Italian Campaign

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 83. Chapters: Allied invasion of Sicily, Operation Shingle, Operation Husky order of battle, Allied invasion of Italy, Gothic Line, Bernhardt Line, Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, Four days of Naples, Gothic Line order of battle, Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces, Operation Grapeshot order of battle, Battle of Monte Cassino order of battle January 1944, Allied Invasion of Italy Order of Battle, Battle of San Pietro Infine, Invasion of Elba, Operation Diadem order of battle, Second Battle of Monte Cassino order of battle February 1944, Marocchinate, D-Day Dodgers, Hamish Henderson, Moro River Campaign order of battle, Anzio order of battle, Badoglio Proclamation, Operation Slapstick, Bombing of the Vatican, Trasimene Line, Operation Strangle, Winter Line, Operation Goldflake, Volturno Line, 6615th Ranger Force, Barbara Line, Thunderbolt!, Monte la Difensa, 1943 Naples post-office bombing, Hitler Line, Caesar C line, Roman switch line. Excerpt: The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis (Italy and Nazi Germany). It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign. Husky began on the night of 9-10 July 1943, and ended 17 August. Strategically, Husky achieved the goals set out for it by Allied planners. The Allies drove Axis air, land and naval forces from the island; the Mediterranean's sea lanes were opened and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was toppled from power. It opened the way to the Allied invasion of Italy. The plan for Operation Husky called for the amphibious assault of the island by two armies, one landing on the south eastern and one on the central southern coast. The amphibious assaults were to be supported by naval gunfire, and tactical bombing, interdiction and close air support by the combined air forces. As such, the operation required a complex command structure, incorporating land, naval and air forces. The overall commander was the American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, as Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces North Africa. The British General Sir Harold Alexander acted as his second in command and as the Land Forces / Army Group commander. The American Major General Walter Bedell Smith was appointed as Chief of Staff. The overall Naval Force Commander was the British Admiral Andrew Cunningham. Allied leaders in the Sicilian campaign. General Eisenhower meets in North Africa with (foreground, left to right): Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, General Sir Harold R. L. G. Alexander, Admiral Sir Andrew B. Cunningham, and (top row): Mr. Harold Macmillan, Major General W. Bedell Smith, and unidentified British officers.The Allied land forces were from the American, British and Canadian armies, and were structured as two task forces. The Eastern Task Force (also known as Task Force 545) was led by General Bernard Montgome