Italia

The participation of Italy in the Second World War was characterized by a complex framework of ideology, politics and diplomacy, in which its military history took place often heavily influenced by external factors. The imperial ambitions of the ascist regime, which aspired to restore a !"oman #mpire! in the $editerranean, soon shattered as poor military planning caused defeats in %reece and #ast and &orth 'frica. Italy (uickly became a satellite of &azi %ermany, until in )*+, dictator -enito$ussolini was ousted and arrested by order of .ing /ictor #mmanuel III, originating a long civil war. The northern half of the country was occupied by %ermans and made a collaborationist puppet state 0with more than 122,222 soldiers3, while the south was governed by monarchist and liberal forces, which fought for the 'llied cause in the Italian 4o5-elligerent 'rmy 0at its height numbering more than 62,222 men3, helped by circa ,62,222 partisans of disparate political ideologies that operated all over occupied Italy.

Italy7s #ntrance 8n 9une )2, )*+2, Italy declared war on rance and -ritain, largely because its ascist prime minister, -enito $ussolini, had territorial and imperial ambitions of his own. 't this time, -ritain had already evacuated from :unkirk, and %erman troops were moving steadily toward ;aris<which meant it was too late for Italian forces to take a serious part in the battle. =itler himself observed with annoyance that the Italians were in effect riding on his coattails so as to share in the spoils without having to take part in the dirty work. &evertheless, %ermany and Italy were soon allied together as the 'xis ;owers, and Italy7s entrance into the war set off a chain reaction that brought war to much of the $editerranean region.

 Italian 4on(uests in 'frica ollowing its war declaration, Italy made its first moves in&orth 'frica and other regions of the southern $editerranean. 8n 9une )), )*+2, the Italian air force attacked $alta, while, on the same day, -ritish planes carried out a small bombing raid on the Italian colony of #ritrea 0in 'frica3 as well as on the Italian cities of %enoa and Turin. Skirmishes continued in 'frica throughout the summer, but the war there did not begin in earnest until 'ugust ,, when Italian forces invaded -ritishSomaliland. This attack marked the opening of the #ast 'frica campaign and was a total defeat for -ritain, which was forced to abandon the area within days. ' second Italian offensive into -ritish5occupied #gypt on September ), was a catastrophic failure. 'lthough heavily outnumbered, the -ritish defenders decimated the Italian forces, taking large numbers of prisoners and advancing well into Italian5held territory. This Italian defeat prompted %ermany to get involved by sending its best tank divisions under the command of ield $arshal#rwin "ommel, %ermany7s most celebrated commander of mechanized forces.

%reece The Italian invasion of %reece began on 8ctober >?, )*+2, using forces based in 'lbania. $ussolini began the attack without consulting or even informing =itler, who was incensed upon hearing the news. %reece, a country of difficult, mountainous terrain, also had a respectable army that fought the Italians doggedly. In &ovember, %reek forces broke through the Italian line and over the next few months were able gradually to push the invaders back to the 'lbanian border. It was not long before -ritain began providing air support in %reece7s defense. 's in #gypt, $ussolini had bitten off more than his military could chew. %ermany, however, bided its time and allowed the Italians to flounder. %ermany7s Intervention -y $arch )*+), the situation for the Italians had deteriorated so badly that =itler was finally forced to step in. This decision raised a new problem, however, in that neutral @ugoslavia refused to grant %erman forces permission to cross its territory. Therefore, on 'pril 1, %ermany invaded @ugoslavia using its standard blitzkrieg method. @ugoslavia surrendered on 'pril )A, and the %erman forces (uickly moved onward to %reece. -y this time, -ritain had forces on the ground in %reece to help the fight against the %ermans. The -ritish help was not enough, however, and by the end of 'pril, all -ritish forces had evacuated %reece, and the country fell totally under %erman control. 8ne more battle broke out when the Buftwaffe struck the -ritish garrison on the island of 4rete on $ay >2. =eavy fighting followed, but by the end of the month, the -ritish again had to evacuate. Italy7s #ffect on the War Italy7s two early campaigns<&orth 'frica and %reece<were similar in that they both were marked by early success but later became (uagmires. In both cases, %ermany had to intervene and, as a result, committed forces that were badly needed elsewhere. =owever, whereas %reece was a relatively short campaign, lasting only a few months, the war in the deserts of &orth 'frica would go on for years. The desert

#rwin "ommel-Germanfieldmarshalandtankspecialist;helped ItalianforcesinEgypt;wasalsoinvolvedinlaterNorthAfrican campaigns

AnRAFAirmanplacesacross,madefromthewreckageofanAircraft,overa graveon ecem!er"#,$%&',containingthe!odiesoffiveItalianAirmen shotdowninthe esert(attleat)ersa)atr*hon+cto!er,$,$%&'-

Awo*ndedGermanofficer,fo*ndintheEgyptiandesertd*ringthefirsttwo daysofaItalianoffensive,isg*arded!yasentrywhileawaiting!ack*p,on Novem!er$,,$%&"-

Italiang*nnersmantheirlightfieldpieceinafieldof.*nisiancact*s,on )arch,$,$%&,-