Invasion of Sicily: 'Operation Husky' by jane_kilarski

Link to Invasion Site

jane_kilarski — 2015-01-23 14:25:33 UTC

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/invasion-of-sicily

Link to more info

alexandra_voigt — 2015-01-23 14:30:31 UTC

http://www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5212.htm

How did this battle influence the outcome of the war?

courtney_olson — 2015-01-23 20:49:55 UTC

The invasion of Sicily allowed the Allies to continue their advancements through the mainland of Italy. It made it so that the Italians forced Benito Mussolini to resign power and the Italian Fascist party was disbanded. The Axis were pushed to the mainland and Italy The invasion also helped the Allies to know how they should go about the Normandy Landings.

"Invasion of Sicily." History. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

More info:

http://www.bestofsicily.com/ww2.htm

Courtney Olson

Who were the groups and leaders involved in the fighting?

jadavandenbrink — 2015-01-24 22:57:22 UTC

This battle was fought by Great Britain, and the United States as the Allied Forces and Italy and Germany as the Axis Powers. Major Allied Commanders include, Overall Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower (U.S.A., Commander in Chief of Allied Forces in North Africa) ; General Sir Harold Alexander as Second in Command, also as the Land Forces/Army Group Commander ; as well as American Major General Walter Bedell Smith (Chief of Staff); and Naval Force Commander, Admiral Andrew Cunningham (U.K.). However, General Alfredo Guzzoni (Italy), Frido von Senger und Etterlin, and Albert Kesserling were major Axis Commanders. Some groups fighting for the Axis Powers include the Italian 6th Army, Panzer Division, and the 1st Parachute Division. Some of the groups fighting for the Allied Forces are the Royal Air Force, United States Eighth Fleet, and the U.S. Seventh Army. Source used "Allied Invasion of Sicily." Wikepedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. Allied_invasion_of_Sicily>. For more information on the specific groups visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_invasion_of_Sicily

Written by Jada Vanden Brink

What strategies did each of the groups involved in the fighting use to try winning the battle?

ashley_schwartz — 2015-01-25 04:17:19 UTC

The British Americans had two options: they could transfer there forces north to the English Channel, or they could remain in the southern Mediterranean and strike at Southern Italy. Their final decision was to press north into Italy. The Allies could depend on fighter cover from air bases on the Island of Sicily. They also created a diversion plan called "Operation Mincemeat". This plan used a body that drifted up on a Spanish Coast and attached to man's wrist was a brief case. It consisted of his identification and classified documents which were outlining Allied plans for invading Sardinia and other islands in the Mediterranean. The diversion miss lead the Germans and there plan was to divert to Sardinia. This diversion allowed the British Americans to be successful with their plan. After the Germans and Italians were outsmarted they attempted to evacuate their armies back to the mainland only the Germans were successful. The Italians were forced to abandoned a portion of their troops. For more information on the strategies used in this battle visit http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/invasion-of-sicily To watch a video that shows these strategies visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlbSZspTkTs Sources used "Invasion of Sicily." History. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015. and "Invasion of Sicily in World War II." Shmoop. SHMOOP UNIVERSITY, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

Written by Ashley Schwartzhoff

Why was the battle fought and what were the strategic goals for each of the groups involved in the conflict?

alexandra_voigt — 2015-01-26 14:01:09 UTC

The main reason for getting involved in this battle was to push German and Italian groups north back to their own countries and to stop the expansion of Germany. However, we could not get to them directly from the north. They had the entire coast to the north covered in navy ships. So instead, we went to North Africa. When we got to North Africa we started pushing German and Italian troops north to the Island of Sicily. And from there, we cast air strikes and had foot soldiers to try and keep pushing back. The goals of the U.S. was to stop German expansion and the overall rule of Germany. The goals of Germany and Italy were to keep making their empire bigger and defeat anyone who tries to stop it.

Where was the battle and how did geography play a factor? Jane K

jane_kilarski — 2015-01-26 14:20:16 UTC

The Invasion of Sicily took place on the island of Sicily, the land of Italy. It has a mediterranean climate, which is rainy and humid. There are many streams and springs covering the island in valleys. Mostly the entire island is mountainous and hilly, and has been known to have considerable volcanic and seismic activity. Because of this most of the battle was fought along the coast, though soldiers were driven across the island as they had many hilly places to hide. Another reason the battle didn’t move around too much was the problem of summer sea storms.

"Invasion of Sicily." History. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

"Sicily." Encyclopædia Britannica. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/invasion-of-sicily