-seok had no intention of even considering such folly.
Why bother?
Yi Seong-jun had put it plainly.
“Father-in-law. Secure half of Italy and hold the line. The Italian reds will handle the rest.”
As always, Yi Seong-jun outsourced to the reds and ordered Korean forces to sit back and reap the benefits.
It suited Baek Dong-seok’s tastes perfectly.
‘The main battlefield will be elsewhere anyway. No need to bleed here.’
Postwar Italy might get messy, but that wasn’t Korea’s problem.
“Set up camp.”
Baek Dong-seok decided to think of it as a vacation in Italy.