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
- 📝 Were Roman gladiators ever enlisted into the military?
- 📝 What kind of uniform is this?
- 📝 Did they use flying drones around 1925 for warfare?
- 📝 How dangerous was it to be a coast watcher during the Pacific War?
- 📝 Why is King Henry V regarded as such a great King?
- 📝 Why did the French Army melt film during WWI?
- 📝 Was a passport needed to travel between UK and France in 1972?
- 📝 When passports/border checks became widespread?
- 📝 What is the oldest verifiably correctly translated written work?
- 📝 Can anyone explain why the Scottish flag on this map from 1504 has a red cross on a white background?
- 📝 Was "Nobody intends to build a wall" Machiavellian?
- 📝 Why was Villa Gaggia chosen as the setting for Hitler & Mussolini's July 1943 meeting?
- 📝 Why did the English name of "Pacific Ocean" stick if it has been known by many cultures since ancient times?
- 📝 Would colonial Maryland have been tolerant to all religions?
- 📝 What (else) happened July 1st 1858 in London?
- 📝 Who was the longest lived European monarch of the middle ages?
- 📝 Why did Coloman of Slavonia leave Sajó bridge weakly defended against the Mongols?
- 📝 When did the Roman Forum fall into disuse?
- 📝 Why did Spain not participate in World War I?
- 📝 Why was the duration of territorial contracts often 99 years?
- 📝 Help me understand a sentence about one particular episode of History quoted from a Conan Doyle Essay
- 📝 Why didn't Mao see that the "Great Leap Forward" would be such a disaster?
- 📝 Did the Allies' attacks on Germany's heavy water supply lead to any reevaluation of its nuclear goals?
- 📝 How can I find the most complete list of the names of Kaytn Massacre victims?
- 📝 What was the purpose of military prefectures in Song?
- 📝 What was the first ever televised lottery?
- 📝 Was Japan really part of the Axis?
- 📝 Where can I find clean maps of colonial America?
- 📝 Why was the Jay Treaty so hated by the American public?
- 📝 Cuban medical internationalism
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?