The allied invasion of italy (jan 25, 1940 – may 10, 1940)
Description:
What happened? The main Allied invasion of Italy landed at a little town just south of Naples called Salerno. It was soon obvious that tactical surprise had not been achieved when the first wave of US forces ashore were greeted by a loudspeaker announcing in English “Come on in and give up. We have you covered.” Undeterred that attack continued. Why did it happen? well, they were looking for a way into mainland Europe. They believed this to be easier than crossing the English Channel into Nazi Germany's fortified beaches. The Allies had pushed German and Italian divisions out of Africa and wanted to keep up the pressure, believing Italy would crumble. Who was involved? The British and American Allied troops fighting in the Italian Campaign were Algerians, Indians, French, Moroccans, Poles, Canadians, New Zealanders, African Americans, and Japanese Americans. The decision to attack Italy was not made without debate. Why was it important? The Allied armies were able to force Axis naval, air and land divisions out of the area and allowed Allied merchant ships into the Mediterranean for the first time since 1941.Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 25, 1940
may 10, 1940
~ 3 months and 16 days