Hello!
I wanted to introduce myself and my book series.
“Mussolini's War” series of publications is aimed to deal in a matter-of-fact way with the unfair, racist myth of the Italian being a cowardly soldier by birth. It will discuss in a substantive way the campaigns fought by the Italian forces on the ground, at sea and in the air during the reign of Benito Mussolini, the dictator. Reader-friendly language style, descriptions of previously neglected or unknown operations and actions, a lot of space devoted to the most important heroes of the events in question – the rank-and-file - all this makes these books dedicated to readers of all levels of historical knowledge and a guarantee of pleasant time spent reading. The painfully honest account of the weaknesses of the Italian military, in which however, we do not forget about the numerous examples of unprecedented heroism and endurance of the Italians, is based on references on the topic published worldwide, thanks to which we avoid mythologisation, which can often be noticed in other works. It is the first time that the subject is presented comprehensively in the English language.
Marek Sobski, a graduate of the University of Zielona Góra, is a historian. Author of several books (including some published in English like "Lictorian Fasces Over England. Regia Aeronautica In Action Against Britain 1940–1941" and the two-volume "Crickets Against Rats. Regia Aeronautica In The Spanish Civil War"), as well as articles in specialist magazines. Since late 2011, he has been a promoter of interest in the history of the Italian military in the first half of the 20th century, and his expertise has been made available to readers of the "Mussolini's War" blog and on social media.
Volume I is "East Africa 1940-1941 (land campaign): The Italian Army Defends The Empire In The Horn Of Africa"
Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PC7FYMV
Color version of maps for download: https://files.fm/u/khbvrgwam
Volume II is "Mussolini’s Eastern Crusade: The Italian Expeditionary Corps In Operation Barbarossa"
Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GPYLYXC
Color version of maps for download: https://files.fm/u/aceva9jf8
Covers:
Next goal: France 1940 (land campaign)
Regards,
Marek Sobski
Mussolini's War series
Moderator: sniper1shot
-
- New Member
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 12:32 pm
Re: Mussolini's War series
Hi,
New release!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZV5QS3P
Next one (vol. 4): Betasom: Italian Submarines in the Atlantic 1940-1945 - scheduled for release in 2023!
The favourite weapon of Benito Mussolini was a bluff calculated for the intimidation of adversaries to force them to yield according to his will. This game of appearances the Italian dictator also practised in the military field. In order not to remain groundless, in 1936, General Alberto Pariani became the Secretary of the State in the Ministry of the War, and Mussolini managed the Ministry personally, and liked to stress the strength of the Italian Army in his cocky speeches, which, if necessary - according to him - would be able to deploy sixty fully equipped divisions. Reality, however, was very different, as for sixty whole divisions there was not enough weapons or even the appropriate number of officers. Thus, Pariani suggested that every infantry division will be reduced from three to two infantry regiments and in this wonderful way the Duce was still able to put a good face to bad game and claim that he had a large and well armed army.
The time of checking this view in a clash with reality, however, was approaching inexorably. On 1 September 1939, Adolf Hitler's troops attacked Poland, on 3 September, the Allies, Britain and France, supported her by declaring war on the Third Reich. A series of small conflicts and political tensions in Asia, Africa and Europe finally led to the outbreak of another war on a global scale. The Italian dictator, associated with Hitler by the Steel Pact, announced Italy as a "non-belligerent". Being aware that the country and the armed forces were exhausted by the costs of wars in Ethiopia, Spain and the invasion on Albania, he waited. He compared himself to a cat prowling for a mouse, as he must have had practically mathematical certainty that his attack would succeed and he would not be left with nothing.
The French armed forces in the interwar period had the reputation of the most powerful in the world, additionally protected by the widely-publicised Maginot Line. Moreover supported by Britain and her population and the economic potential of His Majesty's Empire, they seemed unbeatable. Therefore, it was a surprise to the world when German armoured divisions broke through the forests of the Ardennes and threatened the rear of the Anglo-French troops trying to rescue the Low Countries. After Sedan and Dunkirk, the Duce came to the conclusion that the time for his decisive leap had just arrived, after which his victim would accept any of his conditions.
