IRON ARM

The mechanisation of Mussolini's Army, 1920-1940. Though overshadowed by Germany's more famous Afrika Korps, Italian tanks formed a large part of the Axis armoured force that the Allies confronted -- and ultimately defeated -- in North Africa in the early years of World War II. Those tanks were the product of two decades of debate and development as the Italian military struggled to produce a modern, mechanised army in the aftermath of the First World War For a time, Italy stood near the front of the world's tank forces -- second only to Germany in number of divisions, first to create an armoured corps -- but once war came, Mussolini's iron arm failed as an effective military force. This is the story of its rise and fall. Introduction; A Short History of the Italian Army, 1860-1918; The Italian Economy; Reggimento Carri Armati; From the Alps to Ethiopia; Combat Experience; Divisions and Corps; Prelude to War; New Ideas, Old Tanks; Index.