I'm interested in Italy's performance and strategy

>>2850026
>Italian military performance in one of the world wars
You should already have the answer

>>2850026
https://www.amazon.com/Path-Victory-Mediterranean-Theater-World/dp/0374529760

It doesn't exclusively focus on the Italian performance, but it's a good book on the Mediterranean theater.

>>2850026
>Italy's performance and strategy in North Africa
bad

>>2851381
this

the only good thing shitalians are good for is dying off to make room for more worthy people.

>>2851381
>>2851417
all memes aside the Italians did the best they could with only 9 months worth of oil reserves and tanks that were average at best in the 1930's.

Where Italy's army suffered, the Navy picked up the slack, trading blow for blow with the Royal Navy until the Regia Marina ran out of fuel and was forced to remain a port for the rest of the war.

a few gems can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Agreement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Harpoon_(1942)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Vigorous

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pedestal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Alexandria_(1941)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Abstention

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Souda_Bay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Algiers

bumpo

>>2851770
Didn't the Italian navy get rekt Pearl Harbor style while they were in port at Taranto.

>>2851930
Not really. Due to the Brits being absolute amateurs at carrier ops compared to the Japanese and Americans, they only succeeded in sinking 1 battleship and crippling another with that golden opportunity and all the preparation in the world. Of the three Italian battleships torpedoed, Conte di Cavour was raised, but was still under repairs when Italy switched sides, but the other two - Littorio and Caio Duilio - were back in action in under six months. But the Italians didn't even wait that long. Five days after Taranto the remaining Italian battleships sortied and disrupted an attempt by the British to supply Malta with aircraft from the carrier Argus. To avoid contact with the Italian fleet, the Argus launched her aircraft too soon, and as a result most of them were lost.

And then a year after Taranto, on 19 December 1941, the Italians would get their revenge, with their frogmen slipping into Alexandria Harbour and knocking the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant out of action. Following the torpedoing of Barham and Ark Royal in November of 1941, this effectively wiped out the British heavy assets in the Med, and gave naval superiority to the Italians.

from what i understand of pre war Italy, they refused foreign companies coming in for the oil (which wouldve meant massive $$$ for them which they needed ATT) in favor of italian companies, which botched it completely and ended up forcing italy to IMPORT oil into libya, which is ludicrous

>>2850620
Shit book, do not read.

>>2851954
Oil wasn't even found in Libya until after the war.
The conquest of Libya was frequently criticised by the political opposition as an useless bloodbath for a "Box of sand" in 1911.

>>2853889
That's not actually quite true. Oil was first discovered in Libya in 1940, (Completely by accident. A local was trying to dig a water well and struck oil near the surface) but there wasn't nearly enough time to even determine the extent of the deposits, let alone actually develop any of them.

>>2853827
why?

>>2853889
sorry, i meant he refused foreign companies to come look for oil and had italian oil companies doing stuff in libya unrelated to oil (sponge iron, etc)

there are some great books.
basically, when italy declared they were joining WW2 they forgot to warn their north african officers in time so they were caught pants down by the first british attacks in north africa. most of the officers were incompetent. Politicans seeking power were put as officers with lackluster training. Italy also lacked industrial power, and the army was more of a symbol used for propaganda than anything else. Even italy's minor participation in the french invasion by germany was a disaster.