237: North Africa 1940 Pt. 1 - Italian Aspirations

Description

In the summer of 1940, with France defeated, the war in North Africa finally burst into the open. Rome pushed the Italian army in Libya - huge on paper but constrained by industry, vehicles, and logistics - toward the Egyptian frontier and the British positions shielding the Suez Canal. This episode explores the political objectives Mussolini chased, the command disputes that shaped Italian planning, and the realities of campaigning across the desert.

We also look at the British situation inside Egypt, the small, mobile Western Desert Force, and how both sides assessed their opponents as the first shots were exchanged. Was the Regio Esercito a paper tiger or a force to be reckoned with? We set the stage for the campaign that will define the next act of the war.

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Transcript

Transcript forthcoming.