Italy in WW2 Flashcards
When did Italy enter WW2?
10 June 1940
Describe the Italian military at the start of WW2
They were supposed to take control of the Mediterranean whilst Germany focused on the North and Russia.
Troops in France weren’t prepared for the Alpine climate and they only managed to capture 14 small villages before the armistice.
In December 1941 in Egypt a British counter-attack with 30,000 men forced 250,000 Italians to retreat. They were prevented from entering Libya with helped from the Germans - until the battle of El Alamein in October ‘42 and North Africa was surrendered in May ‘43.
British base in Malta, Gibraltar and Suez. prevented any Italian domination in the Mediterranean
Describe the Italian invasion of Greece.
Disaster.
Began October ‘40 from Albania.
Mussolini wanted to assert his influence in the Balkans as Hitler had allied Yugoslavia and Romania.
Mussolini thought Greece would have 30,000 men so sent 60,000, Greece had 300,000 and Bulgaria didn’t help Italy as Mussolini hoped.
Mussolini eventually had to ask for help after Greece took some of Albania and Germany conquered Greece in a few weeks, showing the weakness of the Italian army.
Why was the Italian military weak in WW2?
Mussolini blamed the Italians not being truly fascist.
Mainly due to a weak economy, poor planning and poor leadership.
Had 75 divisions but enough equipment for 35.
Outdated equipment.
Language differences between northerners and southerners.
19th century tactics.
Describe Italian politics in 1943.
Very tense.
100,000 went on strike in Turin/
Communism and Socialism started to grow.
Antifascism grew.
Vatican, military and industrialists lost faith in Mussolini and planned to depose him.
Explain the allied invasion of Sicily.
July 9 1943.
Faced little opposition.
USA used Sicilian mafia to help navigate the area.
Mussolini asked Hitler for support but it was denied.
How was Mussolini deposed?
The plan to depose him began in 1942 with people like Grandi and Ciano being the main opponents.
Some fascists convinced Mussolini to call the Fascist Grand Council.
They voted on a proposal to ask the King to remove Mussolini which was passed.
Mussolini attempted to convince the King not to but it didn’t work and he was deposed of and sent to prison.
He was replaced by Marshal Badoglio
Describe what the allies did after the invasion of Sicily.
There had been little plans to invade the Italian mainland.
Mixed views between the powers about whether to spread there forces between the D-day landings and an invasion of Italy.
As soon as he took power Badoglio began making armistice talks with the Allies.
Italian soldiers had been told to only fight in self-defence.
Over 1million Italian soldiers were taken as prisoners.
Over the following nine months the Allies captured Rome but the Germans began to defend Italy.
Difficult to advance further than Rome due to the Apennine Mountains.
What was the Republic of Salò?
Germans had rescued Mussolini from his prison on Abruzzi.
He was placed in power in the north of Italy as a sort of puppet state to Hitler.
They controlled the richest and most populated parts of Italy in Piedmont, Veneto, Lombardy etc.
The new fascists decided to return to the original anti-clerical ideas from 1919, but this was impossible to achieve due to no support from Germany.
What was happening in the South during the Republic of Salò?
The King had fled to the allied territory. A government was created withoiut Fascists and they declared war on Germany in September 1943.
Describe the end of Italian fascism.
Whilst the war was coming to the end the Allies began to climb up Italy and by April 45 they had began to capture the important northern cities.
Mussolini tried to escape to Switzerland but was stopped and it was decided him, his mistress and the other fascists he was trying to escape with were to be executed.
On 28 April 1945 in a town near Lake Como they were executed by a firing squad. They were then takent o Milan where they were put on display
Describe Italy after WW2.
Economy and infrastructure had been destroyed.
Huge divisions within Italy.
A referendum was held to decide whether to remove the monarch was won by 12.7million to 10.7million.
Christian Democrats won the first election with 207/556 seats with the PSI being 2nd and PCI 3rd.
With the beginning of the cold war the PCI was excluded from parliament.
Mussolini still remains a popular figure within Italy with his grave attracting around 100,000 visitors a year and current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoes Mussolini’s ideas and has praised Italian fascism.
