Did Mussolini know that Hitler was going to attack Poland?
Upvote:1
Following the "Pact of Steel" concluded in May 1939, Germany and Italy consulted on all major European matters, so Mussolini knew about Germany's plans to invade Poland no later than August, 1939.
Italy's response was the so-called "Molybdenum List," a long list of war materials, headed by molybdenum, that Italy would require before joining Germany in a war.
Upvote:1
Answering the second part of your question, it is quite probable that Mussolini was against war with Poland, although I don't know what his opinion about German-Polish war was.
During the war (until 1942, IIRC) Poland and Italy were not in a state of war. This is of course officially, as Polish soldiers fought against Italians eg. in Africa (but as a part of British forces) and some Polish warships fought against Italian ones (however some commanders have objections here). The war was declared by Poland (maybe under British pressure), not Italy, so it might be assumed, that Mussolini was not interested in a war against Poland.
Also as an addendum to previous answers:
In the morning [of 25 Aug 1939], Adolf Hitler sent a message to Benito Mussolini, noting that the reason why Italy was not informed of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was because Hitler had not imagined the negotiations would conclude so quickly. He also revealed to him that war was to commence soon, but failed to let him know that the planned invasion date was on the following day. Later on the same day, however, Hitler hesitated in the face of the Anglo-Polish mutual defense agreement; he would quickly decide to postpone the invasion date. (...) [source]
Upvote:4
Excerpt of a letter from Hitler to Mussolini, dated August 25, 1939.
DUCE: (...) About the situation on the German-Polish frontier, I can only inform Your Excellency that we have been for weeks in a state of alarm, that as a result of the Polish mobilization German preparations have naturally also been increased, and that in case of an intolerable Polish action, I will act immediately.
The assertion of the Polish Government that it is not responsible for these inhuman proceedings, for the numerous border incidents (last night alone there were twenty-one Polish border violations), and for the firing on the German airplanes, which had already received orders to travel to East Prussia over the sea in order to avoid incidents, shows only that the Polish Government has its excitable soldiery no longer under control.
Since yesterday Danzig has been blockaded by Polish troops, a situation which is unendurable. Under these circumstances no one can say what the next hour may bring. I can only assure you there is a limit beyond which I will not be pushed under any circumstances. (...) ADOLF HITLER
Source: Yale.edu
Upvote:18
Mussolini learnt about the German intentions first as did most other countries, by diplomatic reports from his ambassador in Berlin and similar sources; alarmed, in early August 1939, Mussolini sent Galeazzo Ciano for a meeting with Ribbentrop, who told him Germany intended to invade the whole of Poland, not just Danzig. Mussolini was clearly against it, because he realized it would mean a war against the United Kingdom and France that Italy was not ready for, so he tried to organise an international conference like the one held at Munich the year before, but failed because Hitler was not interested in any such conference.
Check pages 248-250 from Mussolini by M. Clark for more info.
More post
- 📝 US Army stations in France during World war 2
- 📝 How did the Romans handle "fatbergs" in their sewage system?
- 📝 What is the origin of the expression "I'm the culture they're dying for"?
- 📝 Was Italian production after August 1944 significant in the German war effort?
- 📝 What was the earliest black advocacy for Palestinian rights?
- 📝 What was the population of late Pre-Islamic Arabia and the population of Arabic speakers before Islam?
- 📝 How big were Ancient China military forces?
- 📝 In 1492, what was the shortest distance you could travel to discover the new world from the old world?
- 📝 Which founding fathers pushed for the right to bear arms?
- 📝 What publication claimed that Michael Jackson died in a nuclear holocaust?
- 📝 During attack by Wahhabi Muslims of Saudi on Karbala city in Iraq, how many Shia Muslims were killed?
- 📝 How were German soldiers chosen to be flown out of Stalingrad?
- 📝 What does this quote from the Roman imperial poet Rutilius mean?
- 📝 How did the Egyptian engineers of the Third and Fourth Dynasty construct the Pyramids and Sphinx without modern science and mathematics?
- 📝 What happened to the Parthians?
- 📝 What is the back story behind the Baja California towns of "Purgatorio" and "Providencia"?
- 📝 Where can I read the 1966 letters opposing Stalin's rehabilitation?
- 📝 Was "money to get the power, power to keep the money" a motto of Lorenzo de Medici?
- 📝 Are the Samaritans descendants of Israel's lost tribes, and so rightfully considered Israelites?
- 📝 What was the ethnic composition of Soviet government?
- 📝 Was Baker Island ever claimed by the United Kingdom?
- 📝 How much gold did America hold at the Nixon shock?
- 📝 What are the modern roles of brigadier generals and commodores?
- 📝 Were the ancient Israelites a caste society?
- 📝 Did S. Korea choose petroleum refining as part of WW2 reconstruction?
- 📝 Why were there so many US military deaths outside of the major battles in WW2?
- 📝 What is "Spain’s dilemma"?
- 📝 How close were the living standards of India compared to England during the medieval period?
- 📝 Why did the US drop nuclear bombs on a weakened Japan?
- 📝 When has a military force used their own people as human shields?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Did Mussolini know that Hitler was going to attack Poland?
- 📝 Why did Hitler attack the Soviet Union when he was still busy fighting the United Kingdom?
- 📝 Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?
- 📝 Where did Hitler get the funds to invest in economic development programs such as the autobahn when the German economy was in a depression?
- 📝 What was the planned line of succession for the Nazi Party in the event that Hitler died?
- 📝 What was the "Favorable result" that the German admiralty was expecting from the naval attack on the Royal Navy in 1918?
- 📝 Why did other German political parties disband so fast when Hitler was appointed chancellor?
- 📝 How did people realize that America was a different continent?
- 📝 Was Hitler released from jail in 1924 on condition that he ran democratically?
- 📝 Is there any research explicitly contradicting facts in Suvorov's "Icebreaker" book series claiming that Stalin intended to attack Hitler in 1941?
- 📝 Did Truman really believe that Hiroshima was a military base?
- 📝 Did the Tamil People discover that the earth was round 2000 years ago?
- 📝 Did any ancient polytheistic religion hold that theirs was the only pantheon?
- 📝 Did Hitler have an end goal during the "appeas*m*nt" phase, or was he just picking a fight?
- 📝 Did Goebbels realize that his wife used to know Arlozorov?
- 📝 Did Sir Isaac Newton ever claim that his mind in 1666 was "remarkably fit for invention"?
- 📝 Did ordinary people during Hatshepsut's reign know she was a woman?
- 📝 Did Britain bill Poland for maintaining Polish Air Force that fought over Britain?
- 📝 Who was the oldest woman that we know of to give birth in the Medieval Europe?
- 📝 When did we figure out that Venus was too hot for humans?
- 📝 How did people ensure that renaissance Papal election bribery was honored?
- 📝 Considering what was known about Hitler in 1933, why would German bishops declare that Catholics could cooperate with the new State?
- 📝 Why did Robert E. Lee say that George McClellan was the best general he ever faced?
- 📝 How did the helmsman know what he was sailing towards with a big mast in his face?
- 📝 Did Averroes really try to bury light in an attempt to create gold, or was that invented by Victor Hugo?
- 📝 Why did the Australian IOC deny that Peter Norman was excluded from the 1972 Olympics for supporting racial equality?
- 📝 What was the reason that Poland wanted a part of Germany north of Stettin/Szczecin and west of the Oder?
- 📝 Do we know the exact date that the 'first photo on the web' was uploaded?
- 📝 How did Romans know if their money was debased?
- 📝 Did Brahms really leave Germany because he was dissatisfied with the political realities of that time?
