Allied Troops March on Anzio Beach in Italy Ca. 1944Allied Troops March on Anzio Beach in Italy Ca. 1944
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Downloadable Video, 1944
Current format, Downloadable Video, 1944, , All copies in use.
Downloadable Video, 1944
Current format, Downloadable Video, 1944, , All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formats
The Italian Front of World War II opened with the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. The Allies regarded Italy as the "soft underbelly" of Europe, intending to strike at Nazi Germany from the south. Although the first phase of the Italian invasion was successful and resulted in the fall of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, Germany's effective defenses stalled further Allied advancement. On January 22, 1944, the Allies implemented Operation Shingle, a fresh invasion that landed 50,000 U.S. and British troops on the beaches of Anzio and Nettuno. Although the invasion took Germany by surprise, U.S. Major General John Lucas waited too long to advance, and the Germans counterattacked. After a bloody, five-month-long stalemate, the Allies finally broke through German lines and liberated Rome on June 4, 1944.
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