WWII in Colour: Number 6: The Mediterranean and North Africa

Mussolini hoped to rebuild a new Roman Empire, and his goal was to control the Mediterranean Sea and make it Italy's Sea.  He had big dreams but time and time again his soldiers did not prove up to the task.  He first wanted to establish North  Africa as Italy.  He already controlled Libya and Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) however his forces invading Egypt proved to be a mistake.  Not only did they not gain new territory, when the British counter attacked, they pushed the Italians almost out of Libya.  The British would also invade Abyssinia, and although it would take more than a year, eventually the Italians were kicked out.
The Germans were forced to enter the fray to bolster Mussolini, and moved troops from other theaters.  However, General Erwin Rommel would mount another counter offensive going the other way.  Time and again he would out flank the British and drive them back.  So it was that the British were driven back to Egypt.  However the tide would turn again.  With the Americans entering the conflict, the Americans were able to for a new front, to the west of the Germans, invading across Morocco and Algeria.  The British were able to again push Rommel back.  Rommel was relocated to Germany.  In the meantime Hitler would start a pattern which would become frequent.  He left men in a theater too long, until most were captures.
The Italians also had designs on Albania and Greece.  They were able to conquer Albania, but the Greeks refused to surrender.  Again the Italians faces stiff opposition.  German troops were eventually brought in.  The Island of Crete played a vital role, and came under heavy bombardment  from German planes.  Italy had six large Battle Ships to help in control of the Mediterranean.  Four were knocked out by torpedoes launched from planes from an aircraft carrier.  Another would succumb in surface to surface sea battle.  In the end, the Italians proved more of a liability than an asset to Hitler.

WWII in Colour 1: The Gathering Storm

This is a very good documentary using colorized film from WWII.  It also uses maps and explains very well the process of this war.  It explain that WWII starts with the Treaty of Versailles, and only 20 years after the treaty, Germany is ripe for dictatorial leadership and find this in Adolf Hitler.  the treaty set Germany up for economic depression due to the  steep reparations required.  Economic downturn is bad for the current leaders.   Other countries are in the same boat, Spain and Italy as well as Japan.  We have Benito Mussolini in Italy and Francisco Franco in Spain.  This film also shows the first steps, and Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain hoping beyond hope he had achieved peace, but being fooled badly.  The Germans under Hitler have an expansionist mindset, and start with lands that were part of Germany before the treaty of Versailles.  They reoccupy the Rhineland, and move into German areas controlled by the French since the treaty.  Nobody does anything.  The next step is to annex Austria, which is set to have election, but the Germans move in before the election.  Then he moves to repatriate parts of Czechoslovakia, where many German speaking people live, who became part of Czechoslovakia when the country was formed.  This is where Chamberlain was part of the negotiation, and basically told Hitler he could have the country for a guarantee of peace.  Russia seeing the German expansion have two choices, align with Britain and France, or with Germany.  They choose the latter, and have already made agreements of how to split up Poland.