Germany is the most well-known country that was part of the Axis powers in World War II, but it turns out that Italy had a big part to play in the war as well. So, what exactly did Italy do in World War II? Italy’s roles in World War II were guarding the seas with its navy’s vast submarine force, taking over many countries, and helping both sides in the war.
The first role that Italy had in World War II was guarding the seas with its vast submarine force. Italy’s navy consisted of 177 submarines, which they used throughout the war to guard many different seas and oceans (Heddlesten). Italy’s submarines were used a lot in the war to fight. Some of them were were effective and completed their missions, but others were sunk. (“Italian Navy in World War 2”). “Out of 173 documented attacks, Italian submarines sank 129 merchant ships totaling 668,311 tons” (Heddlesten). This shows that Italy’s
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The countries taken over by Italy include Ethiopia, Greece, France, Albania, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Kenya, and British Somaliland (Knighton). Italy took over different countries for different reasons. For example, one of the countries that Italy invaded was Egypt. “This was a chance to gain control of the strategically vital Suez Canal, secure the eastern end of the Mediterranean, and gain access to the oil beyond” (Knighton). So, Italy planned what land to take over based on how it would help them in them and their side in the war. One of Italy’s most publicized invasions in World War II is the invasion of Ethiopia. Italy announced their plan to take over Ethiopia on May 9, 1936 (“Ethiopia - Mussolini's Invasion and the Italian Occupation”). Italy took over Ethiopia because they had previously taken over a nearby country, and they wanted to also control Ethiopia. Italy had a big role in taking over a lot of different countries during World War II to gain power and good places to