West European Studies

There are four general factors which influenced Italys poor performance in World War II. Here are as follows 1) outdated weaponry and lack of a large military industrial complex, 2) poor leadership, 3) deprived willingness to fight, and 4) outdated military tactics.

Outdated Weaponry and the Lack of a Military Industrial Complex
After the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Italy was not ready for an offensive war. Mussolini, however, was desperate in redrawing the map of Europe and ignored the state of Italys military industrial complex. Italys industrial complex was not ready to produce guns, ammunition, planes, and trucks. At the beginning of the war, the Italian army was equipped with WWI weapons, far from the weaponry of either Germany or the Allies. For example, Italian artillery included a contingent of horse artillery. Newer models were available but never produced in large numbers. Modern tanks (like what the Germans used) were non-existent. The so-called Italian tank was nothing but a patrol tank. The Italian air force was composed of bi-planes used during the First World War. Italy simply lacked the industrial power to mass produce weapons.

Poor Leadership
Before the start of the war, Italy had some capable generals. When Mussolini took power, he filled the officer corps with men whose only qualification was loyalty to him. Italian ambition in Greece was shattered after the Italian army was defeated by the weaker Greek army. Italian invasions of Egypt and other British holdings failed. Toynbee observed that when poorly led Italian troops were under German forces, they fought better. Italian forces which participated in Operation Barbarossa fought well. Some Italian regiments like the Alpini and Voloire were legendary. In North Africa, Italians also fought well under General Erwin Rommel, also known as the Desert Fox.

Deprived Willingness to Fight
From the start, Italy was not interested in the war. When Mussolini announced Italys entry into the war, the public response was despair. Italian soldiers had no desire to fight an unwarranted war. The Italian attempt to conquer Greece was met with fierce resistance from a people who fought the Ottoman Turks for more than a century.

Outdated Military Tactics
Italian military theory was essentially based on trench warfare. The idea was fairly simple. It is possible for a well-entrenched lone machine gun post to resist a battalion of men. The function of tanks was limited to providing assistance to advancing infantrymen. The German invasion of Poland introduced a new concept in military science, the blitzkrieg or lightning war. The Italian High Command seemed not to be perplexed by the speed of the German invasion. Mussolini ordered the formation of armored division. However, at this time, Italy had no industrial capacity to mass produce new tanks.

In summary, the factors mentioned above accounted for Italys poor performance during the Second World War.