On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, the international situation was turbulent and Italy was faced with a difficult choice. King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy was well aware of his country's national conditions. Although Italy at that time had great ambitions to revive the ancient Roman Empire, the reality was extremely cruel. Economically, the aftermath of the world economic crisis in 1929 is still lingering, and Italy has been deeply affected by it. Industrial resources such as coal, oil, rubber, strategic metals, etc. are extremely scarce and it is almost entirely dependent on imports. Its industrial development lags behind, and there is a significant gap compared with other major powers. , the national finances had an unprecedented deficit due to increased military investment and consumption in the Ethiopian and Spanish wars, and were simply unable to support a large-scale war. The military aspect is also not optimistic. The Army seems to have 74 divisions, which can be specially organized. The actual strength is only equivalent to 50 divisions of other countries. The equipment is outdated and backward. The infantry divisions have few motor vehicles. They rely on donkeys and horses to march. The artillery firepower is weak and the ammunition is of poor quality. , the main force of the armor is the vulnerable ultra-light Tanks; although the number of Air Force aircraft is nearly 3,300, only 1,600 are capable of combat. There are few advanced fighters and lack of key equipment, and their combat capabilities are limited. The configuration of Navy ships is unreasonable, with no aircraft carriers and lack of radars. Sea and air coordination is chaotic, and there have been incidents An own goal that mistakenly hit his own air marshal. Based on these practical difficulties, Vittorio Emanuele III concluded that Italy was not ready for war and was therefore cautious about participating in the war. But Mussolini had other plans. On the one hand, he always believed that territorial expansion could relieve domestic economic pressure, and fantasized about acquiring resources and markets through foreign conquest to pass on the economic crisis. On the other hand, Germany was unstoppable in the early stage of the European battlefield and achieved successive victories in the Blitzkrieg. This gave Mussolini great confidence and made him believe that Italy could also get a share of the war by allying with Germany. In addition, Italy's previous victories in the wars against Ethiopia and Spain made him overestimate the strength of his country's military. Regardless of many domestic problems and opposition, he insisted on tying Italy onto a Nazi tank and plunged it into the upcoming world war. middle. At the beginning of the war, Italy maintained a wait-and-see attitude for a period of time. When Germany quickly swept through Poland, Denmark, Norway and other countries with its blitzkrieg, Mussolini saw what seemed to be a profitable opportunity, could not restrain his inner desire for expansion, and decided to join the war.

The Italian army took the lead in the African battlefield, trying to seize Britain's African colonies by relying on its years of local business foundation, and realize Mussolini's ambition to build a "new Roman Empire" and make the Mediterranean Sea his inner lake. In early July 1940, the Italian army used Abyssinia as a base to launch an attack on British troops in Sudan and Kenya. At first, due to the weak local situation of the British army, the Italian army made smooth progress and occupied some important strongholds in Sudan and Kenya. However, the good times did not last long. With the arrival of British reinforcements and the heroic resistance of the local guerrillas, the situation of the Italian army took a turn for the worse. By April 1941, the remnants of the Italian army led by the Duke of Aosta surrendered to the British army in the East African battlefield, and Mussolini's dream of establishing an East African empire was completely shattered. During the same period, in the North African battlefield, the Italian troops stationed in North Africa took advantage of Germany's large-scale bombing of the British mainland in September 1940 to launch an attack on the British army from eastern Cyrenaica in an attempt to invade Egypt and seize the British army's main naval base. Alexandria and the Suez Canal. However, in order to safeguard its colonial interests in the Mediterranean and North Africa, the British army quickly dispatched reinforcements to defend Egypt. On December 7, General Wavell led 30,000 troops and a tank brigade to launch a counterattack against the Italian army from the south of Matruh. In just one and a half months, the British army annihilated 9 Italian divisions and captured 130,000 Italian soldiers at a small cost of less than 2,000 casualties. The Italian army suffered heavy losses, and the initiative in the North African battlefield gradually fell to the British army. in hand. In the European battlefield, on June 10, 1940, when the German army quickly invaded France and approached Paris, and the French government fled Paris, Mussolini believed that the time had come and finally gave up his neutral position and declared war on France. However, the performance of the Italian army was shocking. By June 18, about 32 Italian divisions fought fiercely with 6 French divisions on the Alpine front and the southern coast for a week, but failed to force the French army to take a