SICILY AND ITALY INVADED 165
Villa San
GiovaniGuglionesiTermoliOrtonaVastoSan SalvoCassinoSan Pietro InfineSoraSulmonaCosenzaCetraroBelvedere MarittimoStrongoliRossanoPalermoL'AquilaMessinaPotenzaCasertaPisciottaCastellabateAgropoliAulettaAviglianoTarantoMetapontoBarlettaManfredoniaTraniSalerno
Sorrento AmatoPescaraBrindisiNaplesGaetaAversaFoggiaLecceBariCataniaReggio
di CalabriaBritish and
Commonwealth
8th ArmyUS 5th
ArmyGerman 10th ArmyAdriatic
Sea
Ionian
Sea
Tyrrhenian
Sea
LipariFilicudi SalinaIschiaCapriStromboliPanareaVulcanoSeleTrignoSangroGariglianoVolturnoGulf of
TarantoGulf of
CataniaG u l f o fManfredoniaI
T
A
L
Y
S
I
C
I L
YGulf ofSalerno8th Army advanceUS advanceGerman retreatTHE ALLIES IN ITALY SEPTEMBER 3–25, 1943
On September 3, the British and Commonwealth 8th
Army landed on the mainland, and six days later the US
5th Army landed in the Gulf of Salerno, expecting little
resistance; however, the Germans counterattacked
along the line of the Sele River and almost repelled the
Allies. By September 25, Allied forces had secured the
southern third of Italy; they were cheered by local
crowds when they entered Naples on October 1.4
JUL 19431
2
3
4
5TIMELINEAUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN 1944KEYBREAKING THE AXIS
By transferring the campaign in the
Mediterranean from North Africa to
Italy, the Allies believed that General
Harold Alexander’s 15th Army Group
could end the war by 1944.British and
Commonwealth
forcesUS forcesGerman forcesItalian forcesAirfields constructed
by the AlliesGERMAN DEFENSE
The Germans used Italy’s
mountainous terrain to their
advantage to delay the Allied
advance in Italy.Nov 3–Dec 28 The 8th Army
captures Vasto and San Salvo, and
crosses the Sangro. After a fierce,
week-long battle the Canadian 1st
Infantry Division captures Ortona.Oct 3–6 The 8th Army
captures Termoli and
begins advancing
toward the
Trigno River.Dec 8–17
The US 5th Army captures San
Pietro Infine, but their advance
is held at the Gustav Line.Oct 8–Nov 2 Blown bridges at the
Volturno delay the northward
advance of the US 5th Army.Sep 27–30 German occupation
troops in Naples face a four-day
uprising before British forces
enter on October 1.Sep 3–16 Several days of intense
fighting at the “tobacco factory,”
a warehouse complex near the
Sele River, help turn the battle
for the Allies near Salerno.Sep 3 The 8th Army crosses into the
“toe” of Italy and moves north to link
with the Salerno landing.ADVANCE TO THE GUSTAV LINE
OCTOBER–DECEMBER 1943
The German military commander in Italy, Albert
Kesselring, led a brilliant defensive campaign on
the mainland, using the mountainous terrain and
steel-and-concrete fortified lines to create a series
of barriers between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas.
The strongest was the Gustav Line, but first the Allies
had to overcome the Victor and Barbara Lines.5
Victor LineBarbara LineGustav Line8th Army advanceUS advanceMajor battleMajor battleAllied territory
by Sep 25, 1943US 7th
ArmyItalian
6th ArmyGerman 14th
Panzer CorpsBritish and
Commonwealth
8th ArmyReggio
di CalabriaPalermoCorleoneSyracuse
CassibileAugustaMessinaMilazzoSanto StefanoSant’AgataSan
FratelloCefalTroinaAdranoNicosiaAgiraTerminiMarsalaCastelvetranoAgrigento
PalmaLicataGelaScoglittiTrapaniCataniaRandazzoRagusaNotoPachinoAvolaGulf ofCataniaGulf ofAugustaGulf ofGelaAug 2–4, 1943Jul 31–Aug 6, 1943Ionian
Sea
M
e
d
it
e
r
r
a
n
e
a
n(^) S
e
a
Mt Etna
Catania
Plain
Sa
n
S
te
fa
n
o
L
in
e
(^) J
ul
(^2)
3
Sa
n
(^) F
ra
te
lol
(^) L
in
e
T
or
to
ri
ci
(^) Li
ne
Salso
Platini
S
I
C
I
L Y
◁ A warm welcome
Sicilian children join
British soldiers on an
M4 Sherman tank as
the Allied forces are
welcomed into Milo,
in north-eastern Sicily,
on August 15, 1943.
US_164-165_Invasions_of_sicily_and_mainland_italy.indd 165 20/03/19 12:45 PM