Sicily ’43

Operation Husky brings British, American and Canadian forces ashore in Sicily in July 1943. The invasion requires airborne drops, naval support and amphibious landings while Allied commanders compete over routes, objectives and prestige. Italian collapse and German resistance develop at different speeds across the island.

Holland follows soldiers and civilians through the campaign to Messina and the political fall of Mussolini. The Axis succeeds in evacuating many experienced troops, but Sicily opens the Mediterranean and provides lessons for later landings. The campaign is presented as the beginning of the long, difficult assault on continental Europe rather than a minor prelude to Normandy.