Italian

Italy joined the war as one of the Axis Powers in 1940 with a plan to concentrate Italian forces on a major offensive against the British Empire in Africa and the Middle East. The Italians bombed Palestine, invaded Egypt and occupied British Somaliland with initial success. However, German and Japanese actions in 1941 led to the entry of the Soviet Union and United States into the war, ruining the Italian plan of forcing Britain to agree to a negotiated peace settlement. Italy's conquests were always heavily contested and ultimately the Italian empire collapsed after disastrous defeats in the Eastern European and North African campaigns. In July 1943, following the Allied invasion of Sicily, Mussolini was arrested by order of King Victor Emmanuel III and Italy's military collapsed, with its occupied and annexed territories falling under German control. Italy capitulated to the Allies on 3 September 1943. The northern half of the country was occupied by the Germans with the cooperation of Italian fascists, while the south was officially controlled by monarchist forces and fought for the Allied cause. On 28 April 1945, Benito Mussolini was executed by Italian partisans, two days before Adolf Hitler's suicide. Packs contain 10 foot, or 1 vehicle, or 1 gun with crew, unless stated otherwise.
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