Officially, the Pact of Steel obliged Germany and Italy to aid the other country militarily, economically or otherwise in the event of war, and to collaborate in wartime production.[7] The Pact aimed to ensure that neither country was able to make peace without the agreement of the other.[8] The agreement was based on the assumption that a war would not occur within three years.[8] When Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 and war broke out on 3 September, Italy was not yet prepared for conflict and had difficulty meeting its obligations.[9] Consequently, Italy did not enter World War II until June 1940, with a delayed invasion of Southern France.[10]