Italia News and Such 1918 - 19??

[ctwaterman]

Rome Time November 15th 1919
The War in East Africa Ends

With orders to destroy their own country in hand and ground forces closing on their Capital from the north and the south the Army of New Zion finally turned on their corrupt New Swiss masters overthrew their Queen and have sought peace with Italy, Brandenburg and the Hapsburg Empires.

The Empire has begun occupying the Coastal Cities and is negotiating what is expected to be a lasting peace with the new military government of New Zion.   The New Swiss forces in New Zion have been interred and the hunt for New Swiss raiders in the Red Sea, Mediterranean, Indian and Atlantic Oceans continues.
The Surviving remnants of the once powerful New Swiss fleet have eluded pursuit and were last spotted fleeing into the Pacific Ocean. 

Rome Times November 21st 1919
Imperial Speech before the Senate of Rome
Earlier this Week Emperor Armedo spoke on the war in East Africa.   His speech strongly applauded the conduct of the Legions in both their treatment of enemy POW, in their forbearance in not utilizing massive retaliatory Chemical Bombardments of the Enemy and in their efforts to halt the spread of Cholera in the south of New Zion. 

In addition his speech praised the support of all of Italia Allies, the Green Cross and even the Dutch for their efforts to get needed medical assistance to those cruelly displaced by the policy of the New Zion government who choose to fight from inside their own cities.

In his closing words the Emperor called on the New Swiss Republic to cease that republics senseless and ongoing war against unarmed merchant ships and to stops that nations use of illegal and immoral attacks using drifting mines on the seas of the world.  The Emperor further requested that the New Swiss send a representative to Paris empowered to deal with and to take responsibility for the New Swiss actions in the last year.

[Desertfox]

New Switzerland denounces the words of the Italian Empire. New Switzerland has not and is not conducting any sort of warfare against unarmed merchant ships belonging to ANY of the nations that participated in this bloody imperialistic war, nor has it laid down ANY kind of mine outside of its own territorial waters. Any ship conducting acts of violence against unarmed merchants while flying the Swiss flag is no more than a pirate and as such must be deal with according to international law.

However, it is true that Zionite raiders have taken merchant prizes according to international law. Due to logistical restrictions, the crews of said merchants are under Swiss care. And the Swiss would be more than happy to return them to their nations of origin, as soon as the Swiss sailors currently held illegally by said nations are also returned. The Swiss also propose a non-aggression pact between them and the respective nations to prevent further unnecessary bloodshed in the future. They do so even while the Italians have been shown to be untrustworthy in keeping their word.

[ctwaterman]

November 18th 1919

Rome Times:

Emperor Orders Cease Fire with New Swiss Republic

Despite New Swiss accusations and slander the Emperor today announced that all Imperial Marina vessels would cease cruiser warfare and offensive operations against shipping belonging to the New Swiss Republic.  This Cease fire will allow the New Swiss to send representatives to an undiscolosed location to attempt to negotiate a settlement to the war.

[ctwaterman]

Late November 1919
Report to the Emperor Concerning the Military and Economic cost of the Rift War.

Copy of this report will be forwarded to the War Planning committee, the Civil Development committee, Imperial Marina HQ, and Imperial Legions HQ.

Total Losses of Naval Forces in Rift War.
Units Sunk:
29,700 Tons of Merchant Shipping comprising 19 totals vessels.
IMS Germanicus [Note: It may be possible to refloat and salvage or rebuild this BB]
IMS Iena [Note: Sunk in harbor but due to age recommend ship be scraped rather then recovered]
IMS Sarimarcus
IMS Medicus
IMS Romulus
IMS Taranto
15 Destroyers of the DD-1905 Class [750 Ton]
3 DD of the DD-1908 Class [1000 Ton]
6 DD of the DD-1909 Class [1000 Tons]
2 Mine Sweepers
1 Sub
11 MAS Boats

Damaged Ships:
IMS Imperator [80%]
IMS Dacius [55%]
IMS Parthicus [80%]
IMS Hercules [45%]
7 DD-1912 [50%]
7 DD-1908 [50%]
1 DD-1908 [50%]
1 Sub [80%]
1 Sub [50%]
2 Subs [75%]

While the losses were significant the primary loss of the IMS Germanicus may be offset by the ability to recover the ship from the relatively shallow waters of the approaches to Djibouti.   See attached Engineers report.   The IMS Germanicus suffered 3 torpedo hits to her starboard side during the Swiss Breakout battle and the suicide attacks by New Swiss Destroyers lacking the range to reach a safe port.   The ship was consequently torpedoed again on the port side while being towed into Djibouti harbor.   The ship is sitting only slightly on her side in roughly 50 feet of water.

