What impact did Benito Mussolini have on the outcome of the war?

Answer 1

One can make an easy argument that Benito Mussolini and his Italian Armed Forces, were much more a liability than an asset to Hitler and the Third Reich. Every country he directly invaded, be it Ethiopia, Albania, Greece, or South France, his forces weren't able to successfully occupy these countries, without the Germans having to come to their rescue. Ethiopia did fall, but eventually the British and its Commonwealth allies, threw back the Italians out of Ethiopia and threantened their supply routes. Hitler had to quickly organize a German attack force, called Africa Korps, under Field Marshall Rommel, to save the Italian army. At that time, early in the war, Libya was an Italian colony and almost lost its colony if it wasn't for the superior German forces. The most significant setback for Italy and which would haunt the Germans later was, the inability of Italian forces to capture Albania and Greece in the beginning of 1941. Mussolini did not bother to inform Hitler of his plans to invade these countries. Hitler was furious. What it did, was to commit German forces to defeat the British, Albanians, and the Greeks in April. Hitler went ahead and invaded Yugoslavia and occupied that country. The problem was that Hitler wanted to invade the Soviet Union in April not June 22 which is the date he invaded the Soviet Union. Had he invaded Russia in April, not in late June, there was a good probability that the Germans could have taken Moscow before the winter set in and stopped the German advance. Its interesting to note, that Hitler was the only one in Germany that valued the Italian alliance. The German General Staff were always dumbfounded. There were some Italian units that performed well in Africa, later in the war in 1942 and 43, and on the Eastern Front. But they were the exception, not the rule.