The tides of war turned irrevocably in favor of the Allied forces in July 1943 when 150,000 British and American soldiers swarmed the shores of Sicily at the start of World War II's bloody Italian Campaign.
Along with Canadian, French and other Allies, the invasion was the start of a long march to Rome that would forever be noted as some of the most brutal of the entire war.
Tens of thousands of soldiers died on each side during the campaign, which saw the ousting of Italy's Fascist leader Benito Mussolini in its early days but would stretch into nearly two years.
The Allies marched up the most of famous of Roman roads, the Appian Way, which connected the city of Rome to the southern Italian coast.
These haunting yet hopeful color photographs from Life were never published in the magazine, but can now be seen here in their full glory.
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Yep. It was total war. Monte Cassino was especially brutal. The monastery was obliterated, even though, from what I understand, it could have been bypassed and the German garrison there left to wither on the vine. We bombed the piss outta damn near any town or village that had krauts. Italy looked like Moon Base Alpha when it was over with.
ReplyDeleteit could have been bypassed and the German garrison there left to wither on the vine.
DeleteIt's a shame that it wasn't done.