A window of opportunity 1905

So I'm jumping off on 1943 - having quite a number of installments of this so let begin:

1943
The Italian Marxist-Leninist Communists scored a huge victory when on 17. March – birth of the modern Kingdom of Italy - a bomb explodes under the Crown Prince Umberto and Marshall Badoglio during the parade killing both as well as several other officers.
The largely Fascist Army clamps down on Communist and Socialdemocratic Party members and generally anybody opposing its actions.
This Army activity is much debated and critiziced in Parliament where the King is called upon to stop the Armys activities which have resulted in several deaths of Socialdemocratic and PSI members of Parliament.

The Army reject any scaling down of its activity to combat terrorism but by now France is voicing concern of the Italian situation and calling upon the Army to move back to barracks. A civil war in Italy isn't wanted by France as it might instigate unrest in France or other countries mostly in Eastern Europe on the borders with the Sovietunion where it is realized that defences are weak or renew tensions in Spain.
With French backing the King orders the Army back to its Barracks and give more powers to the various Police Forces as well as to the Investigating Judges.

Interestingly the Communist terror seemed to be scaled down as the Army had been withdrawn from counterterrorist operation.
Oddly in France Communist terror seemed to be gaining momentum; there had been some for quite some time at least since the establishment of the Sovietunion but the active meddling of France in Italy seemed to enrage the Communist's.
In Italy the Communist terror didn't vanish but it certainly seemed to be receding.

One Police officer aired in a closed circle that the Students - often the ones to be recruited by terrorist networks be it Communist, Agrarian or Syndikalist/Anarkist organizations - seemed to have taken up the mantle of possible enrichment by entering the Oilextracting Companies and more youth of bourgeois and peasant stock wanted their slice of the new riches either by higher education or through better jobs with the Oil Industry. It was a recent trend but the indication of youth rejecting the Fascist or Communist movements to find ways of personal enrichment or at least bettering their living condition in relation to their family experiences had begun only the last two years as the inflow of cash to Italy had begun. Of course there were the occasional element of crime but it wasn't the prior motivation.

The Church was somewhat annoyed by the new times too; youth were moving away from the arms of the Church. Of course the Lateran Pact entered by the Church with the Fascist Government 1929 had lost a lot of appeal following the Yugoslav War 1935 and the fall from power of Mussolini. With an especially rural population not too interested in Church matters much like in Spain the Church during the last ten years had seen less numbers of devotees. The influx of money even into the poor and the other lower classes only served to increase the difficulties. However the Church didn't want to be seen as too closely related to the former Fascist Government as its fall had torn down many institutions that had had to be reestablished which had also been party to the change of society.
Initially the Church had expected the influx of poor agricultural workers into the emigration scheme to increase the number of devotees in Libya but as those peoples became better payed they wanted personal acquisition in place of salvation.

There was still problems with Libyan natives who rejected the ways of the Christian emigrees but even some of those were tempted into the Oil Industry because of the good pay. Initially locals hadn't been a source of workers because that were thought to limit the number of Italian emigrees but as the Oil Industry expanded so did the need for labour.
Ever so slowly life of the peoples of Libya began changing as it did in Italy proper.

France
Scientists like Enrico Fermi from Italy and the whole German and British entourage gathering at Bohr Institute in Copenhagen had made for some wrinkles on the French pond's surface. The Curie's were going to Copenhagen! A Deuxieme Bureau director had discreetly inquired as to the occation and been informed that their mother had aided the French fighting in the Great War and now they would inform themselves if they could be of help.
That info crept up the hierachy to Quay D'Orsay landing on the desk of the President who was quite annoyed.
Last year the Scandinavians had asked France to enter a joint project with other major European Nations – Britain and Germany – to build a Nuklear Bomb. France had rejected the sillyness on the supposition that the Scandinavians probably wanted the strongest European economy to pay the expenses.
This development seemed they had gone on on their own and sucking up the scientific minds of Europe! Why hadn't they asked again once they decided to go ahead – surely they didn't have the funds to do it! Perhaps inquiries should be made in London and Berlin – perhaps.

