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The Allied invasion of Italy, a phase of the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, took place on 3 September at Reggio di Calabria (Operation Baytown), and on 9 September 1943 at Taranto and Salerno (Operation Slapstick and Operation Avalanche respectively). Allied naval forces landed American and Commonwealth troops on the beaches of southern Italy where they faced resistance from Axis forces.

Allied Forces

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Theatre and army group commanders
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Sir Harold Alexander

Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ), Mediterranean
General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ground forces

Allied 15th Army Group
General Harold Alexander

Naval forces

Allied Naval Forces, Mediterranean (Admiral Andrew Cunningham)
Western Task Force (Operation Avalanche) (Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN)
Force H (Vice Admiral Sir Algernon Willis, RN)
Naval Task Force, Operation Slapstick (Vice Admiral Arthur Power, RN)

Air forces

Mediterranean Air Command (Allied) (Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder)[a]

Operation Baytown – 3 September

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Landings across Strait of Messina

British Eighth Army

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Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
Sir Miles Dempsey

General Bernard Law Montgomery

British XIII Corps
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Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey

Corps troops
1st Special Reconnaissance Squadron
No. 3 Commando
No. 40 (Royal Marine) Commando
Corps artillery
6th Army Group, Royal Artillery
2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade
Also supporting XIII Corps
5th Army Group, Royal Artillery
XXX Corps Artillery

Operation Slapstick – 9 September

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Landings at Taranto

British Eighth Army

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General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery

British 1st Airborne Division[4]
Major-General George F. Hopkinson killed in action 9 Sep,
then Major-General Ernest Down
1st Parachute Brigade (Brigadier G.W. Lathbury)
1st Parachute Battalion
2nd Parachute Battalion
3rd Parachute Battalion
16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
2nd Parachute Brigade (Brigadier Ernest Down)
4th Parachute Battalion
5th Parachute Battalion
6th Parachute Battalion
127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
4th Parachute Brigade (Brigadier J.W. Hackett)
10th Parachute Battalion
11th Parachute Battalion
156th Parachute Battalion
133rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance
1st Airlanding Brigade (Brigadier Pip Hicks)
1st Battalion Border Regiment
2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment
181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
Glider Pilot Regiment

Operation Avalanche – 9 September

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Landings at Salerno

US Fifth Army

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Mark W. Clark
Richard L. McCreery

Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark

Army Group Reserve[b]

US 82nd Airborne ("All-American") Division
Major General Matthew B. Ridgway
504th Parachute Infantry Regiment
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
325th Glider Infantry Regiment
US 1st Armored ("Old Ironsides") Division[c]
Major General Ernest N. Harmon
British X Corps
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Lieutenant-General Richard L. McCreery

Northern landing beaches

Corps troops
Royal Scots Greys (Sherman tanks, attached to 56th Division)[5]
40th Royal Tank Regiment (attached to British 46th Infantry Division)[6]
British Special Service Brigade (Brigadier Robert Laycock)
No. 2 (Army) Commando
No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando
US Ranger Force (Lieutenant Colonel William O. Darby)[d]
1st Ranger Battalion
3rd Ranger Battalion
4th Ranger Battalion
US VI Corps
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Ernest J. Dawley

Major General Ernest J. Dawley

Southern landing beaches

US 3rd Infantry ("Rock of the Marne") Division
Major General Lucian K. Truscott[e]
7th Infantry Regiment
15th Infantry Regiment
30th Infantry Regiment
HHB 3rd DIVARTY
9th Field Artillery Battalion
10th Field Artillery Battalion
39th Field Artillery Battalion
41st Field Artillery Battalion
3rd Reconnaissance Troop
10th Engineer Combat Battalion
3rd Medical Battalion
Headquarters, 3rd Special Troops
HHC, 3rd Infantry Division
703rd Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
3rd Signal Company
3rd Quartermaster Company
US 34th Infantry ("Red Bull") Division[f]
Major General Charles W. Ryder
133rd Infantry Regiment
135th Infantry Regiment
168th Infantry Regiment
US 36th Infantry ("Arrowhead") Division
Major General Fred L. Walker
141st Infantry Regiment
142nd Infantry Regiment
143rd Infantry Regiment
US 45th Infantry ("Thunderbird") Division
Major General Troy H. Middleton
157th Infantry Regiment
179th Infantry Regiment
180th Infantry Regiment

Axis Forces

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Army Command South

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Albert Kesselring
Heinrich von Vietinghoff

Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring[9]

Armeeoberkommando (AOK) 10

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Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff

XIV Panzer Corps
General der Panzertruppen Hermann Balck
Deployed along coast from north to south of Naples:
15th Panzergrenadier Division (Generalleutnant Eberhard Rodt)
Kampfgruppe Stroh
Panzer Division Hermann Göring (Generalmajor Wilhelm Schmalz)[g]
Kampfgruppe Haas
Kampfgruppe Becker
16th Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Rudolf Sieckenius)[h]
Kampfgruppe Dörnemann
Kampfgruppe Stempel
Kampfgruppe von Holtey
Kampfgruppe von Doering
LXXVI Panzer Corps
General der Panzertruppen Traugott Herr
Deployed in Calabria and Apulia:
26th Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz)
Kampfgruppe[i]
3rd Panzergrenadier Division (Generalleutnant Fritz-Hubert Gräser)
Kampfgruppe Moldenhaur
29th Panzergrenadier Division (Generalleutnant Walter Fries)
Kampfgruppe Ulich
Kampfgruppe Krüger
184th Paratroopers Division "Nembo" (Generale di Brigata Ercole Ronco)
185th Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo"

Notes

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  1. ^ Headquarters at Algiers, Algeria[1]
  2. ^ Available to Fifth Army
  3. ^ 1st Armored Division was in Morocco being reorganized in the new "light armored division" organization. It began to arrive at Naples on 28 October 1943 and thus was not in the Army Group reserve for the landings in Italy.
  4. ^ Under British X Corps for this operation.
  5. ^ Did not take part in initial landings
  6. ^ Did not take part in initial landings
  7. ^ CO Generalleutnant Paul Conrath was on leave at the time of the Salerno landings.[10]
  8. ^ Absorbed the initial Allied assault
  9. ^ CO unknown

Citations

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  1. ^ Secret Document 161, Location of units in the Royal Air Force, 34th issue, July 1943, Royal Air Force Museum accession number PR02859.
  2. ^ a b Molony, p. 234n.
  3. ^ Molony, pp. 117 & 234.
  4. ^ Molony, pp. 242, 244 & 245.
  5. ^ Molony, p. 276n.
  6. ^ a b Molony, p. 278n.
  7. ^ Molony, p. 277n.
  8. ^ Molony, p. 337n.
  9. ^ Konstam 2013, p. 25
  10. ^ Konstam 2013, pp. 21-22

Bibliography

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Print

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  • Konstam, Angus (2013). Salerno 1943: The Allies invade southern Italy. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-249-8.
  • Molony, Brigadier C.J.C.; with Flynn, Captain F.C. (R.N.); Davies, Major-General H.L. & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1973]. Butler, Sir James (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. V: The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and The Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-069-6.

Web

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