On 10 June 1940, Benito Mussolini, while speaking to the nation, stated that Italy was in a state of war with the western democracies. Completely unprepared for war, the Italian Royal Army, in the dictator's intention, had to perform one serious effort so that he could then, as a victor, sit at the peace negotiations table and impose his will on the world. Italian soldiers, despite the collapse of the weather in the Western Alps, were thrown into a frontal attack on the Maginot Line. The Duce calmly calculated that a few thousand corpses would be a small price for a success that he would achieve. The Germans, whenever they undertook frontal assaults on French fortifications, were slaughtered. Could the Italians possibly fare any better?
The book is being illustrated by 8 maps and 94 photographs of the main theme of the work as well as photo album: Blitzkrieg in the Western Europe as seen in the Italian press at the time.
List of chapters:
I. Political Relations of Italy and France in the Interwar Period
II. Time For The Final Decisions
III. The Maginot Line in the Alps
IV. Opposing Forces
V. The First Fighting
VI. Operation "B" - The Battle for the Small Saint Bernard Pass
VII. Advance In the Direction of the Town of Modane
VIII. Briançon: Italian Attack On The Town-Fortress
IX. Advance Of The 1st Italian Army In The Alps
X. Battle of Menton
XI. The Armistice
XII. The Situation On The Border Of Italian And French Possessions In North Africa
Regards!
New release!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZV5QS3P
Next one (vol. 4): Betasom: Italian Submarines in the Atlantic 1940-1945 - scheduled for release in 2023!
The favourite weapon of Benito Mussolini was a bluff calculated for the intimidation of adversaries to force them to yield according to his will. This game of appearances the Italian dictator also practised in the military field. In order not to remain groundless, in 1936, General Alberto Pariani became the Secretary of the State in the Ministry of the War, and Mussolini managed the Ministry personally, and liked to stress the strength of the Italian Army in his cocky speeches, which, if necessary - according to him - would be able to deploy sixty fully equipped divisions. Reality, however, was very different, as for sixty whole divisions there was not enough weapons or even the appropriate number of officers. Thus, Pariani suggested that every infantry division will be reduced from three to two infantry regiments and in this wonderful way the Duce was still able to put a good face to bad game and claim that he had a large and well armed army.
The time of checking this view in a clash with reality, however, was approaching inexorably. On 1 September 1939, Adolf Hitler's troops attacked Poland, on 3 September, the Allies, Britain and France, supported her by declaring war on the Third Reich. A series of small conflicts and political tensions in Asia, Africa and Europe finally led to the outbreak of another war on a global scale. The Italian dictator, associated with Hitler by the Steel Pact, announced Italy as a "non-belligerent". Being aware that the country and the armed forces were exhausted by the costs of wars in Ethiopia, Spain and the invasion on Albania, he waited. He compared himself to a cat prowling for a mouse, as he must have had practically mathematical certainty that his attack would succeed and he would not be left with nothing.
The French armed forces in the interwar period had the reputation of the most powerful in the world, additionally protected by the widely-publicised Maginot Line. Moreover supported by Britain and her population and the economic potential of His Majesty's Empire, they seemed unbeatable. Therefore, it was a surprise to the world when German armoured divisions broke through the forests of the Ardennes and threatened the rear of the Anglo-French troops trying to rescue the Low Countries. After Sedan and Dunkirk, the Duce came to the conclusion that the time for his decisive leap had just arrived, after which his victim would accept any of his conditions.
On 10 June 1940, Benito Mussolini, while speaking to the nation, stated that Italy was in a state of war with the western democracies. Completely unprepared for war, the Italian Royal Army, in the dictator's intention, had to perform one serious effort so that he could then, as a victor, sit at the peace negotiations table and impose his will on the world. Italian soldiers, despite the collapse of the weather in the Western Alps, were thrown into a frontal attack on the Maginot Line. The Duce calmly calculated that a few thousand corpses would be a small price for a success that he would achieve. The Germans, whenever they undertook frontal assaults on French fortifications, were slaughtered. Could the Italians possibly fare any better?
The book is being illustrated by 8 maps and 94 photographs of the main theme of the work as well as photo album: Blitzkrieg in the Western Europe as seen in the Italian press at the time.
List of chapters:
I. Political Relations of Italy and France in the Interwar Period
II. Time For The Final Decisions
III. The Maginot Line in the Alps
IV. Opposing Forces
V. The First Fighting
VI. Operation "B" - The Battle for the Small Saint Bernard Pass
VII. Advance In the Direction of the Town of Modane
VIII. Briançon: Italian Attack On The Town-Fortress
IX. Advance Of The 1st Italian Army In The Alps
X. Battle of Menton
XI. The Armistice
XII. The Situation On The Border Of Italian And French Possessions In North Africa
Regards!
