Strategic outlook for CP Italy?

If the Italian government had somehow decided to maintain its alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary and declare war on the Entente (maybe vicious anti-Entente warmongers in the government?), what would Italy's strategic situation look like at the outset of the war? Are most troops diverted to Piedmont and Liguria for an offensive or to deal with a potential French attack? Are some forces diverted to Libya/Eritrea/Somaliland to ward off British advances? Is Greece a concern? Are some troops sent to support A-H and German operations?

And how well and how long could Italy expect to perform in such circumstances? And would this be more of a help or more of a hindrance for the rest of the CPs?
 
If the Italian government had somehow decided to maintain its alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary and declare war on the Entente (maybe vicious anti-Entente warmongers in the government?), what would Italy's strategic situation look like at the outset of the war?

Poor, but that is in hindsight.

Are most troops diverted to Piedmont and Liguria for an offensive or to deal with a potential French attack? Are some forces diverted to Libya/Eritrea/Somaliland to ward off British advances?

How would these reinforcements be sent to these colonies, other than Lybia?

Is Greece a concern?

Overall the Greeks favored nuetrality, but had stronger affinity to Germany than Britain or France.

...Are some troops sent to support A-H and German operations?

Likely

And how well and how long could Italy expect to perform in such circumstances? And would this be more of a help or more of a hindrance for the rest of the CPs?

Thee a story attributed to a French general & previous to Italys entry into the Great War. "If they are against us we will send ten divisions. If they are with us we will send ten divisions. Either way we send ten divisions."
 
How would these reinforcements be sent to these colonies, other than Lybia?

Lol, good call. Eritrea and Italian Somaliland are likely immediately occupied by British forces. What about Britain's presence in the Med in summer 1914? Could the RN also cut off Italian forces in Libya?

Overall the Greeks favored nuetrality, but had stronger affinity to Germany than Britain or France.

Interesting. How would this effect Turkey's entry into the war? If it's between allying with both Italy and Turkey, or opposing them both, what option would be more attractive to the Greek government? (I personally would choose the former)

Thee a story attributed to a French general & previous to Italys entry into the Great War. "If they are against us we will send ten divisions. If they are with us we will send ten divisions. Either way we send ten divisions."

I remember reading this somewhere. Safe to say French opinion of Italy's military capabilities is not high.
 

samcster94

Banned
A CP Italy may sway American opinion to enter early(and not just because of racism against Italians back then).
 
All Italian colonies would be lost fairly quickly; but immediate enter on the CP side may well lead to CP victory, from which Italy will probably benefit comparatively little as neither partner has a keen interest in allowing Italy to get real advantages (unless a very sneaky Germany wants to pit Italy against France, that is, but even that is a dangerous proposition).

At any rate, the strategic outlook is extremely poor and they will need to be bailed by CP help; what has already been mentioned is that the Mediterranean no longer is an Entente lake and this will definitely worry the British.
 
I remember reading this somewhere. Safe to say French opinion of Italy's military capabilities is not high.

The French having a low opinion of another nation military...news at eleven. Cliquè aside regarding Italy, there is some true in that story...in the sense that OTL they have sent 10 division in Italy after Caporetto, for a couple of months before being recalled and never partecipated in any fight and they had around that number to protect their border (but were immediately sent in the north after Italy signed with the Entente and IRC were crucial in holding the front during a massive German offensive).
In any case there will be few offensive on the Italo-French border as either side know how much horrible is the terrain, the principal italian plan was to hold the line, launching just some probing attack to keep the French worried but sent the troops in the north to support the German offensive there.

The italian goverment doubtfoully will partecipate from the start in the war, the war with the Ottoman depleted the supply reserve of the army and so some reequipment was necessary, plus some coal and grain reserve need to be built.

Lol, good call. Eritrea and Italian Somaliland are likely immediately occupied by British forces. What about Britain's presence in the Med in summer 1914? Could the RN also cut off Italian forces in Libya?

The colonies are meant to be lost in the war, the plan is to get them back to the peace negotiation after winning the war.

The other objective of the italian troops will be Albania, as OTL Vlore will be quickly conquered and in this case it mean that the Serbian army will be not be saved as OTL but it will lost as their escape route is now cut (plus OTL italian ships were crucial in saving a lot of them). The presence of Italian troops mean that Greece had even less incentive to side with the Entente now that's surrounded.

In general Italy siding with the CP mean a front less for A-H and a front added to France, plus fight in the mediterrean with all the delay in the transport of colonial troops from North Africa to Europe and some minor colonial warfare added in Africa; plus the diplomatic landscape is very different from OTL for nation like Romania and Greece.
Not counting the italian population in Tunisia and the italian worker in France (they were the biggest non colonial population in France at the time)...basically the prospect seem not very good for the Entente in the end.
 
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