Italy's Victories and Defeats in World War II

The Italians were a part of the Axis coalition in North Africa for much of the war. The Afrika Korps included Italian divisions alongside the Germans. The Italian Navy also had battles against the Royal Navy in the early 1940s. Overall, their defeats outnumbered their victories as the Italians effectively surrendered in 1943 after the Allies landed in Italy.

Operation Compass

Operation Compass was the British operation in which the British pushed Italian troops out of Egypt and advanced further into Libya. Despite having a numerical advantage, the Italians retreated and eventually surrendered in Libya. Hundreds of thousands of Italian troops were, therefore, captured by the British Army. They also lost thousands of tanks, aircraft, and artillery pieces during the operation. The defeat highlighted the limitations of Italy's military and, ultimately, that further military support was needed to emerge victorious in North Africa.

Battle of Taranto

The Italian navy was one of Europe’s largest, which the Axis hoped could defeat the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. However, a fleet of Italian warships lay in port at Taranto, within range of Royal Navy aircraft carriers. In November 1940, the RAF launched a devastating torpedo bomber sortie, which bombed three Italian battleships in port. They were out of action for months, providing the Royal Navy with an advantage in the Mediterranean.

Battle of El Alamein

By 1942, the Italian troops were now a part of the Afrika Korps. The Afrika Korps' victories had pushed the British and Commonwealth troops back to El Alamein, and they were moving closer to the Suez Canal. However, two battles at El Alamein ensured that they never reached it. At this battle, the Italians and German allies were pushed back by the British and Commonwealth troops. With limited supplies, the North Africa Campaign was almost over for the Italians and the Afrika Korps after the El Alamein defeat.

Operation Husky

After their defeat at El Alamein, the North Africa Campaign was over by 1943. The remainder of the Afrika Korps surrendered to the Allies in Tunisia. With North Africa cleared of Italian and German troops, Italy was the target for further Allied operations.

Operation Husky was the Allied operation that landed thousands of Allied troops in Sicily, and hundreds of thousands of Italian and German troops were stationed to hold Sicily. However, Sicily could not be held with hundreds of thousands of Italian troops lost in action. The remaining Italian and German troops withdrew to the Italian mainland for further battles with the Allied armies. The loss of Sicily was a defeat too many for the Italian king, who sacked Mussolini as the Italians began armistice talks with the Allies after the operation.

The Battle of Gazala

The Battle of Gazala was perhaps the Italian army's most notable victory in the war, albeit as part of the Afrika Korps. The Battle of Gazala in 1942 was a battle in which the Afrika Korps took Tobruk. They captured thousands of tons of oil and other military vehicles for further operations in North Africa. Briefly, it seemed that the Italians might win the war in North Africa, but defeat at El Alamein ended further advances.

Raid on Alexandria

At sea, Italian human torpedoes scored a notable victory at Alexandria in Egypt. It was there that the Royal Navy battleships HMS Valiant and Queen Elizabeth were stationed. Italian human torpedoes attached mines that sank the battleships in port. The loss of two Royal Navy battleships in the shallow-water port was comparable to Britain's aerial raid at the Battle of Taranto in 1940, but three Italian battleships were put out of action. Italy's victory at Alexandria ensured a temporary advantage for the Italian surface fleet during the Battle of the Mediterranean Sea.

These were a few of Italy's victories and defeats during the North Africa Campaign and the Battle of the Mediterranean Sea. The Italians joined the Allies after the fall of Sicily, while other Italian Fascists headed north to join the German army that remained in Italy until 1945. Postwar treaties dissolved the Italian Empire.

This article of mine was originally submitted to Medium, where you can read it here.