Why Italian forces were that bad during WWII. Bad equipement? Poor command? Explain.
>>28077407
havin nice lil aircrafts
>>28077407
spilled their spaghetti early on, there was no recovering after that
>>28077407
they are sub-human
>>28077407
Too much playing and being naughty instead of being strict and follow the rules like German Aces.
>>28077412
except you cant breathe in it
its guns sucked dick took
muh decent navy
>>28077407
Shitty leadership riding hitlers coat tails and rallying the public with allusions to the roman empire.
Horrid gear and weapons.
Incompetent officers.
Lazy pretty-boy lives with his mom at age 26 italian stereotype conscripts.
They did fine at terrorizing unarmed 3rd world citizens, as soon as they met armed resistance they melted.
Seriously, the lost a battle to france, AFTER france had surrendered to germany.
>>28077416
I see what you did there.
>>28077467
U talking shit about 5series?
>>28077407
>Bad equipement? Poor command? Explain.
Yes, yes.
Unreliable weapons and vehicles, full retard leadership on all levels from political down to squad level.
>>28077467
>its guns sucked dick took
The Beretta 38 series of SMG's were highly regarded by the Germans, and actually adopted in certain capacities under a different designation.
The Carcano rifles were mediocre. Not horribly bad, but not particularly good either.
Everything else was shit.
>>28077798
he's talking about the guns on that plane my man
Hard to believe this was the Roman Empire once
their only rations were spaghetti
spaghetti takes a lot of water to cook.
you run out of water in the fucking desert you WILL surrender
They literally spaghetti'd
>>28077873
And without rations of meatballs with the spaghetti, they soon lost moral
The end
>>28077407
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB5rbM7WXfk&feature=youtu.be&t=36
>>28077407
>Only nation that couldn't conquer France in WWII
>>28077407
>Italian
Haven't been worth a damn since Rome.
If Italians would had focused more on navy it would had made a difference.
>>28077407
First, they didn't have the Industrial capacity of the Allied nations that invaded them. They just didn't have the ability to keep up. They put on this facade of might and power, but were vastly behind America, Germany, Japan, USSR, even Britain in ability to actually produce armament and weapons.
Two, they were FAR too reliant on Germany. Once the Nazis lost Africa and the Allies had a foothold in Italy the Italians folded like a newspaper.
Their arms weren't TERRIBLE, but without Germany's full support they couldn't produce very many, their leadership was pretty bad, and they lacked the will to really fight to the last man like Japan.
They were a small fish pretending to be a shark and running at the first shadow that passed overhead.
>>28077407
A lot of things. Godawful logistics, godawful requisitions, entering the war in the middle of a rearmament program. They entered the war with two different service rifles using different ammo, their ammunition varied massively in quality, their naval guns had inconsistently powerful powder charges, so they couldn't hit shit.
The Italian military industry only made three good things. Airframes, anti-tank guns, and manned torpedoes. And they sorta lucked out in their HEAT acting like HESH.
Their infantry was usually of low quality, but their elite units performed very well (frogmen and paras).
>>28078150
Fuck, if the Italians would have just put their navy to sea, they could have made a difference. They maintain a fleet in being for the whole war.
>>28078260
They tried, and the Brits beat their ass. Cape Matapan.
I think a Chinese warlord could've taken the Italians on
>>28077412
TRIMOTORS
>>28077458
Yes, yes, Germans never played around or did naughty things.
but anyway, it also helped that the italians had god awful military leadership, because officers were promoted based on their devotion to the fascist cause, not their competence as military leaders. they also tended to treat their enlisted with contempt. those enlisted soldiers responded by trading their weapons to the brits in exchange for 3 hots and a cot for the rest of the war.
>>28078343
>>28078398
Why did the Italians like the trimotor set up so much?
>>28078260
They had to make it a fleet in being because they had no oil.
