What if Italy had stayed neutral in WWII?

[Paul]

Would there have been any chance, however sight, of Italy joining the Allies

Surely the 300,000 strong co-belligerent army of Southern Italy did after Mussolini was removed from power?

[grizzlymc]

I think Churchill would have offered Italy to the Russians rather than have them on his side again.

[Etranger]

I think Churchill would have offered Italy to the Russians rather than have them on his side again.

On hearing that Italy had declared war on the allies, "It's only fair, we had to have them last time."

[ochoin]

One result would have been my father-in-law wouldn't have been able to tell his interminable stories about sheltering in a cave in the Gran Sasso, hiding from the American bombers, & living on guinea pigs (I know! Feral guinea pigs?).

On a more serious note, some of the irreparable damage done during the war would not have happened. The wife has some family in Civita Vecchio, north of Rome. It was, evidently, a perfect medieval town but, unfortunately, a place the Americans would jettison their bombs on if a target was clouded over. So now it's a post-war nightmare of ugly concrete, post modern buildings that even the Fascists would reject. When I visit there, I try to keep my eyes shut.

donald

[grizzlymc]

That sums up Caen. I have not travelled extensively in Germany, but
I'm guessing most West German towns look that way too.
The god awful architecture of the fifties and sixties were proof that god has a hell of a sense of humour.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

That sums up Caen. I have not travelled extensively in Germany, but
I'm guessing most West German towns look that way too.
The god awful architecture of the fifties and sixties were proof that god has a hell of a sense of humour.

Actually, the Germans seem to have made a pretty good fist of restoring all their mediaeval towns and cities (barrowloads of Yankee lucre obviously helped). I have no idea why, but in the 1950s and 1960s the Roman Catholic church seems to have scoured the UK for every architectural school drop out with a heroin/cocaine-induced psychosis it could find to build their churches for them, "Paddy's Wigwam" in Liverpool being the ultimate example of what people with too much money and too little talent can produce.

[FreddBloggs]

Ahem. Paddy's Wigwam is a fine cathedral, both to look at and the acoustics inside. I will not hear a word said against it. Not least because Liverpool, being Liverpool, has an Anglican cathedral with a catholic architect and a catholic Cathedral with an Anglican architect.

[Buff Orpington]

Evidently he thought that their fondness for Holy Water would extend to a leaky roof.

[FreddBloggs]

Well when Westminster Abbey finally solves that issue, after 950 years, you can gloat.

[Buff Orpington]

Well when Westminster Abbey finally solves that issue, after 950 years, you can gloat.

Shoddy workmanship I agree but there was a plague on.