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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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Italy 1936 - An alternate Italian history of World War II Part 25 By Vincent Longobardi
May 1953 The CIA tries to plant Italian-American mafioso in Italy to serve as spies and dissidents. The initial reports are bleak. Many of the mafia’s contacts within Italy are dead or in jail. Once a powerful entity and sizeable force throughout southern Italy has been reduced to a mere fraction of its former self as a result of Mussolini’s Mafia Purge. William Montgomery, a reporter with Time Magazine has his first article published about his travels through Italy. Selected excerpts from the article: "I arrived in the Sicilian city of Palermo after a quick flight from Spain, one of the few countries to have flights to the ‘New Roman Empire.’ The airport, a former military airbase converted to civilian use is just one part of the growing city..." June 2nd 1953 Queen Elizabeth II is crowned in England. June 10th 1953 The first of the three new Imperators is laid down. The series run will be completed by 1957 when the last ship will enter into service. June 18th 1953 Egypt declares itself a Republic. June 25th 1953 Egypt enters negotiations to purchase 100 P.40 tanks from Italy. June 30th 1953 Italy’s second nuclear bomb is completed and is officially included in the arsenal. July 1953 On July 27th, the Korean War officially comes to an end following the signing of an Armistice between the United States, South Korea, North Korea and the Peoples Republic of China. The popular Time Magazine editorial enters its third month of articles with Montgomery arriving in Rome. "Rome is nearly indistinguishable from an American city. Cars, which have only been mass produced for the past few years fill the streets. Those who can not afford cars scoot around on motorbikes known as ‘Vespas.’ The only feature that reminds me I am no longer in the United States but instead the Capital city for the Emperor of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and its true leader ‘Il Duce,’ is the abundance of posters and paintings bearing the likeness of Mussolini and in smaller numbers, Emperor Umberto II." August 3rd 1953 Otto Skorzeny and members of the Italian Special Forces are sent to Egypt to help train an elite force for the Egyptian military. August 8th 1953 Britain increases security around the Suez Canal in response to improved Egyptian/Italian relations. August 11th 1953 A massive earthquake hits Greece causing incalculable damage to Greece and the Italian Aegean Islands. August 13th 1953 Italian soldiers are brought into Greece to assist in the relief and clean up operations following the earthquake. Many Greeks are fearful of the Italians despite their claims of coming to aid the devastated regions. September 5th 1953 The film "Wolves of Europe" is released to the protests of Italian-American groups. The movie which is touted as a globe spanning thriller(though all filming took place in the U.S.) features a story in which Italian agents convince an Italian-American scientist with nuclear secrets to defect to Rome. A New York detective discovers the plot and proceeds to chase the scientist and his Blackshirt handlers across Europe to the last bastion of Fascism itself killing the scientist before he can hand over his secrets. While movies featuring Italians as enemies have been common since the end of World War II, many Italian-Americans feel this one has gone too far with Italian-Americans being portrayed as pro-Fascist and anti-America. The movie’s first 30 minutes which takes place in New York’s Little Italy shows its residents as hostile to outsiders and largely working with a network of Fascist agents embedded throughout the community. September 7th 1953 Despite or perhaps because of the protests "Wolves of Europe" is a box office success. October 1953 President Eisenhower approves a plan to continue increasing the American nuclear stockpile to counter the threats of Communism and Fascism. Time Magazine publishes its first article from a part of the Roman Empire outside of Italy. A small town near the Hungarian border. Montgomery writes: "...the town inhabited by German refugees is a throwback to the days of Nazi Germany. Left primarily to their own devices by the government in Rome local police can be seen wearing uniforms strikingly similar to those of the Gestapo giving us a good idea of the elements who fled after the war... ...many of the men here are members of the local militia, where in a strange irony of the Nazi belief of having an armed frontier against the remains of the Soviet Union they man Mussolini’s Wall attempting to keep the Communists at bay." November 3rd 1953 The first prototype for a Italian jet tactical bomber is built. Design work is still continuing on the next jet fighter which is expected to be enter into testing by February. Work on a strategic bomber has met with significant delays. November 15th 1953 Israel’s Mossad takes serious interest in the existence of the German-towns within Italy and the possibility of them concealing high profile Nazis wanted for war crimes. Mossad will begin to make concentrated attempts to