Remedial Polymath

Intro

Welcome to the second episode about Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini, the most consequential yet overlooked man from the most recollected and meaningful war ever. 

In this episode – as opposed to the episode prior concerning what happened before World War II – we will explore what this man did during the war, why he did what he did, why it was so meaningful, how it helped the Allies and hurt the Axis, and maybe why this isn’t talked about so much. 

While you may look back at this period, the war in Europe, and the Axis powers’ loss, you have probably focused on traits such as anger, murder, hate, and greed. With the Allies’ win, you may focus on bravery, faith, generosity, and virtue. That’s all fine and, for the most part, true. 

But now, I challenge you to look at the Axis’ loss and the Allies’ win through betrayal. It is not ambiguous like Hitler betraying humanity, but something specific: Mussolini betraying his friends, neighbors, and countrymen. Also, there is a good dash of buffoonery worthy of unpacking.

Seriously, stay tuned, because some severe buffoonery is headed your way. Buffoonery may be a playful word, but you will see that partaking in it can have harmful consequences. 

These aspects of the story are so very significant. If you want to understand how the world got to where it is now or if such a historical exercise may engage you, then here we go with these exciting collections of thoughts and stories. Here we go with – at least to my mind – a novel approach to one of the most-told stories of all time. 

Here is what we shall cover:

• Theodicy and the philosophy of why evil exists
• The sin of betrayal, the worst sin of all, to Dante al least
• Why this war matters more than any other and affects your life significantly right now
• Mussolini’s betrayal in switching from non-belligerence to declaring war on France and Great Britain
• How Mussolini’s betrayal affected FDR and American isolationism
• Italy’s Treacherous Invasion Of Greece
• Mussolini’s misadventures in North Africa
• How Mussolini greatly hampered Hitler’s invasion of the USSR
• How and why Hitler, after all of Mussolini’s mistakes, still came to his aid
• How and why everything ended for Mussolini
• What this all means

We will not explore this man, his decisions, and the impact of those decisions in any usual way. Be forewarned. There are plenty of those discussions out there, a gigantic multitude, and they can exhaust even a history nut like me. And if you are someone who might say, “wait, what do you mean, I don’t know about WWII much anyhow.” No worries! (You may be better off anyway, and I sometimes may even envy you.) If that is you, this should still interest you because it’s outlandish how this one guy and his vindictive and silly mistakes truly helped create the world you currently live in.  

If you consider yourself a fan of WWII history, this should absorb you, as I will not just tell you what happened; I will challenge you to look at it through a different lens. 

And with a bit of luck, your view of the past will be ruined forever. (Sarcasm)

If the beginning of this exploration (the philosophical part yet to come) throws any of you off, just please stick it out. If nothing else, you’ll have a questioningly fun head scratch.

But that is the point.

At least here it is, at least a little bit. 

We shall take a slight philosophical leap in this episode. It may even come across as a bit outlandish at first, but I felt it is necessary and provides just a bit of lightness. Because, frankly, this stuff gets laughable. How could such globally momentous events be done because of such childish inspirations?! And if the philosophical leap isn’t for you, then there will be a whole lot of exciting storytelling about our collective history, and you can set the leap aside. 

Also, this is probably the right time to relate this; if you haven’t checked out episode one, in which we examine Mussolini, Hitler, and Fascism, as well as how Mussolini was so forgotten, harmful, and influential upon the Nazis – then check that out first. Or check it out later. Just check it out sometime. Having the complete picture will only be beneficial. 

What will immediately follow in the next section, as I hinted at before, is that you may initially think it is a theological argument and that being a secular nonbeliever excludes you from the discussion (again, just the next part, not the whole episode). I want to push back on that right now. These may be deep thoughts, but at the end of the day, they are just thoughts about people being people. They can be understood outside of any belief in God or biblical dogma, even if the argument and philosophical discussion initially stem from that. Sometimes, discussions relating to God are a great way to explore how people being people can relate to good, evil, free will, and the consequences of decisions. At least, that’s how people used to discuss questions like this, and if nothing else, it’s valuable to understand the eternal nature of these philosophical questions.

I genuinely don’t believe the dogma we’re going to discuss. Yet, if it fits, use it!

Word to the wise, this episode is dense, it is not short. And I promise the next episode will be shorter and more fun. But for this one these were my genuine thoughts and what came out of my mind when doing a lot of research. I felt it was important to dive deeply into this so that I can challenge every one to receive something novel out of it. Please stick with it, it will lead you somewhere. It also has some crazy and entertaining stories. Also, if are thinking I am really throwing a lot of shade of this italian guy from a long while back, do not worry, at the end I will throw a lot of shade at current age America, which is my country.

Let’s move into it. 

Theodicy

Let’s talk about Theodicy. 

It is a philosophical pursuit; at least, that is one way to put it. It is a question many thinkers have chewed on. Here is a formal definition:

1. Theodicy is a theological and philosophical concept that attempts to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering in the world with the belief in a benevolent and all-powerful God. It seeks to provide explanations or justifications for why an omnipotent and loving God would allow evil to exist.

Basically, it is trying to figure out if God is good and omnipresent, then why does evil exist? But here is the thing: many people who pursue this question come to a similar answer: it is because sinners – aka bad people (you know, many of the central actors in WWII) – don’t realize they are screwing themselves over through their sins. Through this, a greater net good can emerge even if suffering may happen before the greater good shows itself. We may not ever understand it entirely or ever be able to grasp it in real-time, but – just maybe – the sinners are allowed to do this because it may lead to a better world than there would have been otherwise. Therefore, free will is allowed to coexist with a benevolent God.  

That is the critical part. Free will exists for humans, as does evil, but there is still this odd relationship with those who act badly, and a net good is still created in the long run.

If you find yourself with a questioning raised eyebrow, it is understandable. Philosophy, often mocked, is challenging. All the more so when applied to the real-life past, present, or future. This is even more true when free will is a part of the conversation.

Imagine that free will exists; horrible things happen due to this, but even so, there often seems like there is a soft push – a quiet hand – that assures that assholes, in the long run, will screw themselves, their goals, and/or their movements over. Or, as Martin Luther King Jr. similarly conveyed, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” 

It may be impossible to understand or apply outside of the long passage of time. Still, no religion or belief structure is needed to believe that if you are a genuinely terrible person, you will eventually create more harm for yourself and be robbed of your goals. Also, you don’t have to be a believer to understand that we can never know what would have happened otherwise in our history if things had not happened the way they did. 

At some point, a massive sinner will not only create unhappiness for themselves and other the sinners they walk the world with, the ilk of their time, but those that stay a “good” person will eventually create a net good even if some of those good people will not live to see the greater good emerge. That is tough to swallow, I realize that, but human life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as I know we are all very aware of…

To put it one way, this is the philosophical pursuit we call Theodicy.  

There are even people who meditate on this and point to the Bible and 1 Tim 1:15,16, where Paul thinks he is the worst sinner he knows but also feels that it is because of his sins that he eventually found Jesus Christ, which has led him a greater good in his life. 

This is not a bible-thumping point, I must again stress this. 

While Paul’s story is a personal interpretation, as opposed to one involving international events, the conclusion is similar. People often interpret it as the idea that God uses Sinners—or at least it appears that way. Again, God isn’t necessary for this observation; put in another word of your choice.

I really need to stress this big aside. I promise I am not resting these thoughts on religious statements. You can be 100% secular; this remains a statement worth pondering. I personally do not believe the texts I am pointing to in the literal way they were meant to be understood.  

I will beat this dead horse so that, importantly, I do not exclude anyone from this episode, which I certainly do not want to do. 

When pondering Theodicy, many nonbelievers, like the philosopher Immanuel Kant, came to a similar conclusion, in his own way and without a belief in God. It is just being said to reflect on the idea that maybe people can screw themselves and their goals over solely through being immoral. The result is a net greater good regardless of how painful, horrible, and even evil things are in the moment (and for many, forever, as the net greater good doesn’t apply to them as they or their loved ones may perish before they can experience the greater good).

This may not always apply throughout history or in every instance, but we all understand that this has often happened and has happened in an example of massive consequences, and events can and do work out like this! At least, it often happens; we can agree on that. 

You don’t have to believe in God to understand that you can’t comprehend light without darkness. 

We can never know how worse things throughout history could have potentially gone had they not gone the way they did. Sometimes, history shows us someone who just sinned their way into a better outcome for the world.

I think this happened in WWII with Mussolini. Without him and his penchant for betrayal, there is a very strong possibility that we may be living in a world where the Axis won the war in Europe. We are all the better for him being a particular type of lousy human. 

This is what we will explore. 

Moving on.

Betrayal

Mussolini was obsessed with Italy and Italians, yet he forgot to understand one of his most celebrated brethren’s most influential works. Or at least it seems that way. Even though it is said that he read Dante and his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, it appears he never absorbed some of the central messages it contained. In it, Dante tells us a story about being led through the many layers of Hell. It is in the ninth “circle” of Hell he tells us that he finds Satan, along with betrayers; he tells us that in this layer, “The Ground Where We Was Held, He Now Lays.”

