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The Italian Campaign For World War II

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The Italian Campaign The Italian Campaign put Allied troops in Europe. Lesser objectives of the invasion included a chance to capitalize on the collapse of Italian resistance; to immediately use Allied forces; to engage German forces that could be sent to Russia and northern France; to take control of airfields that could be used for bombing missions; and to gain control of the Mediterranean. Casablanca Conference - Planning: Believing the North African campaign would be over quickly, American and British leaders began discussing their next move. While the British favored pushing north through Sicily and Italy, the Americans wanted a direct, cross-Channel attack. Since this required detailed discussions, a conference between Roosevelt, Churchill, and their senior leadership was scheduled. The two leaders chose Casablanca for the meeting. Casablanca Conference - The Talks: The talks consisted mostly of planning an invasion of southern Europe. It was felt that invading Italy would take Benito Mussolini 's troops out of the war and force Germany to shift forces. This would weaken the Nazi position in France, allowing for a later invasion. Operation Husky The main forces for the invasion of Sicily were the U.S. 7th Army under Patton and the British Eighth Army under Montgomery. The invasion began on July 10, 1943, with combined air and sea landings involving 150,000 troops, 3,000 ships and 4,000 aircraft, all aimed at the southern shores of the island. Operation Husky ended

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