Quote:
Originally Posted by Skipper67
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl W Schwamberger
It might have been smarter for the Allies to leave Italy alone and let Il Duce's bumbling continue to drain Germany.
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Interesting thought. It would be nice to actually start a "what if" topic on this alone. The question about Germany gettinig stronger or weaker with or without Italy is worth a debate.
The Germans would still have to invade the Balkans because if they had left the Greeks and the British going up north, Austria might not have secure for long and Yougoslavia unocupied would have been too dangerous. |
Actually the question has been on discussion boards before. There is onesuch from a year or two ago buried on the Commando Supremo site.
Comando Supremo: Italy at War :: Index
I cant recall exactly where the other was. From economic analysis, like that found in Ellis's 'Brute Force' it is clear Italy was not contributing much to the overall Axis war effort by 1942. Between the defeats in Africa & Russia, and the start of Alied heavy bomber attacks on Italys industry/transportation morale on the home front was declining.