Italy in WWII

Question 1

Why had Italy signed the Pact of steel?

Answer 1

before signing Ciano stated that Italy would not be ready for war before 1943 and was reassured by Ribbentrop that Germany had no intention of going to war before then
–> 11th Aug 1939, Ribbentrop informed Ciano that Germany planned to attack Poland

Question 2

How did Italy avoid adhering to the Pact of Steel when war broke out?

Answer 2

26th Aug 1939, Mussolini sent Hitler a massive list os supplies that he claimed Italy would need before going to war;
- 6 million tonnes of coal
- 2 million tonnes of steel
- 150 anti aircraft batteries with ammunition
–> 27th Aug 1939, Hitler released Italy from the ‘Pact of Steel’

Question 3

Why was Mussolini conflicted about Italian neutrality at the beginning of WWII?

(4)

Answer 3

• fascism was intrinsically linked to militarism & aggression
• fascism had been born out of WWI
• liberal government in 1914 had also been neutral during the start of WWI
• Mussolini was advised by Ciano, Franco, Salazar, Roosevelt, Pope, King not to get involved
  –> used the phrase “non-belligerance” rather than ‘neutrality’

Question 4

Why did Mussolini eventually join WWII?

(6)

Answer 4

10th June 1940, announced Italy joining Nazi Germany;
- joining The Allies would prompt a German attack
- German victory seemed likely; May 1940 Garmany advanced into Holland and Belgium
- Germany would be harsh on Italy if they won and she didn’t join on their side
- opportunism; felt he could join at a decisive moment and win without sacrificing many lives
- greed for prestige and land
- fascist ideology glorified war

Question 5

What political issues arose before/during the war because of Mussolini?

(4)

Answer 5

• Mussolini gave himself all of the most important roles; Commander-in-Chief on all fronts, War Minster and Minister for all three services (admiralty, war, air)
  –> there were no meetings or discussions, all decisions relied on Mussolini
  –> he made all of the important decisions and failed to coordinate strategy
• Mussolini’s health was failing; ageing, physically unfit, 1940 had a serious stomach ulcer
• 1931, Mussolini’s brother died; no one else left who dared to tell Mussolini the truth = out of touch with reality
• Mussolini bored by war planning; more interested in Rome’s opera season and young mistress, Caretta Petacci

Question 6

What political issues arose before/during the war because of the fascist state?

(2)

Answer 6

• fascist administration was inefficient and corrupt; failed to organise civil defence, welfare, and price controls
• the state was forced to rely on the cooperation of the fascist elite
  –> Mussolini was forced to keep them happy
  –>acted as a barrier to the regime and effective utilisation of resources
  –> defeats in war = elite disillusioned with Mussolini

Question 7

Why did Political tension in Italy peak in 1943?

(5)

Answer 7

• combined effect of economic problems, food + clothing rations, allied bombing
• culminated in the first strikes in italy for over 18 years
• week of 5th March 1943, 100,000 workers on strike in Turn; spread to Milan etc.
• government was forced to increase money for evacuees (money paid for people to evacuate their homes)
• antifascist groups reappeared; Catholics, communists, socialists etc.

Question 8

What socio-economic issues existed in Italy before the war?

(4)

Answer 8

• little had been done to prepare for the war
• Battle for Grain failed to make Italy self-sufficient; still dependent upon fertiliser imports –> imports disrupted by war
• pattern of state interference in economy during peacetime but efficiency of essential war industries not ensured
• no ministry to coordinate the war effort; money and raw materials wasted on fascist building projects that had no relation to the war

Question 9

What socio-economic issues in Italy were created by the war?

(7)

Answer 9

• Italy couldn’t meet economic requirements for ‘total war’
• had only planned for a short-term war
• war economy not reorganised = Italy lagged behind
• 1942/3, Italian labour shortage; skilled workers had been sent to work in German factories
• Dec 1940, food shortages
• Jan 1943, milk production drop; lack of cow fodder
• average calorie consumption = a fifth of prewar

Question 10

Evidence that the Italian army was ill-equipped

(7)

Answer 10

• camined an army of 8-9million, but in reality much smaller
• army had almost no tanks
• navy had too many battleships but not enouch aircraft carriers
• airforce had too many bombers and not enough fighter planes
• no radar technology
• no defences against against aerial bombings
• still recovering from Abyssinia and Spanish Civil War

Question 11

Evidence that the Italian army was poorly coordinated

(8)

Answer 11

• no designated staff to plan war strategy
• bad coordination; army went without supplies for long periods of time
• poor intelligence + espionage; limited knowledge of happenings in other countries
• language barriers between officers and peasant conscripts; low morale
• outdated tactics; use of 19th century charges proved suicidal
• inadequate economy; USA made more aircrafts in a week than Italy in whole of 1942
• Mussolini gave vague and unclear instructions
• no clear military hierarchy

Question 12

What was the strategy developed for Italy’s entry into WWII?

Answer 12

Parallel War;
- Italy to concentrate on the Mediterranean and northern Africa
- Germany to focus on mainland Europe

Question 13

What was the strategy developed for Italy’s entry into WWII?

