OPERATION HUSKY - The Allied Invasion of Sicily by Pack, S.W.C

Hippocrene Books, New York, 1977. first US edition, hard bound in dust jacket, 6 x 9, FINE/FINE CONDITION, 186 pages, numerous illustrations and maps, bibliog., appendices, index............................... The Allied objectives of 'Husky', the first strike at the enemy in his own land, were clear: to make the Mediterranean safe for shipping; to divert enemy strength from Russia; and to knock Italy out of the war. It was a massive combined operation, first seriously planned only six months before it took place, and by senior commanders in headquarters widely dispersed, from Washington and London to Algiers and Cairo. There were ten Allied divisions and additional units of airborne forces..................................................................... The first landings were made on 10 July, 1943 and by 16 August all Axis resistance ceased. Two days later Italy capitulated. The operation has been recounted as part of the history of World War II but now Captain Pack provides in narrative form a detailed account of it as a whole, never overlooking the personal experiences of individual officers and other ranks.The order of the day was that the battle must go on, whatever the weather, whatever the cost. The weather, for instance, deteriorated to such a degree that there were serious thoughts of postponement, and men had to land in the night in water too deep for wading. But the operation went on to secure the essential foothold for the invasion of the Italian mainland.