Italian Campaign

(noun)

A World War II campaign that consisted of the Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. 

Related Terms

Examples of Italian Campaign in the following topics:

  • Sicily and Italy

    • The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe.
    • Joint Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theater, and it planned and commanded the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, followed shortly thereafter in September by the invasion of the Italian mainland and the campaign on Italian soil until the surrender of the German Armed Forces in Italy in May 1945.
    • The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis.
    • It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat that launched the Italian Campaign.
    • Besides them, over 150,000 Italian civilians died, as did 15,197 anti-Fascist partisans and 13,021 troops of the Italian Social Republic.

  • The Sicilian Campaign

    • The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II, in which the Allies took the island of Sicily from the Axis powers.
    • The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II, in which the Allies took the island of Sicily from the Axis powers (Italy and Nazi Germany).
    • It was a large amphibious and airborne operation, followed by a six-week land campaign and was the beginning of the Italian Campaign.
    • The Italian fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, was toppled from power in Italy and the way was opened for the invasion of Italy.
    • Although the German forces prepared to defend without Italian assistance, only two of their divisions opposite the Eighth Army and one at Salerno were not tied up disarming the Italian Army.

  • The North African Front

    • It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War) and in Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch) and Tunisia (Tunisia Campaign).
    • Victory for the Allies in this campaign immediately led to the Italian Campaign, which culminated in the downfall of the fascist government in Italy and the elimination of a German ally.
    • The campaign began in September 1940, with the Italian invasion of Egypt.
    • The Italians halted to bring up supplies and Operation Compass, a British five-day raid in December 1940, led to the destruction of the Italian 10th Army.
    • After the British defeats in the Balkan Campaign, the Western Desert Campaign had become more important to British strategy.

  • The North Africa Campaign

    • The North African Campaign of World War II (June 10th, 1940 - May 13th, 1943) resulted in the huge loss of Axis troops, which greatly reduced the military capacity of the Axis powers and led to all Italian colonies in Africa being captured.
    • It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert Campaign or Desert War), in Morocco and Algeria (Operation Torch), and Tunisia (Tunisia Campaign).
    • The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign.
    • After the British defeats in the Balkan Campaign, the Western Desert Campaign had become more important to British strategy.
    • Identify the effectiveness of the Western Desert Campaign, Operation Torch, and the Tunisia Campaign.

  • Slowing Momentum

    • The Battle of Stalingrad and setbacks in the North Africa Campaign represented a major defeat for the Axis forces.
    • The Battle of Stalingrad and setbacks in the North Africa Campaign represented a major defeat for the Axis forces.
    • In Libya,the Afrika Korps (the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign) failed to break through the line at First Battle of El Alamein (July 1-27 1942), having suffered repercussions from the Battle of Stalingrad .
    • In November 1942, the Wehrmacht and the Italian Army retreated to Tunisia, where they fought the Americans and the British in the Tunisia Campaign (November 17, 1942–May 13, 1943).
    • The Allies invaded Sicily and Italy next, but met fierce resistance, particularly at Anzio (January 22,1944–June 5,1944) and Cassino (January 17, 1944–May 18,1944), and the campaign continued from mid-1943 to nearly the end of the war.

  • The Church During the Italian Renaissance

    • On the other hand, wealthy Italian families often secured episcopal offices, including the papacy, for their own members, some of whom were known for immorality.
    • In addition to being the head of the Church, the Pope became one of Italy's most important secular rulers, and pontiffs such as Julius II often waged campaigns to protect and expand their temporal domains.
    • Furthermore, the popes, in a spirit of refined competition with other Italian lords, spent lavishly both on private luxuries but also on public works, repairing or building churches, bridges, and a magnificent system of aqueducts in Rome that still function today.

  • The Italian Federation

  • The Collapse of Nazi Germany

    • The failed Ardennes Offensive (December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945) was the last major German campaign of the war.
    • On September 3, 1943, the Western Allies invaded the Italian mainland, following Italy's armistice with the Allies.
    • Germany responded by disarming Italian forces, seizing military control of Italian areas, and creating a series of defensive lines.
    • German special forces then rescued Mussolini, who then soon established a new client state in German occupied Italy named the Italian Social Republic, causing an Italian civil war.
    • In 1943, Mussolini established a new client state in German occupied Italy named the Italian Social Republic, causing an Italian civil war.

  • Republican Wars and Conquest

    • By the end of the mid-Republic, Rome had achieved military dominance on both the Italian peninsula and within the Mediterranean.
    • While Beneventum's outcome was indecisive, it led to Pyrrhus's complete withdrawal from Italy due to the decimation of his army following years of foreign campaigns and the diminishing likelihood of further material gains.
    • By the middle of the 3rd century, Rome effectively dominated the Italian peninsula, and had won an international military reputation.
    • Hannibal then crossed the Italian Alps to invade Italy.
    • Unable to defeat Hannibal on Italian soil, the Romans boldly sent an army to Africa under Scipio Africanus with the intention of threatening the Carthaginian capital.

  • Converging Military Fronts

    • In early September, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland.
    • Germany responded by disarming Italian forces, seizing military control of Italian areas, and creating a series of defensive lines.
    • German special forces rescued Mussolini, who then soon established a new client state in German occupied Italy named the Italian Social Republic.
    • By May 1943, as Allied counter-measures became increasingly effective in the Atlantic, the sizable German submarine losses forced a temporary halt of the German Atlantic naval campaign.