Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 142

According to Prince Valerio Borghese's vision, kangaroos will release pocket submarines underwater in New York Bay.

Afterwards, CA2 will sneak into the Hudson River alone at night and travel all the way up to the port. Two of the three crew members will wear frogman equipment and leave the submarine to install timed explosive devices.

CA2上共携带了8枚220磅炸药和20枚4.4磅磁性帽贝水雷，这些爆炸物将被安装在船底和重要的码头设施上。

CA2 will then go back down the river to meet the kangaroos and return home.

虽然试验取得了成功，但意大利人却希望能用新造的CA3和CA4替代老旧的CA2来执行任务，于是将出击时间定在1943年12月。

During this waiting period, the Leonardo da Vinci went back to regular operations. Unfortunately, in May 43, it was sunk by the British Navy near the Azores Islands.

This blow could be described as a blow to the bottom, because the Italian Navy did not have spare submarines to replace her, so the plan was actually shelved.

But the old Nazi Borghese still claimed after the war that if Italy had not surrendered and split in September 43, nothing could have prevented the implementation of this plan - maybe he did have channels to get another ship from somewhere.

It's probably a good thing that this plan didn't end up being implemented, because the foundation of the entire plan was really based on wishful thinking.

Borghese believed that the country was far away from war, so the coast defense would not be very strict, and he did not expect to encounter such a surprise attack.

But in fact, in 1942, the German Navy's ocean-going submarine group had already made waves on the east coast of the United States. Since then, anti-submarine patrols have been greatly strengthened.

The kangaroo may surface multiple times during the release and recovery process, and the mini-submarine is estimated to need to operate alone in the Hudson River for two days, and her pitiful 129-kilometer theoretical range and self-sustainability will undergo severe tests. The chances of survival are slim.

Three of the four CA boats were scuttled in the chaos of September 1943. CA9 survived slightly longer, scuttling in 2.

As mentioned earlier, the performance of the CA class during sea testing was not satisfactory to the Italian Navy, but the idea of ​​​​offshore operations has not been abandoned.

In 1941, Caproni built six more improved CB-class pocket submarines.

The surface displacement of the CB class is increased to 35.4 tons, the length is increased to 15 meters, the crew is 4 people, the surface speed is increased to 7.5 knots, the underwater speed is increased to 7 knots, and the actual combat capability is greatly improved.

Its weapons are two 450mm torpedoes in the side launch tubes, but they are arranged above the waterline for easy loading (the CA type needs to be lifted out of the water to reinstall the torpedoes), and can also be replaced with mines or destructive explosives.

After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, at the request of the German Navy, six CB boats were transported by rail to the Port of Constanta in Romania in May 1942 to join the battle with the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

其中CB5在42年6月即被苏联飞机或鱼雷艇在雅尔塔附近击沉，但其他几艘艇却在黑海如鱼得水，击沉了苏联SHCH-203、207、208号潜艇。

After Italy surrendered in September 43, the five CB boats were controlled by the Germans and handed over to the puppet regime of the Italian Social Republic in January of the following year.

During the Romanian coup in August 44, all five boats were scuttled.

苏军将CB1—4捞起，命名为TM4—7，但均于1945年2月16日受损后废弃。

After the first six CB boats were sent to the Black Sea, Italy built a new CB boat squadron in 6, including CB1942-7.

When Italy surrendered, except for CB7 which was unable to make the trip due to damage, the other ships defected to the Allies.

The CB7 was later stripped for parts by the Germans to complete the CB13.

CB13-16 were captured by the Germans, but except for CB16, the first three ships were destroyed by air strikes.

CB16 was handed over to the puppet regime of the Italian Social Republic, and joined several other follow-up boats in the 10th Speedboat Detachment, but its crew sailed the ship to the British Army.

Of the remaining ships, CB17 was sunk in an air raid, CB18 was scuttled by the crew, CB19 was handed over to the Allies after the war, CB20 was captured by Yugoslav partisans, CB21 was accidentally hit and sunk by a German landing craft, CB22 was sunk in an air raid or was destroyed by The crew scuttled.

As mentioned before, during the second station, Italy still had a powerful navy, allowing it to effectively rule the Mediterranean in the early days of World War II.