step back. Although at this time, The French divisions guarding the French-Italian border were threatened by German attacks from behind. The combat effectiveness and fighting will of the Italian army were evident. Faced with these initial war conditions, although Vittorio Emanuele III was worried about the direction of the war, he did not interfere too much in military operations considering the domestic public opinion environment and the power balance with Mussolini. At that time, fascist propaganda was rampant in Italy, and the people were indoctrinated with ideas such as restoring the glory of the ancient Roman Empire and expanding externally to gain living space. A large number of young people were inspired to join the army, full of enthusiasm for war, and believed that this was the only way for Italy to achieve glory. People in the business community are driven by interests and hope to use war to open up new markets, obtain resources, and find a way out of economic difficulties. They support war measures to a certain extent. Only a few knowledgeable people saw the problems of Italy's lack of preparation and the huge potential risks of war, and privately expressed their concerns about participating in the war. However, in the fanatical atmosphere at the time, their voices were drowned. This complexity of domestic public opinion made it difficult for Vittorio Emanuele III to forcefully reverse the situation in the early stages of the war. He could only wait and see for the time being, hoping that the war situation would develop in a direction favorable to Italy. As the war progressed, the situation became increasingly unfavorable to the Axis powers. On the Soviet-German battlefield, the German army encountered stubborn resistance from the Soviet Red Army. From the cold winter predicament of the Battle of Moscow to the brutal street fighting of the Battle of Stalingrad, the German army suffered heavy losses, was severely weakened, and was forced to shift to strategic defense.

The Italian army originally joined the German army in attacking the Soviet Union, hoping to get a share of the benefits. However, the reality is that not only did the Italian army fail to reap the benefits, they also suffered heavy losses on the icy and snowy Eastern Front battlefield where supplies were scarce. A large number of soldiers were captured, frostbitten, and died of frostbite. , morale is extremely low. In addition, the domestic economy also suffered. Industrial production came to a standstill due to Allied bombing, insufficient food supply triggered large-scale public protests, anti-war sentiment rose, and the fascist regime was on the verge of collapse. Faced with such a severe situation, Vittorio Emanuele III was distraught. He knew that Italy had been dragged into the abyss of war by Mussolini, and if it continued to follow the German army and resist, the country would be in dire straits. Therefore, he frequently met secretly with the big capitalists of the domestic monopoly bourgeoisie and analyzed the situation to them: "The war has left Italy riddled with holes, industry has been paralyzed, agricultural harvests have failed, and people's lives have been miserable. If the losses are not stopped in time, our lives will be miserable." Wealth and status will all be lost.” The big capitalists were initially hesitant due to their habitual support for the fascist regime and their misjudgment of the war situation. However, as the situation became clearer, some began to waver. At the same time, the king also had many secret conversations with senior officers of the three armies, and solemnly pointed out: "The Italian army has suffered a complete defeat on all fronts, with huge losses in equipment and soldiers. If the war continues, the army will be completely disintegrated. We must consider the future of Italy and find an end." Time for war.” Some officers also realized the seriousness of the problem and were moved by the king's proposal. After all, they had witnessed the tragic defeat on the battlefield and were well aware of the army's plight. However, the situation is changing rapidly. Just when all parties in Italy began to think about their retreat, the German army occasionally launched counterattacks on local battlefields and achieved small victories. This made some initially shaken military officers and capitalists change their minds. They were lucky, imagining that the German army could turn things around again, and that Italy could still Gaining profits from the war and continuing to ignore the king's proposal to end the war made Italy sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of the war. The discovery of Libyan oil fields was like a blockbuster, instantly disrupting Italy's original strategic layout and domestic balance of power. Before that, although Italy had coveted Libya for a long time and regarded it as a key part of Africa's colonial territory, it mainly focused on geopolitical significance and hoped that by controlling this land, it could build a strategic channel connecting Eritrea, Ethiopia and other colonies. , and then build a huge African colonial empire, making the Mediterranean its own "inner lake", opening up a broad market for Italian goods, and alleviating domestic economic difficulties. When the oil field was discovered, the entire country of Italy was shocked by its huge economic value. According to exploration data at the time, Libya's oil fields have staggering reserves. The preliminary estimated oil reserves are