Was Italy enemies with the US?

Answer 1

Yes, Italy under Mussolini was a founding member of the "Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis", from which the term "Axis powers" is derived. Japan consulted neither Italy nor Germany before attacking the US at Pearl Harbor, and President Roosevelt ashed Congress on December 8, 1941 for a declaration of war ONLY against Japan. Under the terms of their alliance, Germany was not obligated to come to Japan's assistance, since Japan had attacked and not BEEN attacked. Nevertheless Germany declared war on the US on December 11, 1941, and Italy followed suit. The Italians surrendered September 8, 1943, just as American troops were preparing to land on the Italian peninsula near Naples, at Salerno. Within a year or two, after a change of government, Italy declared war on Japan in 1945, as an ally of the US.