Economic Costs:
Due to the severe losses in Indian Ocean and Rift Sea freighters it is estimated that economic output from the rift sea colonies will be reduced by at least 10%.   Losses in shipping and diversion of shipping lanes due to the two year project to clear the upper rift of the mine fields will also have an impact on the Empire.  It is estimated that at least 7 million denarius in income will be lost in HY1 1920 and a further 3 million in HY2 1920.

However offsetting these economic losses will be the eventual savings from the proposed reduction of forces in East Africa from 12 Legions to only 8.   This will save an estimated 3 million denarius per half year into the future.  Returning the Imperial Marina battle line to the Italia will save an additional million perhaps as much as 2 million denarius as well.

In addition war reparations from New Zion as well as New Zion assumption of the cost of occupation may eventually recover some of these costs.  It is noted however that a survey of the damage caused by radical elements within the New Zion government just prior to its collapse severely damaged the Infrastructure and Industry of New Zion to the point that it should take at least 10 possibly as many as 20 years to simply recover from the damage of the war.  It may become necessary for the Empire to find some manner in the future to forgive the New Zion debt.   There may be possibilities to purchase some of the Damaged New Zion Industry as a way of eliminating a large part of New Zion' debt thus allowing their economy to recover more quickly.

[ctwaterman]

December 1st 1919:  Imperial Consulate Paris France.

Actors:
Sextus Aurelius Cotta- Consul of Foreign Affairs.
Liborio Valentinius - Magistrate to the Republic of France.
Mario Alessio Decumius - Commander of the Praetorian Guard.

The meeting was taking place in the study of the Imperial Consulate in Paris.  A fire roared in the fire place keeping the Chill of a Paris Winter at bay.   Around the fire three men sat looking over some documentation provided them by the Swiss Ambassador to France earlier in the week.  Negotiations were slow and ongoing.  What was not being said at the meetings was nearly as important as what was being said.  The true reason for the recent war in New Zion hung over the meetings like a Ghost!  The three men sat sipping brandy and smoking cigars while looking at the ships logs and timelines provided by the New Swiss the list of ships taken and the disposition of their crews?

Liborio Valentinius:  Well the documentation Ambassador Steinberger provided on their raiders appears to be quite extensive.  The New Swiss really are trying to prove that they did not commit the atrocities in the Mediterranean nor launch a large scale raider action in the Atlantic.

Sextus Cotta:  But this documentation it could all be staged?   They ask us to believe they are providing accurate information for the locations of all their raiders.   What if this information is simply a hoax an elaborate ruse to throw suspicion upon someone else?

Liborio Valentinius:  What could they have to gain from such a ruse?   They have to know that we suspect them of funding the attack on San Remo why try such a ruse when they have to know we will not believe them?

Mario Alessio Decumius:  I can confirm the locations and actions of at least these two raiders in the Indian Ocean.   Setting down two log books.  Our Agents in New Zion after the surrender were able to obtain information leading to their locations and Imperial War ships were closing on their locations when the recall order was issued!   So we can at least believe what we can independently verify.

Sextus Cotta:  So we are agreed this could simply be a plot by the Swiss Secret Service to throw a smoke screen around the actions of some of their less then reputable corporations.  We all know that Swiss Merchant Ships are armed and that any one of them might very well have carried out these raids in the Atlantic for extra profit.  We know that they are not above working with pirates what would prevent them from becoming pirates themselves?

Mario Alessio Decumius:   Chuckles softly; the Swiss corporations simply are not to be trusted where a notion of a profit or advantage are to garnered to themselves.   So No we simply cannot rule out that a few independently operating Swiss merchants did not take advantage of the war and the guns provided them by the Swiss government to make a little extra profit out of the situation.  If we find any that did so and did not treat the crews of the captured ships as prisoners of war well that is an act of piracy and murder.  Hiding the sale of stolen goods and disposing of a stolen ship are something for the Criminal Investigators to look into!

Liborio Valentinius:  So what should we do we cannot prove or disprove the information the Swiss have provided.   We know they have attacked us covertly in the past what should I tell Ambassador Steinberger in the morning?

Sextus Cotta:   That depends completely on what the Emperor wish's for the future.  Do we have any directions from Rome?

Mario Alessio Decumius:   The Emperors wishes in this are simple.  The threat of New Zion has been neutralized. The New Swiss have been pushed further away from our shores.   We will remain vigilant against any more attacks by the New Swiss however there is simply nothing to be gained by continued open hostilities.   Unless a coalition of nations in the Pacific could be found to provide basing and support for an Invasion of New Switzerland open war is simply not an option. 

