[RN7]

One of the issues I have always had with GDW's rendering of Twilight 2000 is the sometimes paucity of detail, or the omission of information which should have been included. Italy is a prime example of this. A major European power yet the details of its involvement in T2K are limited to say the least.

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Where is it explicitly stated that Italy actually joins the Warsaw Pact? Having reread the various timelines all I can come up with is the following (I'm quoting from V1 but as far as I can tell the other versions are identical):

It doesn't explicitly state that Italy joined the Warsaw Pact anywhere. I like you Rainbow Six have been looking through the books to find it and I can't.

From various books to be brief...

" After the US entered the war in 1996, Italy's government demanded that American troops return to their start lines, then withdrew from NATO when this was not forthcoming. Military bases in Italy were closed to the belligerents, but Italy tried to remain neutral in the greater conflict".

"In late February, the socialist governments of Italy and Greece concluded a mutual defense pact. While Italy was not obligated by the pact to enter the Greco-Turkish war, the Italian government declared the war to be a regional conflict unrelated to the more general war raging elsewhere, promising to intervene on Greece's side if NATO tried to tip the balance in Turkey's favor".

" On June 27th, a NATO convoy of fast transports and cargo ships, accompanied by a strong covering force, attempted the run to the Turkish port of Izmir with badly-needed ammunition and equipment. Light fleet elements of the Greek navy intercepted the convoy and, in a confused night action off Izmir, inflicted substantial losses and escaped virtually unharmed. Two days later NATO retaliated with air strikes against Greek naval bases. On July 1st, Greece declared war against the NATO nations, and Italy, in compliance with her treaty obligations, followed suit on the 2nd."


Straightforward you might think, but then by looking in more detail we have contradictions like these...

Mediterranean Cruise page 14 " When Great Britain entered the war, Gibraltar became important once again. With France opting out and Italy openly hostile, Gibraltar was the only friendly base in the Western Mediterranean that NATO had. When Spain closed the American base at Rota, Gibraltar became home of a sizeable portion of the American Atlantic fleet as well. Gibraltar was the base from which NATO launched the convoy in support of Turkey in June 1997, and was the base from which the carriers operated when retaliatory air strikes were launched against Greece after that convoy was attacked off Izmir. With the entry of Greece and Italy into the war against NATO, Gibraltar became the most important NATO base in the Mediterranean"

The Italians were openly hostile to NATO well before the Turkish Convoy incident.

Twilight 2000 Play Manual page 52 " In early July, Italian In early July, Italian airmobile and alpine units crossed the passes into Tyrolia. Scattered elements of the Austrian army resisted briefly but were overwhelmed. By mid-month, Italian mechanized forces were debouching from the Alpine passes into southern Germany, and their advanced elements were in combat against German territorial troops in the suburbs of Munich."

The Italians invade neutral Austria and then Germany. What has that got to do with its treaty obligations to Greece, and why would they do that if they were not part of the Warsaw Pact?

NATO CVHB page 92 " On 7 January 1997, the Dutch 4th Mechanised Division was ordered into Germany to help fight the Warsaw Pact. The division performed well against the V Italian Corps in southern Germany in the summer of 1997".

The Italian V Corps is fighting with the Warsaw Pact in Germany.

NATO CVHB page 90 " During the NATO spring offensive in 1997, the 5th Pazer Division was part of the reserve force. It was sent to southern Germany, where it engaged units of the V Italian Corps".

" In the summer of 1997, the division was withdrawn from Poland and sent southward. In the space of 11 days, the 10th Panzer Division withdrew from Poland and moved into southern Germany, where it engaged the Italian Ariete Armored Division in the vicinity of Augsburg".

The Italians are fighting the Germans in Germany

Going Home page 17 " the Folgore Division has been operating as anti-Soviet partisans since the disintegration of the Pact counteroffensive over the summer. A life-long Christian-Democrat, and long opposed to the socialist coalition which has ruled Italy in recent years, Falvi has always despised the Warsaw Pact, and regretted Italy's involvement with it".

An Italian commander who has declared his division for NATO despises and regrets Italy's involvement with the Warsaw Pact.

Going Home page 15-16 also lists the 5th Italian Corps and its three divisions (less the Folgore Mechanised Division) as part of Warsaw Pact forces in Czechoslovakia and Southern Germany, specifically placing it under the command of the Soviet 2nd Southwestern Front in 2000. This would imply that Italian forces were places under Warsaw Pact Command at some point in the war.

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

As the autumnal rains began, NATO and the Pact initiated a short and weak second nuclear exchange, directed primarily at surviving industrial centers in the United Kingdom and Italy.

Is Rome specifically mentioned?