Later, lack of fuel and completely wrong combat command led to the failure. Of course, its opponent was too powerful as the main reason.

When mentioning the Italian Navy, the first thing that may come to mind is its "clumsy" fight for the island of Malta with the UK's smaller naval and air forces. Later, when Uncle Xi saw that his teammate was really unable to help him, he sent his own troops to help.

The Royal Italian Navy in the second station is the fifth largest navy in the world, second only to Britain, the United States, Japan, and France. It is a formidable maritime combat force. Its purpose of existence is to launch aggression and attack.

The Italian navy's defense of the territory was also very important and could pose a serious threat to the Allies if they attempted an amphibious landing. Mainland Italy and the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia would be protected by the navy.

In addition, Italian territories in North Africa would also be looked after. However, it was destined to suffer defeat at the hands of the Allies for several reasons.

Uncle Mo intended to use it to achieve his goals, but several factors combined to prevent the Italian Royal Navy from achieving victory for him in the Mediterranean.

In general, Italian warships are more advanced and faster than contemporaneous foreign navies, but in order to comply with the Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Arms, some other aspects must be sacrificed to improve weapons and speed.

Cruisers, in particular, have very thin armor and very short range.

Uncle Mo believed that since Italian ships would operate in the relatively calm waters of the Mediterranean, firepower and speed would be the qualities sought after.

These characteristics make these warships ideal for hit-and-run attacks, but also make them vulnerable to concentrated targeting and prolonged surface strikes.

Uncle Mo and his naval staff built many different types of warships and put them into service.

The most powerful warships of the Italian Navy were battleships.

Before the war began, four old World War I-era battleships were seized, fully restored to power and rebuilt.

They are: Cavor Conde, Cesar, Doria and Durio. They were equipped with new cannons, new engines, new superstructures, new damage control and fire control systems, and the ability to launch reconnaissance aircraft with catapults.

When completed, they were superior to several French battleships in service at the time, but their gun performance still lagged behind the larger British battleships.

When Italy entered the war, two new 3.5-ton battleships, the Littorio class and Vittorio Veneto, had just been completed. The third Roma battleship was completed in 1943, and the Littorio class was highly praised. An excellent design, they were among the most powerful battleships ever designed and built in Italy.

Before the second station, Italy had built a total of seven heavy cruisers, and their main weapons were eight 8-inch cannons.

However, these heavy cruisers were brutally attacked during the naval battle and suffered heavy losses. Five of them were sunk or destroyed.

The other two, Gorizia and Bolzano, which had been severely damaged by the time of Italy's surrender in September 1943 and were being repaired, were captured by German forces and later destroyed.

King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, the diminutive king was the titular commander-in-chief of the Italian army.

However, since allowing Mussolini to establish a dictatorship in the early 20s, Vittorio Emanuele III has been little more than an incompetent figurehead in his own kingdom.

The king had only nominal power and little control over military affairs.

Military affairs were entirely in the hands of Lord Mo, who was allowed by the king to establish a dictatorship in Italy, a position which enabled him to exercise decisive power in all military matters.

Uncle Mo had planned to use his navy to attack the British and French navies.

Less than a month after Italy entered the war in June 1940, the collapse of France eliminated all threats from the French navy, leaving only one enemy left, the Royal Navy.

The British Empire at that time, including the Mediterranean theater, was protected only by scattered British naval power.

But despite this, the Italian navy was never able to effectively threaten and challenge the British army.

On July 1940, 07, a naval battle broke out at Cape Stillo between the British and Italian navies. In 09, the British army on the island of Malta was very small, with almost no air force, the navy was also weak, and the island lacked anti-aircraft guns. Prevention and control equipment.

The Italian navy and air force attacked a transport convoy escorted by a weak British fleet transferred by the British forces on the Island of Malta. As a result, the British ships were unscathed, but one battleship and two cruisers of the Italian navy were hit.

1940年11月11日，英国海军出动以“光辉”号航母为主的编队袭击了意大利驻塔兰托的意大利海军，造成 1艘战列舰被击沉， 3艘战列舰和1艘巡洋舰、1艘驱逐舰被重创。

In this surprise attack, almost half of the Italian Navy's main ships were lost, which can be said to be a serious loss of vitality.

This naval battle fully demonstrated the threat to the island of Malta.

