Italy didn't enter the war till June 1940....    ie when they already knew that France was finished and Britain in full retreat....

True, but it was clear that Mussolini would be on Hitler's side. It was a question of WHEN not IF Italy would enter the war. Given this fact, I advocate a pre-emptive strike.

"Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Following this event, Mussolini would change his mind repeatedly as to whether he intended to enter the war. The British commander in Africa, General Wavell, correctly predicted that Mussolini's pride would ultimately cause him to enter the war. Wavell would compare Mussolini's situation to that of someone at the top of a diving board: "I think he must do something. If he cannot make a graceful dive he will at least have to jump in somehow; he can hardly put on his dressing-gown and walk down the stairs again."

neither Britain or France was in any fit state to fight another front of a war considering what they did in the original one between Sept 39 and June 40 so I doubt they would want to open it....

I don't agree. Britain and France would have ripped Italy apart in no time and the German army was completely occupied in Poland. (See the thread on the German Invasion of Poland on this board)

A war on Italy would have been a route of Italian forces.

"Mussolini's Under-Secretary for War Production, Carlo Favagrossa, had estimated that Italy could not possibly be prepared for such a war until at least October 1942. Italy was a minor industrial power (one of the poorest in Europe). One might not consider Italian industry to have equalled more than 15% of that of France or of Britain should one compare the number of automobiles in Italy (~372,000) to those of Britain and France (~2,500,000). The lack of a stronger automotive industry made it difficult for Italy to mechanize its military. Italy had also given tons of weapons and supplies to the Spanish Fascists fighting in the Spanish Civil War of 1936 - 1939.

The Italian Army (Regio Esercito) remained comparatively weak and had suffered while carrying out the April 1939 annexation of Albania. As Bierman and Smith wrote^ , "the Italians were, militarily, barely on the same planet". The Italian tanks were of poor quality. Italian radios were virtually non-existent. Most Italian artillery dated from World War I. The Regia Aeronautica's primary fighter was the Fiat CR-42, a biplane. The Regia Marina had no aircraft carriers. Bierman and Smith state (pages 13 - 14) that the Italian regular army could field only about 200,000 troops at the start of World War II. They estimate the Regia Aeronautica could field approximately 1,760 aircraft, only 900 of them considered as "front-line machines".

also... considering what did happen when the Germans did attack west, I doubt that the allies being spread wider and in less defensive positions would have deterred Hitler from hitting them and would probably led to the same results....

True, Paul. But think of it in terms of psychological warfare. 

However, the alternate strategy is to take out the weakest link, i.e. Italy.

Quickly cleaning Italy's clock, deposing Mussolini and establishing a military occupation of Italy would have made Hitler think twice... even three times.... about the consequences of war. The invasion of France was a massive massive gamble by the Germans. Looking back at the invasion of Poland, we can see how unsure and nervous the Germans were about the success of that operation, even going so far as to enlist Russian aid. Now if Italy had been taken out by the West with lightning speed, I am convinced that Germany would have stepped out of the ring.

Thanks, Paul. Waiting for your response.. Your expertise on WWII is always appreciated.

 (All quotes from Wikipedia)