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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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An Empire Reborn Part 38
By Vincent Longobardi
April 23rd 1982 The Patras trials conclude with all defendants being found guilty by the Special Court. The sentences vary from death to internal exile to hard labor camps. April 25th 1982 British naval forces in the Mediterranean are placed on heightened alert for signs of Italian aggression. April 26th 1982 British SAS commandos in a daring raid manage to retake South Georgia island in the Falklands. The Argentine defenders resisted fiercely at first, but cut off from resupply soon surrendered against the superior British force present on the island. April 27th 1982 Most of the Italian navy departs from port in order to match what is seen as an unwarranted British aggression. April 28th 1982 The United States calls for cooler heads to prevail and requests that both Britain and the NRE stand down in the Mediterranean to prevent a wider war. May 1st 1982 The RAF begins conducting air raids against the Falklands in a bid to soften them up before the fleet arrives. May 3rd 1982 A British destroyer is sunk by Argentine air squadron. Italian advisors to the Argentine military advise them against future strikes against the fleet, instead telling them to keep their limited anti-shipping missiles in reserve until the British aircraft carriers present themselves as a target. May 10th 1982 The United Nations calls for mediation to begin between the UK and Argentina in an attempt to defuse the situation before more lives are lost. Both nations reject the UN’s request. On the same day, the Lira Block once again votes to renew their moral support to the Argentinean cause. Spain is the only nation to vote against the resolution. May 13th 1982 The Spanish Ambassador to the NRE informs Medici that Spain will take no part in any war against the UK should the Lira Block take up arms. May 14th 1982 The OVRA is asked to conduct a review of the political situation in Spain and to see if a regime change could be implemented with minimal disruption. Foreign Minister Freda is also instructed to send out feelers to the other members of the Lira Blocks on where they stand with intervention in the Falklands if push comes to shove. May 18th 1982 The British SAS attempt a raid against an air base in Argentina in an attempt to knock out Argentinean aircraft which could be used to mount an attack against the fleet. They are repelled and suffer heavy causalities May 21st 1982 The first British troops hit the beaches in the Falklands. Their opponents put up meager resistance before withdrawing inland letting the British establish a presence on the island. British planners believe that the Argentine resistance will collapse in a matter of days, not knowing that the withdrawal was a deliberate move to get the defenders into better positions. May 22nd 1982 The Argentine Air Force, which to now has been held in reserve, conducts a massive strike against the British fleet. In the span of three hours two frigates and a destroyer are lost. Worse still, two missiles slam into the flight deck of HMS Invincible rendering all air operations impossible. With no other choice the Captain of the ship gives the order to withdraw from the theater of war and to limp back towards England. With a final farewell they radio the only remaining carrier, Hermes, "Sorry, mate, we’re done for it. You’re on your own now. God speed." The Argentine Air Force didn’t come out of the battle unscathed though. The vast majority of their strike force was destroyed and they will be unable to serve as an organized deterrent against the British. Despite this, the Argentine high command views this as a striking success. May 23rd 1982 The British government is in chaos over the previous day’s events. With only one carrier still present the entire operation is in jeopardy. There are conflicting views amongst the government and the Admiralty. Most of the senior brass want the larger carriers that are currently guarding against the Italians to be rerouted to supporting operations in the Falklands and that as it stands they can barely keep guard of the Italian fleet to begin with. The majority of the politicians believe that the real concern is still the NRE and that pressure must be maintained to keep them from entering into the war. For now they are locked in a state of deadlock. May 24th 1982 5:31am Local Time A British submarine operating within the Exclusion Zone around the Falklands misidentifies an Italian freighter as an Argentinean ship. With standing orders to sink all Argentine ships within the zone the sub launches three torpedoes at the freighter, all connecting solidly. Rocked by the three successive blasts the freighter begins rapidly taking on water. The captain gives the order to abandon ship as a series of panicked radio transmissions are dispatched. 6:03am Local Time With half the crew dead, the Italian freighter sinks into the cold waters of the South Atlantic. 