Dr Emanuele Sica, Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, talks about the morale and motivation of the Italian soldier during the Second World War. Italy declared war on 10 June 1940 and initially the Italian Royal Army fought against France in the closing stages of the Battle of France. From 1941 to 1943, Italian forces battled British, Dominion, US and other nations in North Africa. After the defeat of Italian and axis forces in Tunisia in mid-1943, Italy was invaded by allied forces. For the rest of the war allied armies fought their way up the Italian peninsular. Emanuele addresses the many stereotypes that exist around the performance and will to fight of Italian soldiers and considers how the wider society and constitutional arrangements in Italy shaped the Italian servicemans’ commitment to the cause of Fascist Italy during the conflict.