However French Premier Laval had to leave office during fall elections – the French Proletariat had become rejective of Laval's running of state as a European Great Power of old and wanted to be party to the riches of France secured during Laval's reign. Others than the Bourgeoise upper class should be able to go to Spain or Italy on vacation but also the Proletariat of those countries should be given a better opportunity in life which regarding the latter was already real possibly even more than in France only the French hadn't realized so.
As such a broad National Popular Front Government was formed on Laval's foundations.
One of its first actions was to agree to arm the Ethiopian Armed Forces with modern French equipment to be able to resist the Italian attack once such would materialize. All just in the nick of time.

Not much learned really and now seeing itself as the power of tomorrow!

Ethiopian-Italian War
To the relief of the Nordics the lid blew off the Ethiopian – Italian talks and hostilities were initated. Of course the involvement of the Swedish von Rosens drew much unwanted attention to Scandinavia but as long as it kept its focus there.
Many years later a jounalist exclaimed that the exhale could be felt as far away as Iceland.

The Ethiopian-Italian War kicked off with a Ethiopian demand that Italy leave Eritrea opening the borders to the Ethiopian Army to take over transitory administration of the Colony.
Of course the Italians rejected any such and shots were fired on the border.
As news of the outbreak of hostilities reached the British orders were given to close the Suez Canal to shipments of arms and troops to the battleground.
Just in time a couple of French freighters carrying 50 crated Morane Saulnier MS406 slipped through the Canal as the Aircraft was manifest to increase the French defences of Djibouti; a sensible policy in the present East Africa crisis. That half the aircraft would appear two weeks later in the skies over Eritrea in Ethiopian markings was another matter.
A small group of Italian Freighters carrying troops and equipment which was estimated by the British to be equal to an Infantry Regiment with Artillery support and large stocks of ammunition was barred transfering the Canal leading to the Italians complaining at the LoN and begin the long journey around the Cape.

The Italians were badly prepared for war in Eritrea the main Army consisting of locally raised Infantry Battalions and Cavalry Regiments some 28 and 5 backed up by an Italian Bersaglieri Light Infantry Regiment and a Mountain Artillery Battalion as well as a couple of Light Armoured Companies mainly intended for suppression of local insurrections.
The Italian Airforce consisted of a Fighter Squadron of Fiat CR 32 aircraft a Bomber Squadron of Fiat BR 20 aircraft and a Reconnaisance Squadron of mixed outfit.
The Italian Red Sea Squadron consisting of 2 Destroyers and 3 Submarines.
In Somalia the Italians had locally raised Colonial Troops as in Eritrea of some 12 Infantry Battalions and 12 irregulars Battalions, a Camel mounted Artillery Battalion, a Motorized Machine-Gun Company and a few Tankettes. That force would have to traverse the Ogaden Desert which of course made for a Camel Mounted unit! As in Eritrea there was a Squadron of each Fighters, Bombers and Reconnaisance but also a small Squadron of Flying Boats for patrolling the Indian Ocean.
The Italian Navy Indian Ocean Squadron consisting of 3 Destroyers and 2 Submarines.

Against the Italians Haile Selassie would mobilize his 85,000 regulars for the Eritrea front and hold some 2,000 ready in the south facing Somalia with call up of reserves to fill the ranks if necessary; with the aid of Sweden since 1934 in building a real officers Corps of both Army and Airforce the Ethiopians were somewhat better prepared for war with the Italian Colonial Armies than generally expected.
Captain Viking Tamm, Swedish Army and Major General Eric Virgin Swedish Airforce led the Military Mission to Ethiopia (OTL) which counted 4 other Swedish Officers.
It had established an Officers Academy and were during the following years joined by other Scandinavian Officers on secondment from their National Armed Forces. Without any real conflict to take part in or train forces to be raised from Militia level – the Baltics had a core of Officers of their own from the Russian Imperial past so didn't really count – the Scandinavians had looked further away.
Count von Rosen was a regular guest when in Ethiopia at the Swedish Military Mission due to his relation to the Swedish Royal House and as such indirectly to the other Nordic Royal Houses made his own and his party's contribution to the Ethiopian Cause. His purpose was mainly in the health aid but also commandeered some aircraft as a way to easier spread his mission to all of the huge ill-developed country.
Von Rosen was well aware that his aircraft could make a difference in an upcoming conflict and wasn't adverse to his fellow countrymen making such use of those if necessary and he turned a blind eye to the mounting of bombracks on his aircraft which of course could also be used to dropping first aid packs and supplies to those in in-accessible areas!
The activities by the Swedish Military Mission had managed to train a fair number of Ethiopian officers at least to command Battalions but more importantly to staff the Emperor with real military expertise.
Also quite a number of pilots were trained though the accident rate were high but so were the enthusiasm.

