The Allies landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943. The British army was led by General Montgomery, the American army by General Patten. Winston Churchill’s oft-quoted comment that Italy was the soft-underbelly of Axis Europe was about to be proved true, largely because Sicily was abandoned by the fascist leaders and left to fend for itself with old artillery. Few reinforcements were sent, losses were huge on all sides, including civilian.
It’s a fascinating part of Twentieth century history, and forms the backdrop to the novel I’m currently working on. Of course, I’m interested in the lesser-known Sicilian version of events.
Get a Sicilian persepective of the landing on Youtube here.
Bronagh Slevin 