Basically, he says that traitors and, specifically, Satan have created the dire situation they now lie in. 

It is important here to understand that betrayal can take many forms. Understanding this will put the rest of the discussion in a better light. Because it is a word in which you may have one understanding of, but is actually quite variable and may encompass more than you thought, at least in this moment.     

1. Betrayal of Trust: This is perhaps the most common form of betrayal depicted in “Inferno.” It includes betrayals between friends, family members, and those in positions of authority who abuse their power or deceive others who trust them.
2. Betrayal of Kinship: Dante encounters several instances of betrayal within families or close relationships. For example, the story of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, who is said to have betrayed his own city and possibly his own children, highlights this form of betrayal.
3. Political Betrayal: Dante also explores betrayal in the context of politics and governance. Figures like Brutus and Cassius, who betrayed Julius Caesar, are punished in Hell for their political treachery.
4. Religious Betrayal: As mentioned earlier, figures like Judas Iscariot and Caiaphas are punished for betraying religious figures or principles. This form of betrayal involves violating sacred trusts or religious duties.
5. Betrayal of Friendship: Dante’s encounters with souls who betrayed their friends or allies highlight the personal and emotional consequences of betrayal.
6. Betrayal of Duty: This form of betrayal involves individuals who betray their responsibilities or obligations, whether it be to their country, their lord, or their profession.

I do not believe in Dante’s story in any literal way. Yet we can all still learn from it; something important is still being related to us. 

Dante recounts the ninth layer of Hell, the deepest and worst one. He found Satan encased in ice that he was making with his own wings. His betrayal was of God, so that is his reality now. He is depicted as being trapped in ice up to his waist in the center of Hell, the same place where he once held souls captive. He also found other characters, such as Judas, who betrayed Jesus, and Brutus, who betrayed Caesar. 

It’s noteworthy that the last level of Hell was preserved for this one type of people: betrayers, traitors, backstabbers, whatever you’d like to call them. They are all similar yet different words, but all relate to the same sin, which we all inherently understand regardless of the word used. 

And some of you may wonder, but you’re leading us to say something akin to, “Mussolini betrayed Hitler (among others), aren’t you? Isn’t that good?” Sure, for us, yet not for him or his goals. Apparently, even when you betray a worse person, you are still betraying and have to experience the results of the bed you have made for yourself. Maybe God does use sinners. Or we could more easily say – removing God from this – that being a betrayer is wrong regardless of the other party involved and doesn’t lead to good for that person or their goals… 

This is Theodicy in action. I told you a philosophical leap might have to be taken. And yes, it can be just as hard for me to grasp as you, yet I grasp this easier than other interpretations of the historical story for reasons we shall get to.

But it was not just the Nazis who felt his treachery; it was also France, Greece, his own soldiers, and everyone he blatantly lied to and mistreated. Basically, anyone who got in the way of his ego or who he felt slighted by.

We all gained from this, eventually even the descendants of those who lived in the countries that made up the Axis.

Parts of this episode may be challenging and complex. Yet I proposition that even when you betray the most hated person in history, you still have done wrong in your relationships. It’s not as if he was a spy, telling lies for the greater good of the Allies; he was just betraying those around him for – what he felt – was his own personal gain. A spy betraying Hitler, for example, for the British government, isn’t actually betraying anyone; they are doing their duty. It’s hard to put into words, but I think we all naturally understand that this would not be betrayal, just as killing in the battle for the British wouldn’t be murder, in the same way as killing another in civilian life would be. 

Dante doesn’t tell us that the last level of Hell is for betrayers except in such and such situations. So, take this philosophical leap for me, and then come on this rollercoaster of events that helped the Axis lose and the Allies win. It’s pretty wild stuff! 

Also, he didn’t know Hitler to be what we know about him to be now; this must always be remembered. Mussolini just knew him as his ally, as a friend, actually. And while they both dabbled in the same types of evil, he did not have the same view of him as we do now. In fact, all Benito knew was that he looked up to Adolf (at least in the late 30s), which is why this truly is treachery. 

So come and learn how Benito’s metaphorical wings made the ice he became trapped in and how we have all been the better for it ever since. And I’ll repeat the best part: that’s true even if you live in Italy right now, as well as Germany or Japan. 

Think about that for a moment…

Life isn’t straightforward.

It also often has a macabre sense of humor. 

History is weird.

Moving on.

The importance of WWII on your life 

WWII was the worst quarrel ever to grace our planet (and that’s saying something), and – you youngins may not realize – the conflict deconstructed and then rearranged how all countries interact and understand each other from 1945 until today. That war set the current boundaries of countries, and they’ve stayed the same until today, with the only real exceptions being India with Pakistan and the countries within Yugoslavia. Even then, the boundaries were relatively known but not realized (but don’t tell a Serb or anyone in Kashmir that, even though it’s mostly true). Those are significant exceptions, some may say. Sure, but the stability of borders and international relations post WWII globally has proven exceptional compared to other 80-year periods in the annals of human history. That is even more true in Europe, which has witnessed the most extended period of peace in its history, the Cold War and Ukraine notwithstanding (even then, Russia being a part of Europe is not a given thing – well, maybe St. Petersburg gets a pass, if only it and it’s people, the kind ones, could be allowed to go over to Finland).

WWII led to the dissolution of European empires, even if that didn’t happen immediately. (You know, those empires that were everywhere around the world, and you were taught to despise in school.) WWII also ushered in the American-led globalism and net general safety for international commerce (I know, it is hard to admit, but the Yankees didn’t do everything wrong all the time). It led to a globalism that we know and enjoy today, even if most of us aren’t cognizant of it. 

Now it is time to point out the crucial fact that the Americans were staunch isolationists until Pearl Harbor; just ask the British how many of them had to die before the Americans, their allies, actually materially assisted them so as to reduce the number of their people that had to die. A whole lot of war took place before that Japanese attack, the attack that also led to ole’ Adolf foolheartedly and unnecessarily declaring war on America. America was not on track to join or even pick sides at the war’s onset, even though this war would eventually place them atop the international hierarchy.

The U.N. is in New York for a reason. Because of WWII, the U.S. Navy has patrolled the waves – patrolled them everywhere, which is quite the feat – and made it safe and profitable for most countries to trade with one another. This meant that most countries could outsource the production of products if they were cheaper somewhere else and then export what they made at home in a much easier way.

We think of piracy, privateering, or nation-led, as done by eye-patch-wearing dudes in the Caribbean in the 18th century. That’s just not so, and that was part of why countries could only depend on open and safe international trade recently. 

Do you think I’ve exaggerated this post-WWII globalism? You can then comment below using any computer your country makes all the components of. Or better yet, drive to my house in a car made entirely in your country. Or call me using a phone your country makes with all domestically sourced components.

I’ll wait.

The world has spun around economically for 80 years because of the security and secure ocean travel provided by America and, to a lesser extent, Great Britain and France (and, in some even more beautiful way, Japan, who lost the war—how about that for the positive effects of the American-led post-WWII world). Globalism was not a panacea to the world’s problems, but it has been a net win for most people on Earth. 

Post-COVID, globalization is starting to be slightly rethought as we all want closer and more trustworthy supply chains. The better informed among us may say that the Americans are beginning to switch from a frigate and destroyer-centric Navy that can efficiently patrol all of the seas to a super carrier-based one, with each ship floating around with an Air Force of its own – within the ship – more extensive than that of most countries. Indeed, the Americans are now more focused on vessels with an arsenal on each one that can whip most countries should they mess with Uncle Sam instead of having many smaller ships that can patrol many places simultaneously.  

If you voice that argument about the Americans leaving the globalist world they created post WWII – and I doubt you did because most don’t realize what America has done for everyone – you’d be correct in that America may indeed slowly check out in considering everyone everywhere (maybe for lack of love). That may be the new future we are headed towards. Still, it hasn’t been the post-WWII past up to now. But taking on that story about the future isn’t this episode (but it will undoubtedly be a forthcoming one; I’m looking at you, Peter Zeihan, for help with that one!). 

I told you that story to tell you this story (and yes, that’s a Ron White Tatter Salad reference, look it up). The aftereffects of the Allies’ winning WWII are illimitable, unprecedented, and pretty darn positive for essentially everyone (Axis powers included, and we will throw China’s Xi-loving communistic capitalism-lite in there as well). But that doesn’t happen if the Allies don’t win the war, and it may not happen if they don’t win in the way they did. If you still can ask someone who was there at the time, please do so; you’ll quickly realize that the outcome was not only not guaranteed, but for a while, it seemed like the opposite was guaranteed to happen. No matter how obvious an Allied victory may seem to us today, looking backward, that just was not the case at all at the time.

