Chapter 16: Rome Doesn't Weep

Waking up from a deep sleep, Logan hadn't even had time to freshen up when his aide, August, hurriedly knocked on the door and entered. "General, there's news from the Italian side. Last night, there was a major naval battle between the main fleets in the Ionian Sea! The Italian Navy achieved a comprehensive victory, and several British warships were lost. The British fleet has already withdrawn overnight!"

"Ah? A naval battle? British fleet? Was it the Gibraltar fleet?" Logan was puzzled for a moment. He quickly recalled that the Ionian Sea lay at the bottom of Italy's "boot," between Italy and Greece.

"I'm not sure about that yet. The message came from headquarters, and it's the same as what I just reported to you!" August replied truthfully.

"Hmm! No wonder we haven't been able to find any trace of the H fleet and the two aircraft carriers for some time. So, they really went to the Mediterranean! Could it be... their target is Taranto?" Logan muttered to himself as he splashed some cold water on his face, wiped it with a towel, didn't bother to brush his teeth, took a few sips from a cup, put on his coat, and headed downstairs to the operations command room.

Seeing Marshal Speer buttoning up his coat as he walked, Logan guessed that he too had rushed here after hearing the news. Shortly after, Kurt Stundt, who had recovered from his injuries, also approached the command room.

"Is the news confirmed?" Marshal Speer asked as soon as he spoke.

"It came from headquarters, so it should be confirmed! The British fleet sneaked into the Mediterranean, which relieves us of a lot of worries!" Logan adjusted his collar and realized he forgot to wear his medals, but at this moment, he didn't have time to worry about that.

"Well said! Now that the main force of the British Navy is heading south, we should launch our attack early!" Speer took out his monocle from his pocket. "What about the telegram?"

A young major hurriedly handed over the telegram, and the Air Force Marshal quickly glanced at it. "Doesn't mention specific results?"

"Maybe the Italians didn't provide any!" Logan speculated.

"If they managed to hold off the British fleet, that's enough!" Stundt offered a relatively objective assessment of the Italian military's combat effectiveness.

After a brief exchange, just as they were about to have breakfast, a camouflage-colored VW8 van raced along the road and stopped in front of the command post. A middle-aged officer in an army colonel's uniform briskly walked into the room and saluted. "Marshals, Minister Generals, Air Marshal, Field Marshal von Rundstedt requests your presence at the frontline headquarters. It's about the operational plans!"

"As expected!" Speer muttered, then turned to Logan. "Shall we go directly?"

Military affairs were evidently much more important than breakfast. Logan nodded and said, "Of course!"

Since December, the German forces landing on Britain, including the naval forces responsible for transportation and surveillance at sea, had all been unified and coordinated by the Frontline Command Headquarters. General von Rundstedt, commander of Group A Army, served as the supreme commander. General Busch's 16th Army and General Kleist's armored group jointly served as the main attacking force. In terms of the air force, apart from the existing 2nd and 3rd Air Fleets, some troops were also drawn from the 1st Air Fleet stationed in Germany and the 4th Air Fleet stationed in Northern Europe.

As soon as they entered the headquarters, the bustling atmosphere inside made one's nerves tense. The elderly but spirited Army Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt was standing with his hands behind his back, contemplating over the operational sand table. General Ewald von Kleist, with a square face, small eyes, and a large nose, was holding a cup of coffee, engaged in a calm conversation with General Ernst Busch, who had a similarly large nose and small eyes.

These renowned German generals, whom Logan had previously only seen in history books and documentary films, were now alive and present before him, filling him with pride.

The 55-year-old Speer respectfully greeted the 65-year-old von Rundstedt, both having participated in the previous war. However, at the end of the war, Speer was only a captain, while von Rundstedt was already a colonel. During peacetime, von Rundstedt had held higher positions in the Wehrmacht, earning the respect of his colleagues.

As a junior officer, Logan also saluted the legendary old marshal with great respect. "Good morning, Your Excellency, the Minister of Operations!"

"Good morning, Minister of Operations," von Rundstedt replied indifferently, then got straight to the point. "Last night, the British main fleet appeared in the Mediterranean and engaged in a battle with the Italian Navy. The outcome is not our primary concern. Since there is no longer a major British naval presence in Ireland, and the continuous clear weather has made the front lines relatively firm, I believe we should promptly implement our attack plan and thoroughly occupy the northern part of England and Wales, turning London into an isolated fortress."

"The air force is fully prepared!" Marshal Speer confidently stated.

"So is the paratrooper unit!" Stundt said proudly.

"Excellent! Excellent!" von Rundstedt ceremoniously asked for the opinion of General Kurt Freck, the naval representative present. Then he said, "In that case, the attack is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow. All units are to enter attack preparation strictly according to the plan. As long as the weather doesn't take a turn for the worse, the air force and naval forces are to go all out, especially in maintaining battlefield communication!"

Everyone stood at attention in unison. "Yes, sir!"

