MUSSOLINI’S AVARS

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24150, 8 January 1944, Page 8

MUSSOLINI’S AVARS

Badoglio’s Story Of Disaster “WICKED” ATTACK ON GREECE LONDON, November 25. Marshal Badoglio told the story of Italy's entry into the war, and the disastrous results, in this interview with a special correspondent of “The Times.” Question: What effort was made, and by what groups, to prevent Italy from plunging into this disastrous war? What were the internal and external circumstances which prevented clearsighted men like the Marshal from imposing their view upon Mussolini, or else from overthrowing his regime, in order to keep Italy from war? Reply: In August, 1939, Mussolini tried to persuade Hitler not to go to war. Hitler replied that the question concerned Germany alone, that she was in a position to settle the problem by herself, and that therefore Italy should not intervene. Mussolini replied that in any case Italy could not be ready before 1943, and he declared Italian nonbelligerency. These facts were fully set out by the Foreign Minister at that time in the Chamber of Deputies. Every one was convinced that we should never get into war. In fact, at the beginning of 1940 Mussolini sold four destroyers to Sweden, aviation material to France, and Italy’s first anti-tank weapons then being built to other countries. It seemed evident that one does not prepare for war by selling arms! Then came the days of May, 1940, with the swift German victories in Belgium and France. Military leaders fully demonstrated to Mussolini the absolute unreadiness of our armed forces and the lack throughout the country of reserves of material indispensable to war. Despite this Mussolini was convinced that the war was about to end and without warning any of his collaborators he wrote Hitler at the end of May that by June 10 he would have declared war. The military leaders were advised of less than four days later. To their remonstrances, based on lack of preparation, Mussolini replied: *Tn September (1940) everything will be over and I need some thousands of dead to enable me to sit at the peace table as a belligerent.” Ciano was against our entry into the war. Responsibility for the declaration of war tests exclusively on Mussolini. Italy Not Prepared

Question: What has the war cost Italy in men and material destruction fco far?

Reply: We were not ready for so expensive and so complex a war. Our land land air armament was scanty and out-cf-date. Only the fleet was up-to-date in its equipment, but we were short of light craft. We lost all the arms and troops we had in Ethiopia, as we could not supply them at such a distance. We sent a large part of our most modern equipment to Libya; that, too, was lost. In Libya and Tunisia our losses in men were particularly severe. Mussolini, who had not understood the Italian strategic problem, insisted on sending large forces to Russia and into the Balkans. In Russia our divisions were ill-armed and worse equipped, and they were almost completely destroyed. In the Balkans guerrilla warfare continued to inflict a cruel drain on our manpower. The gravest fact was the following: at the time Sicily was already being invaded, Mussolini’s strategy had disposed 36 divisions abroad and only 12 in Italy. The fleet suffered serious losses in heavy and light cruisers and in small craft. The Air Force was almost completely sacrificed. Our cities were half destroyed by air bombings to which we could op pose only very weak defence. But more serious than all this were the sufferings of the population. The bread ration on the ration forms had been down to 150 grammes for the last three years; and in it wheat and flour forms the least ingredient. Meat was distributed once a week in a ration of 40 grammes per person. There was a dearth of medicines, soap, and cloth. The worst sufferers were the inhabitants of the big cities, especially after the bombings began. Of all our regions, Apulia has suffered least up to now, apart from the Foggia district. The destruction increases as one goes, north. • Question: What is the attitude of the Marshal’s Government towards Italy’s belligerent neighbours, France, Jugoslavia, and Greece?

Reply: My own attitude towards France, Jugoslavia, and Greece has been shown by facts, not by mere verbal declarations. Under my army orders Italian troops fought against the Germans to expel them from Corsica in collaboration with French. Other Italian soldiers have joined Jugoslav and Greek partisans against the common enemy. I am convinced that Italian policy towards France. Jugoslavia, and Greece after the war will be a policy of cordial and open friendship, and. that there will no longer be in Italy anyone who would want to revive any territorial claims against them. These claims were a purely Fascist conception. The Marshal was here asked what had been the attitude ot the Italian people towards the attack on Greece, especially in view of the pledge given by Mussolini to that country and to Jugoslavia at the time of Italy’s declaration of war in June. He replied that the army was op-

posed to the adventure and that the people saw no necessity for any attack on a country with which they had no quarrel. Asked further whether he meant that the Italian people’s opposition was based solely on grounds of military expediency, or whether it was founded on moral grounds as well, the Marshal exclaimed, “on moral, adding emphatically that, of course, every one had regarded the attack on Greece as a wicked thing. Question; What advantages has Italy been able to bring to the allies since the declaration of the armistice? Reply: In my opinion the advantages have been rather notable. We note first of all that, in accordance with the armistice terms, there was no opposition to the landing at Salerno on the part of the Italian Army, Fleet, or Air Force. Two German divisions, one armoured, the other parachute, were immobilised in Rome after September 8, and as a consequence could not join Kesselring’s other divisions which attacked the British and Americans. Sardinia and Corsica were freed, the former wholly, the latter to a considerable extent, by Italian troops, thus placing excellent bases at the allies disposal. The Germans were being forced to find replacements for all Italian troops in the Balkans and in Greece, while partisans have received the valuable reinforcement of Italian divisions. All the Allied landings carried out in Apulia were made as u in peace time, with the willing collaboration of all our technical services. All lines of communications, bridges, and airfields are guarded by our troops, leaving the British and American forces entirely available for operations These advantages are in process of being notably increased now that Italy has entered the war against Germany. Regular forces of the Army. Navy, and Air Force are already collaborating fully with the Allied forces There are groups of soldiers who are still fighting in the territory yet occupied by the Germans. Acts of sabotage against lines of communication and dumps have been many. The appeal made by Mr Roosevelt and Mr Churchill has received the full adhesion of the Italian people.