Fascist Italy At War

In the late 1930s, Fascist Italy's participation in three wars - in Ethiopia, Spain, and Albania - had taxed its martial capabilities to the utmost. In June 1940, seduced by the prospect of glory on the battlefield and swift territorial acquisitions, Mussolini brought Italy into the war alongside his powerful German ally. This great folly, committed while the Italian Armed Forces were grossly unprepared for a sustained conflict against the Allied Powers, culminated in the deposition of the Duce, an Anglo-American invasion of Italy, and a brutal occupation by its former Axis partner. This book provides a revelatory account of Italy's role in the Second World War.