James Holland

And so from Mussolini's point of view, the pact of steel is just sailing your flag to one particular mast and kind of trying to cover your back.

And so long as he

plays his cards right.

plays his cards right. He can still get his coal supplies from Britain. He doesn't have to worry about that. The Pact of Steel doesn't make any difference to that. The problem for him is that in June 1940, he thinks that France is about to be defeated and that Britain will surely follow. And so he thinks, ah, I've got some rich pickings. I can take Malta or I can take British possessions.

plays his cards right. He can still get his coal supplies from Britain. He doesn't have to worry about that. The Pact of Steel doesn't make any difference to that. The problem for him is that in June 1940, he thinks that France is about to be defeated and that Britain will surely follow. And so he thinks, ah, I've got some rich pickings. I can take Malta or I can take British possessions.

plays his cards right. He can still get his coal supplies from Britain. He doesn't have to worry about that. The Pact of Steel doesn't make any difference to that. The problem for him is that in June 1940, he thinks that France is about to be defeated and that Britain will surely follow. And so he thinks, ah, I've got some rich pickings. I can take Malta or I can take British possessions.

He can still get his coal supplies from Britain.

He doesn't have to worry about that.

The pact still doesn't make any difference to that.

The problem for him is that in June 1940, he thinks that France is about to be defeated and that Britain will surely follow.

And so he thinks, ah, I've got some rich pickings.

I can take Malta or I can take British possessions.

I can overrun Egypt. And you know, now is my time. But I also need to kind of join the fight before France is completely out of the fight. Otherwise, it looks like I'm a Johnny come lately. And I won't get those spoils because the Germans will go, yeah, you can't have all this stuff. You've turned up too late. You need to be in the fight. So he does it what he thinks is the perfect timing.

I can overrun Egypt. And you know, now is my time. But I also need to kind of join the fight before France is completely out of the fight. Otherwise, it looks like I'm a Johnny come lately. And I won't get those spoils because the Germans will go, yeah, you can't have all this stuff. You've turned up too late. You need to be in the fight. So he does it what he thinks is the perfect timing.

I can overrun Egypt. And you know, now is my time. But I also need to kind of join the fight before France is completely out of the fight. Otherwise, it looks like I'm a Johnny come lately. And I won't get those spoils because the Germans will go, yeah, you can't have all this stuff. You've turned up too late. You need to be in the fight. So he does it what he thinks is the perfect timing.

I can overrun Egypt and...

you know, now is my time.

But I also need to kind of join the fight before France is completely out of the fight.

Otherwise, it looks like I'm a Johnny-come-lately and I won't get those spoils because the Germans will go, yeah, you can't have all this stuff.

You've turned up too late.