By: Ivan Trindev and Meghan Horn

Italian Campaign

The Italian Campaign was one of the few battles within World War II which benefitted a side and significantly moved the war forward as the Allies defeated imposing German forces which could have influenced France.

Thesis

The Italian Campaign involved some of the hardest fighting in the war and cost the United States forces some 114,000 casualties. But the campaign was important in determining the eventual outcome of the war, since the Allies engaged German forces that could possibly have upset the balance in France.

Impact on World War II

At the American-British Casablanca Conference in January 1943, British Prime Minister Winston L. S. Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D Roosevelt and their military staffs agreed to follow the Axis defeat in North Africa with an invasion of Sicily.

Background

The goal was for the allies to retain strategic initiative, expand control in the Mediterranean, open a second front on the mainland of Europe to relieve pressure on the Soviets, and provide air bases closer to strategic bombing targets in Austria, Romania, and parts of Germany.

More Background...

US soldiers of the 92nd Division fire a bazooka at a German machine gun nest, Lucca 1944

Medics of the 10th Mountain Division pull sled of medical supplies up an Apennine slope

A U.S. reconnaissance unit searches for enemy snipers in Messina, Sicily, on August 1943.

On July 10th 1943, the Allies landed on the south coast of Sicily near Capo Passero by air and sea. Axis counter-attacks were driven back by Allied naval gun fire and they were driven back on the 12th of July. Axis troops began to evacuate to the east part of the island, and then off, onto the mainland. This allowed US forces under General Patton to move quickly to Palermo, which falls easily on the 22nd of July. Two days later, Mussolini was arrested by Italian army officers and the Italians enter into a secret armistice negotiations with the Allies. The Germans, who fled off of the island didn’t surrender though.

July, 1943

On the Western side of the Island, the British forces were being held back by German forces in trenches. On the 3rd of August, Axis troops began to evacuate Sicily through the straights onto the mainland and the Allies were able to take Messina on the 17th of August in 1943.

August, 1943

In the 3rd of September, the Allied forces crossed the Straits of Messina and entered mainland Italy. More Allied troops also land at Taranto and they all begin to push north towards Salerno. The landings at Taranto were unopposed but at Salerno, there is some German resistance. By the 28th of September, the Germans withdrew further into Italy and the Allies take Naples three days later. The hostile terrain though slowed Allied advances and this gave the Germans time to establish a defensive zone, anchored around a mountaintop just southeast of Cassino. From 20th of November 1943 to the 5th of January 1944, the Allies attacked the defended zone, but made very little progress.

September – November, 1943

The Allies attempted to force the Germans to abandon the Gustav Line by landing just south of Rome in Anzio, which is above the German defense line. They didn’t manage though because they got pinned down at the beachhead by a German build-up between the 23rd of January and the 16th of February. On the Gustav Line, the Allies attempted three times unsuccessfully to break the German defenses between the 12th of February and the 23rd of March. Finally, on the 23rd of March, the Allies at Anzio managed to force their way out of the beachhead, and headed towards Rome.

January – March, 1944

On the 11th of May, the Allies launched another attack on the Gustav Line and finally after a week of fighting, they finally broke the line. The forces moving towards Rome decided to continue, rather than cutting off the German retreat and took Rome on the 4th of June. By this time, the Germans had managed to retreat in good order though.

May – June, 1944

Between June and August the Allies slowly advanced through Italy, and towards the German defense line, the Gothic Line, which was just south of Bologna. In October, a major Allied attack on the German Gothic Line was defeated, and then the German counter-attack that followed was also a failure. The front stayed all but static until the 9th of April, 1945. At this time, Allied forces attacked on both the east and the west within five days of each other. This way, they managed to cut through German defenses and the two forces began to converge on Bologna, which fell into Allied hands on the 21st of April. Just four days later, the Allies crossed over the river Po and captured Verona the next day. The Germans at this time are retreating towards the Alps. Mussolini joined the retreating German force, but as he was captured by Italian partisans. On the 28th of April, Mussolini is executed. Just one day later, on the April 29th, 1945, the German forces surrendered and opened negotiations with the Allied forces.

June, 1944 - End

Trivia Campaign

Allies and Axis powers

Timeline

Background / Impact

Miscellaneous

Thanks for Watching!

Works Cited

BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

"Engagements Fought by the 7th Armoured Brigade in 1944." Engagements Fought by the 7th Armoured Brigade in 1944. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

"Italian Campaign." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

"Italian Campaign (World War II)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

"Italian Campaign." WWIIEuropeanTheater -. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

"No Javascript?" Italian Campaign: Po Valley: 1945. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

"Old War Movies." : ALLIED ADVANCE: RED BALL EXPRESS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Allies and Axis Powers

2 Points

3 Points1 Point

4 Points

Background / Impact

2 Points

1 Point 3 Points

4 Points

Timeline

1 Point

2 Points

3 Points

4 Points

Miscellaneous

2 Points

1 Point 3 Points

4 Points

Question 1: Who won the Italian Campaign?

Answer: The Allies

Question 2: Which countries led the Allied powers?

Answer: Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union

Question 3: Which conference did the Allied powers decide to invade Sicily?

Answer: American-British Casablanca Conference

Question 4: Which countries led the Axis powers in Italy?

Answer: Germany and Italy

Question 1: True or False? The British and the Americans had a debate on whether or not to pursue the Italian Campaign.

Answer: False, they both agreed.

Question 2: What win for the Allies did the Italian Campaign follow?

Answer: Defeat of the Axis Powers in North Africa

Question 3: What was the conference that the Allies decided to pursue the Italian Campaign called?

Answer: American-British Casablanca Conference

Question 4: In what way was the Italian Campaign important for the outcome of World War II?

Answer: Allies engaged German forces that could possibly have upset the balance in France.

Question 1: What month and year did the Italian Campaign start?

Answer: July, 1943

Question 2: When did the Italian Campaign officially end?

Answer: April 29th, 1945

Question 3: What was the German defense line just below Cassino called?

Answer: The Gothic Line

Question 4: What was the German defense line just south of Bologna called?

Answer: The Gustav Line

Question 1: What types of transport (2) did the Allies use to get to Sicily?

Answer: Ships and airplanes

Question 2: What was the goal of the Italian Campaign?

Answer: To retain strategic initiative and expand control in the Mediterranean

Question 3: What was the very first picture that we showed you a picture of?

Answer: The Invasion of Italy

Question 4: How many United States casualties were there in the Italian Campaign?

Answer: About 114,000