194310 July – 17 August 1943 · Southern and eastern Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
On the night of 9–10 July 1943 British, Canadian and American troops landed by sea and air on Sicily's southern and eastern coasts, one of the largest amphibious assaults of the war. Patton's army entered Palermo on 22 July, and three days later Mussolini was deposed and arrested. When Messina fell on 17 August many Axis troops had escaped across the strait, but the Allies held a foothold in Europe.
Sites
- Site 1: Gela beachesBeaches where the US 1st Infantry Division landed and fought off German tank attacks.Map ↗
- Site 2: Museo storico dello sbarco in Sicilia 1943, CataniaMuseum of the campaign with reconstructed wartime streets and an air-raid shelter.Map ↗
- Site 3: Syracuse War CemeteryCommonwealth graves from the landings and the airborne fight for the Ponte Grande bridge.Map ↗
Guides who take you there
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Also in Syracuse and south-east Sicily
More from the Second World War
Read more: reference. Summary written by History-Tours.com.