Italy is one of several nations in Steel Division II.
Historical background
Founded in the wake of the Risorgimento movement of the 19th century, Italy formed out of the many disparate states that dominated the peninsula. The resulting state was far from unified, becoming a centralized state subordinated to the mighty Piedmont, rather than a federation many Italians hoped for. Divergent cultures, economies, bureaucracies, and strong wealth inequality prevented the unified Italy from becoming a strong player in European politics and forced it to seek alliances.
Though leaning towards the Central Powers in the run-up to World War I, tensions with Austria-Hungary resulted in it breaking away and eventually allying with the Entente, hoping for territorial gains in the Balkans. Italy had limited success against either Germany or Austria-Hungary, particularly in the Alps, and was forced to content with major domestic unrest throughout the war, fueled by socialists and communists refusing to fight what was seen as a war of the bourgeoisie. The Entente victory saw little gains for Italy, as the U.S. rejected annexations and Italy received little of what it was promised.
The resulting unrest in the impoverished and humiliated Italy culminated in the meteoric rise of Benito Mussolini. After a period of socialist politics, Mussolini embraced right wing nationalism and led fascists in a March on Rome in 1922 that toppled the liberal democracy, replacing it with an aspiring totalitarian state. Though propaganda stated otherwise, fascist Italy was still a divided, predominantly agrarian state with little in terms of industrial power. Mussolini's success paved the way for the rise of Hitler and other European autocrats, but he himself failed to achieve the same successes as his successors: Italian soldiers were routinely lagging behind peer nations in technology and had little in ways of competitive armaments (with notable exceptions, like the AB 41 armored car or Reggiane fighters), while Italian campaigns ended in disaster more often than not. For the victories in Ethiopia in 1936 and Albania in 1939, there was always the disaster of Greece in 1940 and in Northern Africa in 1943.
The implosion of the Northern African campaign led Italian elites to revolt against Mussolini, with the country tearing itself apart, supporting either the Allies or the Axis. Mussolini's rescue by Otto Skorzeny's forces allowed him to form a rump Italian Social Republic (Repubblica Soziale Italiana), a theatrical fascist state that lurched its way into 1945, before dying an ignoble death when Mussolini was captured and strung up by communist partisans. Italians rejected autocracy in the following year, adopting a republican form of government, and entering a period of intense political strife as the civil war continued between left and right wing movements.
Steel Division: Normandy 44
Divisions
- 716. Infanterie (elements)
Units
- Italienische Freiwillige, renegade Bersaglieri
Technology
Steel Division 2
Division
- Verteidigungsbereich Toulon (elements)
Units
- Maro, Italian marines
Technology
- Autoblinda 41 in German service
- Autoblinda 41 in Romanian service
- Re.2005 serie 0 Sagittario fighter
- Carro Armato L6/40
- Carro Armato M14/41