plant agents within Italy over the next year to see if these claims are founded. December 20th 1953 Italy’s first plutonium bomb is ready. It is slightly more powerful than that of the uranium test bomb making it Italy’s largest bomb to date. The next Italian bomb is due sometime in six months and the next reactor will be operational within three months. January 10th 1954 Student groups begin protests in Greece against the Hellenic Council. Saying that the need for the Council has expired years before with the end of the war and that the country should become a democracy once again. January 21st 1954 The United States commissions the first nuclear powered sub the U.S.S. Nautilus. February 3rd 1954 The protests in Greece pick up as more students take to the streets demanding a change. The protesters have come to use the deceased Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis as a symbol of their plight after the letters he wrote to his loved ones before his suicide showed that he did all he could to prevent a fascist takeover. So far they have been manageable but the previous experience of 1949 is keeping the Hellenic Council on edge. February 20th 1954 Testing begins on a new Jet fighter in Italy. February 25th 1954 Lt. Col Nasser becomes the Premier of Egypt. March 16th 1954 Two Israeli agents are found dead in Venice. It is believed they were trailing former Nazis before being killed by an organization made up of ex-SS men known as ODESSA. March 17th 1954 Israel denounces Italy for allowing Nazis to roam free and assassinate Israeli nationals. Italy fires back that the Israelis were in Italy illegally and serving as spies. April 10th 1954 Italian jets tip their wings to a British strategic bomber on patrol just outside Italian airspace. Since becoming a nuclear power the allies have near constant presence of nuclear bombers patrolling around Italy. April 22nd 1954 Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating the United States Army for any Communist or Fascist infiltrations. May 4th 1954 The second Italian nuclear reactor is now operational. This reactor is located deep in the Alps in a hidden facility as opposed to the original reactor located outside of Rome. May 15th 1954 The Imperial Air Force announces that the Ba. 92 tactical bomber will begin production withing four months time. A naval version will enter into production with 6-8 months following additional testing and design.
June 4th 1954 Students at the Aristotle University of Thessalonki conduct a book burning of the writings of Giovanni Gentile and other Fascist writers. June 8th 1954 Protests turn violent in Greece as students set fire to the political science building at the Aristotle University. The fire quickly spreads to the surrounding buildings as firefighters are impeded in their attempt to get on the scene. June 10th 1954 Following on the heels of the Aristotle University incident students at the University of Athens storm the administration buildings and barricade themselves inside refusing to leave until granted academic freedom. June 11th 1954 Greek troops lay siege to the occupied buildings at the University of Athens cutting water and electricity to them. It is believed that the students are holding members of the staff hostage. June 12th 1954 Italian soldiers conduct patrols of Constantinople to assure that the Greek rebel attitude does not extend into Italian land. June 15th 1954 Imperial Special Forces and Otto Skorzeny are sent to Greece to oversee the assault on the University. June 17th 1954 In an attack organized by Italians(and Skorzeny) but completely conducted by the Greek military, Soldiers storm the administration buildings of the university in the predawn hours. The students respond with homemade weapons and outdated rifles. When the dust clears 8 soldiers are dead and 12 wounded. Over 200 students are killed in the assault. June 19th 1954 Riots spread throughout Greece as students are joined by thousands from all walks of life protesting the lapdogs of the Hellenic Council and their masters in Rome. Western and Soviet agents smuggle in weapons for these forces giving them parity against the Greek Army and their largely outdated equipment. June 20th 1954 Mussolini instructs the Comando Supremo to prepare for Operation Titus, the contingency plan for a Greek uprising. The plan is named after the Roman General who won the Second Macedonian War. June 21st 1954 Greek rebels raid an Army depot stealing weapons and 6 Greek P.40 light tanks. June 22nd 1954 Street to street combat reaches an all time high in Athens as more rebels flock to the city to overthrow the government. June 23rd 1954 "Put your house in order or we will put it order for you." -Message from Rome to Athens. June 24th 1954 Rebels attempt to assault the Roman Embassy before being turned back by machine gun fire from the towers. June 25th 1954 Two members of the Hellenic Council are captured and killed, the rest flee the city for Crete. King Paul and the rest of the royal family also flees the city before being captured. June 26th 1954 30,000 Imperial soldiers cross the border into Greece to join with loyal Greek troops to put an end to the uprising.
End of Part 25.
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