-
- New Member
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 12:32 pm
Re: Mussolini's War series
Hi,
New release!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN87WHVG
Translation: Tomek Basarabowicz (as in previous volumes)
This book describes the operations of a group of Italian submarines that took part in the Atlantic conflict during the World War Two. A total of 32 submarines flying the tricolour flag of the Regia Marina passed through the Betasom base, located at the French port of Bordeaux. Almost two hundred of their combat patrols are presented in detail, all victories and defeats being discussed. The work also covers the story of the base itself, the doctrine of Italian submarines, biographies of commanders, submarines and other factors influencing successes and failures. The Italians commenced their operations in the Atlantic badly, due to a lack of previous experience they turned out to be unprepared for the actions that awaited them, but with stubbornness and hard work, they managed to transform their Atlantic contingent into a very effective fighting machine. Thanks in large part due to the efforts of Betasom’s personnel, the Italian Navy can be proud of being the sixth most effective submarine fleet in the history of this type of weapon. A separate chapter presents the history of the Italian blockade runners, which, based in Bordeaux, were to break into the Far East, carrying in both directions material of strategic importance, urgently needed for the war-fighting of Italy, Germany and Japan.
The book is illustrated with 100 photos or drawings and 15 maps.
List of chapters:
I. Betasom Is Formed
II. Doctrine, Ships And Commanders
III. Road To Bordeaux
IV. The First Patrols From The Betasom Base
V. Hard Winter In The North Atlantic
VI. In The Waters Between The Azores And Gibraltar
VII. The Turn Of 1941/1942 In The South Atlantic
VIII. In American Waters
IX. Twilight Of The Gods
X. Italians In The Far East
XI. Bordeaux As Base For Italian Blockade Runners
Next goal: The struggle and bitter end of the Italian Army in Russia 1942-1943, scheduled for release in 2023!
Greetings!
New release!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN87WHVG
Translation: Tomek Basarabowicz (as in previous volumes)
This book describes the operations of a group of Italian submarines that took part in the Atlantic conflict during the World War Two. A total of 32 submarines flying the tricolour flag of the Regia Marina passed through the Betasom base, located at the French port of Bordeaux. Almost two hundred of their combat patrols are presented in detail, all victories and defeats being discussed. The work also covers the story of the base itself, the doctrine of Italian submarines, biographies of commanders, submarines and other factors influencing successes and failures. The Italians commenced their operations in the Atlantic badly, due to a lack of previous experience they turned out to be unprepared for the actions that awaited them, but with stubbornness and hard work, they managed to transform their Atlantic contingent into a very effective fighting machine. Thanks in large part due to the efforts of Betasom’s personnel, the Italian Navy can be proud of being the sixth most effective submarine fleet in the history of this type of weapon. A separate chapter presents the history of the Italian blockade runners, which, based in Bordeaux, were to break into the Far East, carrying in both directions material of strategic importance, urgently needed for the war-fighting of Italy, Germany and Japan.
The book is illustrated with 100 photos or drawings and 15 maps.
List of chapters:
I. Betasom Is Formed
II. Doctrine, Ships And Commanders
III. Road To Bordeaux
IV. The First Patrols From The Betasom Base
V. Hard Winter In The North Atlantic
VI. In The Waters Between The Azores And Gibraltar
VII. The Turn Of 1941/1942 In The South Atlantic
VIII. In American Waters
IX. Twilight Of The Gods
X. Italians In The Far East
XI. Bordeaux As Base For Italian Blockade Runners
Next goal: The struggle and bitter end of the Italian Army in Russia 1942-1943, scheduled for release in 2023!
Greetings!
-
- New Member
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2021 12:32 pm
Re: Mussolini's War series
Hello!
I am happy to announce that the next volume of the Mussolini's War series has been officially released! (Translated by Tomek Basarabowicz)
At the moment they are available on Amazon Paperback and Hardcover. Kindle eBook will join next week at the latest.
------------------------------------------------------
In the previous study ‘Mussolini's Eastern Crusade: The Italian Expeditionary Corps In Operation Barbarossa’ we recounted the story of the Italian Corps (CSIR) on the Eastern Front until the end of winter 1942. This work continues the story of Mussolini's soldiers taking part in the campaign that fascist propaganda presented as an anti-Bolshevik crusade. Since the summer of 1942, an entire army sent from Italy (Armata Italiana in Russia, ARMIR), numbering well over two hundred thousand men, had been fighting in the USSR alongside the Wehrmacht.
