Allied invasion of Italy

Overview

The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group and followed the successful Allied invasion of Sicily. A preliminary landing in Calabria took place on 3 September, the main invasion force landed on the west coast of Italy at Salerno on 9 September as part of Operation Avalanche at the same time as a supporting operation at Taranto.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Allied invasion of Italy opened a second major front on the European mainland in September 1943, following the successful Allied invasion of Sicily. By establishing amphibious footholds at Calabria, Salerno, and Taranto simultaneously, Alexander's 15th Army Group committed significant Axis resources to the defense of the Italian peninsula. The operation forced Germany to divert forces to Italy under Kesselring and von Vietinghoff, with Allied forces of approximately 189,000 facing a German force of around 100,000. Allied casualties of roughly 2,009 against German losses of approximately 3,500 reflected the contested nature of the landings but confirmed the Allies' ability to project amphibious power onto the European continent, sustaining the momentum generated in North Africa and Sicily and tying down Axis strength ahead of operations elsewhere in the European theater.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (9)