THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN
                             1943 to 1945
                            A BRIEF SUMMARY.

The Italian Campaign was along drawn out affair originally conceived by
Winston Churchill as a way to smash through to Germany, through the "soft
under-belly of Europe". The soft under-belly proved to be in no way very
soft and the Italian camapign proved to be a long hard slog which took
a heavy toll of casualties from the Allied armies involved.

The collapse of the Afrika Korps in Tunisia in May 1943 ended Mussolini's
dreams of a new Roman Empire in Africa. It also left the Allied armies
across the water from Sicily and in July 1943, the first Anglo-American
troops stormed ashore in Sicily. German resistance though stiff was
not enough and with the arrest and deposition of Mussolini it was only
a matter of time before the Allies crossed from Sicily to Italy on the
3rd Sept. 1943.

However, rather than the quick rush up the leg of Italy and the immediate
threat to southern Italy this would have posed, the Germans poured troops
into the country including battle hardened Waffen SS divisions from the
Eastern Front in Russia.

What faced the Allies for the next two years was a series of hard battles
up the leg of Italy. Italy`s geography favoured the defender at all times
and hill and mountain ranges and a constant row of river barriers meant
that the Allies had to contest every inch of the way.

Attempts to outflank the Germans with beach landings at places such as
Anzio failed to make the desired breakthrough and the battles in Italy 
ended only in April/May 1945 when Germany capitulated on all fronts.
Despite the fact that the Third Reich was engaged on two other fronts -
they did not negelect Italy - sending many seasoned divisions. Hitler
realised it`s importance at all times and the walk-over in Italy
never happened.....