John Gooch

While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. Then, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties and an Allied invasion in 1943 which ushered in a terrible new era for the country. John Gooch's new book is the definitive account of Italy's war experience. Beginning with the invasion of Abyssinia and ending with Mussolini's arrest, Gooch brilliantly portrays the nightmare of a country with too small an industrial sector, too incompetent a leadership and too many fronts on which to fight. Everywhere - whether in the USSR, the Western Desert or the Balkans - Italian troops found themselves against either better-equipped or more motivated enemies. The result was a war entirely at odds with the dreams of pre-war Italian planners - a series of desperate improvizations against Allies who could draw on global resources and against whom Italy proved helpless. This remarkable book rightly shows the centrality of Italy to the war, outlining the brief rise and disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign.

Fascist Italy from Triumph to Collapse, 1935-1943

Mussolini's War

Eliot A. Cohen

Examines the three types of misfortune--failure to learn, to anticipate, and to adapt--and shows their implications in terms of a variety of miltary defeats in the twentieth century. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

The Anatomy of Failure in War

Military Misfortunes

Al mismo tiempo que permanecía estrechamente alineado con Hitler, Mussolini se mantuvo cuidadosamente neutral hasta el verano de 1940. Entonces, a raíz del hundimiento repentino y totalmente inesperado de los ejércitos franceses y británicos, el Duce declaró la guerra a los Aliados con la esperanza de obtener ventajas territoriales en el sur de Francia y en África. Aquella decisión resultó ser un terrible error de cálculo, que abocó a Italia a librar una guerra prolongada e imposible de ganar, y la condenó a sufrir ingentes bajas y una invasión de los Aliados en 1943 que inauguró una espantosa nueva era para el país. Este nuevo libro de John Gooch es la crónica definitiva de la experiencia de Italia en la guerra. Empezando por la invasión de Abisinia y terminando con la detención de Mussolini, Gooch describe brillantemente la pesadilla de un país con un sector industrial demasiado pequeño, con unos líderes demasiado incompetentes, y con demasiados frentes en los que combatir. Por todas partes —ya fuera en la URSS, en el desierto entre Libia y Egipto, o en los Balcanes— las tropas italianas tuvieron que enfrentarse a unos enemigos mejor equipados o más motivados. El resultado fue una guerra que no se correspondió en absoluto con los sueños de los planificadores italianos antes de la contienda, sino que fue una serie de improvisaciones a la desesperada contra unos Aliados que podían contar con unos recursos a escala mundial y frente a los que Italia demostró ser impotente. Este libro extraordinario muestra acertadamente la importancia de Italia en la guerra, y destaca el breve auge y la desastrosa caída de las campañas militares de Italia. «Excelente. Esta detallada historia militar muestra el largo alcance de la ineptitud estratégica italiana». Richard Overy, Times Literary Supplement «Un relato meticuloso y hábil. Es difícil imaginar una narración más precisa tanto de la guerras libradas por Italia como de los personajes atrapados en ellas». Caroline Moorhead, The Guardian «Un libro importante que hace una gran aportación a nuestro conocimiento sobre la nefasta contribución de Italia a los conflictos de los años treinta y cuarenta. Un trabajo de meticulosa erudición». Saúl David, The Times «Lucido y con una investigación minuciosa. Un retrato excepcionalmente detallado». Ian Thomson, The Spectator

La Italia fascista desde el triunfo hasta la catástrofe. 1935–1943

La guerra de Mussolini

This book, originally published in 1980, is a study of the nature and purposes of peace-time military organization in Europe, and of the characteristics and outcome of the major wars fought during these years. It charts the rise of mass armies and the role of conscription as a socializing agent and a military instrument, as well as discussing the growing involvement of society in war both as agent and target of military activity, the mounting effort required of a society in order to ahcieve victory, culminating in the ‘Total War’ of 1939-45. Among other subjects explored are the development of war economies, the genesis and significance of war aims, the importance of social cohesion in modern war and the impact of technology.

Armies in Europe

Study of the relationship between the military and foreign policies of Fascist Italy, 1922 to 1940.

The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922-1940

Mussolini and His Generals

Published in 2004, Military Deception and Strategic Surprise! is a valuable contribution to the field of Military and Strategic Studies.

Military Deception and Strategic Surprise!

A remarkable new history evoking the centrality of Italy to World War II, outlining the brief rise and triumph of the Fascists, followed by the disastrous fall of the Italian military campaign. While staying closely aligned with Hitler, Mussolini remained carefully neutral until the summer of 1940. At that moment, with the wholly unexpected and sudden collapse of the French and British armies, Mussolini declared war on the Allies in the hope of making territorial gains in southern France and Africa. This decision proved a horrifying miscalculation, dooming Italy to its own prolonged and unwinnable war, immense casualties, and an Allied invasion in 1943 that ushered in a terrible new era for the country. John Gooch's new history is the definitive account of Italy's war experience. Beginning with the invasion of Abyssinia and ending with Mussolini's arrest, Gooch brilliantly portrays the nightmare of a country with too small an industrial sector, too incompetent a leadership and too many fronts on which to fight. Everywhere—whether in the USSR, the Western Desert, or the Balkans—Italian troops found themselves against either better-equipped or more motivated enemies. The result was a war entirely at odds with the dreams of pre-war Italian planners—a series of desperate improvisations against an allied force who could draw on global resources, and against whom Italy proved helpless.

Fascist Italy from Triumph to Collapse: 1935-1943

This collections of essays by leading British and South African scholars, looking at the Boer War, focuses on three aspects: how the British Military functioned; the role of the Boers, Afrikaners and Zulus; and the media presentation of the war to the public.

Direction, Experience and Image

The Boer War

Bledy i pomylki w wojnach XX wieku

Success or defeat in the Second World War turned less on winning or losing battles than on winning or losing campaigns. This volume reassesses the importance of seven major campaigns for the outcome of the war. The authors examine a wide range of factors which influence success or failure including strategic planning, logistics, combat performance, command and military intelligence. This book represents a novel contribution to the study of the Second World War.

Decisive Campaigns of the Second World War

A major new account of the role and performance of the Italian army in the First World War. Setting military events in a broad context, Gooch explores pre-war Italian military culture, and reveals how an army with a reputation for failure fought a challenging war in appalling conditions - and won.

The Italian Army and the First World War

Ruth Anne Abigail

Shelley D. Lane

First Published in 2016. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an Informa company.

John Gooch

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