Learn about WWII History

Explore the critical events related to the war and the personal stories of those who lived through that challenging time.

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The italo-americans in the US army

The contribution of the Italian-American soldiers during Operation Husky (the Sicily Landings) was characterised by the ...

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Mafia's role: legend and truth

In the years since the Sicily Landings, a thesis has been consolidated, refuted by historiography, that the Allied landi...

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The armistice in Cassibile

The signing of the Cassibile armistice sanctioned the end of hostilities by the Italian government towards the Allied fo...

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1st Division from Sicily to Normandy

The contribution of the US 1st Infantry Division was crucial in many of the campaigns undertaken by the Allied Army duri...

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The German evacuation

Operation Lehrgang , deployed between 10 and 17 August 1943, led to the evacuation of Axis troops and war vehicles from ...

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The Canadians in Sicily

Among the Allies employed in Operation Husky were the 25,000 Canadians attached to the British 8th Army. Having landed...

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The San Fratello line

The San Fratello line represented the last defensive line organised by the Axis forces to slow down the Anglo-American a...

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The battle in Gela

The Battle of Gela, in which US troops took the lead, represented the first and essentially the only attempt by Axis tro...

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The airborne troops

Several phases of Operation Husky employed the use of airborne troops. However, the launches, at least in the first hour...

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The conquest of the Pelagie Islands

Operation Corkscrew, the conquest of the Pelagie archipelago and the island of Pantelleria, was the predecessor of Opera...

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Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat was an effective diversion capable of drawing the Axis forces away from Sicily, the place where the ...

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The bombings of Messina and Palermo

The Anglo-American bombing of the cities of Sicily was an important part of Operation Husky. The damage caused in some c...

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Salvatore Aldisio

Salvatore Aldisio was a leading Sicilian Catholic politician, who during the war was among the founders of the Christian...

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Charles Poletti

A lawyer and politician lent to the war, Aldo Charles Poletti managed the Allied military government in occupied Italy, ...

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Frank E. Toscani

Frank Eugene Toscani was Allied governor of Licata between July and August 1943, and handled the emergency that followed...

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Hans-Valentin Hube

Despite the loss of a hand, Hans-Valentin Hube fought across Europe at the head of his motorised troops, managing the We...

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Oliver Leese

Oliver William Hargreaves Leese was an officer who was very close to the British General, Bernard Montgomery. Leese foug...

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Weilerbach and Rhineland Campaign

At the end of the Battle of the Bulge, the war was unfortunately not yet over. The melting snow caused the rivers to swe...

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General Patton’s counterattack on Bastogne

On 26 December 1944, General Patton successfully broke open the Bastogne encirclement with his counterattack, in only fi...

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Hyman Josefson

Hyman A. Josefson was a first generation American, born in 1909 in Middletown, New York. He was the youngest son of Roma...

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Warner W. Holzinger

Born 31 March 1916 in Rosenthal, Silesia and naturalised in the USA, Warner William Holzinger was to become the first US...

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The Royal Air Force over Luxembourg

Whilst there were no British ground troops in Luxembourg during the Second World War. The Royal Air Force (RAF) had been...

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Harry M. Kemp

Captain Harry M. KEMP was born in 1919 and was a native Pennsylvanian (area of Scranton, PA). In January 1937, he lied a...

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The September 1944 liberation in Luxembourg

News spread of the liberation of Paris amongst Luxembourgers. With the success of the Allied breakout from Normandy and ...

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