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Originally Posted by perseus In fact a good time for the axis to form an alliance against Britain would have been earlier in 1940 since the Italian presence in Ethiopia was a potential threat to the Suez route. Japanese expansion to the West via Singapore and Ceylon could have formed a bridge to this Italian colony (prior to the actual Italian defeat in 1941) Japanese support here would have virtually sealed of the Eastern Mediterranean. | The best use the Italians could have been for the Axis was either as a neutral country or as a fully paid up member of the Allies. Quote: |
Spain should also have been encouraged to join (from an axis viewpoint) Middle Eastern Oil (and for them Gibraltar) being the main prize. With Spanish ports available largely immune from RAF bombing and a quicker route for Japanese Carriers through Suez, the Atlantic routes would have been at the Axis's mercy and Eurasia could have been sealed off from the America's.
| If anything I think the Spanish model should have been used for the Italians, lets face it everyone knew where Spains sympathies lay but as long as they remained neutral they could provide intelligence, troops and safe havens to the Axis without needing to be protected, it was the ideal buffer zone.
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Last edited by MontyB : January 9th, 2008 at 06:56 PM.
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