Answer 13

Parallel War;
- Italy to concentrate on the Mediterranean and northern Africa
- Germany to focus on mainland Europe

Question 14

How did Italian troops fare in France?

(3)

Answer 14

• 20th June 1940, Italian troops advanced into the French Alps; revealed lack of clothing suitable for Alpine conditions, lack of bombs to destroy fortifications, Mussolini insisted on using tanks unsuitable for terrain
• slow advance; captured 13 unimportant villages (inc. 2 small towns of Briancon & Modane) at the cost of 631 men, stalled by strong French resistance
• 22nd June 1940, Marshal Petain signed armistice with Germany; fascist papers claimed Italian invasion wsa key in this decision, but it just saved Italy from further embarrassment

Question 15

What preceeded the Italian invasion of France?

Answer 15

• 17th June 1940, before Italian troops had done any fighting France requested an armistice with Germany
• –> 18th June, Mussolini met with Hitler and demanded Corsica, Savoy, Nice, Tunisia, the Sudan, Somalia, Cyprus, Crete
  –> Hitler denied as did not want to lead French troops to defect, Mussolini felt he could not press demands further as Italian troops had done any fighting yet

Question 16

What happened as a result of the French armistice?

Answer 16

• 7th July 1940, Hitler told Ciano that Italy must wait until Britain is defeated to discuss territorial gains
• Mussolini ordered the partial demobilisation of Italian troops; mistakenly believed the war was virtually over and apprehended the German invasion of Britain

Question 17

How did Italian troops fare in North Africa?

(4)

Answer 17

• Oct 1940, Italian forces in Libya ordered to attack British positions
• early successes (eg. crossing into Egypt) = tactical British retreat
• Dec 1940, British forces counter-attacked; mass retreat of Italian troops 1,000 miles back into Libya
• first weeks of 1941, Italian force of 250,000 defeated by 30,000 British troops (better equipped)

Question 18

How did Italian troops fare in East Africa?

(5)

Answer 18

• May 1941, Italy had lost Eritrea, Somalia, and Abyssinia; 380,000 Italian troops had surrendered aand been taken prisoner
• British advance into Libya only halted by General Rommel = end to the parallel war
• Rommel had some early victories over the Allies
• Oct 1942, Rommel’s German-Italian army retreated after defeat at El-Alamein
• May 1943, German-Italian Axis surrendered in North Africa, Libya was lost, Allies were preparing for an invasion of Italy from Tunisia

Question 19

How did Italian troops fare in the Mediterranean?

(5)

Answer 19

• Mussolini had no consistent strategy for attacking key British positions in the Med.; confusing and inadequate strategy
• important British bases as Malta, Gibraltar, and Alexandria faced no sustained attack
• Nov 1940, Italian navy crippled by a British air attack
• poor coordination between the Italian navy and air force; July 1940, Italian airforce bombed its own ships
• Italy lacked aircraft carriers = could not launch a serious attack on British positions in the Med.

Question 20

Why did Mussolini invade Greece?

Answer 20

motivation had been shaped by the progression of WWII;
- Italian aims in Yugoslavia had been rejected by Germany
- Germany occupied Romanian oil fields
= Mussolini thought Hitler was trying to push Nazi influence onto the Balkans, disregarding their agreement
- occupying Greece would increase Italian influence in the Balkans and prove Mussolini’s power to Hitler; Hitler was not told about these plans

Question 21

Why was the Italian invasion of Greece poorly planned?

Answer 21

• Mussolini did not tell Hitler
• assumed the Greek army was 10X smaller than it actually was; thought 30,000 Greek troops so sent 60,000 Italian, but Greek army was actually 300,000
• believed Bulgaria would join the invasion; unfounded, they did not
• seaborne invasion, yet did not coordinate the navy and airforce
• bad choice of time; weather conditions in Greece mountains were extremely wet and freezing –> Italian forces bogged down with little mechanical support and uniforms disintegrating in rain

Question 22

How did the Italian invasion of Greece fare?

Answer 22

28th Oct 1940;
- Greek forces held up the Italian invasion
- Greek counter-attack took over 1/4 of Albania and inflicted painful defeats on Italian army and navy
- overall; 1/2 million Italian soldiers deployed in Greece, 32,000 killed, over 100,000 wounded
- Mussolini finally called on Germany for help; defeated Greek forces within 2 weeks

Question 23

When did the Allies invade Sicily?

Answer 23

9th July 1943, British, American, and Commonwealth troops invaded Sicily;
- conquered west Sicily in a week
- faced little opposition from Italian forces
- 17th Aug 1943, Allies had control of the whole island

Question 24

How did Italy respond to the allied invasion of Sicily?

(5)

Answer 24

• Mussolini’s Chief of Staff recommended surrendering the island and pulling back Italian forces to defend the mainland
• 19th July 1943, Mussolini met Hitler and asked him to transfer troops from Russia to help –> Hitler refused
• 19th July 1943 (same day), Allied planes bombed Rome for 2hrs; killed 1,500 people
• Mussolini asked one of his generals if there was a defence plan for Sicily despite being in charge of Italy’s entire military campaign
• German and Italian troops retreated successfully; able to reinforce strategic positions on the Italian mainland (Mussolini deposed by this point)