Time Slip Reiwa Japan

108 - Yugoslav Conflict - 5

In the face of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Yugoslavia, Italy hurriedly mobilized its troops and intensified its preparations for war. The reason for Italy's haste was that the situation was progressing much faster than initially anticipated. The nickname "powder keg of Europe" was not without merit. Moreover, it wasn't just a simple conflict between Germany and Yugoslavia; there were also incidents of bloodshed among the various ethnic groups in Yugoslavia.

Initially, the Serbs, who had been acting as agents of Germany, were targeted. Elderly people, women, and children were attacked, hanged, or left floating in rivers. In the lost Yugoslavia, it was impossible to determine who the perpetrators were. Therefore, the Serbian people opted for indiscriminate retaliation. Bloodshed and chaos spread rapidly. The moderate Serbs, who had the power to stop it, were annihilated by the Einsatzgruppen, further exacerbating the situation of a chain of violence.

Because of this situation, Mussolini, who considered himself the protector of Italians, had no choice but to protect the Italian residents in Yugoslavian territories like Fiume (unredeemed Italy), even understanding the risk of confrontation with Germany. The mobilization of two army corps, the 10th and 21st, consisting of ten divisions each, was ordered as the main force.

. . .

Germany

The Germans were not simply watching as the political instability in Yugoslavia escalated into a de facto state of conflict. Judging that further deployment of the Gestapo would be pointless, they decided to deploy large numbers of the Waffen-SS. Instead of sending regiment-sized units, which had previously served as auxiliary units of the secret police, they decided to dispatch divisions, a total of five. *1

While the German Mediterranean Squadron was dispatched to the Adriatic Sea to maintain public order and suppress the influx of weapons, only makeshift cruisers and destroyers managed to arrive. Due to passing through mostly anti-German territorial waters, even though they could exhibit high speed, it was impossible to navigate using small torpedo boats with poor endurance. As a result, it was difficult to conduct effective patrols to prevent arms smuggling. Although attempts were made to requisition local fishing boats for use as patrol boats to increase the number of patrols, they were ultimately just converted fishing vessels. Without radar and relying solely on human eyes for search, it was challenging to locate smugglers' ships, and even if suspected smugglers were spotted, their slow speed made pursuit impossible.

As a result, the only reliable assets were the seaplanes brought in on makeshift cruisers converted from merchant ships, but these were only capable of reconnaissance, and ultimately, there was a shortage of firepower. Furthermore, in the international waters of the Adriatic Sea, German naval forces faced repeated harassment by Italian Navy destroyers or torpedo boats.

Frustrated by the dismal situation tarnishing the reputation of the Kriegsmarine, the higher-ups decided to dispatch the Graf Zeppelin, an aircraft carrier that had just completed its familiarization training. *2 Additionally, they decided to prepare torpedo boats for patrol duties. However, they didn't intend to forcibly bring them along the coast from Germany, nor did they plan to transport them disassembled.

They were purchased from the ally, the Soviet Union. More than ten torpedo boats were bought and brought from the Black Sea. While the confrontation sparked by the Graf Zeppelin ended in a standoff, the clash between the high-speed smuggling ships brought in by Italy and the German torpedo boats was fierce.

During the day, the vigilance of the Graf Zeppelin's carrier-based aircraft made it difficult for the high-speed smuggling ships to take reckless actions, so the battles naturally shifted to night engagements. The high-speed smuggling ships and torpedo boats engaged in intense maneuver warfare, often interrupted by the intervention of Italian patrol vessels.