Events
June10, 1940
Italy declares war on Britain
June11
Italian planes attack Malta
British skirmish in African desert
September13
Italy launches failed invasion of Egypt
October28
Italy begins invasion of Greece
NovemberGreek resistance forces Italians into retreat
April6, 1941
Germany attacks Yugoslavia
April17
Yugoslavia surrenders
Late AprilBritish forces retreat from Greece
May20
German forces attack British troops on Crete
MayBritish forces retreat from Crete
Key People
-
Benito Mussolini
Italian Fascist prime minister whose territorial
ambitions drew Italy into the war in June 1940
-
Erwin Rommel
German
field marshal and tank specialist; helped Italian forces in Egypt;
was also involved in later North African campaigns
Italy’s Entrance
On June 10, 1940, Italy declared
war on France and Britain, largely because its Fascist prime minister, Benito
Mussolini, had territorial and imperial ambitions of his
own. At this time, Britain had already evacuated from Dunkirk, and
German troops were moving steadily toward Paris—which meant it was
too late for Italian forces to take a serious part in the battle.
Hitler himself observed with annoyance that the Italians were in
effect riding on his coattails so as to share in the spoils without
having to take part in the dirty work. Nevertheless, Germany and
Italy were soon allied together as the Axis Powers, and
Italy’s entrance into the war set off a chain reaction that brought war
to much of the Mediterranean region.
Italian Conquests in Africa
Following its war declaration, Italy made its first moves
in North Africa and other regions of the southern Mediterranean. On
June 11, 1940,
the Italian air force attacked Malta, while, on the same day, British
planes carried out a small bombing raid on the Italian colony of
Eritrea (in Africa) as well as on the Italian cities of
Genoa and Turin. Skirmishes continued in Africa throughout the
summer, but the war there did not begin in earnest until August 3,
when Italian forces invaded British Somaliland. This
attack marked the opening of the East Africa campaign and
was a total defeat for Britain, which was forced to abandon the
area within days.
A second Italian offensive into British-occupied Egypt on
September 13 was a
catastrophic failure. Although heavily outnumbered, the British
defenders decimated the Italian forces, taking large numbers of
prisoners and advancing well into Italian-held territory. This Italian
defeat prompted Germany to get involved by sending its best tank
divisions under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Germany’s
most celebrated commander of mechanized forces.
Greece
The Italian invasion of Greece began on October 28, 1940,
using forces based in Albania. Mussolini began the attack without
consulting or even informing Hitler, who was incensed upon hearing
the news. Greece, a country of difficult, mountainous terrain, also
had a respectable army that fought the Italians doggedly. In November, Greek
forces broke through the Italian line and over the next few months
were able gradually to push the invaders back to the Albanian border.
It was not long before Britain began providing air support in Greece’s
defense. As in Egypt, Mussolini had bitten off more than his military
could chew. Germany, however, bided its time and allowed the Italians
to flounder.
Germany’s Intervention
By March 1941,
the situation for the Italians had deteriorated so badly that Hitler
was finally forced to step in. This decision raised a new problem,
however, in that neutral Yugoslavia refused to grant
German forces permission to cross its territory. Therefore, on April 6,
Germany invaded Yugoslavia using its standard blitzkrieg method.
Yugoslavia surrendered on April 17,
and the German forces quickly moved onward to Greece.
By this time, Britain had forces on the ground in Greece
to help the fight against the Germans. The British help was not
enough, however, and by the end of April, all British forces had
evacuated Greece, and the country fell totally under German control.
One more battle broke out when the Luftwaffe struck the British
garrison on the island of Crete on May 20.
Heavy fighting followed, but by the end of the month, the British
again had to evacuate.
