RangerJoe
Posts: 13450
Joined: 11/16/2015 From: My Mother, although my Father had some small part. Status: offline
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ORIGINAL: warspite1 I am currently reading Mussolini Unleashed 1939-1941 Politics and Strategy in Fascist Italy's Last War (Knox) I wasn't sure about buying this, but Martin Gilbert gave it a good review so thought it must have something going for it. I am about three chapters in (they are long chapters) and I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone interested in the European Theatre. I bought it due to the "Staff Study" Curtis Lemay brought up in the "The question to ask about The Italians" thread. I must admit, I thought I knew something about Mussolini and Italy in the build-up to, and the first years of, the Second World War but this book brings out so many things I wasn't aware of - and really brings out just how absurd the idea that Mussolini and Italy were Germany's puppets upon entry into the war really is. I knew Ciano was against the war but wasn't aware of much of what he actually did to try and keep things that way. I knew that Mussolini blew hot and cold over his relations with the Germans, but wasn't aware of the extent to which he was prepared to betray the Germans e.g. tipping off the Dutch and Belgians about, the then, imminent Germany attack in early 1940. This book is packed full of stats that evidence the dire state that the Italians found themselves in as Mussolini recovered from his anti-German stance and, in 1940, worked towards war despite the fact that the Italians were in no way ready..... I could see where if the Germans would have stuck to their original plans and the French and British would have crushed the German armies, that Little Bennie would have decided to attack Germany instead.
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Seek peace but keep your gun handy. I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing! “Illegitemus non carborundum est (“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”).” ― Julia Child
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