Second World War impacts

Question 1

What was the concept of the ‘parallel war’?

Answer 1

Italy would concentrate on the mediterranean basin, hinterland and northern africa while the germans would concentrate on northern, central and Eastern Europe

Question 2

When did the French request for an armistice?

Answer 2

17th June 1940

Question 3

What were some of mussolini’s demands after the armistice?
And why did hitler refuse?

Answer 3

Corsica, savoy, nice, Tunisia
- hitler explained that germany did not want to punish France too harshly that it would drive French troops defect to britain

Question 4

When did Italy’s first major engagement in the war take place? and what was it?

Answer 4

20th June
French alps

Question 5

what did the first major engagement reveal about Italy?
List some of the consequences.

Answer 5

• massive problems with the Italian army
• they lacked proper clothing for an alphine war
• mussolini insisted on using tanks that were completely inadequate for the terrain
  advance was slow and Italians captured 13 unimportant values at the cost of 631 men

Question 6

When did France sign an armistice with germany?

Answer 6

22th June 1940

Question 7

What did hitler say to ciano when they met on the 7th July? What mistake did mussolini make?

Answer 7

Italy must wait until the defeat of Britain before territorial claims could be discussed
- mussolini ordered the partial demobilisation of Italian troops

Question 8

When were Italian forces in Libya ordered to attack British positions?
Consequences for Italy?

Answer 8

• October 1940
• early successes due to a British retreat
• when Britain counter-attacked in dec the Italian forces fell into a massive retreat
• 1941: 250,000 force was defeated by 30,000 British soldiers

Question 9

What had Italy lost by may 1941?

Answer 9

• eritrea, somalia, abyssinia
• ## 380,000 Italian troops had surrendered

Question 10

By who was the British advance into Libya stopped by and what did this signal the end of?

Answer 10

• German troops under the command of general Erwin Rommel
• signalled the end of the parallel war concept as germany now had to engage in areas that hitler hope Italy would do the fighting

Question 11

Despite the mediterranean being a dominant focus what was mussolini lacking?

Answer 11

• a consistent strategy for attacking the key British positions in the mediterranean for example the strategically important British base in Malta did not face a sustained attack

Question 12

What was the effect of the British air attack in nov 1940? military state in general

Answer 12

• italian navy was cripples by the attack
• poor coordination between the air force and the navy (in July 1940 the air force bombed its own ships )
  Italy lacked aircraft carriers without which they could not launch a serious attack on British positions in the Mediterranean

Question 13

When did Italy launch the attack on Greece?

Answer 13

28th October 1940 (18th anniversary of the March on Rome)

Question 14

Why did mussolini have to ignore his aims in Yugoslavia?

Answer 14

• Yugoslavia had been rebuffed by its German ally and instead the nazis had occupied the Romanian oil fields
• this disregarded their separate spheres of influence

Question 15

why did mussolini invade Greece?

Answer 15

• it would increase Italy’s strategic position in the balkans
• power game between mussolini and hitler with the Italian leader deciding not to tell the nazi leader about the invasion of Greece

Question 16

What was the misconceptions regarding the Greece invasion?

Answer 16

• Greece only had 30,000 troops so mussolini only attacked with 60,000 when in fact Greece had 300,000 troops
• mussolini also believed that Bulgaria would join but this was completely unfounded

Question 17

List some of the other mistakes made during the Greece intervention.

Answer 17

• mussolini did not coordinate the attack with the navy or air force des[ite the fact that this was crucial for sea borne invasion
• choice of 28 October was poor due to the weather conditions in Greece which was extremely wet overall and freezing in the mountainous areas

Question 18

What were some of the consequences of the Greece disaster?

Answer 18

• greece counter-attacked taking over a quarter of Albania
• 1/2 million soldiers would be deployed, 32,000 killed and over 100,000 wounded
• mussolini had to call on germany who defeated the army within weeks

Question 19

impact on mussolini of the disaster in Greece?

Answer 19

• mussolini’s dictatorship seen to be weaker than Greece (not even considered a European power)
• defeat had a major impact on undermining their faith for fascist rule and mussolini
• confirmed Italy’s subservience to germany - mussolini was now tied to hitler

Question 20

Describe the weaknesses / faults of mussolini?

Answer 20

• mussolini was held positions of minister of war, navy, airforce and supreme commander of the Italian armed forces
• head of 5 different ministries –> hampered military effectiveness
• mussolini took all major decision without consultation of military experts
• if he left Rome gov would shut down as others were unable to make decisions without him
• he himself was unable to distinguish between trivial points and major decisions
• unable to coordinate navy, air force, army
• he was bored by detailed discussion
• he would call military meetings and give vague instructions on how to improve war production

Question 21

Compare the industry in the us compared to Italy.

