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Military history of Italy during World War II

  • Operation CompassOn the 10th of June 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and France. This declaration triggered months of border skirmishes between Italian forces in Libya…
  • Italian invasion of EgyptIn June 1940, Italy declared war on France and Britain from the coast of Libya. The Italian 10th Army stood ready to cross into neutral Egypt.
  • Case AntonAdolf Hitler ordered the occupation of Vichy France on the 12th of November 1942. This decision followed a final conversation with French Prime Minister…
  • Italian invasion of British SomalilandOn the 9th of May 1936, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaimed the foundation of Italian East Africa. This new colony combined Italian Eritrea, Italian…
  • Italian occupation of FranceOn the 10th of June 1940, Italy declared war against France and Britain. Ten days later, Italian troops crossed into French territory.
  • Tunisian campaignThe first two years of the war in North Africa were defined by chronic supply shortages and transport problems. The North African coast has few natural…
  • Western Desert campaignIn the summer of 1940, a scorpion stung an Italian soldier near Sidi Omar. That small creature lived in the Western Desert, which stretched about 500 miles…
  • Anglo-Iraqi WarThe Kingdom of Iraq, also known as Mesopotamia, remained under British control through a League of Nations mandate until 1932.
  • Italian Social RepublicOn the 24th of July 1943, Dino Grandi presented a motion to the Grand Council of Fascism. The vote passed with twenty-one votes in favor and only seven…
  • Italian invasion of AlbaniaItalian naval strategists coveted the port of Vlorë and the island of Sazan because of their location at the entrance to the Bay of Vlorë.
  • Italian invasion of FranceBenito Mussolini stood before the Fascist Grand Council on the 30th of November 1938 and declared that Italy needed to reclaim territories like Corsica…
  • East African campaign (World War II)On the 9th of May 1936, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaimed the formation of Italian East Africa from Ethiopia after the Second Italo-Abyssinian…
  • Operation AchseOn the 9th of May 1943, two days after the fall of Tunis to Allied forces, the German High Command informed the Italian Supreme Command that three new units…