However, Uncle Mo has not yet realized the necessity of seizing the island of Malta. Of course, this is even more disastrous for the German troops fighting in North Africa.

After more than a year of fighting, the British navy effectively faced off against the Italian and German armies.

However, the British army's victory was achieved by some weapons and equipment that Italy did not have, such as radar and naval air power on aircraft carriers. These equipment were of greatest value to the British army, but the Italian army turned a blind eye.

After several naval battles, Italy found they could not deal with the British navy.

Eventually, the Italian naval presence was converted into a diversion of much needed British naval forces elsewhere in the Allies.

Although this was not the goal of the Italian Navy in Mo's plan, the reality that the naval fleet still existed served its new purpose.

The British had to maintain sufficient maritime power in the area at all times to prevent the Italians from launching a surprise attack with their navy at any time.

Italy did not have an aircraft carrier in service from the beginning to the end of the second stop. For World War II, where sea and air control was more important, this was fatal. When the construction of the only aircraft carrier Aquila was nearing completion, Italy surrendered.

In any case, from June 1940 to September 6, the Royal Italian Navy at least performed bravely in every battle.

They suffered heavy losses, but also caused considerable losses to the British navy.

When Italy announced its surrender to the Allies, the naval fleet was ordered to attack the British island of Malta.

The Italians tried to convince their German allies that the fleet was attacking Allied landing forces.

However, the Germans suspected fraud and organized an air raid on the Italian air force squadron. After a large number of Italian fleets set off from La Spezia, they were attacked by the Luftwaffe.

Admiral Bergamini's flagship Roma was hit by a radio-controlled glider bomb, blown in half, and subsequently sank, causing heavy casualties.

The battleship Italia was also hit, but the damage was not serious and she continued on, leaving the Vittorio Veneto intact.

The second Italian fleet, including the battleships Andrea Doria and Caio Durio, departed from the large naval base of Taranto in southern Italy.

The fleet reached Malta without incident.

The battleship Giulio Cesar and a guard crew were anchored in Poland, left after encountering some difficulties, and also arrived safely in Malta.

The last battleship, the Cavalconti, was still under repair and could not move or escape, and was eventually captured by the German army.

For the Royal Italian Navy, the war was essentially over by this time, and Italy eventually rejoined the war as an Allied power.

As for the aircraft carrier, this is interesting.

In the last decades of the 19th century, the Italian Navy began to try to add aircraft to the fleet, and like the navies of other major countries, it experimented with observation balloons.

However, it was not until October 1907, after many years of naval kite tethering and flying experiments, that the Italian Navy successfully modified a 10-ton protected cruiser Elba to carry a spherical balloon connected by a telephone line. Used to detect mines.

Although the experiment was successful, it only lasted a short period of time.

Because in 1908, Germany invented the Kite balloon, which was more stable than the spherical balloon, and installed it on the Elba's sister ship Liguria.

The first step taken by the Italian Navy in naval aviation was the multi-purpose airship Italia, developed in June 1905 by aviation pioneers in the army.

This achievement prompted the Italian Army to place an order for airships, and the Italian Navy agreed to pay half of the financing for this new venture, providing the commander and most of the personnel needed, since only the Navy had people who knew celestial navigation and maintained gasoline engines.

In September 1908, Italy's first military airship, N.9, was successfully developed and received a congratulatory message from the young King Vittorio Emanuele III.

That same year, he became the first head of state to fly into the sky.

This inter-service relationship remained intact over the next decade, largely because Army and Navy airship crews enjoyed the reputation of enterprising, pioneering and innovative elements within their respective branches of the military. reputation!

At the same time, the invention of the "airplane" in the United States had a huge impact, so in March 1909, the military invited Wilbur Wright, one of the inventors of the aircraft, to teach flying lessons in Italy.

During the Italian-Turkish War that broke out in 1911-1912, Italy became the first country to put this new type of aircraft into actual combat.

Italian Army pilots flew their aircraft on reconnaissance and bombing missions, while the Navy used airships for the same missions. The Navy also demonstrated the potential of carrier-based aviation in 1911, dismantling the mast of the brigantine Cavalmarino and carrying a Kite on it.

Afterwards, towed by the tugboat Hercules, the "Cavalmarino" went to Tripoli to provide observation support for the battleships and cruisers carrying out shelling on the shore.

