Table Of ContentRoutledge Studies in Second World War History
WAR THROUGH ITALIAN
EYES
FIGHTING FOR MUSSOLINI, 1940-1943
Alexander Henry
War Through Italian Eyes
There is a popular notion that the Italian armed forces of the Second World
War were an inferior fighting force. Despite the vast numbers taken as
prisoners, detailed studies of the experiences of these soldiers remain relatively
uncommon and the value of this group to furthering our understanding of the
Italian experience of war under Fascism is also rarely acknowledged. The
existence in the National Archives of hundreds of pages of transcripts of covert
British surveillance of Italian POWs has made it possible to engage with their
experiences and opinions in much greater depth. The euphemistically termed
‘Special Reports’ present historians with a unique insight into how all levels of
Italian soldiery viewed Fascist Italy’s experience of war, 1940–1943. This book
examines reactions to Italian political leadership, the progress of the war as well
as Italian soldiers’ ‘everyday’ views on sex, war, the enemy, death, food, their
allies, bravery, race and killing. These fascinating documents reveal the
complexity of the outlook of these men, which persistent – and influential –
national stereotypes and historiographical trends fail to acknowledge.
Dr Alexander Henry is a historian of the Second World War with particular
research interests in the conflict fought between the Allies and Fascist Italy,
1940–1943. Alex completed his PhD, MA and BA in the Department of
History at the University of Nottingham between 2010 and 2018.
Routledge Studies in Second World War History
The Second World War remains today the most seismic political event of the past
hundred years, an unimaginable upheaval that impacted upon every country on earth
and is fully ingrained in the consciousness of the world’s citizens. Traditional narratives
of the conflict are entrenched to such a degree that new research takes on an ever-
important role in helping us make sense of Second World War. Aiming to bring to
light the results of new archival research and exploring notions of memory, propa-
ganda, genocide, empire and culture, Routledge Studies in Second World War
History sheds new light on the events and legacy of global war.
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Mussolini’s Army against Greece
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Sweden, Japan, and the Long Second World War
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War Through Italian Eyes
Fighting for Mussolini, 1940–1943
Alexander Henry
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/
Routledge-Studies-in-Second-World-War-History/book-series/WWII
War Through Italian Eyes
Fighting for Mussolini, 1940-1943
Alexander Henry
First published 2021
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Alexander Henry
The right of Alexander Henry to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Henry, Alexander, 1992- author.
Title: War through Italian eyes : fighting for Mussolini, 1940-1943 /
Alexander Henry.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2021. | Series:
Routledge studies in Second World War history | Includes bibliographical
references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2021002485 (print) | LCCN 2021002486 (ebook) |
Subjects: LCSH: Great Britain. Combined Services Interrogation Centre. |
Italy. Regio Esercito‐‐History‐‐World War, 1939-1945‐‐Sources. |
Soldiers‐‐Italy‐‐Attitudes‐‐History‐‐20th century. |
Soldiers‐‐Italy‐‐Psychology‐‐History‐‐20th century. | Prisoners of war‐‐Italy.
| Prisoners of war‐‐Great Britain. | World War, 1939-1945‐‐Prisoners and
prisons, British. | World War, 1939-1945‐‐Prisoners and prisons‐‐Italy. |
Military interrogation‐‐Great Britain‐‐History‐‐20th century. | World War,
1939-1945‐‐Military intelligence‐‐Great Britain.
Classification: LCC D810.S7 H44 2021 (print) | LCC D810.S7 (ebook) |
DDC 940.54/0945‐‐dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002485
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002486
ISBN: 978-0-367-51561-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-03847-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-05442-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by MPS Limited, Dehradun
Contents
Acknowledgements vi
Introduction 1
1 CSDIC (UK) and the protocols 15
2 Reading the sources 42
3 Friends and foes 62
4 Occupation, war crimes and antisemitism 90
5 Warriors of land, sea and air 116
6 Attitudes towards Italian political leadership 148
7 Winning and losing the war 176
Conclusion: A hopeful future? 192
Bibliography 199
Index 218
Acknowledgements
The process of writing a book is not one taken alone, and I have built up a
debt of gratitude to many. I would firstly like to thank the Department of
History at the University of Nottingham and the family of John Robinson.