And that outcome may not have happened if we hadn’t been blessed with having Mussolini at the helm of Italy and its military. 

So here is a very interesting aspect of that long-winded setup: Mussolini, in numerous ways, backstabbed his fascist buddies and, specifically, made things militarily difficult for Hitler. Some would say he made things impossible for the Germans, at least in hindsight. And yet, Hitler always had his back. This is why Mussolini, in my mind, clearly betrays Hitler (among others). As Dante pointed out, betrayal is one of the, if not the worst – things a human can do to another. If you have ever been betrayed, you may know this. That doesn’t mean murder can’t be a part of it; it often is (remember Judas and Brutus…) And even if you don’t believe it is the worst thing you can do, that’s totally fine. But then, whatever, let’s just say it’s undoubtedly horrible. Let’s say it is an awful choice to do this type of act, even to the most atrocious person we know of.

Again, take the leap with me… 

Now, let’s begin to examine his choices and how they affected the war and helped the Allies win.

Moving on.

Mussolini reversing from a nonbelligerent to war

The first military venture I’d like to examine is how Mussolini decided to have Italy officially join the war by declaring war on France and Great Britain. 

What a way for this foolish flower of a person to blossom his way into the war. The Second World War. The biggest war. It really is a fascinating indication of what was in store. 

Let me take you to May of 1939. Italy and Germany decided to meet up and sign what is remembered as The Pact Of Steel. They said they would support each other in war production and, if it came to it, war itself. Mussolini only decided to enter this pact because he was convinced at this time that Germany did not want to actually fight anyone anytime soon, and therefore, neither would he.

Why was this important? 

Mussolini had been in control of Italy for nearly 20 years, had just come off of two international wars in the last decade, in which he “won,” gotten new resources with minimal loss, and had openly stated to his people and government that he wanted another version of the Roman Empire (and had begun that venture in said wars). All that being considered, he told the Nazis his country was not ready for war. They couldn’t be prepared now. Add to that that he, and his government, misread how nuts and ambitious for war Hitler was at the time. Even though they were thick as thieves, Mussolini miscalculated what would actually happen with his brother from another mother up north. 

Idiocy.

That is odd considering that Mussolini knew all of the details of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact before it was public, the pact where Hitler agreed to align with his (and Mussolini’s) archenemy, the USSR. He probably even knew the secret parts where Hitler divided up Eastern Europe with Stalin. Mussolini knew that could only be achieved through war. He was aware of how Hitler would – at least for the first 1/3rd of the war – make decisions at odds with their beloved Fascicm, and then subsequently, it never occurred to him that maybe Hitler wouldn’t stick to the specifics of their agreement as well. 

If he knew Hitler would put Fascim as a whole into an odd spot, and in a way, his people as well, why wouldn’t he also alter the plans with his less powerful Fascist buddy down south? That thought never entered his mind, it seemed. 

Foolishness.

So, what were these plans I am referencing?

Their agreement made it clear that Italy – somehow, someway (!) – wouldn’t possibly be ready for a military venture until at least 1943. Mussolini made this assurance to the Nazis clear. That means, according to their agreement, if Hitler had attacked his neighbors before 1943, then Italy couldn’t and wouldn’t join them in war. We have the message that Mussolini sent Hitler, a message relating unambiguously that if they started the war before then, they would just be able to send political and economic help, whatever the Hell that means. This was precisely what Hitler was expecting and, more importantly, what he was relying on.

Sidebar. I could just see it now: the weaker guy who invented Fascism announcing to the world via words on paper that he supports the other, more powerful guy who went nuts with Fascism, with all the support that said words alone can bring. You know, while giving him a little cash in an envelope as well. Oh, how that could have changed things… 

But in real life, that’s what happened, and the Nazis went on to start war quickly after the pact with Italy was signed and defeated Poland in less than a week. Hitler told Mussolini he didn’t need his help in any way. They had taken Poland, and Mussolini was relieved not to have to help them fight Poland or anyone else in any way.

For the moment. 

Anyway, regarding the necessary delayed military help from Italy, one might, in the present day, guess that Hitler probably thought that couldn’t be true. Italy should be able to help them militarily now, being prepared after those pretty militaristic wars Italy had been in recently. Or he didn’t care if Italy helped because he didn’t actually need their help. That would be what most people would think happened. Actually, Hitler knew it would better serve him if Italy stays out of the war, but acted as a constant maybe of entering the war, like some kind of international Sword of Damocles. Hence, the Nazis were totally fine with the secret terms of the pact stating that Italy wouldn’t join until at least 1943. It is what they wanted and expected, mainly because Mussolini explicitly stated that is what he would do. 

Anyway, Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, and, boom, the war in Europe officially begins. But not for everyone. While the invasion of Poland was significant, it wouldn’t be as meaningful as what was to come. 

Need help following along? Well, hold onto your hat; this is what happens next.  

You see, while Italy and Germany publicly signed the Pact of Steel (not the Pact of Politics and Cash, mind you), Italy was technically still a nonbelligerent state. That’s right, they basically said they were Switzerland! To the entire world, they officially stated they didn’t want to fight for either side. They formally told everyone they weren’t taking sidzies. Other nations took Mussolini for his word and believed this. 

It is another thing that seems odd looking back on it, but that was the situation.

History is weird.

Even though England and France had treaties with Poland, they didn’t start any fights with Germany after they invaded Poland. But they did declare war and demand that Hitler remove his forces, technically doing their part of the bargain for Poland. Germany didn’t start any kinetic fights with them either, even after the war declarations. This period is known now as “The Phony War”. 

It was not until May 1940, the following year, that Germany invaded France (and Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg), and things really kicked off. Germany whipped their way through the Low Countries and France—which no one saw them being able to do this quickly, if at all—and it soon became apparent that they would shortly be in Paris (which happened on June 14) and then beyond Paris with all of the spoils and honor of conquest.

Seeing the German’s quick success and their open approach to Paris, out of nowhere, Mussolini decided on June 10 to say, “hey, remember all the nonbelligerent stuff, not!” and he declared war on France and Great Britain. No one saw this coming. To willingly jump in at this moment against the two greatest military parties in Europe (outside of Germany, of course), and to jump in at this time, this was not foreseen. It seems they smelled blood in the water and wanted spoils and honor for themselves and because they didn’t want to play second fiddle to Germany and wanted some loot for themselves. 

You see, now Mussolini felt envious of Germany’s success, to the point of not even telling Hitler in advance of their decision to declare war, which he would probably have tried to talk him out of. He was also upset that Hitler didn’t tell him about his invasion of France before it happened. Mussolini’s ego was so big and hurt, his envy so strong, he opted not to tell his more powerful ally about this massive change to their plans and agreements. 

Remember that stuff about betrayal?

You know who wasn’t happy about this? Hitler. He said, “First they were too cowardly to take part. Now they are in a hurry so that they can share in the spoils.” He was probably right. Mussolini, laughingly so, told the world he did this because Fascism “didn’t believe in hitting a man when he was down.” That is actually what he did; he said that. He said he was doing the right thing by declaring war on France before they were 100% beaten by the Germans. So, you know, hit a man on the way down. That’s what he confusingly saw as the morally right thing to do… 

On June 5, Mussolini told his compatriot, Badoglio, “I only need a few thousand dead so that I can sit at the peace conference as a man who has fought.” He wanted a seat at the table when the Axis powers cut the world up after what he thought would – obviously to him at that moment – be their eventual victory.

So we can see that it was really about the spoils, even when we know Mussolini himself felt that they didn’t have the materials to wage an all-out war against France and the U.K. until they were “falling down” due to the German quick victories. Let Germany do the fighting and then grab some glory when you see they’ll win, it seems. At that point, he decided it was worth tossing away neutrality, honor, and even any promise of African lands from France and the U.K., which is what they offered to Mussolini to secure him as a nonbelligerent.

But, still, just maybe, if you’re going to throw the world into a tizzy with this move, maybe tell your buddy Hitler – your only true ally and your powerful big brother – that you are going to do it.

By mid-1940, Germany had revised its earlier preference for Italy as a war ally. They decided outright that Italy being in the war did not help things at all. They realized that not only were they better as a Sword of Damocles but that the pending collapse of France might have been affected by any diversion of German military resources to now support a new Alpine front in southern France, meaning Germany realized that they’d have to help Italy do anything in their invasion. It was just better that they defeat France from where they were now, you know, kicking ass in northern France. 

Their predictions were correct; Italy couldn’t gain any land in France’s south despite France being walloped from the north.

From a political and economic perspective, Italy was helpful as a sympathetic neutral. Her entry into the war might complicate peace negotiations with Britain and France, which was important because Germany didn’t view them as the real enemy (especially Britain). Italy could best help Germany if they stayed out of the war and provided the “political and economic” help they said was all they could provide until 1943. It was clear now that Italy would have been more valuable as a country that maybe would get into the war; that fear, being a potential fighter, could have been helpful, but seeing them entering the war showed that the fear didn’t have to be held. They were no help militarily. Hence, Germany lost that ace up their sleeve when it came to the peace negotiations they thought they’d be having with Great Britain and France. 