>>28078295
It's almost as if one attempt to engage your enemy at sea is insufficient. I can't help but draw parallels between the Italians in WWII anf the Germans in WWI. Obviously, Jutland was a much better attempt to engage the enemy fleet, but it was still a "one and done" incident.
good for killing negros
>>28078434
Cape Matapan wasn't really decisive until the night action, which was pretty much "Italians are trying to repair a ship, brits roll up and blow them into tiny pieces"
Moral of the story? Radar is love, radar is life.
>>28078511
can do the job too
>>28077726
Italian general Ubaldo Soddu described his military philosophy as "when you have a fine plate of pasta for life and a little music you dont need anything more."
He frequently was missing at key moments when his command was needed because he was busy, writing music scores he thought went well with movies.
The guy literally was so italian that he didnt show up for work (AS A FUCKING GENERAL) because he was busy eating spaghetti and writing fan-boy music.
>>28078569
me general me do wat i wan
Eh, they did actually make some good things, some good small arms, good aircraft and good vehicles.
e.g. the SPA-Viberti AS.42, it was good, but complex and hard to produce. Some units were pretty good too.
Basically they were little league trying to join the big league and they got fucked hard. Should have done a spain and just stayed neutral, maybe make nice SMG's etc and export them.
>>28077407
They had expended all of thier industrial ability in a reunification war just prior to WW2, had not updated equipment or tactics since WW1 and were still outfitted for outdated trench warfare, and only sided with the nazis because they thought the war would be over within less than a year.
>>28078641
>>28077407
Why the fuck would they want to go to war when they have pretty women walking around in nice sundresses and lots of beautiful beaches ? They did not fucking care about Bolshevism or Judaism, they wanted to sun tan and eat their damn pastas
>>28077407
I'm Italian, and I thought about it just yesterday, and I think I fianlly got an answer, for whoever may be interested to read.
Italy always was a country forcefully put together up. After unification the main problem was getting everybody to speak the same language. In Italy there are a million of different cultures. People get in "fights" because they're from different villages, I'll let you imagine what happens when you mix an almost german race with a north african-greek one. It makes no sense.
It may be hard for a, say, american, or a brit to comprehend, but Italians' patriotism end where their own house's wall end. At most, it ends at the borders of their cities. It very rarely goes beyond that. Noone is willing to fight for italy, and neither they were during WW2. It's like if you go to a holiday in, say, Laos, and Laos enters a fucking war, and Laos' government asks you to fight for them. Maybe at the beginning you'll be thinking it's cool, I mean, those parades and that patriotic fascist music sounds very intriguing and heart warming, but as soon as the bullets start flying above your head, you'll be thinking in no time: "What the fuck am I doing here? This is not my fight". Here, it always happened the same. I mean don't get me wrong, we had our badass spec-ops, and surely we fought hardly and to the last man many times. But add a very little will of sacrifice for a land that nobody feels as his own to the equation, and you get your answer.
Also yes, many commanding positions were given to people just because they used to be nobles, or because they were a friend's friend, etc. And we had WW1 era muskets and weapons. Our navy was top notch and our aviation was good as well, but our land forces were a joke.
>>28078661
Mussolini was a complete tit, that was the problem.
>>28078716
>top notch
>no radar
>>28078716
also very interesting
>>28078716
Bong here, that hating people from other villages thing kind of happens here to.
Tell someone from Lancashire they're a Yorkshireman and see what happens.
>>28078763
At least you've been together sharing the same history for almost 900 years. Before 1850 I'm quite sure someone from south italy had no clue the north even existed, at all, and vice versa
>>28078763
Frenchcanadianfag here, colonized by your Queen. Granfather didnt feel like british but went fight to protect ur ass. Died in Dieppe.
>>28078716
>. Our navy was top notch
>>28078150
> we had our badass spec-ops, and surely we fought hardly
> fought hardly
> hardly fought
>>28077407
Their goal was to look like they were trying for a couple of years then fold.
>>28078850
Now, I'm always the last to praise stuff when it's not needed, but honestly we did something cool here and there
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decima_Flottiglia_MAS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_El_Alamein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_of_the_Savoia_Cavalleria_at_Isbuscenskij
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nikolayevka
Generals who, instead of actually leading their armies, preferred writing music for films and didn't bother doing soldier things didn't help.
