As we approach the 60th anniversary of the end of World War 2, I offer this as a reminder of one campaign. It lasted only 38 days (10th July to 17th August 1943). Killed: US - 2783 British - 2376 Wounded: US - 6430 British - 7548 There are of course casualties that fall outside these dates, especially allied air forces deaths, before and after Husky. The total Allied casualty figure for killed, wounded, captured and MIA during Husky is: 22383. Included in above. Canadian losses: 562 killed (including those lost en-route from UK) 1664 wounded. The dead were buried in military cemeteries at Agira (490 Canadians) Catania (2135 British) Syracuse (1060 British) and Rome-Sicily (United States). A number of British/Canadians killed during Husky have no known grave and are memorialised at the Cassino Military Cemetery. WE WILL NOT FORGET THEM.
The Sicily campaign is sadly only remembered in America for the cinematic race between Patton and Montgomery to capture Messina. However, in reality, the race was only between Patton and Brig. John Currie and his 4th Armoured Brigade. Monty had conceded the race already and pulled most of his troops out of the line to prepare for Slapstick, the crossing of the Reggio Straits. However, it was a major campaign, and one book on the battle calls it "Whose Victory?" While the Allies did what they set out to do, conquer the island and bring about the fall of Mussolini, the Germans and Italians kept two Allied armies on a slow advance and extricated most of their forces with their weapons. It was an important battle, which saw the debuts of the 1st Canadian Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Airborne Division, 45th Infantry Division, and the Hermann Goering Division (as a concentrated unit). The best book on the campaign is Carlo D'Este's "Bitter Victory," which covers just about every aspect of the campaign, from "The Man Who Never Was" to the role of mobster Lucky Luciano.