Oops!

Mussolini’s Betrayal and America’s Picking Sides

Another massively meaningful aspect of Mussolini’s betraying decision is connected to what it did overseas. It is a tremendous reaction that isn’t remembered well by even those who love American history. I didn’t know a single thing about it. 

I can’t say this enough: America wanted nothing to do with this war. The Americans had sent numerous messages and some material to England to support them. So it wasn’t too much of a deep secret which side FDR privately was on, but his people? That isn’t the same thing. They were clear isolationists. 

America was isolationist to the point that Americans knew all about what was happening in the Battle of Britain. They heard nightly radio broadcasts from Edward R Murrow, often done while German bombing raids occurred. For something around 13 months, the cities of the United Kingdom were subjected to almost nightly bombings. Terror literally rained upon the people. Nearly 70,000 people would die, mostly civilians, not to mention a massive loss of material, infrastructure, and the ability to make more war material. The American representatives there would plead with FDR to get into the war and help the U.K. It was clear to them that was the right thing to do. While some goods were sent, Americans did not want to join the war effort of their allies, who were bleeding out and needed it so badly. 

That is, of course, until Pearl Harbor changed everything. Hitler needlessly declared war on the U.S. the day after, and the World War Two story that Americans today remember began. It took until the Americans were attacked on their own land that they decided to enter the war. 

But until then, even if America would join the European theater, on whose side? 

I know; this seems so odd to us today.

You see… FDR had an election coming up. He wanted to win his third unprecedented term. It appeared, for a damn good reason, that Germany would handily win the whole war in mainland Europe and even eventually beat the British.

Let me expand on the fucking nuts reality of the time. Germany quickly took France, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Their allies were Italy, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. Fascist Spain was basically an Allie. So was the USSR, at least outwardly. 

GERMANY OWNED MAINLAND EUROPE.

At this point, Germany effectively won WWII, had they decided to stop. Europe was theirs. The USSR was a friend. Britain was on their back heels with no plan of invading mainland Europe; they just wanted to keep the Germans off their island. Hitler respected the British, their race, and their empire. Taking over their island was never part of his original plans. Had Germany stopped then, they win the war.

Tell me, if you were an American then and looking at that reality, wouldn’t it seem obvious to you that the Nazis would either defeat Great Britain or sign a treaty with them, and probably without much of a fight? So why join the war at all?

Add to this fact that the Americans had a perfect memory, and even better nightmares, of World War One. Not only did Americans want nothing to do with this war, but it seemed somewhat suicidal to decide to fight a force that, in a short time, either beat every one of consequence in Europe or was allied with the rest. A force that made the minuscule progress of WWI seem like ginger beer to Hitler’s moonshine. What would you have felt was best for your country if you had been in that time and were being truthful with yourself?!

This is why, at the time, America hadn’t even decided to publicly side with Britain despite all their human loss up until that point and all the cultural ties between the two countries. And remember, there were something like three million Americans of Germanic and Italian descent in the country. Those three million could decide the election. FDR didn’t know what to do with his isolationist people when it came to declaring who he would fight with if his government ever did decide to get into the war. 

That was the situation. 

That is, of course, until Mussolini decides to betray France, Great Britain, and – crazy as it to say – Hitler. 

Let me set the stage. FDR’s son was set to graduate from law school at the University of Virginia, and FDR was set to give the commencement speech. It was five months before the election, and many democratic officials understandably feared that if he isolated his Italian (or German) voters in any way during this speech, it would jeopardize his third term in office. Throw in that a third term was unprecedented in American history, and who knew how people would take his running at all. 

This speech would be broadcast to the entire nation via radio. It was a big deal. Many people would listen to it, and more would read about it the next day. 

But guess what happened on the damn morning of the day of the speech! Mussolini went back on his word and declared war on France and Great Britain. FDR decided to alter his speech and deliver what is now known as the “stab in the back” speech. 

That morning, FDR decided to make important comments to address Mussolini’s duplicity. He explained how Italy had entered the war hours before, with France now clearly tottering on the brink of collapse. He addressed Italy’s “disregard for the rights and security of other nations, [and] disregard for the lives of the peoples of those nations which are directly threatened by this spread of the war.” FDR then uttered a line he had scrawled on his typewritten text: The famous quote from the speech, about which the speech is remembered and one he had only just added in that morning against the advice of those around him (it is crucial so I’ll say that twice). 

He said, “On this tenth day of June 1940, the hand that held the dagger has struck it into the back of his neighbor.” He went on to say, “Some indeed still hold to the now somewhat obvious delusion that we of the United States can safely permit the United States to become a lone island, a lone island in a world dominated by the philosophy of force.”

It is hard to correctly emphasize how Mussolini’s betrayal affected FDR, his speech, the American people’s views of the war, and which side was the moral one to be on. 

Time magazine put it this way: ” The U.S. had taken sides. Ended was the myth of U.S. neutrality.” FDR afterward nominated Henry Stimson, a Republican (who wasn’t a Democrat like himself, imagine that today), to be secretary of war and Frank Knox to be secretary of the Navy. This is important not only because both men were Republicans but also because both men staunchly favored aiding Britain.

BOOM!  

Mussolini’s betrayal had now cast the dye. His backstabbing, the morning of FDR’s speech no less, had made it clear that America – the sleeping giant soon to watch over the entire world with their club – would be against the Italians and Germans in the eventual war to come in Europe. I would love to see what words of fury Hitler released to his war cabinet that day, when not only was he crossed by his buddy Benito, but he also learned of this speech from the president of the country he most wanted to keep out of the fight. 

We know how this all ended now, but I bet the majority of you don’t know how it began. 

I wonder what would have happened if Mussolini had waited just a little bit. But hey, it seems bizarrely negative things happen to traitors in ways we can only see when time passes and the whole story is known. 

History is weird.

Moving on.

The Treacherous Invasion Of Greece

Reading about some of the most noteworthy historical events and the critical players of these massively meaningful, disruptive, or influential events can be a study of the absurd. And then, often, you learn about the consequential men creating the events, and you realize it’s like they never left high school. That is meant in earnest, and it’s not hyperbole. Influential leaders don’t have to pass some brilliance test and do not need to be competent men before they lead; they are often just dudes going through life, making critical decisions for many others based on their own petty feelings. 

Enter George W. Bush… oh wait, sorry, wrong century. 

Seriously, though, if you took the time to read this episode, you would probably have a leg up on half of these leaders. 

Now, let’s continue discussing our main character, but move on to the next chapter: Mussolini’s betraying invasion of Greece and its lasting influence on the war.

Let us set the stage again. March, 1941. Mussolini was still bitter because Hitler invaded France and the Low Countries without first informing him (plus he wasn’t invited to the British bombing party). Everyone thought it might happen, but because Hitler didn’t pick up the phone, send a letter, or let Mussolini know over some tea and biscuits, Benito was pissed. He was being denied glory in his mind. So, he wanted to do the same to Hitler and do some invading without telling him. Seriously, that’s the story; that’s why Mussolini invaded Greece the way he did. His feelings were hurt, so he basically decided again to betray Hitler, his immensely more powerful ally, while throwing in some two-timing of Greece for good measure. Mussolini openly admitted that this unannounced attack was to “pay back Hitler in his own coin.” 

Now, this decision to invade Greece specifically was bizarre. Sure, Greece had had a long relationship with Great Britain, which was now technically at war with Italy, although Italy and Great Britain had yet to fight in any way. But otherwise, Greece was Fascist. Ioannis Metaxas was the prime minister of Greece, and while he instituted a milder form of Fascism than Germany or Italy, it still was Fascism. His soldiers gave a stiff arm salute, and they had a secret police modeled on the Nazi Gestapo. There was total censorship of the national press, and many books were banned, just like in Germany (including Plato because of “subversive hymns to democracy”). Metaxas also hated communism and kept it out of Greece with strong-arm tactics. He was a despot, and they were Fascists; this is clear. They may have disagreed about the British and weren’t technically part of the Axis, but they were allies with Germany and Italy in almost every other way. 

So much so that one night, Alessandro Grazzi, the ambassador for Italy in Greece, was hosting a rambunctious gala reception for Ioannis Metaxas, the aforementioned Prime Minister of Greece. On this evening, at the Italian consulate, they toasted the Greek-Italian friendship, and the Italians made a large cake bearing the words “Long Live Greece.” 

You cannot make this shit up. 

