Pedzisa mutsara unotevera: Sezvo kukundwa kweFrance kwakanga kuri pachena kusingadzivisiki, Italy yakapinda muhondo musi wa10 Chikumi 1940, ichizadzisa zvisungo zvayo kune Chibvumirano cheSimbi. Mussolini aitarisira kukurumidza kutora Savoy, Nice, Corsica, uye makoloni eAfrica eTunisia neAlgeria kubva kuvaFrench, asi Germany yakasaina chibvumirano chechisimba (22 June: Chibvumirano chechipiri chechisimba paCompiègne) naMarchal Philippe Pétain vachigadzira Vichy France, iyo yakachengetedza kutonga kumaodzanyemba kweFrance nemakoroni. Ichi chisarudzo chakatsamwisa utongi hwechiFascist. Muzhizha ra1940, Mussolini akarayira kuti
kubhomba Mandatory Palestine uye kukunda kweBritish Somaliland. Muna September, akarayira kuti Ijipiti ipindwe; pasinei nokubudirira kwokutanga, mauto eItaly akakurumidza kudzoserwa nemaBritish (ona Operation Compass). Hitler aifanira kupindira nokutumira Afrika Korps yaGeneral Erwin Rommel, iyo yakanga iri tsvimbo huru mukurwisa kweNorth Africa.