<P> On 10 June 1940 , following the German invasion of France and the lowlands , the Kingdom of Italy declared war on France and the United Kingdom and entered World War II . Italy went to war with the fourth largest navy in the world . Italian dictator Benito Mussolini saw the control of the Mediterranean Sea as an essential prerequisite for expanding his `` New Roman Empire '' into Nice , Corsica , Tunis and the Balkans . Italian naval building accelerated during his tenure . Mussolini described the Mediterranean as `` Mare Nostrum '' ( Our Sea ) . </P>
<P> On 10 June 1940 , following the German invasion of France and the lowlands , the Kingdom of Italy declared war on France and the United Kingdom and entered World War II . Italy went to war with the fourth largest navy in the world . Italian dictator Benito Mussolini saw the control of the Mediterranean Sea as an essential prerequisite for expanding his `` New Roman Empire '' into Nice , Corsica , Tunis and the Balkans . Italian naval building accelerated during his tenure . Mussolini described the Mediterranean as `` Mare Nostrum '' ( Our Sea ) . </P>
how big was the italian navy in ww2
how big was the italian navy in ww2
the fourth largest navy in the world
the fourth largest navy in the world