Without the award of the John Robinson Studentship, it would have been
impossible for me to study for the PhD and write the thesis which forms the
backbone of this book. For that, I will be eternally grateful.
I would not be where I am today without the inspirational teaching of Jon
Wale, Martin Parham and Stuart Dalley. Many thanks are also due to Anna
Greenwood, Anna Walas, Joe Merton, Nick Thomas, […] Andrew Stewart,
Amedeo Osti Guerrazzi and Karen Adler. Karen Adler who have all provided
invaluable feedback and guidance over the years. Special thanks are owed to
David Laven for his generosity, good-humour and sage advice on all matters
relating to this project and beyond.
This book would have been impossible to complete without the love and
support of my friends and family. Thank you, Mum, Dad, Abi, Buster, Barney
and Pheobe. Likewise, I am much obliged to my PhD compatriots Mark
Anderson, Katie Griffiths, Katie Harrison, Harriet Lander, Esther Lewis, Tim
McManus, Hannah Nicholson, Jon Rowson, Freddie Stephenson, Emma Vosper
and Scott Weightman. Without your excellent company and friendship, the
journey of the past few years would have been far harder. Many thanks are also
due to Jonni Shepard, Jozef Doyle, Matt Light, Max Ogden and Jacob Youngs
for their mental and physical support. To Hannah Jeffery, thank you for Seinfeld,
Sunny and unending encouragement.
I remain indebted to Martin Feighan for converting me to the trials and
tribulations of supporting Gloucester Rugby. Without which this book may
have been finished earlier, and at far less expense, but would have been a much
less enjoyable experience. A debt of gratitude is also owed to John Robins,
[…] Elis James, Dave Masterman, Mike Bubbins […] Steff Garrero and the
Crown Inn (Beeston, Notts). All masters of their art.
Acknowledgements vii
I would like to thank everyone at Routledge, and the British Journal of
Military History and the British Commission for Military History for permission
to make reproductions from my article, ‘Everybody to be Armed’: Italian
Naval Personnel and the Axis Occupation of Bordeaux, 1940-1943.’
This book is dedicated to the memory of Alfred Cole and Arthur Henry, for
the role they played in fighting the ‘Italian War.’
Introduction
Ordinary Seaman Stefanni was an Italian sailor and survivor of the submarine
Baracca. In November 1941, he spoke of his experiences on board a Regia
Marina submarine during the early stages of the Second World War,
When we came back from that cruise, everybody had scabies and lice,
from the commander downwards […] all of us were covered with lice and
scabies […] I can’t tell you how many there were in that green jersey of
mine. I soaked it in paraffin and then hung it up. It was swarming with
them. We used to amuse ourselves in the evenings hunting them with an
electric torch.1
The first cruise was a jazz affair! There were at least fifteen people on the
bridge all the time, enjoying themselves as if they were on a pleasure
cruise. Standing there smoking. Suddenly there was an alarm; an aircraft
appeared. It was a Spanish aircraft however. But what a scene! The men all
made a dash for the conning-tower, and the capo di silurista, an idiot who
was afterwards sent home (in disgrace), came on deck in his underpants
trembling like a virgin on her wedding night.2
Dirt, squalor, bonhomie and cowardice. These snapshots offer two contrasting
memories of Stefanni’s war. They are memories that give the reader a sharp
insight into the daily life of an Italian submariner. You can almost feel
Stefanni’s jersey crawling with lice, and you can imagine the fear when an
aircraft is spotted from the bridge of the Baracca. Alongside these episodes in
Stefanni’s short-lived war, we also have a record of his thoughts on subjects
such as Italo-German relations, POW interrogations, provisions at sea and
empire.3
Stefanni’s words are of enormous historical value, yet they were not originally
preserved for the interests of historians, but for wartime intelligence personnel.
More specifically, they were recorded by staff of the British-run Combined
Services Detailed Interrogation Centre (United Kingdom) – or CSDIC (UK).
Between September 1939 and October 1945, the Centre monitored, recorded,
transcribed and translated the private conversations of thousands of Axis
