Though overshadowed by Germany’s Afrika Korps, Italian tanks formed a large part of the Axis armored force that the Allies confronted--and ultimately defeated--in North Africa in World War II. Those tanks were the product of two decades of development that put Italy near the fore of the world’s tank forces. For a time, it stood second only to Germany in number of tank divisions and was the first to establish an armored corps. Once war came, however, Mussolini’s iron arm failed as an effective weapon. This is the story of its rise and fall.