Mussolini wished - actually, ordered - the invasion of Greece despite the facts that 1) the invading force was ill-equipped and unready 2) invading through Albania/Epyrus, whose terrain would have favoured the defenders even if outnumbered, was a suicidal move and 3) Greece was ruled by another Fascist regime.

The invasion started on October 28, 1940 and it soon turned into a deadly stalemate more reminiscent of the trenches of WW1. The poorly armed, equipped and led Italian troops made little progress owing not only yo the Greek's valiant defence but also the freezing climate and the boggy/mountainous terrain; to add insult to injury, general Visconti-Prasca had allowed a consistent part of his troops to return before the invasion in order to help with the incoming harvest, and the tanks used proved to be more of an hindrance than anything.

By mid-1941 our troops had been almost pushed back to the Albanian border, with heavy losses on both parts; the Julia alpine division was completely annihilated and it would take the whole German expeditionary force to finally break the stalemate. Mussolini was also the one who ordered general Graziani to move into Egypt, despite him having already set up defensive posts and waiting for reinforcements - as both water, supplies and armament weren't even nearly enough (or adequate) to actually sustain an attack... let alone an invasion. It didn't end well.