The next summer offensive of the Wehrmacht in the USSR targeted the oil-rich areas of the Caucasus and, with its success, the industrial city on the Volga River - Stalingrad. The role of the Third Reich's allies on the Eastern Front was to secure the flanks of this manoeuvre. The ARMIR took part in the initial phases of Operation Blau, and then, acting as a buffer between the incompatible Hungarians and Romanians, took up positions on the River Don. Already by the summer of 1942, the Italians became the target of a Soviet operation aimed at cutting German supply lines and drawing reserves away from the Stalingrad area. The ARMIR passed this first test successfully, taking control of the situation without the help of other Axis forces.
In the winter of 1942/1943, the Red Army carried out a powerful counter-offensive, which in the first stage trapped Paulus's 6th Army in the Stalingrad cauldron. However, the Soviet reserves seemed inexhaustible, while the German-Romanian attempt to unblock the cauldron was still ongoing the Soviets were already undertaking further operations. Operation ‘Little Saturn’ was to break through the positions of the Italian 8th Army (ARMIR) and threaten the airfields from which Stalingrad was supplied. After its end, the elite Italian Alpine Corps found itself in the middle of another Soviet offensive – the Ostrogozhsk-Rossoshan Operation.
This study presents the story of the desperate battles of the Italian troops during the aforementioned events, including the operations of the air contingent. A detailed description of the battles and many accounts on the heroism of ordinary troops will allow the reader to properly assess the exploits of the Italian soldier on the Eastern Front, which has often been presented in an extremely unfair way. It also touches on such topics as the political and economic goals of the Italian presence in the East and the problem of securing the frontline zone, and the relations of the Italians with the local population.
I am happy to announce that the next volume of the Mussolini's War series has been officially released! (Translated by Tomek Basarabowicz)
At the moment they are available on Amazon Paperback and Hardcover. Kindle eBook will join next week at the latest.
------------------------------------------------------
In the previous study ‘Mussolini's Eastern Crusade: The Italian Expeditionary Corps In Operation Barbarossa’ we recounted the story of the Italian Corps (CSIR) on the Eastern Front until the end of winter 1942. This work continues the story of Mussolini's soldiers taking part in the campaign that fascist propaganda presented as an anti-Bolshevik crusade. Since the summer of 1942, an entire army sent from Italy (Armata Italiana in Russia, ARMIR), numbering well over two hundred thousand men, had been fighting in the USSR alongside the Wehrmacht.
The next summer offensive of the Wehrmacht in the USSR targeted the oil-rich areas of the Caucasus and, with its success, the industrial city on the Volga River - Stalingrad. The role of the Third Reich's allies on the Eastern Front was to secure the flanks of this manoeuvre. The ARMIR took part in the initial phases of Operation Blau, and then, acting as a buffer between the incompatible Hungarians and Romanians, took up positions on the River Don. Already by the summer of 1942, the Italians became the target of a Soviet operation aimed at cutting German supply lines and drawing reserves away from the Stalingrad area. The ARMIR passed this first test successfully, taking control of the situation without the help of other Axis forces.
In the winter of 1942/1943, the Red Army carried out a powerful counter-offensive, which in the first stage trapped Paulus's 6th Army in the Stalingrad cauldron. However, the Soviet reserves seemed inexhaustible, while the German-Romanian attempt to unblock the cauldron was still ongoing the Soviets were already undertaking further operations. Operation ‘Little Saturn’ was to break through the positions of the Italian 8th Army (ARMIR) and threaten the airfields from which Stalingrad was supplied. After its end, the elite Italian Alpine Corps found itself in the middle of another Soviet offensive – the Ostrogozhsk-Rossoshan Operation.
This study presents the story of the desperate battles of the Italian troops during the aforementioned events, including the operations of the air contingent. A detailed description of the battles and many accounts on the heroism of ordinary troops will allow the reader to properly assess the exploits of the Italian soldier on the Eastern Front, which has often been presented in an extremely unfair way. It also touches on such topics as the political and economic goals of the Italian presence in the East and the problem of securing the frontline zone, and the relations of the Italians with the local population.