6:15am Local Time The Italian crew is rescued by the Royal Navy. An hour later... Just as most Italians are finishing their lunch the news comes over a radio. An Italian merchant vessel carrying civilian goods was sunk without warning or cause in the South Atlantic. The government insists that the vessel was well outside of the Exclusion Zone and should have been safe from British forces. Medici is expected to address the Empire later in the evening. Moments later the British government releases their own statement claiming that the vessel was operating within the Exclusion Zone and believed to be transporting weapons to the Falklands. The British government pledges to return the remaining Italian crew as soon as possible. Shortly after both announcements a crowd begins to form outside the British embassy in Rome. In an emergency meeting with the Grand Council and the Comando Supremo, Medici discusses their options. It is clear that some sort of show must be made against the British to counteract their aggression. Medici orders that the Carribean Squadron set sail and to station itself off the coast of British held territories in the region as a show of force. Additionally, attack submarines already operating in the Atlantic are ordered to move south towards the Falklands. That night Medici addresses the Empire. He states that he believes at this time the sinking was an accident and not a sanctioned act of aggression, but accidents still have consequences. He demands that the British immediately stop enforcing the Exclusion Zone and to immediately agree to structured talks in regards to the fate of the Falklands. He also advises Italians currently overseas in British held regions should return home. May 25th 1982 Prime Minister Thatcher refuses Medici’s demands stating that they will continue to operate the Exclusion Zone and that it is the firm belief of the British that the ship was transporting weapons. Thatcher is advised of the Italian movements in the Carribean and further advised that if an Italian fleet should break out of the Mediterranean the task force in the Falklands is doomed. The crowd outside the British embassy after swelling to several hundred people has begun to become violent and begins pushing against the increasingly beleaguered police. Gritti asks Medici if the police guarding the embassy should break ranks and allow the embassy to be stormed. Medici trying not to escalate the situation into a full blown war rejects the proposal. The British ambassador sensing a storming of the embassy decides to use what remaining good will still exists between the two governments and requests an escort of police so that they can evacuate the embassy. The request is quickly approved and underneath a barrage of rocks and garbage the embassy is evacuated by the end of the day. The United States and the UN both request that an investigation be conducted into the sinking of the freighter. The UK is receptive of this proposal but insist that they conduct the investigation as not to compromise their position in the region. May 26th 1982 The Lira Block votes to condemn the UK. All members vote in favor except for Spain which abstains. Privately, amongst those individual governments there is little desire for war and the motion is seen only as a mere formality. In an ambush 53 British soldiers are killed in the Falklands. The loss forces the British to concede ground, but London vows to continue the fight. The UK also protests the arrival of the Italian ships now patrolling the waters around their Carribean territories. They call it a blatant threat to those islands. May 27th 1982 The carrier Benito Mussolini which had previously been undergoing routine maintenance departs from port and prepares to link up with the rest of its fleet. With the British fleet in the Mediterranean already occupied with tracking the other Italian carriers it will virtually have a free hand in operations. In an attempt to prove their side of the story, the British release several statements from the captured Italian crew stating that they were indeed transporting weapons. Rome immediately declares that the statements are either false or given under duress. May 28th 1982 In a move that could only be described as idiotic and warmongering, France orders a mobilization of their fleet and pledges to stand with the UK against Italian aggression. This move can only be interpreted in one by the Italians. The only way the British could match the Imperial Navy currently is with the assistance of the French. The French and British mean to order a first strike against them and take out their fleet. Taking the advice of the Comando Supremo, Medici orders that the Mussolini and her fleet make a run for the Atlantic to force the British to split their fleet. Medici orders that the embassies both in the UK and France be evacuated immediately. May 29th 1982 British intelligence notices the Italian fleet and its race towards the Atlantic. It is clear that it only means one thing and that the Italians are preparing for war. The Admiralty orders the British fleet to intercept the Italians, but they are several days away shadowing other Italian ships. A general order is sent out not to allow the Italians to break into the Atlantic. Fighting continues in the Falklands as British forces push towards Stanley. May 30th 1982 The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force commanders at Gibraltar are informed by reconnaisance aircraft about the rapidly approaching Italian fleet. Both know their standing orders to prevent the Italian breakout, but they also know that their meager forces will not be able to hold back the Italians for long. Before committing to do battle they radio London for orders how to proceed. LONDON, THIS IS GIBRALTAR. ITALIAN FLEET APPROACHING THE STRAITS. PLEASE ADVISE. GIBRALTAR, LONDON HERE. HOLD FOR NOW. SEEKING CLARIFICATION FROM COMMAND. WE WILL ADVISE. Tense moments pass and still no orders from London... LONDON, GIBRALTAR. ITALIAN FLEET CONTINUES ON COURSE. PLEASE ADVISE. GIBRALTAR, LONDON. CONTINUE TO HOLD. YOUR REQUEST IS BEING SENT TO THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY. WE WILL ADVISE. Time continued to pass and still no word from the Admiralty. If they didn’t act soon they wouldn’t have time to scramble their forces. LONDON, GIBRALTAR. THEY’RE ALMOST TO US. WE NEED INSTRUCTIONS TO PROCEED. GIBRALTAR, LONDON. ROGER THAT. ORDERS JUST RECEIVED FROM PM’S OFFICE. YOU ARE TO PROCEED AS FOLLOWS... End of Part 38. 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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