WWII military commentator? Even a dog could be one.

82. Did we shoot down our own Air Force Marshal's plane?

The Italian Alpine Division broke through the defenses of the Greek Army Group Center (TSDM) in a single day and approached Maizeon, a sight many could hardly believe.

Because of the battle with France, most of Italy's troops were in a state of assembly and had already prepared supplies, so Greece was caught off guard by the surprise attack.

Given its close relationship with Germany, Giannis never expected that Italy would turn against him from within.

Italy's strong start has surprised Americans.

"Is Sean finally going to fail?"

"No, only the Italians can break Sean's myth."

"Hahaha!" Laughter filled the streets.

Sean sat at home, holding a strange rifle in his hand—a German STG44. "How many were delivered?"

Hanni bowed slightly. "Fifty tubes have been delivered."

"Have them equip their rifles with scopes from Liu De'er's company and train them in close-quarters tactical shooting with assault rifles!"

"yes!"

dong dong dong.

Is Mr. Sean home?

Sean handed the rifle to Hanni, walked to the door, and opened it.

"Hello Mr. Sean, I'm Cook, a reporter from The Washington Post. I'd like to conduct an interview with you today. I apologize for disturbing you."

"It's alright, please come in." Sean led the reporter to sit down on the sofa. "Are you war correspondent Cook?"

"Yes, I am Cook. I now work for The Washington Post. During my time in Italy, I gained a deep understanding of the chaos and complexity of the Italian command system."

"Yes, their command chain is not decentralized enough. It should be a network structure, not a vertical, central, high-level structure. They even need to pass information layer by layer, which would make coordination untimely."

Sean poured tea for the other person.

"Thank you, sir. What are your thoughts on Italy?"

Cook seemed to be in a hurry and got straight to the point from the start.

"Italy? I'm interested in two people: Mexicans and Air Marshal Italo Balbo."

Haha, the reporter asked about Italy, wanting to know Sean's analysis of the Italian battle situation, but unexpectedly the answer was about people.

This is the first time that the legendary commentator Sean Wayne has made an evaluation of figures from various countries.

The reporter excitedly picked up his notebook and began taking notes.

Old Mexican is a familiar name to people of later generations. As for Balbo, unfortunately, Sean only knows him because he built Italy's powerful air force. Why is he so memorable? Because he died under the anti-aircraft guns of the Italian Navy.

This was the highest-ranking officer to die at the hands of his own people during World War II—an Air Force Marshal, without exception.

It's hard not to remember.

"Old Mexico is rather stubborn, and his tactical command ability is average. He has no experience in commanding large-scale battles. In my opinion, Italy's tactical mistakes stem from the errors of this amateur commander, Old Mexico."

The reporter kept nodding; their mobilization skills were very poor.

"Balbo, the Air Marshal, is responsible for building almost the entire Italian Air Force. He has emphasized the attack effectiveness of bombers on the battlefield, and Italy ranks among the top three air forces in Europe."

Marshal Balbo deserves much credit.

Italy actually needs a decisive commander to leverage the air force's complementary strengths.

Integrated air-ground operations rely on effective coordination among the various branches of the armed forces.

After Sean finished speaking, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, wondering what would become of the air marshal after his intervention.

Cook excitedly chatted with Sean about these two most crucial figures in Italy.

The news quickly reached Washington.

Newspaper boys' cries echoed through the streets and alleys once again.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Sean talks about the soul of the Italian army."

Rome, Italy.

The Mexican man felt uneasy looking at the American telegram.

Sean Wayne was full of praise for Balbo, even saying that he was an amateur giving orders.

angry.

Old Mo's expression turned grim, but as the leader of a nation, he wasn't stupid.

At least Sean's ability to assess the battlefield is not weak.

Command and control, and integrated air and ground operations, were Germany's winning formula.

Now at a crucial moment for him, Lao Mo resolutely decided to recall his capable lieutenant.

