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THE CONQUEST OF
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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| Sicily | SE Sicily |