However, after more than a month of work, a storm blew away the balloon. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Until the end of the war, the Cavalmarino did not carry any new balloons.

After the first "aircraft carrier" test, the Italian Naval Staff saw France taking the lead in using seaplanes and decided to purchase some "heavier than air" aircraft for the navy.

In early 1912, Captain Alessandro Guidoni proposed converting the protected cruiser Piedmont into an aircraft carrier that could carry not only seaplanes but also land-based aircraft.

The idea was feasible, as evidenced by American pilot Eugene Ely's historic flight aboard the cruiser Birmingham on 1910 November 11, but the Naval Staff preferred to leave wheeled aircraft to the Army.

In fact, Guidoni's vision was not only reflected in carrier-based wheeled aircraft, but he was also a pioneer in torpedo bombers.

He designed and built a prototype twin-engine torpedo bomber in 1913 and flew it in 1914.

Unfortunately, this aircraft became a disaster (like most Italian aircraft of the same period) and was not further developed.

On July 1913, 7, the Italian Navy created the Naval Air Corps (commanded by Captain Giulio Valle, a cadet officer and the first Italian sailor to fly in a balloon) and equipped it with Ugoco Seaplanes produced by the Tees Company and the French company Breguet. Between May 20 and the summer of 1913, Curtiss seaplanes were deployed aboard the dreadnought Dante, the pre-dreadnoughts Vittorio Emanuele and Roma, and the armored cruiser Santo Aboard the George and San Marco.

The new branch then brought these aircraft ashore and gave them a more flexible replacement: the protected cruiser Elba was converted into a seaplane carrier.

At the same time, the different needs of land and sea warfare have gradually divided the aviation forces of the army and navy into two different organizations.

Captain Alessandro Guidoni proposed a modification plan for the protected cruiser Piedmont in 1912, which could carry seaplanes and wheeled aircraft.

A floating torpedo bomber designed and flown by Captain Alessandro Guidoni of the Naval Engineering Directorate.

On July 1914, 7, Vienna declared war on Serbia. At this time, the Italian Navy had been cooperating closely with the German Navy for five years, and in collaboration with the German Mediterranean Cruiser Squadron (established in 28) and the Austro-Hungarian Navy, signed in 1912 The Triple Alliance formed by the treaty has reached a very good level.

Although the contradiction between Savoy and Habsburg has not been eliminated, because Britain and France showed open hostility during the Italo-Turkish War, Italy could only regard friendship with the Central European empires as the best way to deal with Western threats. Best way.

Within the framework of this strategic plan, an ambitious shipbuilding plan proposed by Admiral Paolo Taone di Leifer, who became Chief of Naval Staff in 1913, was fully approved (this was almost the only time in the history of the Italian Navy that ):

4 Caracciolo-class super-dreadnoughts, 3 high-speed unprotected cruisers equipped with 6-inch guns, and 3 Poerio-class destroyer leaders.

These warships could, at Germany's request, operate alongside German battlecruiser detachments outside the range of the typical Italian short-legged destroyers in the Western Mediterranean;

and a sufficient number of destroyers and submarines, in addition to not forgetting research on new submarines.

The newly appointed chief of staff is also a reformist.

His ideas (which included the ordering of MAS motor torpedo boats and the deployment of armored trains for coastal defense along the Ligurian Sea) brought light to the naval aviation and submarine forces, and young officers were receptive to these new ideas, united in a "three-dimensional "Under the war zone.

On July 1914, 7, although Italy continued to adopt naval plans and strategies against Britain and France, King Vittorio Emanuele III defied the advice of the government and military staff and decided not to allow Italy to join the war with Germany and Austria. The Hungarian Empire fought against the camp of Mao Xiong and France (who believed that Britain was unlikely to intervene at the time).

This decision completely changed Italy's naval strategy overnight, forcing her to choose a confrontation with Austria-Hungary in the Adriatic Sea.

Fortunately, this is also an option that has long been studied by the Italian Navy, which since 1861 has advocated gaining control of the Albanian and Greek coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

At the same time, the tense relationship between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the Italian-Turkish War between 1905 and the Austro-Hungarian Empire aimed to develop a blue-water navy and break out of the Adriatic Sea.