enough to meet Italy's domestic industrial needs for decades, and can also export a large amount to earn foreign exchange. For Italy, which is trapped in an economic quagmire and lacks resources, It is undoubtedly a life-saving straw. stone Oil not only means self-sufficiency in energy and getting rid of dependence on imported oil, but also means that core industrial sectors such as the military industry and chemical industry will gain continuous power and have the opportunity to achieve leapfrog development and reshape Italy's economy in Europe and the world. status. At a strategic level, the existence of oil fields has suddenly increased the importance of the North African battlefield. Previously, Italy's operations in North Africa were more in line with Mussolini's expansion fantasies, and military operations lacked consistency and determination. Now, in order to firmly control the oil fields, the Italian army must go all out to stabilize its rule in Libya. This caused serious disagreements among Italian high-level officials on strategic decision-making. King Vittorio Emanuele III originally advocated shrinking the front line and preserving strength in order to cope with the increasingly severe economic and social problems in the country and avoid excessive involvement in the quagmire of war; but the oil field The temptation made Mussolini and other fascist hardliners even more fanatical and insisted on increasing military investment in North Africa, trying to rely on oil resources to support a long-term war and realize their ambition to dominate the Mediterranean. The balance of domestic power is also quietly tilting. On the pretext of protecting oil interests and achieving national rejuvenation, Mussolini further strengthened the fascist regime's control over the state machinery. He trumpeted the bright prospects that Libya's oil fields would bring to the public, confusing people's hearts and causing a temporary rebound in public support for the war. Fascist forces used this to consolidate the foundation of their rule. Please...you...collect_6_9_书_Bar (Six//Nine//Books//Bar) Some military officers and capitalists who originally had doubts about Mussolini due to the defeat in the war, in the hope of oil wealth, once again fell into his camp and gave the green light to his plan to expand armaments and deploy more troops. This resulted in the king's voice being greatly weakened in the decision-making process. Fortunately, there is always a road ahead. As the US military has increased its focus on the European battlefield, a large number of US troops and equipment have arrived in the British Isles. Every day, a large number of planes bombed the German hinterland. This led to a huge shrinkage in the German military's industrial production, and even problems occurred in various battlefields. It is precisely because of this that Vittorio Emanuele III felt that his opportunity had come.

In addition, the Allies sent people to lobby and persuade the Italian army to withdraw from the Axis and join the Allies to fight against Germany. Not only that, but various conditions were promised. The Allied forces' persuasion to surrender was like a timely rain, bringing Italy a glimmer of hope out of the quagmire of war. During the contacts between Allied representatives and all forces in Italy, they elaborated on the situation in which the defeat of the Axis powers was certain, as well as the many benefits of Italy joining the Allied camp. These promises are undoubtedly very attractive to Italy, which is in trouble. Vittorio Emanuele III knew that this was an excellent opportunity for Italy to escape the predicament of the war and avoid greater losses for the country. He held secret discussions with his cronies to weigh the pros and cons. On the one hand, if Italy continues to follow Germany, it will face a more severe situation, the domestic economy and society will suffer greater damage, and may even face the danger of national subjugation; on the other hand, although joining the Allies also involves certain risks, it can Gaining the support of the Allies would hopefully restore the country's vitality after the war. After careful consideration, Vittorio Emanuele III decided to seize the opportunity. He began to secretly cooperate with the Allies to prepare for Italy's defection. He communicated with senior military officials and persuaded them to support his decision. At the same time, he also arranged for his cronies to get in touch with domestic anti-fascist forces to win their support. As news spread of Vittorio Emanuele III's contacts with the Allies, the situation in Italy became more complicated. Some pro-Fascist forces expressed dissatisfaction with the king's actions and tried to prevent Italy from defecting. These forces launched propaganda offensives in the country, trying to incite popular sentiment and get them to continue to support the fascist regime and the war. However, more Italians were tired of the war. They saw the huge damage the war had brought to the country and longed for peace. Anti-fascist forces also took the opportunity to launch large-scale protests, demanding that the government end the war and join the Allied forces. These protests have received support from the general public and have made the situation in the country even more tense. "We must arrest Mussolini and end all this chaos." Vittorio Emanuele III shook his head and made up his mind. "Yes, His Majesty the King." All the confidants responded immediately. (End of chapter)