Sicily '43

'Perfect territory for a military historian of Holland's talents'

The Times

This is the story of the biggest seaborne landing in history. Codenamed Operation HUSKY, the Allied assault on Sicily on 10 July 1943 remains the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted in world history, landing more men in a single day than at any other time. That day, 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.

It was also preceded by an air campaign that marked a new direction and dominance of the skies by Allies. The subsequent thirty-eight-day Battle for Sicily was one of the most dramatic of the entire Second World War, involving 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. It was a brutal campaign - the violence was extreme, the heat unbearable, the stench of rotting corpses intense and all-pervasive, the problems of malaria, dysentery and other diseases a constant plague.

And all while trying to fight a way across an island of limited infrastructure and unforgiving landscape, and against a German foe who would not give up. It also signalled the beginning of the end of the War in the West. From here on, Italy ceased to participate in the war, the noose began to close around the neck of Nazi Germany, and the coalition between the United States and Britain came of age.

Most crucially, it would be a critical learning exercise before Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Normandy, in June 1944. Based on his own battlefield studies in Sicily and on much new research over the past thirty years, James Holland's SICILY '43 offers a vital new perspective on a major turning point in World War II. It is a timely, powerful and dramatic account by a master military historian and will fill a major gap in the narrative history of the Second World War

Shipping

You can choose between Royal Mail's 24 or 48 hour tracked service in order to receive your items by post.

• 48 hr tracked (2-3 days) on orders bteween 0kg - 2kg is £2.80
• 48 hr tracked (2-3 days) on orders bteween 2kg - 20kg is £3.15
• 24 hr tracked (next working day) on orders bteween 0kg - 2kg is £4.15
• FREE standard delivery for orders over £30

Local delivery

If you live within 10 miles of our bookshop, then we offer free local delivery on all orders, just choose this option at the checkout.

Store pickup

You can also choose to pick up your order for FREE from our shop at:

1 Chaldicott Barns
Semley
SP7 9AW

Opening Hours:

Tuesday: 10am-4pm
Wednesday: 10am-4pm
Thursday: 10am-4pm 
Friday: 10am-4pm 
Saturday : 10am-2pm

We would be delighted to hear from you so please do drop us a line using the form below or alternatively, give us a call on 01747 898247