My Italy

The British's secret plans were unknown to the Italians, who were eyeing Malta. Of course, as time went by, it soon came time to launch the campaign.

Palermo is the largest city in Sicily and the island's largest port city. Relying on the convenience of its port, Palermo also became the logistics center of the Malta Campaign. A large number of transport ships gathered here, and marines preparing for landing operations also gathered here. This has also resulted in its port warehouses being filled with various combat supplies, and some that cannot be piled are simply covered with tarpaulins at the dock.

At this time, a large number of soldiers gathered at the pier, and they were queuing up to board the transport ship. On the other side of the pier, a large number of weapons and equipment were also placed on ships with loading and unloading capabilities with the help of cranes.

In addition, warships outside the port have also been activated at this time. This is the reserve fleet led by Lieutenant General Negovan. They will provide escort for the transport formation and fire support at sea.

In addition to preparations at sea and on the ground, Malta's preparations for combat also extended to the sky.

The airships that shined in the border battle also appeared in Palermo.

On the outskirts of Palermo, a large open space has long been cleared, and this is where the Second Italian Airship Wing is parked.

What is the Second Airship Wing?

This is a long story. In the border battle with France, although the airships used by Italy brought great convenience to the battlefield. But the management of the airship is very poor. Although in peacetime, the Italian military already has a squadron of airships (3-6 ships), this formation can still be used to manage airships with fewer navy and army, but it is not suitable at all after recruiting civilian airships. .

You must know that before the war, there were a lot of private airships in Italy, among which Alitalia had nearly 300 airships of various types for air transportation. After the war broke out, most of these airships were recruited by the military.

One more thing needs to be said here. After the war broke out, there were 21 Italian civilian ships abroad at that time, including 7 ships in Britain, France, Russia and their overseas territories. Four airships reacted quickly and took off away from the hostile forces, while three were unable to dodge and were controlled by them.

Among these airships, the Swan, which flew across the Atlantic Ocean, was the most thrilling. It was performing an air route from South America to Europe and was passing over the British and French colonies in Africa.

As soon as he received the news of the outbreak of war, the captain immediately ordered the airship not to dock at N'Djamena (now a city in the Republic of Chad), which was originally used as a supply station, and to fly directly across the Sahara Desert.

Thanks to Swan's many years of experience flying South American routes, coupled with the superb skills of Swan's staff.

The Swan crossed the Sahara without any danger, and finally resupplied in Sabha, and then rushed all the way back to Rome.

In fact, the British in N'Djamena were already prepared that as long as the Swan landed, it would be confiscated on the grounds of enemy supplies.

The British are still very interested in this giant airship.

Speaking of which, before the war began, only Germany and Italy were able to build giant airships in the world. It is not easy to manufacture such an airship with a length of more than 200 meters, because making a larger airship does not require direct enlargement. It requires redesigning the structural support frame and considering various aspects such as maneuverability.

Of course, this kind of giant airship is also more popular with airlines. After all, it can carry more cargo or people without increasing consumption much, which allows airlines to make more money.

However, most of the world’s giant airships are owned by Alitalia. The world's largest airline has a monopoly on most giant airships thanks to its special status with the Zeppelin Company and the Italian Airship Company. Only German Airlines can use its home field advantage to seize food from Alitalia, while other airlines can only watch it swallow the huge profits of intercontinental flights.

It is precisely this that allowed the Italian military to recruit a large number of airships after the war broke out. These airships have given the Italian military great convenience in air transportation, ground attack, airborne and other aspects.

Italy was able to recapture the Savoy region, and the airship definitely took the first place.

In mountainous areas where there are more restrictions on use, airships have lived up to expectations, so in seas where there are fewer restrictions, the role of airships will definitely be greater.

This is indeed the case. In terms of reconnaissance alone, the Navy is extremely satisfied with airships.

In fact, airships carry radios and conduct surveillance in the sky at speeds of hundreds of kilometers, which is more convenient than naval warships.

Of course, this excludes extreme weather, but then again, the Mediterranean is not the North Sea, so how can there be so much extreme weather.

Therefore, in order for the airship to play a greater role in the Battle of Malta, it is imperative to use a larger organization, and this is how the second airship wing came to be.

The airship wing has 5 brigades with a total of 139 airships. Among them, the First Brigade is mainly composed of small airships, which are mainly responsible for reconnaissance missions and occasionally perform aerial fire support work.

The second and third brigades are mainly composed of medium-sized airships, and they are also the airships with the largest number of wings. These airships are mainly the main force in air attacks, but also perform reconnaissance, high-risk transportation, air landing, parachute and other tasks.

As for the fourth brigade, it is dominated by large airships, which are mainly responsible for transportation, airborne and other tasks.

As for the fifth brigade, it is also the brigade with the smallest number of airships. It is composed of giant airships. These airships are also responsible for transport aircraft and other tasks.

However, unlike other airships, the giant airship's relatively large load capacity allows the military to modify and reinforce it. It can be loaded with heavy weapons such as artillery, so that troops in urgent need of heavy firepower can quickly receive firepower support.

This can provide more fire support to troops with limited conditions such as paratroopers and mountain infantry.

Of course, given the high cost of these giant airships, missions such as bombing and parachuting behind enemy lines are generally not allowed. Because each of these airships can hold up to a destroyer, coupled with their vulnerability, the loss of one can make the military feel distressed.

Now, these large and small airships are taking off from the field outside Palermo. They will serve as the first wave of firepower in the Battle of Malta, unleashing it on the heads of the defenders. Clear the obstacles encountered by the landing Marines.

Of course, not all airships were preparing to take off. The intimidating big guys on one side of the field did not move.

But anyway, Italy's attack on the island of Malta has begun.

Next, it will be a matter of wits and courage between the two sides, who can have the last laugh.