Italy broke from the Axis in 1943 and joined the Allies, but I never got exactly what happened as a result. Did Italian forces actually fight with the Allies? I was wondering after reading Bill Mauldin's book Up Front which had a passage where a German soldier taunts an American one, "How do you like your new allies?" (a reference to the Italians), and the American replies, "You kin have 'em back!" Then there was a brief firefight.

One of the big myths of WW 2 was that the Italians were nothing more than a pack of cowards and useless to everyone involved in battle.
Background.
Problem was that the Italian armed forces were completely screwed by the Facsists - there was a widespread belief, from Mussolini on down that solid training, strategy and tactics could be replaced by bombast, elan and ideas of superiority. There were pitifully few competent officers who could lead.

The vast bulk of Italy's fighting forces were expected to go into battle against well trained, professional, fighting troops - which is why a small force of British and Commonwealth troops were able to roll back the large Italian armies in Libya in late 1940-early 1941.

Added to that was the fact that Italy was underdeveloped as an industrial power. The equipment available to the front-line forces was, with a few exceptions, woeful. No proper training and inadequate weaponry means problems with morale.

The Italian population, as a whole, never accepted the Fascists and Mussolini with the same whole-hearted devotion with which the Germans accepted Hitler and the Nazis. This attitude was reflected by a willingness not to give their lives for the cause - the wholesale surrender of entire formations of Italian forces was a reflection of the lack of training, the awareness of the inferior weapons, supplies and equipment, low morale and a lack of whole-hearted support for the Fascists. Would any army, airforce or navy succeed, given the circumstances? I can't think of any examples.

By September 1943 all of these things led to Italy's surrender. The Allied contempt for the Italians came from the experiences of seeing how readily their fighting forces fell apart under pressure - as a result there were few Italian formations accepted into the Allied camp. Most were used behind the lines, rather than as front-line units.

The best known front-line unit was the Co-Belligerent air force; this was still used in mostly secondary roles. http://en.wikipedia.org/Italian_Co_Belligerent_Air_Force

After the 1943 overthrow of Mussolini some remnant Fascist forces carried on fighting for the Axis under the Italian Socialist Republic (RSI). So Italy, in effect, was fighting on both sides simultaneously.

Jeff's comments about the Italians unprepardness for war should be borne in mind when considering the army's performance in WW2.

Another fiction is that lax Italian security was the cause of Axis shipping losses in the Med (as peddled by Rommel for instance). The truth was that ULTRA was reading the GERMANS' messages.

David

A side effect of what has been said is that many Italians hold Mussolini as a sort of hero. Why I don't know. The Royal house is bitterly despised to this day, by many that I know in southern Italy. Again it escapes me as to why.

Some of my extended family lives in Italy so I get to go there every once in a while. It is quite odd when you are there and are shown where the "Great" Mussolini had held outdoor meetings and such. I haven't musterd the courage to ask why yet, it seemed to be a rather touchy question all in all....

Possibly it's because the House of Savoy came from the north of Italy.

Kingdom of Sardinia

David

That does play a part in it I'm sure. Whereas Italy is a unified country, it is very provincial. This is also partially a part of the suspicious attitude most italians have towards each other and others. The northern areas around Milano are some of the most industrious and therefore also richest. My family comes from the south. The puzzle pieces are starting to fall in place. Very interesting!!