Answer 21

• us industry could produce more aircraft in a week that Italy could produce in a year

Question 22

Describe the problems with the army?

Answer 22

• italy had 75 divisions but only enough equipment for 35
• lacked tanks and vehicles for the mechanised fighting in Africa
• rifles and cannons supplied by the army were dated from wwi
• very few aircraft carriers
• naval ships had no radar equipment
• air force outdated and they had no long-range bombers to attack British positions in egypt
• language problems between officer class and the peasant conscript
• tactics were outdated with the British reporting that the Italians often still employed 19th century charges agains the enemy positions

Question 23

How much oil did Italy import from Romania and was it enough?

Answer 23

• 1.5 million tonnes of oil
• this was half of what was required during peacetime

Question 24

Compare Italy’s steel production in 1943 to Britain’s

Answer 24

• italy - 1.7 million tonnes
• Britain - 14 million tonnes

Question 25

What did the Italian factories lack?

Answer 25

raw materials they required such as oil, steel, iron, rubber and aluminium

Question 26

Germany estimated that the Italian economy was only operated at around ____ of its potential.

Answer 26

25%

Question 27

What was the state of Italy’s employment compared to other countries?

Answer 27

• Italy still had tens of thousands of unemployed workers whereas other countries had moved to almost 100% employment

Question 28

Impact of war on food and basic necessities?

Answer 28

• coordination of food supplies for the Italians was poor
• food was rationed at every low levels
• adults were allowed only 1000 calories a day
• coffee became a luxury item
• poorer Italians struggled to get bread and pasta
• heating, shoes, soap were all in short supply

Question 29

During 5 march 1943 how many workers went on strike in Turin?

Answer 29

100,000

Question 30

What caused the strikes?

Answer 30

• combined effects of economic turmoil, rationing, food and clothing shortages and allied bombing
• strikes demanded pay for people forced to evacuate their homes

Question 31

why did the strikes end?

Answer 31

the government agreed tp increase the money for evacuees

Question 32

Which illegal newspaper reappeared in 1942?

Answer 32

L’unita

Question 33

Which antifascist groups formed in in 1942?

Answer 33

• ‘party of action’ - republicans, radical, left-leaning liberals
• christian democrats - made up members of the catholic action with the church backing

Question 34

How many arrests took place between march and June 1943 alone?

Answer 34

1,400 politcal arrests

Question 35

Where did the greatest danger for mussolini come from?

Answer 35

• conservative elites that he worked with to become pm
• Vatican, military leaders, industrialists and police were working together on how mussolini can be deposed and removed from war

Question 36

When did the axis troops in north africa surrender to allied forces under general Montgomery ?

Answer 36

13 may 1943

Question 37

When did britain, France land their troops in sicily?

Answer 37

9th July 1943

Question 38

What did mussolini’s chief of staff recommend during the invasion of sicily?

Answer 38

• recommended to surrender the island and pull italian forces back to defend the mainland

Question 39

When did mussolini met with hitler and what did mussolini ask for?

Answer 39

• 19th July
• asked the furrier to transfer troops and arms from Russia to the Mediterranean to help Italy but this refused

Question 40

How many people did allied planes that bombed Rome kill?

Answer 40

1,500

Question 41

How did mussolini display the clear inadequacies during the invasion of sicily?

Answer 41

• asked one of his generals if they was in a plan in place to defend sicily despite being charge of Italy’s military campaign

Question 42

What did the allies what in return of signing an armistice?

Answer 42

• mussolini removed from power
• 29th may: Roosevelt’s negotiator let it be known that the usa would negotiate a peace deal with an Italian military gov if the king dismissed mussolini

Question 43

For what date did the deputation of fascist manage to convince mussolini for a grand council meeting?

Answer 43

24 July 1943

Question 44

What was grandi’s (leading fascist) plan?

Answer 44

• drafted a resolution that called for the removal of mussolini and the gov to be placed in the hands of the king and canvassed support among the other fascist leaders
• kings advisors, army general and the heads of the police were also informed as their support was essential

Question 45

How many votes did grandi’s resolution receive?

Answer 45

19 for and 7 against

Question 46

What was Mussolini’s reaction?

Answer 46

He remained calm and did not encourage the supporters in the party that suggested that he act violently against the fascists who wanted to dismiss him –> possible that he had little concern for a vote he did not have to accept

Question 47

When did mussolini met the king?

Answer 47

25th July - the next day after the grand fascist council meeting

Question 48

What did the king say to mussolini and where was mussolini taken?

Answer 48

• the king said that mussolini would be replaced by badoglio
• mussolini was about to leave and was stopped by Franco maugeri and put into the back of a ambulance and taken to prison