This strategy aimed directly at the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, directly conflicting with Roman ambitions in Albania.

As the clouds of war darkened in late 1914, the Elba, a converted freighter Quarto, took over.

This echoed the early British and French development of seaplane "aircraft carriers" Ark Royal and Lightning.

Although the Italian Navy decommissioned Elba in 1916 (Elba proved to be too old and too small for the tasks she was to perform), Europa continued to serve as a static station in Varona For base operations, her two hangars can accommodate 8 seaplanes.

Due to the narrow waters of the Adriatic and the primary form of hit-and-run combat at night, neither Italy and its allies nor Austria-Hungary needed any additional seaplane carriers, thus limiting the Italian "carrier" force development until 1918.

但是，意大利海军航空兵却在战火中愈加发展壮大，规模呈指数级曾长，从1915年5月的15架水上飞机、2艘飞艇发展到了1918年11月的638架飞机（轮式及水上飞机，包括战斗机和轰炸机）、26艘硬式飞艇和13艘软式飞艇。

By the end of the war, the Italian naval aviation had developed into a powerful and mature air force with excellent equipment - and it was natural that it would continue to develop forward.

The British had demonstrated the next step in the development of naval aviation: the construction of a real aircraft carrier capable of taking off and landing wheeled land-based aircraft and, in particular, the construction of torpedo bombers.

The Italian Naval Aviation made its first attempt to develop a torpedo bomber in 1917. The first three-engine Caproni Ca.5 was used, followed by the smaller and less vulnerable single-engine biplane bomber BR.I.

The Italian Navy hopes to progress from the Ark Royal-style seaplane carrier in 1914 to the Centauri-style aircraft carrier (capable of taking off and landing wheeled aircraft) as quickly as possible, just like the British Navy.

However, this process was unexpectedly long and difficult.

The Italian Navy studied the first aircraft carrier plan in 1919.

The basic concept of this design was completed by the Genoese shipbuilding giant Ansaldo Company - a flat-deck aircraft carrier inspired by the British Centaur, modified from the unfinished super-dreadnought Caracciolo, which was suspended in 1916 The construction of this ship.

Ansaldo dismantled the three sister ships that were not fully finished on the slipway and planned to find a use for the Caracciolo's hull.

Although the Italian Naval Staff was interested in converting it into an aircraft carrier, the Italian Navy encountered a serious financial crisis from 1919 to 1922, with a budget reduced by 1913% compared to 20.

This plan was destined to fail - even if Ansaldo came up with a more cost-effective alternative, converting her into a high-speed seaplane carrier.

Ansaldo finally launched Caracciolo's hull on May 1920, 5, with the intention (later canceled) of converting her into a supercargo ship.

In March 1920, the Admiralty, under the leadership of Giovanni Sage, concluded that, given budget constraints, the best option was to develop torpedo bombers to strengthen the Italian Navy's land-based aviation force, while ordering aircraft capable of accompanying the combat fleet. Action high-speed seaplane carrier.

While the latter option was less attractive than a true aircraft carrier, the Admiralty considered it a first step in making the Italian Navy a naval force similar to the British Mediterranean Fleet, at least in terms of composition.

From 1919 to 1924, the British Mediterranean Fleet had two seaplane carriers to support the core force of battleships.

Based on research from 1919 to 1921, Sage's next plan may have been to convert the battleship Leonardo da Vinci, which was attacked by the Austro-Hungarians at Taranto on August 1916, 8, into an aircraft carrier. It was sunk due to sabotage by Imperial spies and was being salvaged using innovative underwater salvage methods.

The Italian Navy ordered a 1921-ton high-speed seaplane carrier in the 1922-7000 program, but this ship, like two 5000-ton unprotected high-speed cruisers in the same program, became a victim of subsequent budget cuts.

That same year, the Italian Navy abandoned research on converting the Leonardo da Vinci into an aircraft carrier in 1921, mainly because the ship was too slow, in favor of rebuilding it without the original central turret and armed with only 10 12-inch guns Main gun battleship (later canceled).

That same year, the Italian Navy seized an unexpected opportunity to acquire the seaplane carrier it needed.

The Italian state railway company also felt budget constraints and abandoned four train ferries it had ordered in 1920.

