Mussolini Unleashed, 1939-1941: Politics and Strategy in Fascist Italy's Last WarThis book explores the motives, preparation, objectives, contact and consequences of Italy's war of 1940, which ended the country's role as a great power and reduced it to the status of first among Germany's satellites. What Professor Knox demonstrates more clearly than any previous biographer or historian is the limits of Mussolini's power. In particular, thanks to exhaustive research in the relevant archives, he has been able to throw important new light on Mussolini's relations with his military advisers and commanders. His scholarship is first-class, and for once a publisher's blurb does not exaggerate in claiming that his book is 'superbly written'. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
There has been much bluff | 3 |
Bellicose nonbelligerent | 44 |
2 Uneasy axis | 59 |
3 Toward commitment | 69 |
The most impatient of all Italians | 87 |
2 Mussolini unleashed | 116 |
JuneSeptember 1940 Duce strategy in the shadow of Sea Lion | 134 |
To the Berghof Italys end as a great power | 231 |
2 Disaster | 249 |
3 Consequences | 272 |
The meaning of Fascist Italys last war | 286 |
The diaries of Count Galeazzo Ciano | 291 |
Military expenditure Italy and the powers compared | 292 |
Abbreviations | 297 |
Notes | 300 |
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Common terms and phrases
action Air Force aircraft Albania Alfieri Allies Amedeo apparently Armellini armored Army's attack attempted August Axis Badoglio Balbo Balkan Berlin Bono Bottai Brenner Britain British bundle 45 Cavagnari Cavallero Ciano Comando Supremo Corfù December decision defensive despite diary divisions Djibouti Duce Egypt Epirus Faldella Farinacci Fascist fleet folder foreign France French Führer German Germany's GNR PG Graziani Greece Greek guerra Guzzoni Halder Halifax high command Hitler ibid insisted Italian Italy Italy's Jacomoni July June Korçë KTB/OKW L'Italia Libya Loraine Luftwaffe Mackensen to AA Marras Mediterranean memorandum Mersa Matruh Milan military minister Musso Mussolini NARS naval Navy North Africa November October offensive operation Palazzo Venezia Pariani peace political Pricolo proposed Regia Aeronautica regime regime's remarks Ribbentrop Rintelen Roatta Roatta letters Rome Rumania Senise September service chiefs situation Soddu solini Soviet strategy subordinates tion troops Vent'anni victory Visconti Prasca Wehrmacht Yugoslav Yugoslavia