Later that very same evening, post party, Grazzi was given a message to relate to Metaxas from Mussolini. Grazzi had to wake Metaxas up, and while he sat on his couch, in his sleeping gown, with his slippers on, he read the message from Mussolini. It communicated that they were now at war. Forget that cake, forget those toasts of friendship, forget that they were both Fascists; Mussolini declared they were now at war. Grazzi must have felt like such an ass just hours after a friendship fiesta between the two countries to now have to deliver a declaration of war. It is said Metaxas’s hands trembled a bit as he read the statement, and his eyes swelled with tears. It is an understatement that this sudden disloyalty caught him off guard. It took everyone off guard, and it is said that even Mussolini’s chief of army staff didn’t know about the plans to invade Greece until after the attack had begun!

Talk about a betrayal of Greece. But of course, that wasn’t the only person who was enraged by this treachery done without his knowledge or permission. 

Hitler did not take the news well. 

At the time of Mussolini’s declaration, Hitler was in Spain in an attempt to convince Franco, the Fascist leader of Spain – who won his country’s civil war in part due to help from the Nazis – to ask him now to help Germany in return. It was a nine-hour meeting that did not go as planned. Franco, ignoring the Nazis’ help in his war, was smart enough not to pledge any help to Hitler, not even just by taking Gibraltar back from the British (which would be a massive help to the Nazis as they would then control the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean). When the news about Greece arrived, Hitler had just gotten on his train to return to Berlin. Mussolini’s plan of getting back at Hitler for not involving him in the invasion of France had worked; Hitler was astonished, confused, and angry. He is known to have said, “How can he do such a thing?… This is downright madness. If he wanted to pick a fight with poor little Greece, why didn’t he attack in Malta or Crete?! It would at least make some sense in the context of war with Britain in the Mediterranean.”

It is always hard to say this, but Hitler was right. Mussolini’s plan to attack from the north, from Albania (which the Italians controlled), was basically stupid and quasi-useless. Attacking the Fascist Greeks was silly and oddly vindictive. To do so through the mountainous north instead of on the islands, where the British were, was choosing the most challenging path and the path that would help the Axis the least. 

It also would have another side effect that was horrible for the Axis; it would make the British more involved in Greece and, in general, interfere with Hitler’s buildup and plans to attack the real enemy of the Nazis (and the Italians); the Kings of communism, the USSR. But we will return to this significant side effect in a bit…

Hitler, totally caught off guard, had to turn his train around and race to Italy and Mussolini to see if he could change these foolish plans. There is another little tidbit here that is not only funny but is also an excellent example of the Italian leader’s buffoonery.  

Hitler and crew arrive in Florence to speak with Mussolini, with Benito Boy is a 60-man band there to welcome him. When Hitler steps out, the band begins to play a loud and excited version of the Italian Royal March. Oops, wrong song. Mussolini quickly points out the mistake and orders them to play the German national anthem. That would have been fun to see! The symbolism is excellent; the Italians making a mistake that would only insult Germany. 

Mussolini then says to Hitler, “Führer, we are on the march! Victorious Italian troops crossed the Greco-Albanian border at dawn!” Of course, Hitler wanted to stop this from happening, not hear that it had already happened. That was the last thing that Hitler wanted to hear. You see, Hitler’s plans for conquest in the east, for his eventual attack on the USSR, called for at least one more year of peace in the Balkans. He needed time for his massive buildup to be successful if his attack would be successful. He needed nothing to stop the flow of oil, aluminum, lead, copper, chrome, tin, and other raw materials from or through the Balkans. To attain this, he had even recently proposed a Tripartite Pact with Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia, the three countries that border Greece.

Not anymore! Mussolini, in one day, because he wanted to get back at Hitler and prove himself an equal, completely destabilized the German southern flank and made it so that not only was the area at war now and destabilized in general, but Mussolini now put in jeopardy the inflow of raw materials the Nazis so desperately needed for Hitler’s big plan, the primary plan, essentially the entire reason he started this war; his precious lebensraum in eastern Europe and the destruction of the Soviet Union. As Hitler had clearly stated surrounding his goals, “The mission of the Nazi movement is to destroy Judeo-Bolshevism… Destroying Russia will give the German people a vital space the masters need to eat… My mission is to break Marxism.”

I would like to quote from an article from the Wayfare History Network, “Now, in a stroke, Mussolini’s Greco-Italian War had destabilized Germany’s entire southern flank—and all without a word of warning. With surprising restraint, Hitler assured the beaming Mussolini that Germany would fully support him in his venture, although privately the Nazi leader murmured to his staff that the Greek invasion was nothing less than a schweinerei—a pig’s mess.”

Hitler, again, had Mussolini’s back despite the mess he made for him.

We don’t have to go into the breakdown of everything that happened and why, but learning a tad helps us see how rushed and stupidly it was done. The Italians found that they couldn’t invade Greece well and were quickly pushed back. After some small initial gains, the Greek forces learned how to stop Italy’s movements. Honestly, though, the German’s assessment of things was correct; it was just horribly timed and planned. There are reasons why, throughout history, most armies do not fight or attack in winter. Plus, the mountains there are large, with peaks as high as 9,000 feet. Defending forces usually have an advantage just by being the defenders. Add in mountainous terrain, and things get problematic quickly as you usually will not have the high ground, you cannot move equipment easily, and you can only bring some of the equipment you’d like to anyway. And, oh yeah, it’s still winter. The worst winter, it is said, in decades. So now your troops are dealing with frostbite and, for some reason, do not even possess woolen clothing. Bringing that would have been a good idea. There are stories of soldiers urinating on their hands just to be able to move their fingers, not to mention their equipment that is not only heavy but often rendered useless by the weather. 

Plus, they didn’t bring enough food. So add that morale killer into the mix. 

There was also a fantastic lack of foresight, probably generated from the venture’s surprising nature, that led to general confusion and a damaging lack of communication. Once, when the Italians were retreating so quickly, their airplanes mistakenly air-dropped food on the Greek forces. Another time, the Italians ended up retreating so haphazardly, so quickly, that the Greek troops halted their advancement, thinking such a retreat must be a trap. 

However, the X factor that intrigues me the most is the low morale and poor relationship between Mussolini and his fellow compatriots and troops. Essentially, he does them wrong by not caring about their well-being and making this invasion about himself and his desires. He does not care about his troops to the point where he greatly hurts the possibility of accomplishing his selfish desires and competition with Hitler. It’s foolhardy. 

But of course, he blames his soldiers when things start to go wrong, saying, “The human material I have to work with is useless, worthless.” There is zero self-reflection in deciding to attack his neighbor and, until recently, his friends. No reflection on the manner he chooses to attack. Over mountains in winter. Ignoring the whole, at least publicly said, point of the invasion; ousting the British from the southern islands and making the Mediterranean more friendly for the Axis. 

The troops are not immune from noticing this folly and, because of this, have no passion for their leader and no willingness to lay their lives on the line as the Germans or Japanese did. And thank God for this fact. We, those who are happy with the Allied victory, owe the Italian soldiers a debt of gratitude in this respect. 

I read one interesting story about when Mussolini traveled to the front lines to inspect it and encourage his troops toward victory. He visited a field hospital and saw a soldier who had been seriously injured in his stomach by a Greek grenade. Mussolini told him, “I am the Duce, and I bring you the greetings of the fatherland.” “Well, now, isn’t that great?” the soldier sarcastically replied. 

What Mussolini thought would be an easy conquest of Greece became a retreat after one week, and then it became a defensive battle of its own in Albania, which lasted three months. They attacked Greece, failed, retreated, and then were attacked.

Another interesting little twist is that about half of the Italian Navy, stationed at Taranto, was destroyed or made unfit for sea by a British carrier-based group. Galeazzo Ciano, the Minister for Foreign Affairs for Mussolini (also his son-in-law), was seriously reprimanded by Hitler when they met in Germany for allowing the British to enter Greece and not only establish an airbase in Athens but also to allow them to up their naval game in the region. Now, the British were within striking distance of the oil reserves in Romania, which Hitler greatly relied upon, as they were one of only a few places he could get oil at the time. 

Oops!

Even though Hitler would have preferred not to be involved and to let Italy fight its way out of its mistakes, he needed to get things under control in the region so he could turn his attention to the eventual attack on the Soviets. So he decided to invade Greece, and after diverting troops from North Africa reluctantly, using paratroopers in Crete and regular soldiers from the north in the spring, he took Greece over in 11 days and added them to his long list of conquered lands. 

11 days. 

Moving on.

The Delay of Operation Barbarossa

So, what is the bigger-picture consequence of this? Well, as has been hinted at many times, Hitler’s main goal all along was to stab the USSR in the back (Mussolini wasn’t the only one who would exhibit this character flaw), and he would attack them despite their peace agreement. But this really wasn’t a surprise to anyone except Stalin. Socialism was the main enemy of Fascism. Hitler hated the Soviet Union, and despite their agreement, it was pretty clear eventually – after taking over most of Europe – he would turn the Wehrmacht against his eastern neighbors. I mean, it’s in his damn book. He clearly outlines in Mein Kampf what he wanted to do. He also started to mobilize a massive number of soldiers on the eastern front, which even the British and Americans were aware of, even though they were nowhere close. As mentioned earlier, Hitler, in addition to loathing communism, badly wanted their lands so that his people could spread out more and gain themselves lebensraum (“living space”). He also wanted their oil fields to fuel his army and society, as well as the bountiful farmlands of Ukraine and their endless natural resources, among many other things.

