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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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An Empire Reborn Part 22 By Vincent Longobardi
May 5th 1975 Count Ciano calls for the Grand Council to conduct an investigation on the failure of Italian intervention in Vietnam. May 8th 1975 Franco Freda returns to Rome with another hero’s welcome for the valiant last stand in Saigon. May 10th 1975 The building projects in Burma are significantly scaled back. Though construction still continues to a degree as the Comando Supremo desires an outpost in the Far East. May 11th 1975 Major Medici and his wife travel to Cuba for the start of their honeymoon. They will spend the next month in Cuba and throughout South America. June 3rd 1975 Himmler’s "My Rise and Fall" is published throughout Europe and the United States. The book exposes the secret Berlin-Rome alliance of World War II and the aid given to escaped Nazis. The book causes an uproar across Britian, France and the United States. June 4th 1975 Possession of "My Rise and Fall" is decreed a crime by Consul Medici. And Gudrun Himmler is made an enemy of the state and wanted criminal. Adolf Eichmann, the current head of ODESSA is summoned immediately to Rome to explain himself. June 5th 1975 An extremely nervous Eichmann pleads with the Consul saying that he nor ODESSA had any part in the publishing the book and they will assist in tracking down the fugitive Himmler. In the United States the Democratic congress calls for an investigation of the allegations set forth in the book and the possible imposing of sanctions on the NRE for their crimes. June 6th 1975 The largest manhunt in Italian history since the Mengele kidnaping is launched for Gudrun Himmler, she is wanted dead or alive. Unknown to the government is that Himmler had fled to Swizterland months before in anticipation of the government’s reaction to the book. June 7th 1975 Britain, France, Israel and the Soviet Union all call for sanctions and a UN investigation on the situation of Nazi fugitives within the NRE. The Soviet Union also condemns the United States for their mishandling of the borders in the last days of World War 2 which has led to this situation accusing the American military of being in cahoots with Rome. June 15th 1975 Count Ciano attacks the Consul before the Grand Council calling his leadership weak and questioning his abilities to lead the Empire. June 21st 1975 The UN votes to condemn the NRE for their harboring of Nazi war criminals and demands that they open their borders to investigation. June 23rd 1975 The search for Himmler is officially called off after it is discerned that she has fled the Empire. July 6th 1975 Otto Skorzeny dies of natural causes at his home in Northern Italy. Even amidst these accusations of Nazi war criminals he will be granted a state funeral. July 10th 1975 Count Ciano meets with the Emperor on the possibility of dismissing Medici from his post as Consul as well as dismissing his top supporters(Evola and Borghese) in one fell swoop to prevent a Civil War. July 15th 1975 On his way to Livorno Count Ciano’s private plane suddenly crashes. The Count an experienced pilot was flying the plane himself before the sudden crash which killed the man instantly. Within hours of Ciano’s death OVRA agents conduct a raid against his residencies. Edda Ciano(the daughter of Mussolini) protests their intrusion as illegal and inappropriate given the untimely death of her husband. The agents inform her that their orders come directly from Consul Medici. Marzio Ciano an officer in the navy is punched in the face when he attempts to stop the men from searching his father’s private office. The search for Ciano’s fabled diaries turn up empty. July 16th 1975 Consul Medici announces the death of Count Ciano to the nation calling it a freak accident brought on by a mechanical malfunction. July 18th 1975 Count Ciano is buried in his family tomb in Livorno. July 20th 1975 Franco Freda is appointed the new minister of Foreign Affairs by the Consul. He is the first of Evola’s disciples to be placed on the Grand Council. August 1st 1975 The Helsinki Accords are signed by most of the nations of Europe. The NRE and Spain both refuse to sign the accords calling it an infringement on internal rule of their nations. August 10th 1975 The Aquila begins its final voyage. Destined for Genoa and decommissioning the ship will travel to several Italian points throughout the Mediterranean first as a final farewell after 32 years of faithful service. August 27th 1975 Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia dies in Bath, England at the age of 83. "The Uncle of Bath" as he became known to the citizens of the city lived his last years nearly destitute surviving on a government stipend, donations and the last remains of Ethiopian treasures. Hearing that the deposed Emperor does not have enough money for a funeral the people of Bath quickly put together a fund raiser and manage to raise over 30,000 pounds in just 3 days. August 30th 1975 Over ten thousand attend the funeral of Haile Selassie. Numerous politicians from the UK and France are in attendance and give speeches on the bravery of Selassie standing up against the Fascists in Rome never relinquishing his claim to the throne even as his sons were executed by Italian agents. September 15th 1975 Thirty two years to the day oft he Aquila’s commissioning it docks in Genoa for the final time. Thousands of former sailors of the Aquila are in attendance for the decommissioning of the ship and the commissioning of its replacement. All are honored for their service, but one man is honored above the rest Petty Officer Pasquel Rizzo. Rizzo has served with the ship since its commissioning and turned down promotions in order to stay with the ship. Over the years he wrote profusely to Medici and the Grand Admirals begging to stay with the Aquila. Serving with the ship in every major action from the beginning he had become a fixture aboard the ship, in the last few years he served as a liaison between the officers and enlisted and helped new sailors get adjusted to life aboard ship. On this day, he is honored for his lifetime of sacrifice and service by Medici and Viceroy Borghese. He is retroactively promoted to the rank of Chief Petty Officer and officially retires from service. The Aquila would be the first and last ship he served on. Aside the Aquila is the Empire’s latest and greatest carrier. The first nuclear carrier of the Empire and the largest in the world, beating the Nimitz by several feet. The Benito Mussolini is ready to enter service with the fleet and project Roman power far and wide. Serving aboard the Mussolini is newly minted Seaman Mario Rizzo, son of the retiring Chief Petty Officer. May his service to the Empire be as long and as grand as his father’s was. September 18th 1975 Work begins in the newly decommissioned Aquila to convert the ship into a floating museum to showcase the history of the Italian Navy and Italian seafarers throughout the ages. September 22nd 1975 The Mussolini embarks on a worldwide tour. It will visit ports throughout the world with a strong focus on Lira Block nations to show the true power of Imperial might. September 25th 1975 Major Medici begins his new assignment at the Military Academy of Modena teaching anti-partisan warfare to the officer cadets there. October 30th 1975 Francisco Franco turns powers of Head of State over to King Juan Carlos as the General is too ill to continue his duties.
End of Part 22. Please visit my forum for discussion and access to new parts as they become available. http://z11.invisionfree.com/LongVinsWritingDen/index.php?
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