Italy - HOI4 - An Alternative History

I stopped posting this game because I have moved to a new apartment and had no internet there. Also I had done what I intended doing - making Italy a dominant democratic power in central Europe. During the campaign I realized that joining the Axis then later leaving it caused all kinds of problems so how would I have fared if I hadn't taken that path....
Back to  28 Jan 1938: I started later because I wanted all the forts along the Czech border to be completed before attacking Yugoslavia.

Scarcely 4 weeks later Yugoslavia had capitulated and my northern front was still holding.

.As you can see the Czechs have lost 14,000 troops compared to my 4,000 but unlike in the previous game they are still attacking. No Germans to worry about. I move my army group north from Yugoslavia.

On 01 Mar 1938 I noticed a gap in their defences and quickly exploited it.

I poured dozens of divisions through the gap eventually widening it but then I noticed something that wasn't planned. Germany was playing the Demand Sudetenland card.

Look at that mess. I still need to capture Brno to force the Czechs to capitulate but Germany now has all the border fortresses.

18 May 1938 after my victory. What a crazy border with Nazi Germany - not at all defendable.

The same but showing Europe on a different scale.

24 Jan 1939 with more troops available. Still a precarious situation but after befriending Bulgaria and Romania they joined my Free Europe faction.

Et voilà! That looks more formidable doesn't it.

Mid-June 1939 Germany has sizeable forces on my borders.

They are a defensive force though.

22 Aug 1939: One can always count on Hitler doing something stupid. Poland had joined the Allies after Germany had demanded Danzig or War. The Poles conceded Danzig but Hitler then turned west and attacked the Benelux countries thus bringing Poland in as an ally. Notice that there are almost no German troops on my border. I'm forced watch Poland slowly being devoured - I couldn't intervene.

I did draw up plans though and 18 Jan 1940 the Iron Guard seized power in Romania precipitating a civil war. I supported the monarchy through lend lease but they refused to let me join in the war.

By now Hitler had already declared war on Switzerland and there too I could only help with lend lease.

A few days later the Romanian fascists joined the Axis and old Romania called me into the war.

The eastern front. I won't do much there because liberating Poland won't force Germany to capitulate. But defeating Fascist Romania would free up troops which can be sent to support my invasion of Germany.

No German troops opposing me in the west.

17 Mar 1940: Romania is united again and my line is holding in the east. Even making some advances.

In the centre the Germans had manage to penetrate my defences and advanced into Czechoslovakia and capturing Prague. But they had no reserves.

08 May 1940: The Germans in Czechoslvakia have been contained while my advances in the west coupled with the Allies coming from Holland are putting the squeeze on Adolf. Berlin is about to fall and that should be enough to force capitulation.

Look at the German losses but half a million for Italy is also costly.

11 May 1940: Europe after the dust has settled. Adenauer runs the German Republic. Mussolini is still in power in Rome and Poland is landlocked because I took Danzig.

Italy is again #3 behind the UK and the Soviets but it is three years earlier than the previous campaign. A lot can still happen.

I hope you have seen how different each game can be. Ciao!