Italian Army in Europe 1940-43
Philip Jowett & Dmitriy Zgonnik
Much has been written about the major WWII antagonists such as
Germany. However, one of the Third Reich's most ardent supporters,
up until the time Mussolini was deposed from power, was Italy.
Indeed, when Italy declared war on France and Great Britain on 10
June 1940, it had a formidable total of 73 divisions. This new book
from Concord Publications addresses a glaring gap in terms of
providing photographic coverage of the Italian infantryman. Written
by Philip Jowett, the comprehensive introduction outlines the
relative merits and weaknesses of the Italian Army as it launched
into a new war on top of its protracted campaign in Ethiopia. It
must be noted that his book exclusively covers the Italian Army in
Europe, so North Africa is not included.
Spurred on by Mussolini, the Italian Army's first foray into WWII
was in the French Alps, followed by the invasion of Greece four
months later. Let down by inadequate supplies, the Italian Army
made heavy work of overcoming Greek resistance, and Hitler had to
commit German troops to the region. After this, Italian troops
carried out occupation duties in Greece, Albania and Yugoslavia.
The other major area of combat was in Russia, with large numbers of
troops committed in support of the German effort. Tragically,
85,000 Italian soldiers were to die or go missing in this rugged
theater. All of these aforementioned campaigns are well represented
in the selection of black and white photos. Beginning with pre-war
parades, the book then proceeds through to the freezing snowbound
landscapes of the wintry Eastern Front. The photos are interesting
in that they show all manner of uniform and personal weapon
details, as well as ancillary equipment like motorbikes, tankettes,
tanks, artillery pieces, mortars and wheeled vehicles.
Dmitriy Zgonnik has supplied four color plates that occupy a
central position in this book, and these are accompanied by useful
notes about uniforms and equipment. Extended captions pass on as
much information as possible about Italian soldiers, a topic that
few will probably be up to date on. This is a most welcome title in
this popular Concord series, and it brings to light a nation's
soldiers that played an important role in WWII.
Format 21 x 28 cm, Paperback, 52 Seiten, 140 s/w-Fotos, 4
Farbtafeln, englischer Text, Best.-Nr. Con6520