Italian Campaign
The Italian Campaign of World War II was an Allied operation that started in 1943 and lasted until the end of the war in 1945. The Italian Campaign began on 10th July 1943 with the Allied invasion of Sicily. Although the Italian and German defenders couldn’t prevent the island being taken, they managed to evacuate many of the soldiers to the mainland to escape capture. In September, British soldiers landed at Reggio di Calabria gaining a foothold in the ‘toe’ of Italy. This was followed by American landings at Salerno. The Italian government had surrendered this part of Italy as the Germans retreated to the natural fortress along the Liri Valley to the south of Rome.
The Gustav Line was a formidable obstacle which stopped the Allied advance. From January – May 1944, 180,000 men were killed or wounded. In addition, the Allies also made the controversial decision to bomb the Monte Cassino abbey (pictured) where they incorrectly believed the Germans had placed observers there which was against the rules of war. After the bombing, the Germans poured into the ruins of the abbey with gave them more cover.
The landings at Anzio in January 1944 had failed to deliver the significant advances. The Gustav line was eventually broken by a massive assault which combined with a breakout from Anzio. On 4th June 1944, Rome was declared and open city by the Germans and US Forces moved in to take control.
The Allies continued their advance through Italy taking Florence. On 18 July, Polish troops took the port of Ancona after a month long battle. In August, an Allied offensive broke through the last major defensive line (The Gothic Line). The continued push forward was made impractical in early 1945 due to poor weather. In addition, British and Canadian troops had been withdrawn to Greece and North-West Europe so an “offensive defence” strategy was adopted.
The offensive was restarted in February 1945 as Operation Encore with progress being made on all fronts. As April came to an end, Axis forces were retreating on all fronts and had little option by to surrender. Hostilities in Italy formally ended on 2nd May 1945.
Escorted Tours
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