The November 1942 Invasion

This chapter focuses on the Italian Army’s full occupation of southeastern France that began with the November 1942 invasion. In November 1942 more than 150,000 Italian soldiers deployed in the French free zone following the Allied invasion of North Africa. Many “unredeemed lands,” such as the County of Nice, Savoy, and Corsica, were occupied effortlessly by the Italian Army in just a few weeks. The irredentist movement hailed this occupation as the achievement of the Mare Nostrum, Italy’s full control of the Mediterranean Sea. However, what was in theory a political victory shortly became a strategic nightmare. This chapter examines the Italian occupation’s chaotic nature; its moderation and suspicion toward the French population; its ambiguous attitude toward the irredentists; and its ambivalent relationship with the Vichy regime. It shows that the first period of the military occupation established the triangular relationship between Italian military, French population, and Italian immigrants that would shape the Italian occupation of the French Riviera.