Initially, the planned invasion date of Barbarossa was May 15, 1941. However, this date became June 22, 1941. Now, I want to point out that many historians do not declare that the need to bail out Italy, who invaded Greece, and handle the uprising within Yugoslavia (in part because the people there were encouraged by Greece’s success against Italy) were the sole reasons for Germany’s delay in starting Operation Barbarossa. Hitler blamed it on Greece, but that could be accountability deflection, and many point to the weather as the leading reason. As with most things, it’s a combination of numerous factors. However, it is hard not to consider the need to point to Greece as the primary cause. 

Here is what we definitely know about the 38-day delay in the invasion:

The German invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Barbarossa after Frederick I of the Holy Roman Emperor, who had a red beard (hence Barbarossa), would be the largest invasion and military venture in the history of humankind. It would involve three million soldiers and 160 divisions. The plan was to attack in three sections, north, central, and south, and Hitler wanted to reach Moscow and beyond by the end of summer. He was confident he would, and it seemed he might at first.  

Hitler felt that before he could do that, he would now have to occupy Greece and neutralize the British Air Force there, which had recently set up shop in Athens after Italy’s invasion. As discussed, he must also pacify his southern front and ensure the safe passage of necessary resources. This was a prerequisite, he felt, before he could move on the Soviets. To help Italy and take Greece, the Germans employed 6 of their 19 armored divisions, in addition to 1,200 of their tanks, when a total of 3,200 tanks would be used against the USSR. The 8th Air Corps was significant (capturing Crete specifically), and when it was devoted to Greece, it represented 35% of all Air Force personnel that would be used in Russia. 

Many of those people, tanks, and planes would have to find their way back to the German lines and either rest, be retrained, be repaired, or refitted for this invasion – again, the largest the world has ever seen. And many of them would have to remain in Greece.

What happened was that, after their attack, Germany made speedy gains in the Soviet Union. The army and residents of the USSR were initially incredibly disorganized and unready (despite Churchill, FDR, Soviet officers at the front, spies, and German deserters telling Stalin it would happen – again, you do not have to be smart to become a leader!). The Nazi’s center group made it some 20km from Moscow, but the northern and southern groups started to stall a bit, so Hitler determined that the center group should reinforce the northern and southern. When Hitler determined it was time again to return to his aim of capturing Moscow, autumn rains began, turning the roads into rivers of mud. Combine that with more time for the defenses of the city to be built and the eventual onset of winter, for which the Nazis were woefully unprepared (they didn’t even bring proper winter jackets!), and the Nazis would find they could go no further toward their opponent’s capital city. 

Germany’s advancement was essentially stopped, but now both sides would dig in and dig in in the most significant and disgusting theater of war in Europe, and maybe the world, and maybe ever. I can’t express enough the significance of the German vs. USSR theater or its brutality. 80% of German casualties would be from the eastern front, which was around three million lives for them; for the USSR, it would basically be all of their fatalities and would – some estimates say – be well over 20 million lives. 

Had Germany decided not to betray the Soviets, and had they been content with taking over the rest of Europe, we, you, and I would probably be living in a different world. Give them four times the amount of men and material to use on the Allies, and it is hard to see the Allies winning the war (without the atomic bomb, but even then, America probably never joined the European theater). What we can say for sure is it wouldn’t have been won in the way it was. Many more Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and Britains would have had to have been sacrificed. 

Back to the Italian and Greek implications. I am not here to tell you that had Italy not invaded Greece, necessitating the Nazis’ help, Hitler would have lost Operation Barbarossa. I am not telling you that the weather or the uprising in Yugoslavia were not immensely important factors in the Nazis’ decision to push the date back (it was a rainy spring as well). I also cannot tell you that pushing the date back would have, in the long wrong, made a difference in the outcome. 

However, there is a good chance that Germany is victorious in Operation Barbarossa without pushing back the date. I can tell you, Italy’s rash and treacherous decision to invade Greece certainly didn’t help things one iota! It significantly hurt the Nazis and their plans. While numerous historians and I point to this as the main reason the date was pushed back, it doesn’t matter what you think. It only helped make sure that Germany lost those six weeks. Precious six weeks during the short window of warmer weather in Russia. Six more weeks to work with before the autumn rains came in. Six more weeks to establish better logistical lines so that you could assure yourself of supplies like God damn winter jackets. Six more weeks to try and take Moscow when you are only 13 miles away.

And there is a damn good chance you get those six weeks – or if nothing else, you’re better prepared to take on the most significant military venture of all time – if Mussolini doesn’t decide to betray the Greeks, Hitler, and his men with the startling-to-all failed invasion of Greece.

Again, let’s all toast Mussolini, his ego, and his willingness to betray! We all owe him a real debt of gratitude. 

Seriously. We do.

But if you still need to be convinced about how Mussolini’s misadventures helped the Allies, hurt the Axis, and affected Operation Barbarossa, well, then, we have one more story to tell.

Let’s move on!

Mussolini’s Misadventures in North Africa

What is interesting about the third chapter of the narrative we are exploring, that of Italy in North Africa, is that it takes place at about the same time as the second chapter, Italy in Greece. This is noteworthy because they both make the other all the more improbable and mindless. When neither had to happen, why not, at the very least, do one at a time? Of course, as you well know by now, logical decisions are not what we are here to analyze.

It was in mid-September 1940 that Mussolini ordered his commander of the Italian Army in North Africa, Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, to begin his advancement into Egypt. The goal was to make a mad dash through Egypt to capture those lands and control the significant Suez Canal. Mussolini felt this was a matter of national pride. He felt that Italy had a right to expand its Mediterranean sphere of influence, both because they wanted to be more akin to their Roman Empire antecedents and – probably more importantly – Mussolini truly feared becoming a “junior” partner to Germany’ in the game of conquest within a war that he felt the Axis were sure to win. 

Hitler advised Mussolini not to get bogged down in a war in North Africa, as he saw the only pertinent goal in the Mediterranean would be that of Gibraltar and the exit/entrance to the sea. When it became clear that Mussolini had different intentions, Hitler realized his advice was for naught, he still offered the Italians help in that theater. Hitler probably knew that they would need it. Mussolini, again, did not want to be the junior within the Axis and was still smarting after events such as not being involved in bombing Britain, so he refused him. Declining the help of the, at the time, clearly most powerful army on Earth would prove to be a silly thing to do even for the ego-laden leader of Italy. Also, the Nazis, maybe remembering what Italy had done in the First World War, wanted to ensure that Italy stayed on their side. So they fruitlessly offered their help even though they didn’t believe in the need for the venture to begin with. 

From Libya, which had been in Italian hands since their war in the 30s (listen to part one for more information), Mussolini planned for his forces to head eastward toward the canal. His army there numbered some 236,000 and would be supported by their still relatively powerful air force. Of course, Egypt and the Suez Canal were controlled by Great Britain. There, they had garrisoned 36,000 men. From a numbers perspective, it was clear that Italy had an unambiguous superiority. However, Mussolini did not do his troops service and acted recklessly. He also forgot he was dealing with the British, who hadn’t created the largest empire the world had ever known through luck and a lot of ships.

One reason Mussolini acted poorly towards his troops was that he never bothered to ask what equipment his troops would be using in the desert or what equipment the British would have in return. Or if he did, he didn’t care. Probably it was the latter. Selling out one’s own troops is not only selling out one’s own troops, but it is a surefire way to not have a chance to obtain one’s ego-driven goals yet again.  

In the desert, the equipment would be subject to 120+ degrees during the day and freezing temperatures at night. There were high winds laden with punishing sand. Fuel and water are – surprise – always an issue as there are very few places to stop and stock up; you have to rely on your equipment to bring those with you. Not taking honest stock of said equipment in this terrain is tantamount to stupidity of the highest order. 

What was the equipment? The Italian armored cars in North Africa were from 1909. Sure, they had more modern types on the mainland, but that was a (short) boat ride away. Their L3 tanks were outfitted with just two machine guns, begging whether they qualified as tanks. Their M11 tanks were thinly armored and could only go nine miles per hour. Italy had few antitank guns, antiaircraft guns, ammunition, or radio sets. Their artillery was also ancient. They carried rifles that were based on a model from 1881. To showcase how silly things got, two of every six Italian soldiers were “Blackshirts” and hence literally wore black shirts, which is the last thing one should wear in the desert (but, don’t worry, these uniforms were fancy!). Most of the soldiers were also poorly trained, seemingly just seen as bodies, with their leaders remaining attached to a single principle: the concentration of the most enormous mass of people possible for whatever type of task they faced. They were not trained to be flexible or asked to be adaptable from on-high, nor did they ever foresee needing to be. The needs of the Italian troops should have been addressed. 