>>28078886
Corporal Lolli, unable to draw, as his saber was frozen in its sheath, charged holding high a hand grenade; Trumpeter Carenzi, having to handle both trumpet and pistol, shot by mistake his own horse in the head.
>>28077407
They did have some very interesting aircraft, first off the P.108A was a modification of the Piaggio 108 for anti-shipping duties. They basically gave it some aerodynamic refinements then slapped a Cannone da 90/53 (a 90mm AA/AT gun, kind of the Italian 88) that had been re-bored out to 102mm into it, facing forward at an downwards angle. Then gun weighed around 3,300lb and it could carry around 60 rounds along with 3 torpedoes and MG ammunition.
Testing went pretty well as it managed around 270mph but delays due to the worsening situation and eventual surrender of Italy meant it was never used in aggression. Then again the practicality of attacking allied shipping with a large, 4 engined bomber using a 4 inch gun, flying relatively slowly isn't great, it probably wouldn't have worked out.
Still pretty cool though.
>>28077726
Only the first point is true. Gear was ok, field officers were good, and you don't even have an idea of how the society worked at the times for the last point (it's not true, anyway).
>>28078716
>but Italians' patriotism end where their own house's wall end. At most, it ends at the borders of their cities. It very rarely goes beyond that
You are retard. Get off facebook.
For the reasons you listed, as well as the poor showing of the Italian armed forces in the early war period had a punishing effect on morale in the troops and at home. The people didn't feel like fighting what they felt was Germany's war.
Atleast they hung their fool up in the street from meat hooks instead of following him til the bitter end.
>>28079041
Calm your tits gianluigi. If you know more than 5 patriotic italians, consider yourself lucky.
>>28078986
Another interesting one was the Fiat CR.42.
Reputedly the fastest biplane ever flown, witht he CR.42DB variant reaching 342mph (although this was an experimental variant and it wasn't pursued as it was felt it offered no advantages over monoplane designs, normal CR-42's hit about 272mph).
Even against more modern monoplane adversaries they could give the odd surprise as they vary manouverable and pretty damn sturdy, here's a random story from a British pilot (ripped from wikipedia I'm afraid, but its got a source).
Pilot Officer Jock Barber:
"I found myself engaged in dogfighting with the remaining CR.42s. This went down to about 10,000 feet; by then I had used up all my ammunition without much success, although I am convinced I got quite a few strikes on the leader in the initial combat. I realized pretty quickly that dogfighting with biplanes was just not on. They were so manoeuvrable that it was very difficult to get in a shot, and I had to keep diving and turning to keep myself from being shot down. George had by this time disappeared so I stuck my nose down and, with full throttle, was very thankful to get out of the way".
On the Eastern front, serving with the Hungarians, they achieved a kill loss ration of 12 to 1, not bad for a dinosaur.
>>28078886
That badge definitely got people laid.
>>28078958
If it was Brits, Germans, Japs etc charging, that'd be a powerful image. But knowing that its Italians I can't help but imagine it with the Benny Hill theme tune over the top of it....
Honestly just play this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg whilst its muted, at the same time as this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg
>>28079192
i lol'ed
>>28078230
>even britain
The british were easily able to outproduce the germans. You dont give them enough credit.
>>28079325
Yeah, especially if we'd got our shit together and used India for something other than warm bodies.
That and the silly sausage munching sods didn't enter into a full war economy until 1943, Britain got their shit together well before then.
>>28077407
They lacked the will to fight, the fascists weren't actually that popular in Italy and the men weren't keen to die for them
>>28078716
this.
Any other answer is wrong, OP.
They had fun though! sometimes.
When Aussies overran Italian positions at one point, the Aussies were amazed how lavishly the Italians lived especially the officers. Nice furniture, great bedding, wines, cheeses, a piano, etc.
>>28078716
I'm screencapping for future generations.
Thanks anon.
>>28078511
also for killing JFK
