Mussolini wants his victory in Albania
In the autumn of 1940, Mussolini launched Italy into an invasion of Greece that he believed would be easy. The disaster was immediate: the Greeks counter-attacked and drove the Italian divisions far back into Albania. Six months later, the Duce broods over this humiliation and wants a resounding revenge — before Hitler comes to 'settle' his Balkan problem for him.
On 2 March 1941, he installs himself in Tirana to personally oversee a great spring offensive, the Operazione Primavera. Italian radio announces that he will lead the attack himself. On 9 March, eleven divisions surge forward against the Greek positions entrenched in mountainous terrain, supported by artillery, aircraft and the .
But the Greeks hold. The frontal assaults shatter day after day on ridges like Height 731, which barely changes hands despite appalling losses. By 14 March, the chief of staff, General , comes to tell the Duce what the terrain is already screaming: the offensive has failed.
Mussolini, present on the spot, must decide the fate of his operation.
Should Mussolini break off the offensive that Cavallero judges lost, or stubbornly press on with it?
Mussolini chose B: he dug in. Refusing to admit defeat before the Greeks, he ordered the assaults resumed, and they followed one another daily until 24 March without the slightest gain. The toll was crushing: more than 11,800 Italian dead and wounded against around 1,200 killed on the Greek side. The Duce ended by acknowledging himself that the result of the offensive was 'nil'. The humiliation was total: Italy proved incapable of defeating Greece by its own means. From now on it would be Germany that settled the question — Operation Marita, launched on 6 April, would crush Greece in a few weeks and relegate the Italian army definitively to the rank of junior partner in the Balkans.
Learn more about this event
Related polls
10
Which heart to strike in the East?
Fall Gelb — the order of 9 May 20:00
The Mud, the Winter and the Road to Moscow
Perekop: the Iron Gate of Crimea
Marita — the invasion of Greece
Hitler signs the Barbarossa directive
Mussolini, the Duce and the "Fait Accompli" — Rome, 15 October 1940
Platt before Kassala — January 1941
Saving an ally bogged down in the mountains
Hold the bastion or save the divisions?
Which heart to strike in the East?
Fall Gelb — the order of 9 May 20:00
The Mud, the Winter and the Road to Moscow
Perekop: the Iron Gate of Crimea
Marita — the invasion of Greece
Hitler signs the Barbarossa directive
Mussolini, the Duce and the "Fait Accompli" — Rome, 15 October 1940
Platt before Kassala — January 1941
Saving an ally bogged down in the mountains