Walking the ground, drawing on over thirty years of research, James Holland’s Sicily ’43 offers a vital new perspective on a major turning point in the second world war. This is a powerful and dramatic account of events, and this is an important book.
In Sicily ’43, James has filled in a major gap in the narrative history we thought we knew so well. Codenamed Operation HUSKY, the Allied assault on Sicily on 10 July 1943 is still the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted, landing more men in a single day than at any other time. Over 160,000 British, American and Canadian troops were dropped from the sky or came ashore, more than on D-Day just under a year later. The brutal, thirty-eight-day battle for Sicily involved daring raids by special forces, deals with the Mafia, attacks across mosquito-infested plains and perilous assaults up almost sheer faces of rock and scree. The invasion of Sicily also signalled a change in fortune. From here-on in, Italy ceased to take part actively in the war. The assault on Rome began and – pasta la vista, baby – the noose began to close around the neck of Nazi Germany. Brace yourselves. This is 640 pages of leave-me-alone-I’m-busy-with-a-book. What’s not to like? As always, James includes first-hand narratives that bring a story to life and make detailed research both enjoyable and very, very readable. Eccezionale. Do buy it. The button’s right there…
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>> Livestream Thursday 30th July 2020
>> Podcast Episode 86: From Dunkirk to Sicily
>> Podcast Episode 87: Invasion tactics
>> Podcast Episode 93: Hitler’s Gamble
>> Podcast Episode 171: Sicily ’43