Liborio Valentinius:  That still leaves me with nothing to tell the Swiss Ambassador?  Will we conclude a peace treaty, a permanent cease fire what?

Mario Alessio Decumius: We will have a cease fire we will extend it while we negotiate for peace.   If the New Swiss make any concessions then perhaps the negotiations may lead somewhere productive.  In the mean time there ships will stay away from out ships, our shores, and our waters.  They have acted like the Pirates they do business with so we will treat them as such!

Liborio Valentinius:   They will not enjoy the news I have to give them what if they wish to continue the war?

Sextus Cotta:  Then we remind them of our Allies, or the possibility of a coalition in the Pacific and we ask them does this really help the situation at all!  But what of the Future?

Mario Alessio Decumius: For the Future, we check the facts the Swiss have presented to the Empire.  We verify what we can and what we cannot.  We quietly check the financial records of Swiss owned ship registered under non Swiss flags for acts of Piracy?  And more importantly we answer the question the Swiss have handed to us.   


Sextus Cotta:What question is that?

Mario Alessio Decumius: It is really very simple.  If the New Swiss really are not responsible for the drift mines in the Mediterranean and the raider actions in the Atlantic then there is someone else loose in the world who has committed an act of war against the Republic of France, the United Norman Kingdom, the Confederated States of America, the Iberian Empire, the Hapsburg Empire and the Empire of Italia.   The possibility that an unknown nation might have undertaken such an action that concerns me more than the known threat of New Switzerland!

[ctwaterman]

Mid December 1919
Office of Lucius Cornelius Sula.

Lucius Sula:  Well the Emperor has ordered us to dispatch some sort of contingent to this review of naval ships in Durban!  I think the Senate wants the Marina to send a battle ship for prestige purposes as well?

Aide:   But Sir our newest battle ship just entered the Dry Dock in Taranto it is unlikely that the Imperator will finish repairs from her Torpedo Damage prior to the start of the Durban Naval Review!

Lucius Sula:  Quite correct, and even if she was available I wouldnt send her not with negotiations still ongoing with the Swiss.   We need to keep a strong Naval Presence in the Rift until we are sure the Swiss fleet has arrived back in New Switzerland.   Speaking of which do we have any reports on the arrivial of the Swiss Fleet in Phoenix?  They have not been positively identified since they were spotted off Ceylon over a month ago?

Aide:  Sorry sir, nothing from our attatche' or our agents in the Pacific.  And given the choke points they would have to pass through they should have been spotted by now.  Either they have gone south around Firanji to a port in Southern Australia and risked the Winter Storms of that region or they are still hidding at some port in the Indian Ocean.   Our best guess would be the same people who allowed them to refuel on their way here.   

Lucius Sula:   Yes, Bharat is going to be a long term problem.  They seem to be harboring Pirates as the Pirate captured in the Rift last year indicated and now covert dealings with the Swiss?  However, back to our original problem what do we ahve to send to Durban.

Aide:  Well with the need to keep all our capital ships close to home just in case that leaves us very little that is currently undamaged or not critically needed.   Perhaps one of Scout Cruisers and a few of the Modern Destroyers.   They are all fast enough to make the run from Durban back to our water relatively quickly!

Lucius Sula:  Plulling out a ships list!  Well let me see the Taranto was lost so we cant send the first of the Class but I see that  IMS Tripoli and 3 of our most modern Destroyers have been assigned to Nacala do you think that would meet the requirements.

Aide: Excellent choice the Tripoli is an excellent Scouting Platform practically brand new, and If we sent the Destroyer Leaders DDL-02, DDL-03, and DDL-04 that would make an excellent little task force?  They could compete in the Light Cruiser or Scout Cruiser Catagory and the Destroyer Catagory!  I would send some of the MAS Boats but they really lack the range to make the journey without stopping at multipule Orange Ports.

Lucius Sula: Well will we need a support ship possibly a Tender and or an Oiler to support the trip?  And more importantly will the Republic of Orange allow our shipping to attend?  I know the diplomats have been working on relations with Orange recently and they attended the Caldera Cup but the Imperial Edict on their shipping has not yet been recinded?

Aide:  I will forward a request through the Foreign Office to see how the Orange Republic will reply?  In the meantime should I cut orders for the deployment just in case they accept?

Lucius Sula:  I suppose so!  I guess if the Orange Republic replies favorably the Emperor will be taking steps to imporve relations with them as well!  Go ahead cut the orders along with some cautionary orders about proper protocol!