 On 22 June 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.Mussolini had the king issue a declaration of war, and sent an Italian expeditionary force to the Eastern Front, through Victor Emmanuel was later to claim that he wanted only a "token" force to go to the Soviet Union, rather than the 10 divisions that Mussolini actually sent.In late 1941, Italian East Africa was lost.