The no-Italy counterfactual reaches back to the Spanish Civil War. Italian support for Francisco Franco is described as larger than Germany's contribution, with Italian submarines specifically cited for sinking ships. Removing that aid isolates one external intervention that affected the political and military balance ashore. It also connects Italian naval action to events before Italy formally entered the Second World War.
Notable Point · 24:06-24:30
Italian intervention in the Spanish Civil War counterfactual
The wider counterfactual asks whether Franco could have prevailed without extensive Italian aid, including submarine attacks on shipping.