An "economical" alternative proposed by the Ansaldo Company in 1920 was to convert the Caracciolo into a high-speed seaplane carrier.

This seaplane carrier with a displacement of 5400 tons and a speed of 21 knots can keep up with the five Italian dreadnoughts (Dante, Count of Cavour, Giulio Caesar, Andrea Doria , Cayo Duilio).

Her carrier-based aircraft is composed of a mixture of sea fighters (Kanter 25 AR) and reconnaissance aircraft (Maiki M 10 AR). A total of 11 aircraft can be carried before taking off on one of the two powder catapults sent to the ship. aircraft and 6 aircraft requiring wing assembly.

米拉利亚号于1923年12月20日下水，但在1925年12月快要完工的时候，不幸在风暴中倾覆。

The ingenious salvage operation of Major Pugliese of the Naval Engineering Bureau saved Miralia. He later presided over the design of the 35000-ton Littorio-class battleship and participated in the design of many other projects until 1960. Era.

From her final commissioning on November 1927, 11 until 1, Miralia played an important role in the battle fleet.

After two major modifications, her stability problems were finally solved.

But this made her speed too slow to keep up with the Italian Navy's new fast battleships.

Although Hein-type landing pads were introduced later, Miralia spent the rest of its life as an auxiliary ship, and was finally decommissioned in 1950.

After all, the Miraglia was just a stopgap measure. By the end of 1921, the Italian Navy once again considered building a real aircraft carrier, and came up with the idea of ​​​​the Caracciolo hull.

At this time it was owned by a major Italian shipping company and mothballed in the Bay of Baya near Naples, with the Navy responsible for some of its maintenance.

At the following Washington Naval Conference in 1921-1922, the Italian Navy received an aircraft carrier quota of 60000 tons, the same quota as France.

During the meeting, the Italian Navy formulated a master plan for aircraft carrier construction:

Including a revised Caracciolo refitted aircraft carrier (with a new bridge similar to the British aircraft carrier) and 2 new aircraft carriers (one with a displacement of 1 tons and the other with a displacement of 28000 tons) to maximize the use of the treaty quota.

However, as usual, financial issues make these projects wishful thinking.

The only progress made by land-based aviation during this period was the order for a new floating torpedo bomber after the failure of a requested helicopter development project in 1920.

In October 1922, Mr. Mo came to power and Paulo Tone di Leifer became the new Minister of the Navy. As a result, the Italian Navy received enough funds to build the Trento and Trieste cruisers. This was Italy's first cruiser. One type of two treaty type cruisers.

In 1920, the Italian Naval Staff Monthly proposed a new 9000-ton economical aircraft carrier for the first time, and it was approved in 1923.

This plan was influenced by the USS Langley, which has a 175-meter-long flight deck.

However, according to the original 1923 three-year budget, it was necessary to wait until the end of 1924 to order.

However, Uncle Mo is a mixed blessing for the Navy.

On March 1923, 3, it approved the establishment of an independent air force, which absorbed the original aviation forces of the army and navy, and soon became the most fierce and dangerous opponent of the Italian Navy - ranked first between 28 and 1936. On top of Spain, Britain, France, the United States, Germany and the Soviet Union that fought against it.

One Station naturally had a huge impact on the Army's aviation, which rapidly grew from a symbolic 68 aircraft before the war to 1918 aircraft in October 10.

Most of the personnel in the rapidly expanding aviation force came from the cavalry and young nationalists and socialists (usually college students).

The cavalry units brought with them the virtues of their origin: courage, skill and maintaining a graceful attitude.

They also had the traditional limitations of the cavalry unit, including ignorance of strategy (the highest military rank in the unit was colonel), disregard for logistics, and the belief that war was a matter of winning by vigour.

At the same time, pilot skill became the primary measure of talent.

After experiencing the difficult years of unemployment from 1919 to 1922, as the armed forces expanded, many original volunteers rejoined the army.

The Army gave the newly formed Air Force a small legacy - less than 300 aircraft, all antiques from the First World War.

Only the Naval Air Force had modern fighter aircraft and plans for future improvements, with 1923 aircraft in 150.

However, Paul Tone di Leifer refused to completely surrender the naval aviation, a force he had strongly advocated for development since 1913.

The end result was a compromise that made the Navy full of complaints.