The Brits were the complete opposite on all the points mentioned. 

You can guess where we are headed. After initially getting about 60 miles in Egypt, and with a troop advantage of 6.5/1, the British began to push back the Italians. The troops, slowly realizing they were not given the tools to win, were not cared for, and were essentially being crossed by their leaders, just stopped caring in the way necessary to win. Those 36,000 British soldiers, after some time, were able to inflict some 20,000 casualties on the Italians and capture through surrender nearly 130,000 Italian soldiers. 

The logistics of so few capturers to so many captured must have been difficult and a tad comical.

Let’s fast-forward the story. After declining the Germans’ help in Africa more than once, Mussolini had to go with his tail between his legs and ask Hitler for help in North Africa. Hitler, always looking out for Mussolini (for some reason), then sends around 250,000 men and 260 tanks (a total of two divisions) to North Africa under the command of Erwin Rommel. Rommel is a name you may recognize if you know about WWII a bit, as he was one of, if not the best, tank commander of the Nazis. He was initially supposed to stop the British from advancing further into Libya, but seeing an opportunity, he had a very successful initial offensive operation against the British. The details here aren’t necessary; he is eventually overrun by the British after they are reinforced heavily by fresh troops and equipment from their own country and by the Americans. 

What is important here is what Germany didn’t have for Operation Barbarossa. While they invaded Russia with three million troops, they were still deprived of 250,000 in Africa. That is a much smaller number, but they still had 8% fewer troops. That is not nothing. They sent around 260 tanks to North Africa while using 3,500 in Barbarossa, a loss of around 7%. I am not here telling you that the operation or the war would have gone differently. If you made me pick a side right now, I would say no; the Germans still lose Barbarossa. However, Germany reached 13 miles from Moscow; let’s not forget that. They were damn close. Did they make logistical and military decisions that hurt themselves regardless of North Africa? Definitely. 

But 8% or 7% is definitely not zero. Battles and wars have been won or lost by smaller margins. If Mussolini hadn’t gone on this escapade, Hitler would have had more men and gear back home. Not only that, he lost his best tank commander! Even if we say those people and gear stay in Germany, then more British, Americans and Canadians surely die and the landings in the west or the defense of the German homeland go differently. Or, go a different route. If the troops had stayed in Italy, the invasion of Italy could have gone differently for the Americans and British, and maybe Mussolini could have remained in power longer (more on that soon). 

The only conclusion I can come to for sure is that if Mussolini hadn’t blundered his way through North Africa, if he hadn’t disregarded Hitler’s advice and offer for earlier help, if he hadn’t betrayed his troops and not ignored the situation on the ground then Hitler’s attack on Russia may go different. For sure, more Allied troops would die in Europe for one reason or another. 

We don’t have to continue with this. I pray that the pattern will be clear by now.

More stupidity, more treacherous decision-making, more hurting the Axis.

How It Ends for Benito Boy

We need to explore this because it’s the ending of our main character; it also involves his hun-homeboy and shows how everything can come full circle to those who betray. It would also be weird not to tell the ending; it’s the damn end. However, if you have made it this far, either a, you know the ending or b, you can put together what happened (at least the very end). 

After the failed Italian ventures in North Africa and Greece, combined with Operation Barbarossa going horribly wrong for the Germans, it was apparent to Mussolini that he had backed the wrong horse in the war. Maybe he was the wrong horse himself, but either way, his selfish desires were clearly not going to happen now. 

To make a long story short, the Allies decided to invade Italy, starting in Sicily. While the Allies were met with some rough resistance by the Germans stationed there, they eventually won the island for themselves. In addition, the Italian populace was mainly over the war. The everyday Italian’s mind turned  to more straightforward desires, with their slogan now becoming “bread, peace, and freedom.” 

Mussolini started declining physically, realizing things would not turn around, even with his ego and delusions. His health began to wane under the massive stress of the situation. In July 1943, Hitler requested to meet as he probably sensed he needed to bolster his fellow Italian despot after the Allied invasion of Sicily. He also probably was trying to boost his own mood in the process. It is said that this meeting was of no encouragement to Mussolini. To hammer home the feeling of despair, during the meeting, the two learned that the Allies conducted their first-ever air raid on the Italian mainland in the suburbs of Rome. 

Here is the thing: Mussolini went back to Rome and had meetings with the leaders of his government, including, of course, Marshal Badoglio, his chief of staff. Then, a few days later, Mussolini is summoned by his King, Victor Emmanuel, and he tells Benito, “At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.” He tells him the Italian government has voted against him and removed his powers. Mussolini is stunned and left uncharacteristically silent and, upon leaving, is taken straight to jail. Then, his Fascist Party was immediately disbanded, and Marshal Badoglio was put in control of Italy.

There isn’t much primary source evidence of this, but I don’t buy this story. I am not alone in that. It isn’t essential to the overall story we are exploring. Mussolini was probably preparing to betray Hitler one last time and switch sides, which isn’t nuts because they did that during WWI. The idea that Mussolini sees the writing on the wall and realizes that no glory will come to him on the Axis side but then changes his character entirely and goes softly into that good night seems odd. If the King really wanted to disband Fascism and change course, why would you put Mussolini’s chief of staff in charge immediately afterward? He is also a Fascist. I think that Mussolini shared the plan to work with the Allies with Badoglio, who then agreed and saw that Mussolini understood that Italy would fall either way, told his chief of staff, who told the King, and then they decided that to sell this change to the Allies and save their country they needed Mussolini to be the fall guy. This is why Mussolini is silent when the King tells him it’s over and that he’s the most hated man in the country. Mussolini agreed with the idea of now turning on the Nazis; he, in fact, planned to do it himself, but only now did he realize it would be done through him being the villain. Was he the villain? You know it. But I think he planned one last betrayal of Hitler, and when the other leaders saw this, they realized their opportunity to switch to the winning side would be better realized by sacrificing him in carrying out his plan. 

But maybe it was best for Mussolini that things didn’t go down like this publicly, at least for a couple years. Because when Hitler hears the news, always ready to support his floundering friend, he becomes furious and vows vengeance on all those responsible. The new Italian government had yet to formalize their surrender to, and alliance with, the Allies. Hitler took this window of time to think of a response while giving his troops in southern Italy a chance to move northward while blowing up bridges and main roads along the way.

On September 8, 1943, Italy surrendered unconditionally to the Americans and the British. Here is when Mussolini’s actions led to further help for the Allies because Hitler pulled Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS divisions from Russia, France, and Germany so as to quickly send them to Italy and occupy Rome and the northern 2/3rds of the country so that he could help his fascist friend and keep most of Italy in his pocket. 

What then follows is pretty wild. Mussolini is moved around to different locations in Italy to keep his whereabouts unknown. But Germany eventually gets word of where he is. 

The Nazis then pull off a crazy move as they learn where he is, in the mountains at an old chateau or castle of sorts. They then start what they called Operation Achse, and not only invade northern Italy but send their version of the Marines or Seals and fly to where he is on a crazy mission with gliders and special troops. It was successful in that they got Mussolini and got him out of there. Then afterward, for some reason of loyalty that wasn’t returned, Hitler established the Italian Social Republic in the northern 2/3rds of Italy. The Germans used many troops and materials to sustain this, with Mussolini, in name, at the head of it. Of course, the Germans sustained it. The King and Badoglio Fled to southern Italy while this happened. Hundreds of thousands of Italian soldiers surrendered.

Italy stayed like this. For some reason, instead of reinforcing their western or eastern fronts, the Germans remained in Italy like this and kept the Allies essentially out of northern Italy until the war’s end. Of course, this was not a critical battle. But Hitler, as much as he could, stayed loyal to his fellow Fascists until the end. 

History is weird. 

Hitler, staying loyal to his buddy, ensured that fewer of the Allies would die in their march to Berlin through an oddly good aspect of his personality. The guy who is the most evil, most reviled, most murderous guy we think of in history helps the allies through the trait of loyalty. 

It is so outlandish to wrap your head around…

Anyway, back to Benito. Mussolini tried to escape with the Allied armies heading north in the spring of 1945. Even though he was dressed as a German soldier, he was recognized. He was recognized by Italian partisans near gorgeous Lake Cuomo and executed by his countrymen, along with his mistress. He was hanged up by rope upside down afterward.

Here is the description by the WWII museum, “A woman stepping forward and pumping five bullets into his body – “for my five dead sons,” she said. Some of these same folk had probably chanted “Duce! Duce!” once upon a time, perhaps not so long ago. Nonetheless, the sentiments were real, and in Mussolini’s case, utterly deserved.”

There you go. That is the guy who, without his ignoble intervening, might have led Europe to a completely different ending of WWII. He was a betrayer, and we are all the better for it. I don’t know what to make of that, but I know I am grateful for it. And it makes me think, maybe, just maybe, God uses sinners. Or, if nothing else, horrible sinners fuck themselves and their goals over. 

