Dusty Boot: Africa & Italy. Why Africa? To create a second front for the Russians A mass invasion of...
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Transcript of Dusty Boot: Africa & Italy. Why Africa? To create a second front for the Russians A mass invasion of...
Dusty Boot: Africa & Italy
Why Africa?• To create a second
front for the Russians• A mass invasion of
Europe would take too long and did not have the supplies or numbers
• Britain did not want to lose the Suez Canal
Operation of Torch (North African Invasion)
Torch is burning Nov. 1942• General George Patton Jr.
- Landing at Casablanca to capture airport
• “PLAY BALL” • “Unconditional surrender”• Allies capture Tripoli• Tunis capture• Axis surrender in North
Africa, May 1943
Allies land in Italy (Sicily)• Bad news:
– Germany evacuates most of their troops to the mainland
• Good news:– Gained experience in
• Opposed amphibious operations
• Coalition warfare• Mass airborne drops
Losing a toe results in a loss of balance
• U.S. & British forces enter through the toe
• Little resistance as they moved north
• Terrain made things more of a challenge (rivers)
• Field Marshal Kesselring (Germany)– Winter line south of Rome Anzio & Monte
Cassino– Rome fell in June
Italy considered secondary theatre
• Last defensive line was not broken until April 1945
• Turned more into a civil war