It's worth noting that Balbo never knew how to fly a plane before, but after taking over as Minister of Aviation, he learned to fly and even crossed the Atlantic to Chicago to complete his personal transoceanic flight. This also led to the Italian Air Force having more aircraft than Britain and France at one point, demonstrating his true talent and ability.

Now is the time to put our best resources to good use.

"Recall Air Marshal Balbo and send him directly from the east to Greece to take command."

"yes!"

Upon receiving the order, 44-year-old Air Force Marshal Balbo did not hesitate and immediately boarded an Italian SM transport plane.

Sitting in the cabin, Balbo still supported the Mexican's actions.

"It was the right thing to attack Greece alone instead of in alliance with Germany; it would have been even better if we could have remained neutral."

This Italian air force commander actually had a more strategic vision. He believed that Italy should pursue neutrality, just like in World War I, in order to gain more benefits.

As the plane approached the outer perimeter of the Italian and Greek waters.

Italian sailors heard the roar of airplanes in the sky.

Coupled with harassment and reconnaissance by the Royal Air Force, the Italian sailors cursed and shouted.

"Those damned Englishmen are spying again."

"If we take it, we'll be at war with Britain and France, and they might be helping Greece."

Upon receiving the order from their superiors, the gunners prepared themselves, and the fleet's anti-aircraft guns were aimed at the sky.

Bang bang bang bang!

A large number of spent cartridge cases fell to the ground.

Clusters of air currents appeared in the sky.

"Marshal, we've been hit."

The pilot's shouts could be heard from the cockpit.

"How could that be? This is our territory."

"It was our fleet that fired at us."

"Are you kidding me?" Balbo nearly coughed up blood. He looked utterly incredulous. Was Old Mo afraid he would replace him? Was he planning to kill him to silence him? Had he become too powerful and threatened Old Mo's position?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when, bang! The plane caught fire and exploded, plummeting into the sea amidst thick smoke.

Rome, Italy.

Old Mo sat in his office, patting the armrest of the sofa with his small hand, waiting for good news. This time, he wanted to prove himself, for himself, for Italy, and for his imperial dream.

"Report: Air Marshal Balbo's plane has been shot down."

A bolt from the blue.

Old Mo's eyes widened in shock. He had just sent out his general, only to have him shot down. "Who? Who did it? The British or the Greeks? We must take revenge!" Old Mo angrily stood up from the sofa. That was his right-hand man, the leader of the Four Great Generals.

"It was shot down by our navy."

Old Mo didn't react immediately, "Who are you talking about?"

"Our navy did it."

"You misread the telegram, didn't you? You must have misread it." How could it be us?

Looking at World War I and the preceding Franco-Prussian War, etc.

How many high-ranking generals were killed? Very few. Those who died were mostly cannon fodder. They weren't easily killed; at most, they were captured.

Fewer were killed by their own people.

You won't find any other examples of marshals; that's the head of an army.

"It really was shot down by our navy."

The Mexican man grabbed the other man's collar. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's true."

Old Mo's hands were trembling. Sean was right. The Italian command was in complete chaos. Did the air force and navy not communicate at all? Many people would scoff, saying that in modern times it would be a joke.

But history has shown us this way, and now it's happening again.

Frost fell in June.

This was Balbo's fate.

"Not us, it's Britain, it has to be Britain!" the Mexican roared.

If the whole world knew that we shot down our own Air Force Marshal, I can't even imagine how much criticism he would receive.

"Yes, it's Britain."

December 1940, 6.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Air Marshal's plane has been shot down, Italy has lost a great talent."

Reports indicate that the British fleet shot down Marshal Balbo's plane.

The news, reported by the Italian newspaper El País, sparked outrage across the country.

"Damn Englishmen, avenge Balbo!"

London, England.

Churchill stared at the news, unable to calm down for a long time. "Was it really done by our people?"

"No, our fleet is not in that area, and we have not received any information from the air force that they have detected the other side."

"Italy is actually framing us and waging a shameless propaganda war. How despicable!"

"Send a message, send a message, this wasn't done by us!"