Revisiting the Nazi-Fascist Military Alliance: Italo-German Rivalry and Cooperation during the Mediterranean War, 1940–1943

Historians have generally presented the wartime alliance between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as one of incoherence that followed a broadly linear path of decline until its violent denouement. While true for many aspects of the war, there were some exceptions. This article focuses on the Mediterranean war (1940–1943), examining it at different levels. It demonstrates that there, the relationship both declined and improved simultaneously. While Italo-German command relationships in the Mediterranean became increasingly toxic, tactical and technical coordination became closer and more effective. It is too simplistic to view the Italo-German wartime military relationship as one solely characterized by incoherence, decline, mistrust, and rivalry.