The Italian Campaign

1. The Italian Campaign Canada’s Invasion of Sicily, Victory at Ortona, D-Day and Liberation of the Netherlands

2. Entry Questions • What was the German air force called? • What was the significance of the Battle of Britain? • Where did Canadians first see action? • Where were the Canadians slaughtered in France? • List 2 reasons for the plan raid on Dieppe. • How did their experiences teach the Allies a valuable lesson?

3. The Tides Turn

4. The Allies were preparing an all-out drive to win back the European countries occupied by Germany. Canadian troops played a vital role in the liberation of Europe.

5. The Italian Campaign began with the invasion of Sicily in July 10, 1943 and ended, for Canada, in February 1945. The Allies tricked Germans into thinking they were invading Greece by leaving a fake documents on a dead body! The Italian Campaign was Canada’s first major ground participation in the Second World War in Europe.

6. The Invasion of Sicily • Canadian troops had not seen any action since the massacre at Dieppe. Now they took part in the liberation of Italy. • They arrived on the island and fought for 38 days in the blazing hot July sun. • The allies were victorious. Canadians had proved themselves to be brave soldiers and prepared to invade mainland Italy.

7. Meanwhile....Italians Revolt Italian partisans rebelled against Mussolini and threw him out of power. Then they executed him along with 15 other fascist leaders!

8. Mussolini’s Execution • April 29, 1945 they dumped Mussolini and the other bodies in a piazza in Milan. • They were shot, kicked and spat on by the public. • Then his body was hung upside down on a meathook. • Civilians threw stones at the rotting bodies for many days...ewwww

9. The Liberation of Italy • The Italian campaign was long and difficult. • Once Mussolini was executed, Hitler quickly moved German soldiers into Italy to defend even though Italians wanted to surrender. • Canadians fought in the liberation of Italy, with 30,000 wounded or killed! • The mountains allowed snipers to hide, so the progress was slow. • The Allies paid heavily in blood for each kilometre they won.

10. Battle for Ortona • For the Canadians, Ortona was the bloodiest battle of the Italian Campaign. • The Canadians spent months fighting the Germans in what was left of the city. • It was called “Little Stalingrad” because of the stalemate. • They fought in the streets and even house to house.

11. Allied Victory • On June 4, 1944 the Allied armies of Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, America marched into Rome to the cheers of the Italian people. • While one Canadian force moved up the Italian boot, another was preparing for the greatest land – sea invasion in history.

12. D-Day Battle of Normandy

13. D- Day Invasion • Everything had been carefully planned for the invasion of France. • They left England on June 4, but the weather turned bad (violent storm) and they postponed the invasion until June 6, 1944.

14. Operation Overload • German soldiers were waiting at Calais and expected the Allies to organize in Dover. • They left empty tents, dummy boats and inflatable rubber tanks in Dover. Biggest hoax of all time! • They attacked 200km down the coast in Normandy on June 6, 1944. • This is known as D-Day.

15. Biggest Invasion in History

16. D- Day Invasion The force included 156, 000 Canadian, American and British troops with tanks, trucks and other equipment. They also had 6500 ships and 12 000 aircraft They landed at 5 different points along the French coast.

17. Canadians landed at Juno Beach. 14, 000 soldiers fought with the Third Infantry Division to liberate Europe. 349 were killed, 700wounded, 47 POW’s.

18. Took 11 months before the Western Allies met up with their Russian counterparts in central Germany. Hitler fought till the bitter end. He would rather destroy Germany rather than surrender! He committed suicide April 30, 1945 when the Soviet army reached Berlin.

19. Liberation of the Netherlands This Allied victory marked the beginning of the end of WW2. Canadians are still honoured for their contributions. Holland has donated 10,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in Ottawa, annually since the wars end. After landing in Normandy, Canadian troops moved through Northern France and Belgium until they reached the Netherlands (Holland). They continued to push the Germany army farther and farther back. Germans finally surrendered on May 8, 1945. Canadians were known for their negotiations to help the starving Dutch receive food and supplies.