loveSicily

Today in 1943, Allied troops landed in Sicily, code name: Operation Husky.

Today in 1943, naval gunfire helped Allied troops to land in Sicily. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis (Italy and Nazi Germany). It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.

Husky began on the night between July 9 and 10, 1943, and ended August 17. It was the largest amphibious operation of the war in terms of men landed on the beaches and of frontage. Strategically, Husky achieved the goals set out for it by Allied planners opening the way to the Allied invasion of Italy.

The troops first landed in the area of Sicily where we are based, Portopalo, Marzamemi, Capo Passero, Avola.

I remember in particular Colonel Frost, who was the first democratic Mayor in my father's home town Ispica in 1943 and is now honorary citizen. My father was the mayor of a the town in the 1990s and had the honor and pleasure to meet him during one of his visits to the area.
In this area of Sicily we all have great respect for the way in which the Canadian forces acted during those terrible times and we often have the pleasure to thank them in person when they come back to visit the area.

Written on
July 10, 2009
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