Here is what I do know. We are all the better for this loser’s actions. 

Let’s toast this dude’s sins and buffoonery and help for the Allies. I am not making light of any of this, by the way. I am 100% earnest and respectful, I have to say this. We are all the better for this guy and his actions. It isn’t talked about much. I am trying to rectify that. Germany had basically won the war; they got greedy, and then Mussolini decided to ensure they lost. 

Just take that in. 

It isn’t easy. It isn’t simple. It takes some hard thinking or simple thinking. Those can be the same thing. So many people were lost. The most ever. But we could be living in a worse world now. We really could be. Thank heavens, that isn’t our reality. Understanding a different world could be our reality, but it is hard because that isn’t our reality. Try nonetheless!

It’s Theodicy. It’s Betrayal. It’s the quiet push from somewhere. 

It is time for us to end. 

Conclusion

What we just went over is dark. It takes work to ponder on such issues, and it’s even harder to think about it all in a novel way; you want to stick with the knee-jerk reaction that you are entitled to. The most needless deaths, maybe ever, occurred during the time we’ve been talking about.

But there is a fascinating aspect, which is rarely looked at, that we do ourselves a disservice by not examining. Sometimes, non-intense stuff, like Mussolini and his buffoonery, can affect the most extreme stuff and do so seriously. We are all humans. People are people. And in this case, one guy, being a lowly guy, really helped us out in the long run. He made sure that history, in the long run, went better. His betrayals helped make the long arc of history head towards justice. It SERIOUSLY helped us all out. 

Hitler was going to win WWII in Europe; he could have won it if he had wanted to and was happy with what he had in 1941. But he destroyed his own chances of that over and over. We have basically forgotten this. However, we have not forgotten him, and for good reason. He is one of the most written about historical figures, up there with Caesar and Alexander the Great, just he’s the evil one who lost everything. Just look up his name on Netflix tonight, you’ll get a lot of hits.  

Yet, we have almost forgotten Mussolini and his contributions to the same war from which we know Hitler. For some reason, we don’t want to think about that. It is too weird; it is so simple and complex simultaneously. We want it to be good vs. evil, which it was, but not only that. We ignore that there was some bizarre high school, feelings-hurt aspect to it all. We don’t know what to do with that information, so we decide to do nothing about it. 

I challenge you to challenge that. 

Dante didn’t choose betrayers as those who would be in the last layer of Hell for no reason. There is something profoundly horrible about that trait in people. And I don’t know how to even process it, but him choosing to be that person, him doing it of his own free will, somehow helped us all out. Determinism is the idea that free will is an illusion. But in this story, there is some odd nexus of free will and determinism that I don’t comprehend completely, but I sense. 

Things work out for the better in incomprehensible ways, yet also through free will, mistakes made by monsters are all wrapped together. It is as if free will exists, but we are somehow saved from its worst aspects in the end, as it will eat those who decide who do the worst, at least in this story. I want it to be known and others to feel this mystery, this macabre humor of life. I want others to be caught in this weird question mark of history and the reality of our present that it helped create. I don’t know why, but it serves a purpose. Let us feel it; even if it is confusing, it does help to understand something. 

I do know that betrayal is shown to me in a different light now. And just like the last episode, I would like to show these questions and lessons of history through more recent, and current situations so that we can see these instances are not just relegated to stories about the man in charge of Italy 80 years ago. 

It’s not an aspect just found in WWII.

Betrayal in war is something Americans know well. In recent years, we’ve done a lot of it. In Vietnam, the American government betrayed their own people by starting a needless war through the Gulf of Tonkin affair, in which the American forces were fired upon while doing covert amphibious operations off the coast of North Vietnam. Then, the government betrayed their own people and lied about being fired upon again. Congress then passed a bill that gave LBJ the ability to use military force and boom, we had a real war. A war in which the American people and the American soldiers were betrayed through fighting a war they could not win for reasons they didn’t understand. 

My grandfather and great-uncle served in the armed forces during WWII. They were always proud of that. I had uncles who fought in Vietnam and never really came back. This plays a part in why. 

George W. Bush started two wars. One in Afghanistan, where he attacked the government of a country in which the people who did 9/11 were. Yet we attacked the government even though the 9/11 people left, at least the head guy. That one gets more complicated, and some good was done there, for a little bit, until we betrayed them, their women, the interpreters who put their lives on the ground, and the American soldiers who fought because of 9/11 but then were just fighting. And the way we left was a betrayal of the image of who America was.

W. also went to Iraq, of course, because they had weapons of mass destruction. We all know how that ended. They were never found. Of course, oil, Dick Cheney, Halliburton, and getting back at the man who said Sadam Hussain was “the guy who tried to kill my dad” was also involved in this decision. Then, so were ego and vindictiveness and silly decisions, like firing everyone in the Ba’ath party, even though it was a country with one party, meant you fired everyone, and simple things like traffic intersections couldn’t work, let alone a government. 

I told you in part one that I am not anti-war; they do need to happen at times. Maybe even the Gulf War of George Bush one. But when you decide about the most critical events humans can do to one another, if you do it through lies, ego, vindictiveness, and, most importantly, betrayal, you are only setting yourself up for disaster. You are only setting yourself up for disaster. 

This is partly why I wanted to bring up these topics. The lessons can be applied to the here and now. And this isn’t party politics at all. Let’s remember LBJ was a Democrat, and W. was a Republican. 

And yet, we must stop ourselves from playing “whataboutism” while moving into the future. It’s so hard yet so necessary. 

In the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine found itself in possession of a significant nuclear arsenal inherited from the Soviet era. However, in exchange for security assurances and assistance from the international community, including the United States, Ukraine agreed to relinquish its nuclear weapons. The Americans told Ukraine they would protect them if they gave up their weapons of mass destruction.

This agreement was formalized in the Budapest Memorandum in 1994. Under this memorandum, Ukraine agreed to denuclearize in exchange for assurances from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia has clearly thrown those thoughts away and has betrayed Ukraine. But not America, not yet, although we may. We assured Ukraine of security against potential threats to its independence.

If you want to complain about how much money the U.S. has spent on helping them compared to what we spend on X, Y, Z. I get it. I get it 100%. We should spend more on X, Y, and Z. We should address our people more. Or just reduce our military budget. But whataboutism on this topic is useless. So far, the Americans have given them 5% of their yearly military budget. What is happening to them is evil. We Americans, if you are American as well, can handle it. Let’s do X, Y, and Z and help them. Otherwise, we will be betraying them. Let’s not betray them. Let’s keep our promise. It was made, that cannot be changed, so let’s stand by our word. 

We are still determining what betraying Ukraine could lead to, but I doubt it will benefit anyone. 

But mostly, I hope by now you’ve thought more about what betrayal is and what Mussolini did. 

That was a crazy ride, no matter your feelings on these subjects!

Thank you for taking the ride with me.

If you enjoyed this episode, please tell your family or friends.

Be well. 

References: 

https://www.history.co.uk/article/operation-barbarossa-hitler%E2%80%99s-failed-invasion-of-the-soviet-union

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/death-of-benito-mussolini

https://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/italy-invaded.htme

9 Things You Should Know About Dante’s ‘The Divine Comedy’

Betrayal in Dante’s Inferno

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa#:~:text=The%20reasons%20for%20the%20postponement,April%201941%20until%20June%201941.

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

https://greekreporter.com/2023/10/28/how-greece-delayed-german-attack-russia

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

https://www.history.co.uk/article/operation-barbarossa-hitler%25E2%2580%2599s-failed-invasion-of-the-soviet-union

https://www.annefrank.org/en/timeline/100/germany-and-its-allies-invade-greece-and-yugoslavia

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-to-mussolini-fight-harder#

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_invasion_of_France#cite_note-FOOTNOTEMack_Smith1976215%E2%80%9316-46

http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-divine-comedy-week-18-betrayal.html

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

28. God Uses Sinners

The Greco-Italian War: One of Benito Mussolini’s Biggest Failures

Operation Eiche: Benito Mussolini & The Gran Sasso Raid

https://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/italy-invaded.htm

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/benito-mussolini

https://www.cfr.org/blog/twe-remembers-fdrs-stab-back-speech

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-furious-over-italys-debacle-in-greece

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-to-mussolini-fight-harder#

https://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=228

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/italy-declares-war-on-france-and-great-britain

https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II/Italys-entry-into-the-war-and-the-French-Armistice

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

https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/dispatches-articles/28/332/The+Worst+Mistakes+of+The+Axis+Powers+During+WWII#:~:text=In%20March%20of%201941%2C%20Mussolini,invade%20Greece%20without%20telling%20him.

https://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/italy-invaded.htm

The Greco-Italian War: One of Benito Mussolini’s Biggest Failures

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hitler-to-mussolini-fight-harder#