The Germans had found the long-awaited opportunity for attack. Meanwhile, on the other side of the European continent, in the sunny and warm Mediterranean, the powerful Italian fleet was chasing the fleeing British fleet. After a night of intense battle, although five Italian capital ships had each suffered some light damage, they had inflicted heavy blows on the HMS Warrior and the sinking of the HMS London. Particularly noteworthy was that an Italian light cruiser squadron had discovered and attacked two British aircraft carriers during the night battle. Although their condition was yet to be confirmed, this undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of the Italian naval officers and men, filling General Campioni and his captains with confidence. After the sun rose, the forward scouting squadron of the Italian fleet had already spotted the British fleet southwest of Crete.

Having suffered a defeat in the night battle, the British seemed prepared to retreat to Alexandria port nearby. The damaged Queen Elizabeth-class and aging Revenge-class battleships slowed down the entire formation, while on the Italian side, the aging Cavour-class and Doria-class battleships, after modernization, had increased their top speed to 28 and 27 knots, respectively. Although the British torpedo attack before withdrawing from the battlefield had caused some confusion for the Italian fleet, the distance between the two fleets was constantly closing. Just when the Italians thought victory was in their hands, the first batch of Swordfish torpedo bombers launched from the HMS Ark Royal suddenly appeared on the left flank of the Italian main fleet.

In the original timeline, the nine Swordfish aircraft launched from the HMS Ark Royal had initiated an attack on the German battleship Bismarck, with only one torpedo hitting but causing significant damage to the massive battleship, rupturing its fuel tank and leaving a noticeable oil slick on the sea surface. Later, another fifteen Swordfish aircraft launched from this aircraft carrier, enduring intense gunfire, dropped torpedoes, one of which destroyed Bismarck's propeller and jammed its rudder, a blow that ultimately decided the fate of the German behemoth!

In this altered timeline, in the waters southwest of Crete, twelve Swordfish aircraft continuously descended under enemy anti-aircraft fire. Although the Italian fleet had formed a battle formation, the calm sea of the Mediterranean at this moment was most suitable for the use of aerial torpedoes. The Royal Navy's aviators, lacking combat experience, swiftly dropped 460mm torpedoes equipped with magnetic detonators. Three torpedoes exploded as soon as they hit the water, while the remaining nine quickly left white water trails on the sea surface—a scene sailors dreaded seeing.

The two Vittorio Veneto-class battleships could reach a top speed of 30 knots, but their actual speed with the fleet was only 20 knots. Faced with the surging torpedoes, temporary acceleration had no effect, so they could only do their best to turn and maneuver. The cruisers and destroyers responsible for cover were also desperately firing at the sea, attempting to intercept the torpedoes with gunfire, but they only managed to detonate two of them in the end. The instant eruption of white water columns brought no comfort to the gunners.

A moment later, a violent explosion occurred on the port side of the Giulio Cesare, and almost simultaneously, the heavy cruiser Trento encountered misfortune. Originally, Trento's fate was avoided due to the fleet commander's temporary decision, but this treaty-class heavy cruiser of over ten thousand tons failed to continue its journey. The failed turn exposed its vulnerable flank to the swiftly approaching torpedoes. The explosion occurred below the No. 3 main gun turret on the afterdeck. Although the explosion did not directly ignite the ammunition magazine, the compartment's fire protection system failed to activate in time. Dozens of tons of heavy oil leaked from the fuel tanks, forming a terrifying fire flow that surged through corridors and ventilation ducts towards the engine room and magazine. Just over three minutes after the initial explosion, the cruiser, which seemed to have withstood the blow from the outside, suddenly snapped in the explosion far greater than that of the aerial torpedoes. The bow and stern first tilted downward, and then, after about ten seconds, a large amount of seawater poured into the fractured amidships. The bow and stern began to rise upwards, and surviving sailors leaped into the sea like dumplings, but only those who avoided the burning oil on the sea surface and the whirlpool caused by the sinking of the warship had hope of survival...

In contrast, the Giulio Cesare, which had been retrofitted with waterline spaced armor, was much luckier. The torpedo only tore through the ship's side armor, and the sturdy bulkheads prevented seawater from spreading further into vital compartments. Although the ship as a whole tilted at a six-degree angle due to the influx of over 1,500 tons of seawater, it ultimately managed to return to Taranto under the escort of destroyers.

Just as the Italians hesitated whether to continue pursuing the British fleet, the second wave of 15 Swordfish appeared on the sea surface. The Royal Ark and Illustrious, which were originally prepared to raid Taranto, carried a total of 59 Swordfish and 17 Seagulls. If it weren't for the damage inflicted on Illustrious's flight deck and elevators during the night battle, the Italians would probably have faced even more British carrier aircraft at once! Nevertheless, the successive British carrier aircraft, combined with the British land-based bombers taking off from Crete (as allies of Greece, British troops began to move into Crete and Mykonos in early November, but ground forces had not yet deployed on a large scale), made the next hour and a half an excruciating ordeal for Admiral Campioni and his over 18,000 Italian naval officers and sailors. In the face of the whistling British bombers, one Italian warship after another exploded and caught fire. However, the formidable and confident Italian Air Force did not dispatch a squadron of fighters until the battle was nearing its end. However, the Giulio Cesare was critically wounded and could not be saved, the Vittorio Veneto was hit by two torpedoes and severely listed, while the Littorio and Andrea Doria were still fighting, but the decks were already billowing with thick smoke, and the elite morale of the Italian Navy was greatly damaged...