1. AM’S ARMY
Italian Campaign
KT, LZ, DV, IM

2. What is Fascism? Definition: losing your individualism
of the state and for the state
communism w/o the benefits
Emphasized loyalty to the state and obedience to leader

3. Thesis
The Italian Campaign demonstrated Italy’s political disunity through their division into two sides; the Allies (Badoglio’s provisional government), versus the followers of the fascist party, which eventually led to the downfall of the fascist regime and the Allied Powers’ successful capture of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the division of the Axis Power troops, ultimately weakening Germany to surrender.

4. Goals of Campaign The Allied invasion of Italy would…
Draw German troops away from the USSR and North France (History.com Staff)
Secure Allied Mediterranean shipping lanes
Provide bombers bases from which to strike Axis powers in Southern Europe
Drive Italy out of the war (Bolte)
Follow the success in N. Africa by attacking the “soft underbelly of Europe” (Axelrod)

5. Campaign Background
Amphibious warfare is an offensive operation using naval forces to project ground and air power onto a shore with the element of surprise
“Operation Husky (the Allied invasion of Sicily) was the largest amphibious operation of the war” (US History)
Before the start of the invasion, Mussolini was kicked out of power and replaced with Marshal Pietro Badoglio (Cosgrove)

6. Campaign Background cont.
Allies VS
Axis
Benito Mussolini (El Duche /convened Fascist Italian Dictator)
Germany, Hungary, North Italy
Marshal Pietro Badoglio (new Italian Prime Minister)
Negotiated with the Allies and opposed Italy’s alliance with Nazi Germany (Polmar 165)
U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Canada, mostly South Italy etc.

7. People Involved (Allies)
** Who’s who packet
Marshal Pietro Badoglio: set up provisional government, opposed Italy’s alliance with Nazi Germany, armistice with Allies
**Winston Churchill: British Prime Minister, agreed with invasion of Italy
General Mark Clark: U.S., led the capture of Rome
**Dwight D. Eisenhower: U.S. commander, announced armistice with Badoglio

8. People Involved (Axis)
**Benito Mussolini: arrested as fascist regime fell, later executed
**Adolf Hitler: ordered Allies to be attacked because of their threat toward Germany
Field Marshal Albert Kesselring: Hitler’s army group commander

9. Timeline
July 10, 1943
“In July 1943 we landed on the south coast of Sicily” (Schneider 141)
July 24, 1943
Italian officers arrest Mussolini, secret armistice with Allies
September 3, 1943
Italy signs armistice with Allies
September 23, 1943
Mussolini re-establishes fascist government in northern Italy
January 22, 1944
Allies land south of Rome at Anzio to distract Germans from Gustav Line
June 4, 1944
Allies reach Rome; leads to Gothic Line
April 28, 1945
Mussolini joins German forces retreating but is captured by Italians. Execution of Mussolini
May 2, 1945
Germany surrenders with the collapse of Berlin
May 8, 1945
Italian Campaign ends with World War II

10. Movement Gothic Line Gustav Line Rome Naples Palermo Messina Sicily
Operation Husky

11. Battle Tactics
Amphibious warfare is an offensive operation using naval forces to project ground and air power onto a shore with the element of surprise
The allies resorted to a series of amphibious attacks to dislodge the enemy (Polmar 164)
Germany used the weather and geography to their advantage, delaying allied advance on Rome for nearly a year ("Italian Peninsular Campaign")
Soldiers during the campaign would use the tactic known as ‘Mouse Holing’
Soldiers would invade houses and and build tunnels/passageways to avoid open streets and snipers

13. Impacts Removed Italy (Axis) from the war
Execution of major leader, Benito Mussolini
Collapse of fascism in Italy; King Victor Emmanuel declared, “Fascism in Italy is over, forever” (Polmar 419).

14. Impacts cont. Allies secured the Mediterranean Sea
forced Germany to divert divisions from the USSR and Northern France (History.com).
The launch of the Italian Campaign was one of the greatest strategic blunders of the Allied campaign
prolonging of WWII

15. Summary VS. Allied Powers (specifically U.S., Britain) invaded Italy
Allies wanted to defeat Axis and capture Mediterranean Sea
Successfully invaded Sicily (Operation Husky) [1943] (Axelrod)
VS.

16. Summary cont.
Mussolini’s arrest → Badoglio came into power: fascist Italy’s surrender (“Italian Peninsular Campaign”)
Allies defeated German troops in Rome, under General Clark
German forces in Italy surrendered [May 1945] (Bolte)

17. Works Cited
"Allied Ships Supplying Troops at Anzio in 1944." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/
Accessed 4 Apr
Axelrod, Alan. “Italian Campaign.” Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 2, Facts On File, History Research Center,
online.infobase.com/Article/Details/264995?q=italian campaign. Accessed Apr
Bolte, Philip L, and Paul H Collier. “Sicily & Invasion of Italy.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, Sept. 2007,
Accessed 4 Apr
Cosgrove, Ben, and Carl Mydans. "World War II in Color: The Italian Campaign and the Road to Rome, 1944." Time. Time, 16 Nov Web. 18 Apr
History.com Staff. "Italian Campaign." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 11 Apr
"Italian Peninsular Campaign." World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2017, worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/ Accessed 4 Apr
Polmar, Norman, and Thomas B. Allen. “World War II: the Encyclopedia of the War Years ” World War II: the Encyclopedia of the
War Years , Dover Publications, Mineola, NY, 2012, pp. 419–420.
Schneider, Carl J., and Dorothy Schneider. World War II. New York: Facts On File, Print.
"United States History." Italian Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr

18. QUESTIONS?