Following the initial shots across the border with Eritrea the war for the next week ground down to an air war; the arrival of the 25 MS406 was a tremedous boost to the Ethiopians and the Swedish Instructors hurried to convert the Ethiopians which of course in itself took a toll on available planes but still left the Ethiopians with almost 20 rather modern fighter aircraft along the 5 Swedish supplied Jaktfalk fighters obtained by von Rosen.
However following a few days of airwar the Ethiopians needed a boost as losses mounted and some Scandinavian officers volunteered to fly. Using the Jaktfalk fighters the Scandinavian Pilots were able to clear the skies of Italian fighters and reconnaisance planes to the loss of one of their own but downing three Italian planes – a bad exchange rate with the low total numbers count.
Following this setback the Italians resorted to using a few of their bombers for reconnaisance as they were the most highflying aircraft in the region.

As the Ethiopians got their gear together and marched their Army up the Eritrean border the initial clash served to push the Italians somewhat back but then bogged down to Great War tactics of trenches though without the massive Artillery backing it also made the Ethiopian Army go for human wave assaults; at times costly but when succeeding causing lots of Italian casualties.
At the end of the year the Ethiopians had reached the Red Sea shore but hadn't taken any port yet.

The Italians had had their reserves arrive from the trip around Africa but handn't still had an impact on fighting.
In the south the Ethiopians the original force of 2,000 had been augmented by almost 20,000 mostly Tribal Levy's and a few aircraft piloted by foreign volunteers mainly French had managed to stop the Italian advance. Even the Ethiopians admitted that terrain and logistics were the real defeat of the advancing Italians. The Camel units had managed to advance but the Italian Motorized units had broken down along the way mainly due to lack of spareparts with the Colonial forces having been starved of replacements since 1935 and lack of fuel.

Sovietunion
Zhukov wasn't delighted to be called back to Moscow and substituted as Commander in Machouko of the Far Eastern Army. It didn't look good; true his tanks had had severe difficulty operating in the mountains of Korea but he had gotten them there and worn the Japanese down in the process only now the Chinese were reaping the fruits.
Uncle Joe looked in good mood though when he was admitted actually joking. Zhukov though stayed alarmed for whatever might come.
Stalin asked him to soon submit a Strategic paper on the military position of the Sovietunion and its enemies and other neighbours.

Zhukov wrote that the main adversary was the Chinese; Chiang being totally dismissive of the Communist idea and having it seemed taken on a campaign against the CCP which he had tried all then time in office to counter. Actually he seemed to gain the upper hand as he most effectively kept the CCP off Machuria and kept up the pressure via the LoN debate.
Britain was in close tow of Chiang still having a military force in Xinkiang guarding in essence the road to India and upholding the Chiang rule there. The USA seemed to be only too pleased to sell arms to China to work its way out of economic depression.
Japan was no longer a threat to the Sovietunion even if it still possessed a major Navy it wasn't able to project force into Soviet territories.
Due to the presence of German and other Military Missions Chiang had been able to retrain his core Army and to expand it. The military industry complex of China was growing and enabling China to produce way more than small arms; Austria and Sweden was delivering licences for production of Artillery and Light Tanks; Tanks very well made with way better armour than the Soviet T-34.
Another major supplier of quality arms were Czechoslovakia which had been the forge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the Great War.

