I am new to the boards, been watching for a long time. I just have to say something here……
In my opinion, Italy IS going to need Germanys help, no way around that.
If the Germans on turn one non-combat phase land their planes right if the Brits go after the Italian fleet, they will lose theirs on Germanys next turn. This will still leave some Italian ships left and no Brits, Italy still has a great chance.
I think the great thing about this game, is there are so many options, some may prove to be better that others, but that doesnt break a game, it just makes it harder.
By the way, thanks for all the great ideas and info from past posts!