When 8th Army were held up by stubborn defences in the rugged hills south of Mount Etna, Patton amplified the American role by a wide advance northwest toward Palermo and then directly north to cut the northern coastal road. Soldiers of 78th Division engaged on the Trasimene Line, June 1944, A sabotaged power plant at Lake Comacchio, April 1945. Crossing the River Melfa, Italy, May 1944, Gurkha wounded being evacuated by mule, Italy, 1943. The front remained largely static until 9 April 1945, when British forces attacked in the east. On 23 May 1944, seven Allied divisions broke out from Anzio. Four days later, the Allies crossed the River Po, and Verona was captured on 26 April. The poor winter weather, which made armoured manoeuvre and the exploitation of overwhelming air superiority impossible, coupled with the massive losses suffered to its ranks during the autumn fighting,[20][21] the need to transfer some British troops to Greece (as well as the need to withdraw the Canadian I Corps to northwest Europe) made it impractical for the Allies to continue their offensive in early 1945. Hitler was also convinced that yielding southern Italy would provide the Allies with a springboard for an invasion of the Balkans with its vital resources of oil, bauxite and copper. During 1944-45, the Allies endured months of fighting against a determined enemy. But the Germans, along with Italian fascists, carried out many reprisals against civilians suspected of supporting the partisans and Allies. The area was dominated by the 500-metre high monastery, but the Germans had also constructed minefields and fortifications in the surrounding hills and valleys. By the end of September, the Allies were in Naples. Canadian soldiers inspect a captured German MG34 machine gun. A combined British-Canadian-American invasion of Sicily began on 10 July 1943 with both amphibious and airborne landings at the Gulf of Gela (American 7th Army, Patton) and north of Syracuse (British 8th Army, Montgomery). Joint Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the invasion of Sicily and the campaign on the Italian mainland until the surrender of German forces in Italy in May 1945. While it is not a comprehensive list of all skirmishes, conflicts, or battles that took place in the Italian Campaign, we have tried to include as many military events and actions as possible. As there were two Italian governments during this period, (one on each side of the war), the struggle took on some characteristics of a civil war. A Sherman tank in Torino Di Sangro, December 1943, A Canadian soldier searching for snipers, Ortona, December 1943. This strategy was always controversial. Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles with Portuguese-language external links, Articles with Italian-language external links, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Battles and operations of World War II involving Brazil, Battles and operations of World War II involving Canada, Battles and operations of World War II involving France, Battles and operations of World War II involving Greece, Battles and operations of World War II involving India, Battles and operations of World War II involving Italy, Battles and operations of World War II involving Poland, Battles and operations of World War II involving New Zealand, Battles and operations of World War II involving South Africa, Battles and operations of World War II involving the United States, Battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom, World War II campaigns of the Mediterranean Theatre, Military history of Italy during World War II, http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/limeydvr/italycamp6.htm&date=2009-10-26+01:50:36, http://www.archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.39132, "Chapter 12: Hitler's Decision on the Defense of Italy", United States Army Center of Military History, http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_12.htm, "Chapter 14: General Clark's Decision to Drive to Rome", http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_14.htm, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment at war, 1943-1945, Ortona and the Italian Campaign - 65th Anniversary, Italy volume I: From The Sangro to Cassino, Memoirs of Lt-Col Donald, NZEF (Italy, Chapters 8-15), Dal Volturno a Cassino, website (in Italian) covering the autumn /winter of 1943 - 44, World War II propaganda leaflets - use in Italy, BBC's flash video of the Italian Campaign, Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War - The Sicilian and Italian Campaigns, 1943-1945, CBC Digital Archives - The Italian Campaign, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Italian_Campaign_(World_War_II)?oldid=4526528. This laid waste to the historic monastery and surrounding town. Even with a large army, but greater naval power, the traditional British answer against a continental enemy was to fight as part of a coalition and mount small peripheral operations designed to gradually weaken the enemy. Churchill had hoped that a major advance in the autumn of 1944 would open the way for the Allied armies to advance north eastwards through the 'Ljubljana Gap' (the area between Venice and Vienna, modern Slovenia) to Vienna and Hungary to forestall the Russians advancing into Eastern Europe. [14], Kesselring was given command of the whole of Italy and immediately ordered the preparation of a series of defensive lines across Italy, south of Rome. In 1941 the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia and Greece. The Canadians were sent through the City without stopping at 3:00AM the next morning[citation needed]. QRS Association; Regimental Charity Grants; History. : Camp Shelby - Brief history of the basic training camp in MS. Desert Warfare Center - History and maps of training Camps in southern CA. Although the German forces prepared to defend without Italian assistance, only two of their divisions opposite the Eighth Army and one at Salerno were not tied up disarming the Italian Army. In a concurrent action, US General Mark Clark was ordered to break out of the stagnant position at Anzio and cash-in on the opportunity to cut off and destroy a large part of the German Tenth Army retreating from the Gustav Line between them and the Canadians.

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