| Operation Husky | |||||||||
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| Part of the Italian campaign of World War II | |||||||||
 A map of the Allied army progress during Operation Husky from 11 July to 17 August 1943. | |||||||||
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 United States United Kingdom Canada Free France[1] Australia[2][3][4] | |||||||||
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The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as the Battle of Sicily and Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers (Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It began with a large amphibious and airborne operation, followed by a six-week land campaign, and initiated the Italian campaign.
To divert some of the Axis forces to other areas, the Allies engaged in several deception operations, the most famous and successful of which was Operation Mincemeat. Husky began on the night of 9–10 July 1943 and ended on 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, and the Mediterranean sea lanes were opened for Allied merchant ships for the first time since 1941. These events led to the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, being toppled from power in Italy on 25 July, and to the Allied invasion of Italy on 3 September.
The German leader, Adolf Hitler, "canceled a major offensive at Kursk after only a week, in part to divert forces to Italy," resulting in a reduction of German strength on the Eastern Front.[16] The collapse of Italy necessitated German troops replacing the Italians in Italy and to a lesser extent the Balkans, resulting in one-fifth of the entire German army being diverted from the east to southern Europe, a proportion that would remain until near the end of the war.[17]
- ^ Gaujac 2003, p. 68
- ^ Royal Australian Navy – the corvettes/minesweepers HMAS Cairns, Cessnock, HMAS Gawler, HMAS Geraldton, HMAS Ipswich, HMAS Lismore, HMAS Maryborough, and HMAS Wollongong
Royal Australian Air Force – No. 3 Squadron RAAF (fighters), No. 450 Squadron RAAF (fighters), No. 458 Squadron RAAF (maritime patrol), and No. 462 Squadron RAAF (heavy bombers) - ^ "SICILY 1943 Battle Honors". Royal Australian Navy Official site.
For service in the prescribed area, 10 July to 17 August 1943
- ^ "450 Squadron RAAF Roll of Honour". Queensland War Memorial Register. 16 September 2015.
- ^ As C-in-C of the Armed Forces Command Sicily until 30 July.
- ^ As C-in-C of the Armed Forces Command Sicily from 30 July.
- ^ Mitcham & von Stauffenberg 2007, p. 63
- ^ a b Mitcham & von Stauffenberg 2007, p. 307
- ^ Santoni 1989, p. 400
- ^ Dickson 2001, p. 201
- ^ Shaw 2002, p. 119
- ^ a b Hart, Basil H. Liddel (1970). A History of the Second World War. London, Weidenfeld Nicolson. p. 627.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sicily p. 305was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito (USSME) (1993). Le operazioni in Sicilia e in Calabria. Rome. pp. 400–401.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "La guerra in Sicilia". Sbarchi Alleati in Italia. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ Atkinson 2007, p. 172
- ^ Charles T. O'Reilly. Forgotten Battles: Italy's War of Liberation, 1943–1945. Lexington Books, 2001. pp. 37–38.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).