Menton
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Menton is a resort town and commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border.
The harbour of Menton, with the basilica of Saint-Michel-Archange beyond, viewed from the Quai Napoléon III
Menton, as part of Monaco, in 1664
Sailing ships in Menton harbour, photograph by Jean Gilletta, early 1900s
The port and the old part of town
Italian invasion of France
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The Italian invasion of France, also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France.
Menton
…hospitals during World War I to allow injured troops to recuperate in a pleasant climate. Menton was the only sizable settlement captured by Italy during its invasion of France in June 1940. Following the armistice of 22 June 1940, two-thirds of the territory of the commune was annexed by Italy as terra irredenta. The annexation…
The Val Dora battalion of the 5th Alpini Regiment in action in the Col de Pelouse
German coal entering Italy through the Brenner Pass. The issue of Italian coal was prominent in diplomatic circles in the spring of 1940.
The situation on 4 June. Belgian, British, and French forces have been encircled near Dunkirk, while the remaining French armies take up positions to defend Paris.
Mussolini delivering his declaration of war speech, from the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia in Rome