Military adventurism : Kingdom of Italy’s attack against the Kingdom of Greece in 1940

Malešič, Marjan (author), Žabkar, Anton (author)

Prispevek analizira italijanski oboroženi napad na Grčijo 28. oktobra 1940, saj gre za eksemplarični vojaški in tudi politično-diplomatski avanturizem. Študija primera razkrije več usodnih napak, ki jih je ob napadu na Grčijo zagrešilo italijansko politično vodstvo ob podpori dela vojaškega poveljstva in se kažejo v razpršeni uporabi oboroženih sil na različ-nih vojskovališčih (Francija, Albanija, severna Afrika in Grčija), v arogantnem odnosu do zaveznice Nemčije, v precenjevanju lastnih zmogljivosti in podcenjevanju nasprotnika ter v neupoštevanju časovnih (jesen in prihajajoča zima), prostorskih (gorato območje Epira) in vremenskih (dež, sneg in ekstremno nizke temperature) dejavnikov.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: vojaški avanturizem, Italija, Grčija, oborožene sile, italijansko-grška vojna, vojaška operacija, poraz
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 14.10.2022
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 64-82
• Numbering: Letn. 62, št. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-142786
• UDC: 355.01:94(450)(495)
• ISSN on article: 0353-0329
• DOI: 10.51663/pnz.62.3.04
• COBISS.SI-ID: 131000579
• Publication date in RUL: 25.11.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Prispevki za novejšo zgodovino
• Shortened title: Prisp. novejšo zgod.
• Publisher: Inštitut za zgodovino delavskega gibanja, Inštitut za zgodovino delavskega gibanja, Inštitut za novejšo zgodovino
• ISSN: 0353-0329
• COBISS.SI-ID: 7530754

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Military adventurism

Abstract

The article draws attention to the phenomenon of military adventurism. The analysis reveals certain fatal mistakes committed by the Italian political leadership, leading to military and political-diplomatic adventure. The most crucial of these included the simultaneous engagement of the limited Italian military forces on several battlefields (France, Albania, North Africa and Greece); the Italian arrogance towards Germany, its key ally; Italy’s overestimation of its forces’ capabilities and its underestimation of the enemy; and Italy’s disregard for the season (autumn and the coming winter), terrain (the mountainous area of Epirus), and weather (rain, snow, and extremely low temperatures) at the time of its attack against Greece.

• Keywords: military adventurism, Italy, Greece, armed forces, Italian-Greek war, military operation, defeat