Swedens ability to produce quality arms had paid off on the other Nordic countries which presented a strong group of small nations able and willing to defend themselves. Even if few in numbers they represented a quality not found in Eastern Europe except in Czechoslovakia.
The Nordics also had a very efficient Security Service which dated from the Great War and the Finnish indepence declaration; the Nordics had despite the 1905 War been able to join up and combine forces even if they had internal differences the major bond being the interwoven Royal Houses.
The Workers of the Nordics wasn't revolutionary beyond a core group; the Socialdemocratic Parties had been able to rally the majority of Workers to their cause by paying them off with better salaries and consumer goods. Even so the number of concientus objectors to Military service was quite low in the Nordic countries and the level of education like in Germany made for a very well trained and efficient Military force which was given modern weapons and often would train together to eke out problem of cooperation. The Nordic Armed Forces had a lot of prestige in those countries due to the traditions upheld and reinforced since 1905 as an outcome of that war even in Sweden which had managed that even since the defeat during the 18. and 19. centuries by Russia. It being a remarkable situation in generally agrarian countries.
It was therefore difficult to make a full intelligence picture of what was going on in the Nordics; essentially besides the quality arms industry the real strength of those seemed to be the Bohr Institution. Due to education the internal recruitment were good in the Nordic countries but it also served recruit scientist from all over Europe even the French were seen attending lectures and participate in the Nuclear Science Institutions work.
The most odd thing picked up by intelligence was the recent mining operations in Denmark at the isle of Bornholm. Mining being no typical Danish trait due to geography except that in Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland and – Bornholm. Some coal had been mined at Bornholm but this was new and only heard of by coincidence.
Intelligence working in Denmark is very difficult due to the curiosity of locals; not suspicion as such but curiosity of outsiders even when of other areas of the country. This trait have made it impossible to determine what is being mined in Bornholm only that ore of some kind is being mined and shipped off to an unknown destination.

Poland still nurture strong ill will of the Sovietunion. It had been a major armssupplier of Japans during the late war and as a benefit had been building up its Tank units and Airforce with more modern types.
Its ammunition delivered to Japan even to types such as the original Swedish Bofors Anti-Tank guns were of lesser quality than the Swedish delivered to China. Both types having been encountered by the Red Army in Manchuria.
Poland also had bad relation with Germany though better than following the Great War; the German rebuilding of its Armed Force in understanding with France had served to deteriorate the Polish – German relationship and probably served to Polish support of Japan which it apparently saw as a kind of ally against the Sovietunion but it still lacked allies against Germany even if some arms cooperation is taking place with the Scandinavians.
The German animosity might serve to isolate Poland in a time of crisis but the Germans just might weigh out its possibilities.
Romania was the other immediate neighbour of Polands but being military weak it wasn't to be reckoned as a problem.

The Baltic States had since their breaking away from the Romanov Empire been the stepchild of the Nordics; lately however Germany had stepped in and showed force in the area by regularly having its warships pay visits to Tallinn, Riga and Klaipeda of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania respectively.
The Nordics at times had held excercises with the Baltic States but the will to defend them is difficult to asses though the recent German interest mainly due to the German descended minority living in the three countries should be taken rather seriously. German Army deployment for exercises to the Baltic States hadn't taken place but should be considered.
Thus conflict with Poland might serve to drag Germany in mostly so if the Baltic States are threatened.

Italy seems to have attained a new status of some kind with its oilboom. The former cooperation with the Fascist rule have gone away though at the time it don't seem really aligning to anybody. France is still a major power on its doorstep.
The Catholic Church seems to be losing popularity to Capitalism; even if the removal of the Crownprince and Army Commander was a great victory to the Communist Fighting Units it haven't paid off as expected; French meddling have seen our European Comrades directing their ire at that nation though the recent referendum have done away with the Bourgeois Nationalist Laval and made for a Popular Front Government to be established. However the real politics of this Government is still awaited to materialize.