Sicily 1943
Angelina Belfiore, 101, tells her eyewitness story of the arrival of the London Irish Rifles in her hometown
The story of the arrival of the London Irish Rifles in Piedimonte Etneo in September 1943 after the end of fighting in the Sicilian campaign has been retold in a news report published this month by La Repubblica, the national Italian newspaper. Eyewitness Angelina Belfiore, 101 in July, was 21 and living at home with…
Read MoreMessage from King Charles launches commemorations of the 80th anniversary of Sicily landings
King Charles, the son of a Sicily campaign veteran, sent a message of support to The Sicily Peace, Security & Prosperity Conference held earlier this month in Catania to launch commemoration events for the 80th anniversary of the landings on the island in 1943. “His Majesty has asked me to thank you for coming together to…
Read MoreMinneapolis family heads to Sicily for WWII commemoration
Marian Johnson (right) with daughter Hayley and grandson Owen Three generations of an Edina family are heading to Sicily next month to join the commemoration of Allied landings on the island, which took place at a turning point in the Second World War, 80 years ago. Mother of five, Marian Johnson, will be joined on…
Read MoreJoe Mantegna, drawing on his Italian roots, lends his support for the Sicily Peace, Security & Prosperity Conference
Italian-American actor, movie star, director and philanthropist Joe Mantegna says his Sicilian roots and the experiences of his parents’ generation in the Second World War are behind his support for The Sicily Peace, Security & Prosperity Conference at Catania’s Le Ciminiere Festival Centre on 7-8 July. “In my career I’ve portrayed many characters who dramatize…
Read MoreTop speakers to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Sicily landings at Catania conference
More than 30 speakers from Italy, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US will address the Sicily Peace, Security & Prosperity conference in Catania on 7-8 July organised in partnership with Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the landings in Sicily. The event will be followed by…
Read MoreIFPSP founder Gregory on when he was inspired to memorialise Canada’s Husky role
Founder of the International Forum for Peace, Security & Prosperity (IFPSP) Steve Gregory was inspired to preserve the memory of Canada’s role in Operation Husky in 1943 while on a family visit to Sicily more than a decade ago. “Everywhere I went, I asked questions about the Canadians in Sicily and they would look at…
Read MoreSwift success in Sicily was built on the lessons of the Tunisian campaign
At 1445 local time on 13 May 1943, 18 Army Group Commander General Harold Alexander sent the following signal to UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London: “Sir, it is my duty to report that the Tunisian campaign is over. All enemy resistance has ceased. We are masters of the North African shores.” One week later, American,…
Read MoreCountdown to Husky: Operation Mincemeat
Charles Cholmondeley (left) and Ewen Montagu with the van taking the body of Glyndwr Michael to Scotland on 17 April 1943 At 0415 on Friday 30 April 1943, the body of Glyndwr Michael was taken out of a sealed container on the deck of the Royal Navy submarine HMS Seraph which had surfaced off Huelva on…
Read MoreCountdown to Husky: Canada joins the campaign
The sun was shining brightly on the afternoon of 23 April 1943 when Commander of the First Canadian Army Lieutenant General Andrew McNaughton (see left, below) strode into the War Office in Whitehall. It was St George’s Day and it had been more than two years since the last German bombing attack on Britain’s capital. The…
Read MoreCountdown to Husky: the false start and the final plan
Original plans called for widely dispersed landings and the early capture of both Catania and Palermo. The final plan concentrated Allied forces in the south-east of Sicily (Source: www.canadiansoldiers.com) Fully-engaged with the effort to defeat Axis forces in Tunisia in the spring of 1943, Allied commanders in North Africa were nevertheless presented with plans for…
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