3 September 1943
Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in July, an Italian delegation signs an armistice. On the same day, divisions of Britain’s Eighth Army cross the Straits of Messina from Sicily onto the toe of Italy. 9 September 1943
After the announcement of the armistice the previous evening, three Allied divisions land at Salerno, supported by air and naval forces. They are met by German forces under Field Marshal Kesselring (right).
German troops dismantle the Italian army and air force.
27 September 1943 British forces from Eighth Army reach Foggia, near the east coast, securing strategically important airfields there. Three of four Allied goals for Italy have been achieved. Four days later, Naples falls; Rome still remains to be taken.
27 December 1943 Ortona is finally abandoned by the Germans after a month of bitter fighting. On Italy’s west coast, though, Rome seems a distant dream, and the Allies brace themselves to attack the Gustav Line, the main German line of fortifications north of Naples.
22 January 1944 Anglo-US forces land at Anzio, south of Rome, in Operation Shingle. A few days earlier, the French Expeditionary Corps and the US 34th ‘Red Bulls’ Division had launched the first battle of Cassino. 15 February 1944 The Abbey of Monte Cassino – erroneously believed to host a German observation post – is destroyed. This action is timed to support the launch of the second battle of Cassino.
Miscommunication, a flawed plan and terrible weather mean this latest attempt to take the Monte Cassino massif fails again.
15 March 1944 Strategic Allied air forces destroy the town of Monte Cassino. A New Zealand Corps assault makes limited gains, but the Monte Cassino massif remains in German hands. Further Allied operations are suspended until the weather improves. 11 May 1944 Operation Diadem is launched – a push to capture Rome. The US Fifth Army makes rapid gains, but the British Eighth Army struggles on the Monte Cassino massif.
The Polis
