Invasion of Sicily

DATE: 23/07/2023

TIME (GMT): 18:00

ERA: WW2

MAP(S): Malden

TYPE: COOP

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Official

AUTHOR(S): Jarvis for Brothers in Arms

SLOTS: 68 / 88

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RATING: (21)

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The Allied Invasion of Sicily, or Battle of Sicily, was an amphibious invasion launched by the Allies lasting from the 9th of July to the 17th of August, 1943. By early 1943, with the defeat of the Axis in North Africa in sight, the British Chiefs of Staff began discussing their favour of landings on Sicily or Sardinia with their American counterparts. The British believed that launching a series of amphibious landings on Italian territory would force Germany to divert its forces away from Europe and the Soviet Union in order to defend Italy, with the likelihood that a successful campaign would lead to a collapse of Italian political leadership. The United States was initially against this plan, citing the need for landings on France to end the war quicker instead, however, the British convinced the Americans of the necessity for a Sicilian invasion from the threat still posed to allied shipping from the naval and air forces of Italy and Germany.

By the start of July, preparatory bombing was well underway. Key targets for the bombing campaign were airfields, communications and industrial sites throughout Sicily, Sardinia and southern Italy, with beach defences being left untouched as to not suggest where Allied landings would take place. The amphibious landings were preceded by large scale airborne landings, which were largely successful at causing destruction behind the line and dispersing Axis forces, despite much of the airborne formations landing off target and taking significant casualties. The landings themselves saw British and Canadian forces landing to the east, and American forces landing to the west. In the majority of beaches, the landings themselves were largely uncontested, where the Italian planning called for defensive positions to be established inland instead. Poor communication between German and Italian formations led to uncoordinated counterattacks being repulsed by Allied forces, and, over the following days, German and Italian forces gradually retreated under fire. Following the capture of Centuripe, Adrano and Catania, the German command had concluded that an evacuation of Sicily was their only option, beginning on the 1st of August, despite Italian protest. The Axis withdrawal was largely successful with the Germans evacuating 52 thousand soldiers, while the Italians had recovered 62 thousand men.

The Sicily campaign had been a success for the Allies, with the capture of the island and the collapse of Benito Mussolini's government. By removing the Axis air and naval threat posed by the island, Allied merchant shipping was opened in the Mediterranean for the first time since 1941. The success of Operation Husky had also resulted in Germany diverting a significant portion of its Army away from occupation and offensive duties to defend Italy, much of the forces diverted were actively engaged or in reserve on the Eastern Front. As for losses, the US Seventh Army had reported 8,781 dead, wounded or captured, the British Eighth Army had sustained 11,843 causalities, while Canadian forces had suffered 2,310 losses. The Italian forces on Sicily had suffered 4,678 dead, around 32,500 wounded and over 100,000 missing or captured, while German forces had sustained 4,325 killed, around 13,500 wounded and over 10,000 missing or captured.