In 1939, Italy invaded Albania and subsequently attempted to conquer Greece in 1940a goal achieved with decisive German support. Yugoslavia followed next. Between 1940 and 1943, Italy occupiedeither wholly or in partSlovenia, Croatia, Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Ionian Islands, and Greece. By the time of the armistice on September 8, 1943, approximately 40 percent of the Italian armynearly half a million menwas stationed in the Balkans. Drawing on extensive original research, this volume provides the first detailed, region-by-region account of the entire course of Italys involvement in the Balkans: the occupation, the fight against partisans, the crisis of September 8 and the ensuing chaotic repatriation efforts, capture by German forces, choices between collaboration and resistance, participation in the Yugoslav partisan struggle (such as the Garibaldi Division), and the complex issues surrounding the repatriation of soldiers held in Yugoslav captivity.
