|
Storm Clouds |
Mobilization |
Fall of France |
Battle of Britain |
Pacific War |
Hong Kong |
Conscription |
Dieppe |
Spartan | Battle of
the Atlantic |
Sicily |
Italy |
Overlord | Falaise |
Occupation |
Holland |
Germany 45 |
VE | VJ
The
Plan | The Assault |
Securing the Bridgehead |
Canadian Advance |
Change of Plans |
The Drive Eastward |
German Retreat |
Further Reading |
Campaign Map
THE
CONQUEST OF SICILY
I943
Early on
the morning of 10 July 1943 troops of two Allied armies began landing at
various beaches in
the south-east
corner of Sicily. The conquest of the
island was success, fully concluded 38 days later, when the last of the German
garrison retired across the Messina Strait to the Italian mainland. This campaign, in which Canadian forces
played a not inconsiderable part, marked the first major blow against the
so-called "soft underbelly of the Axis", and provided the Allies with
a springboard for operations against the mainland of Hitler's Europe.
The
Sicilian operation is interesting to the soldier on several counts. The assault involved amphibious organization
on a very large scale. The subsequent
fighting meant, on one side, a difficult advance across mountainous terrain,
which gave great advantages to the defenders; on the other side, a delaying
action maintained in the face of superior forces.
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