In July 1943, the Allies entered Sicily and then landed in italy in September. These battles caused Italy to suffer from war, but the continued stubborn resistance of the German Allies meant that the Allies would not win a victory anytime soon.
In early 1943, on the basis of a conference in Casablanca, The Leaders of Britain and the United States decided to move to Sicily as soon as the war in North Africa was over. Accordingly, Operation Husky began in July 1943. But the operation was too ill-fated by several changes in planning, and Harold Alexander, commander-in-chief of ground forces, was unable to dispatch two of his generals: Montgomery, who commanded the British Eighth Army, and Matton, who led the U.S. Seventh Army. As a result, a clear and unambiguous plan of action for the occupation of the island was not achieved, and the opportunity to win the battle quickly and decisively was wasted.
Although many of the accompanying Air Forces landed, they failed because of the pilot's poor piloting skills and poor weather conditions, and only the initial Allied landings in southern and southeastern Sicily were successful. The large number of Italian troops did not launch a stubborn resistance, and many people surrendered their weapons. However, the German army still caused great trouble. In a series of time-delaying battles, they took advantage of the rugged terrain of the area with great skill, while Allied commanders quarreled over how to proceed to the next battle. Finally, the Germans successfully retreated across the Strait of Messina in mid-August, a retreat that was not actually defeated by the Allied air and naval forces.
After Sicily
By the beginning of 1943, many troops and resources had been devoted to the mediterranean fighting, and it was almost impossible to organize a cross-strait operation before 1944, so the Allied leaders faced a dilemma. In May 1943, the Americans finally agreed to launch an offensive against Italy's interior after the Battle of Sicily. Once again, there were differences of opinion on the question of battle planning and priorities, which would continue to affect the course of the operations in Italy and continue until the end of the war.
In July, Mussolini was briefly removed from his post as head of the Italian government, and the new regime began secret peace negotiations with the Allies. On September 3, the Eighth Army crossed from Sicily, italy's "toe part," while Italy announced its surrender on the 8th. However, the Germans were ready and sent reinforcements into the country and took over. On the 9th, the German Fifth Army, led by Mark Clarke, after implementing the main landing plan, marched into the area near Salerno, which was just south of Naples. But in the first few days, they were almost re-driven back to the sea.
Slow retreat
For the remainder of 1943, the Germans began with the same fortified river line and gradually retreated slowly to the next line. The Eighth Army advanced to the east of Italy, while the Fifth Army advanced westward. By the end of the year, Allied advances had reached the German Gustav Line, and the center of one of the most famous fortress positions was located on Cassino Hill, just south of Rome.
In an attempt to break the stalemate, Allied forces made amphibious landings at Anchio, just behind the German line, on January 22, 1944. But it was not long before the force found itself completely surrounded by enemy beachhead positions. Constant attacks on the Gustav line also failed in the coming months.
In May 1944, the Allies launched one last coordinated operation against the Italian front, this time they finally managed to capture the Cassino region and break the Gustav Line. By that time, however, Montgomery and many of the veterans were ready to leave and prepare for the Normandy landings, and Italy withdrew from the Allied plan of priority offensives. Rome was occupied by the Allies on 4 June, but by the fall of 1944 the Germans were once again engaged in stubborn resistance, this time in the area of the Gothic Line north of Florence.