Mussolini never got out of bed

Roger Eatwell, Fascism: A History, page 103:

As Mussolini strove to rejuvenate both fascism and the Italian war effort, his health began to fail. During late 1942 he was very ill. By January 1943 he could hardly get out of bed, where he lay under sedation, taking only liquid food.

WI, rather than recovering, Mussolini died sometime in January?
 
The new Facist leadership makes a deal with the allies after the invasion just they did OTL and the Germans invade just as they did OTL. Nothing much changes.
 
The new Facist leadership makes a deal with the allies after the invasion just they did OTL and the Germans invade just as they did OTL. Nothing much changes.

Operation Husky is still 6 months away. Hell, Kasserine Pass is a month away. Mussolini's successor would probably be someone opposed to the war, in fact it may be someone who was opposed to it from the beginning, like Grandi. Someone who'd make an effort to get out before the Allies land in Italy and wouldn't be cowed by a personal meeting with Hitler.

Unless the Italian leadership spends half a year dozing off, things would change.
 

elkarlo

Banned
Operation Husky is still 6 months away. Hell, Kasserine Pass is a month away. Mussolini's successor would probably be someone opposed to the war, in fact it may be someone who was opposed to it from the beginning, like Grandi. Someone who'd make an effort to get out before the Allies land in Italy and wouldn't be cowed by a personal meeting with Hitler.

Unless the Italian leadership spends half a year dozing off, things would change.


Be interesting if Italy was totally removed from the war. As in they bargained to not have any forces occupy Italy proper. Be interesting if the Allies would go through Greece instead.
 
How early in January? The Casablanca Conference started on the 14th and ended 10 days later.

If Mussolini dies before or during the conference, then we have significant butterflies.

It was OTL's Casablanca Conference that declared Unconditional Surrender to be part of the Allied War Aims,
and also laid the groundwork for selling out Poland and most of Eastern Europe to Stalin.

I'm assuming that we're not subscribing to the theory that Mussolini's health complaints at this time were psychosomatic.
 
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Operation Husky is still 6 months away. Hell, Kasserine Pass is a month away. Mussolini's successor would probably be someone opposed to the war, in fact it may be someone who was opposed to it from the beginning, like Grandi. Someone who'd make an effort to get out before the Allies land in Italy and wouldn't be cowed by a personal meeting with Hitler.

Unless the Italian leadership spends half a year dozing off, things would change.

Interesting, if Italy makes a deal with Allies in Febuary 1942, then the Germans would invade. Are US and British troops rushed to Italy to help fight off the invaders.
 
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Interesting, if Italy makes a deal with Allies in Febuary 1942, then the Germans would invade. Are US and British troops rushed to Italy to help fight off the invaders.

I assume you mean February 1943.

Given that Germany has far fewer forces in Italy at the time, providing the Allies move quickly enough they might be able to gain Southern Italy at the very least. That being said, logistical problems will result in the Allies being forced onto the defensive during the short term (until the remaining German forces in Africa can be starved out...).
 
Perhaps not, but I was thinking of a way of causing the PoD and this seemed to be an interesting one. If any historical figure deserved to have a bridge dropped on him ...

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
 
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