The Italian Army in the Balkans

This is a new book by Massimiliano Afiero for Helion on the Italian army in the Balkans. As the title implies, the focus is on the Italian army's operations in the Greek campaign. It doesn't cover the Greeks to any significant degree, and there is probably less than I expected regarding organisation and tactics. However, this is the most detailed account of Italian operations I have read since Mario Cervi's Hollow Legions. I recommend Pier Paolo Battistelli's Osprey Campaign 358 for a broader overview. My article on the campaign Blunder in the Mountains was also published in the SOTCW Journal.

If you think it looks expensive at £35, it is a hardback, printed on photo quality paper for the wealth of photos and colour plates.

The Italian invasion of Greece began on October 28, 1940, when Mussolini's forces attacked Greece from Albania, which Italy had invaded earlier that year. On this day, Greece celebrates Ohi Day (Greek: "Όχι", meaning "No"), commemorating its refusal to surrender or allow Italian forces to enter its country. The Italians encountered strong resistance from the Greek Army. The Greek forces, aided by terrain, repelled the initial Italian attacks. By November 1940, Greek forces, under the command of General Alexander Papagos, mounted a successful counteroffensive. They pushed the Italians back into Albania, capturing significant portions of Italian-held territory. By early 1941, Greek forces had advanced deep into Albania, while Italy struggled to sustain its campaign. This setback for Mussolini was embarrassing and highlighted Italy's military weaknesses. The Italians lost around 20,000 dead, and the Greeks 13,408. 

The book also covers the later stages of the campaign when Hitler came to the rescue with Operation Marita. This started with the invasion of Yugoslavia, and the Italians aided this by attacking from Albania and their outposts on the Dalmatian coast. A particular favourite of mine is the attempted breakout from Zadar (Zara), which we used for a participation game in 2019.  Mussolini had abandoned earlier plans to invade Yugoslavia under pressure from Hitler, another what-if I must return to.

This book covers each campaign stage and how the Italians responded to each setback. Much of the fighting occurred in the mountains during winter, with brutal conditions even for the trained Alpini divisions. The author extensively uses the medal citations to illustrate the troops' bravery. It is a cliche, but these were truly lions led by donkeys. It is profusely illustrated with wartime photos, most of which I haven't seen before. If you are interested in this campaign, you will find this book an invaluable addition to your library.

I have the Italian and Greek armies in 28mm and 15mm and the Yugoslavs in 28mm. I have also visited several of the battlefields in Greece and Albania. Mountain fighting is quite challenging to replicate on the tabletop, but in the larger scales at least, we only need to model the points of contact.

Italian infantry in 28mm.