The curse of the Count of Valpenta, an Italian AAR
Jun 9, 2022 14:27:42 GMT -6
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Post by vonfriedman on Jun 9, 2022 14:27:42 GMT -6
Admiral Count Filiberto Maria di Valpenta's career began with a series of brilliant naval successes in repeated wars against France and Austria-Hungary.
By 1940 (the admiral was a little old, but always lively) the Italian possessions extended along the coasts of the Mediterranean, Senegal, Eritrea, Vietnam, Sumatra and even the Pacific and his prestige rating was around a comfortable 50 points.
There had been some hints that something was just wrong. In particular, despite all the efforts made to maintain good relations with the major naval powers, also conferring rich contracts to their shipyards, an atmosphere of hostility seemed to perpetually surround Italy. However, as a further crisis in the relations with France approached, the admiral could look with reasonable confidence at the ships and his fleet, supported by numerous squadrons of modern warplanes.
The two wars that followed were instead punctuated by an inexplicable series of failures.
In the narrow waters of the Mediterranean, waves after waves of enemy planes continually attacked the unfortunate Italian battleships and aircraft carriers, while the Italian planes seemed to wander aimlessly here and there. In one particular battle, the admiral of Valpenta threw into the air his cap (which then fell into the sea ...) at the exciting news that as many as nine torpedoes have hit unidentified targets where a pair of enemy aircraft carriers had been spotted. It turned out that his airmen had torpedoed a single merchant ship nine times...
To make its situation more intolerable, the Soviet Union thought it best to attack Italy without any justified reason, throwing hundreds of its submarines into the fight. It is not surprising that after enduring privations of all kinds, the Italian people rose up in rebellion, forcing the Sovereign to flee. The new government accepted humiliating conditions of peace but - strangely - did not remove Valpenta (now almost a centenary) from his role. The poor old man spent his final years trying to reconstitute a small Navy.
In his memoirs he was just writing: "And if, by chance, hidden in the lines of the game software, there is some secret rule that penalizes Italy after 1940..." when he was struck by a sudden thought. He staggered to his feet and sang the famous final sentence of Verdi's Rigoletto- "Ah ... la maledizione!!!"
By 1940 (the admiral was a little old, but always lively) the Italian possessions extended along the coasts of the Mediterranean, Senegal, Eritrea, Vietnam, Sumatra and even the Pacific and his prestige rating was around a comfortable 50 points.
There had been some hints that something was just wrong. In particular, despite all the efforts made to maintain good relations with the major naval powers, also conferring rich contracts to their shipyards, an atmosphere of hostility seemed to perpetually surround Italy. However, as a further crisis in the relations with France approached, the admiral could look with reasonable confidence at the ships and his fleet, supported by numerous squadrons of modern warplanes.
The two wars that followed were instead punctuated by an inexplicable series of failures.
In the narrow waters of the Mediterranean, waves after waves of enemy planes continually attacked the unfortunate Italian battleships and aircraft carriers, while the Italian planes seemed to wander aimlessly here and there. In one particular battle, the admiral of Valpenta threw into the air his cap (which then fell into the sea ...) at the exciting news that as many as nine torpedoes have hit unidentified targets where a pair of enemy aircraft carriers had been spotted. It turned out that his airmen had torpedoed a single merchant ship nine times...
To make its situation more intolerable, the Soviet Union thought it best to attack Italy without any justified reason, throwing hundreds of its submarines into the fight. It is not surprising that after enduring privations of all kinds, the Italian people rose up in rebellion, forcing the Sovereign to flee. The new government accepted humiliating conditions of peace but - strangely - did not remove Valpenta (now almost a centenary) from his role. The poor old man spent his final years trying to reconstitute a small Navy.
In his memoirs he was just writing: "And if, by chance, hidden in the lines of the game software, there is some secret rule that penalizes Italy after 1940..." when he was struck by a sudden thought. He staggered to his feet and sang the famous final sentence of Verdi's Rigoletto- "Ah ... la maledizione!!!"