The Strategy and Politics of Fascist Italy during World War II

You will learn something new when reading this well written and well edited book about the war effort of Italy in World War II. The author has made great use of primary diplomatic materials from Great Britain, Italy, and Germany and are noted in his thin bibliography. Very well illustrated – some of the best I have seen and unique – but nary a map. Well footnoted, though almost half are from the Ciano Diaries and papers. The reoccurrence of "Ibid" in the footnotes is truly mind-boggling.

The book is not a military history, and I think it should have been titled The High Politics of Mussolini and Fascist Italy at War, 1939-1943. The book is essentially the goings on in Italy and between Italy and Germany at the highest levels, with Churchill, Franco, and Roosevelt forcefully entering the discussion from time to time.

The author quotes Ciano on Mussolini's desire to be known as a great war leader (he was not), "He has realized his dream: that of becoming the military Condottiero [leader] of the country at war." For Mussolini this was a driving force born in World War I and not slaked by the war with Abyssinia nor the Spanish Civil War.

It is nice to see the author emphasizing the importance of the planned 1942 World Exposition in Rome. Mussolini wanted to complete that 20-year celebration of his regime, gain a chunk of foreign exchange and then go to war afterwards. By the fall of 1942 he would have had newer tanks, more battleships and, most importantly, new artillery (the bulk of Italian artillery in 1940 were from the Great War).

The author is weak on his military knowledge. In discussing the attack in June of 1940 on France in the Alps border (p. 94), he notes 32 Italian divisions faced 6 French divisions, but fails to note that the Binary Italian division was substantially smaller than a regular French division (though they had been drained from 1939 on of personnel). He repeats this (p. 147) when discussing the war with Greece.

He credits Mussolini in the congratulatory letter to Hitler on the success in capturing Oslo and Copenhagen in 1940, when it was really Ciano who composed the note (pp. 74-75). The battle of Matapan (March of 1941) did not end Italy's bid for control of the Mediterranean (p. 147). Important naval operations would stretch through all of 1942.

There are some odd omissions. When in March of 1939 what was left of Czechoslovakia was occupied, he notes the Germans (of course) as well as Hungary grabbing some of the Czech land (primarily home to Hungarians) but fails to note Poland grabbing Trans-Olza (p. 13). Later, in his superficial examination of the Italian naval operations, he fails to note the Italian Special Forces crippling the last two British battleships in the Mediterranean in December of 1941. It was not a very good December for the Western Allies that year.

If you know little about Fascism and Italy in World War II, pass this book by unless you want to be checking on your tablet or computer all the time. This would be to see biographies of numerous Italian and non-Italian actors on this stage. If you want to know about what the Italian armed forces did or did not do, you will find little of that in this volume. If you want to know about Mussolini and his thinking during the war and his international interactions, you will find much of value in this book.

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Our Reviewer: Jack Greene is the author or co-author of numerous works in naval and military history, such as The Naval War in the Mediterranean, 1940-1943, Rommel's North Africa Campaign: September 1940-November 1942, and The Black Prince and The Sea Devils. He previously reviewed Field Marshal: The Life and Death of Erwin Rommel and The French Fleet: Ships, Strategy and Operations, 1870-1918, The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century, and Birth and Fall of an Empire: The Italian Army in East Africa .

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Note: Fascist Italy at War is also available in e-editions.

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