All aircraft belong to the Air Force, but operational use, training and discipline of the former naval units remain with the Navy, and the Italian Navy also has the right to operate the aircraft in mixed crews using its own personnel.

At first, the cooperation between the Italian Air Force and the Navy, under the bland but honest leadership of Army General Alberto Bonzani, seemed satisfactory.

Former naval personnel also assisted the newly created service in key logistical, technical and administrative aspects: Francisco de Pinedo, a noted aviator with record-breaking success, became deputy chief of staff, as did the aforementioned Alessandro ·Guidoni became head of the technical department.

Former naval personnel, accounting for less than 20% of the total number, became the backbone of the Italian Air Force and enjoyed the reputation of "madmen". They at least had sound military common sense.

During the construction of the Air Force's Caserta Academy, the Navy mentored the first air force cadets at its own academy in Livorno, hoping to increase mutual understanding and advance torpedo bomber trials.

Therefore, the Navy and the Air Force continue to jointly develop an efficient torpedo delivery system whose delivery speed and height can exceed the suicidal 200 kilometers per hour and 5 meters that British and French carrier-based aircraft could achieve during the same period.

In October 1926, Itano Balbo was promoted to Minister of Aviation by the Mexican Rockets (he was one of the four main leaders who led the fascists to march on Rome in October 10, and was the first person since the beginning of this movement in 1922 Since then, the most ambitious and conspicuous figure around Uncle Mo) has destroyed the atmosphere of cooperation between the Air Force and the Navy.

In order to become Uncle Mo's heir, he is willing to use the emerging aviation industry as a stepping stone. In fact, it is also to give himself a stronger protective power.

It’s always cold at high places. The higher you stand, the more you need to buy yourself warm clothes and anti-slip tools.

Who wants to go to a high place and get cold if you don't wrap yourself up tightly?

This principle is the same all over the world, from ancient times to the present!

Balbo focused his enthusiasm and undoubted administrative ability on winning over the most fervent supporters of the pursuit of "pure" air power.

As these young men joined, he began to declare war on semi-autonomous naval aviation equipment, such as torpedo bombers and, of course, aircraft carriers.

His main targets were former naval officers within the Air Force leadership, particularly Generals Guidoni and de Pinedo.

Guidoni died on April 1928, 4, while testing a new parachute.

In 1929, Balbo eliminated de Pinedo in a more traditional manner and completed the purge of outstanding former Navy personnel in the Air Force, placing them under the control of former Army officers.

During these difficult days, Balbo came up with the famous idea of ​​using a large number of seaplanes for long-distance flights.

In 1928 he secured naval support essential for these adventures.

The Italian Navy provided radio and weather services, not to mention sending warships to provide direct support along the route, and temporarily assigned naval personnel skilled in long-range navigation to the aircraft.

In exchange for the Italian Navy's cooperation with Balbo, he promised to finally lift his veto of the aircraft carrier plan - something he made sincerely in 1931 and 1933 when he re-proposed the formation of a joint war department (which he would naturally lead) Promise of.

Naval aviation activity proved adequate during the "Cold War" confrontation between Italy and France in the Balkans from late 1926 to early 1931.

However, the Italian Air Staff, which had management control over the aircraft procurement process, not only failed to increase the size of the naval aviation force in the Air Force to 1923 squadrons as agreed in the 45 Compromise, but also refused to order new aircraft. The result was that Navy seaplanes quickly became obsolete.

Faced with the deteriorating situation at hand, the Italian Navy protested, but due to Uncle Mo's kindness to the air force, the protest was naturally ineffective.

Instead, Navy-controlled aviation resources continue to erode.

In 1931, the Italian Air Force declared the joint management system formalized in the 1923 compromise obsolete and ordered the Navy to control only land-based seaplanes and catapult reconnaissance aircraft deployed on cruisers since 1925;

The Italian Navy thus lost the authority to possess fighter and bomber aircraft.

这项新安排在1931年1月6日编纂为法律，1937年2月22日又通过了一项更严格的法律，把所有能飞的东西都集中在空军手里。

In the final analysis, the numerous conflicts between the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force seriously hindered the effective development of naval aviation during the interwar period.

In many ways, the carrier issue simply reflects this unfortunate situation.

(End of this chapter)