Could that be also a component of the uneven performance in 1940-1943?
Significant forces involved in both. I imagine warring loses its appeal after a while.
Italian Army tired of war by 1940 due to Ethiopia & SCW?
Re: Italian Army tired of war by 1940 due to Ethiopia & SCW?
No one wanted war not even Mussolini - only the fascist wing that had racial views akin of Nazis could be said to want war . He just went for it because he wanted to be at the peace conference that he thought would occur at the end 1940. For example until September 1940 Mussolini forbid Regia Aeronautica of bombing Alexandria Harbor the Royal Navy base.
Those wars had a big influence in financial status of Italy in the years later. It certainly affected the rebuild of Italian artillery that in WW2 was on WW1 guns and affected many other programs. It is difficult to say the extent of impact because wrong ideas don't get fixed by just throwing money at them.
The big hidden issue of Italy, is that in the big countries list it was the only one that didn't had an aircraft engine industry of comparable performance. So they would have to rely in someone if they wanted a competitive fighter in 1941 and later.
Those wars had a big influence in financial status of Italy in the years later. It certainly affected the rebuild of Italian artillery that in WW2 was on WW1 guns and affected many other programs. It is difficult to say the extent of impact because wrong ideas don't get fixed by just throwing money at them.
The big hidden issue of Italy, is that in the big countries list it was the only one that didn't had an aircraft engine industry of comparable performance. So they would have to rely in someone if they wanted a competitive fighter in 1941 and later.
Re: Italian Army tired of war by 1940 due to Ethiopia & SCW?
Ethiopia and the Spanish Civil war drained a great deal of resources from Italy both financially and in terms of military equipment. Italy could not afford the losses. The war in Ethiopia was welcomed by some segments of society due to the fact that they saw it as vengeance for the fists Italian failure to take the country in 1896. The Spanish Civil war was looked upon less favorably. Most Italians (my relatives included who fought in the war) werent thrilled with war. When Mussolini declared war in June 1940 his speech was met by only luke warm applause. The savage losses and deprivations of World War I were very fresh in peoples minds and most Italians didnt want to go to war. Most officers thought it suicidal. Mussolini himself KNEW that Italy could only afford a short war at best and basically entered the war for reasons of prestige and as a "land grab". He wanted as much as possible while fighting as little as possible. Both Ethiopia and the Spanish Civil war did not tire the Italian military as much as it exposed many fundamental weaknesses. True high losses in aircraft and artillery DID have to be replaced and the losses in money were large and would take several years to replace at least. The wars convinced both Il Duce and the High command that the military was woefully deficient in its ability to wage modern war, but it didnt stop Mussolini from going to war anyway.