Why was North African Campaign and the Invasion of Italy significant in WWII?

It was significant to the Allies morale. Prior to El Alamein, the Brits has tasted nothing but defeat at the hands of the Germans. Perhaps more significant was that Hitler did not focus much attention on N. Africa. He tried to fight it ';on the cheap.'; Theorists have fantasized if the Nazis had taken Suez they would have cut off Britain from India. The Germans could have then split off towards India %26amp; linked up with their forces in Russia. Turkey's neutrality would have been threatened.


Churchill advocated attacking ';the soft underbelly of Europe.'; Italy proved anything but that. That was not the second front Stalin was clamoring for.Why was North African Campaign and the Invasion of Italy significant in WWII?
The North African Campaign was very significant. Remember that at the time, the UK had a vast overseas empire much of which was reached through the Suez Canal. Had the Germans captured Egypt that link would have been severed. Furthermore, it would then have given them a leaping off point to the rest of the Middle East and its oil wells, vital for the Allied war effort.





Italy was significant in that it was the first invasion of occupied Europe, directly at a main ally of Germany.Why was North African Campaign and the Invasion of Italy significant in WWII?
It wasnt but for the fact that it wasted Germanys resoures1 the great oil of the middle east wasnt used till the 50s . The soft under belly of Europe turned out to be a dumb idea ! Italy was a net lose for the allied forces ! The lose of the 300,000 plus german sodiers helped , but at what cost?