The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, began on the night of 9-10 July 1943, and ended 17 August. It was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis (Italy and Nazi Germany).
It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat.
It became a baptism of fire for 1st Canadian Infantry Division and 1st Canadian Army Tank Brigade.
On July 10, 1943, several thousand Canadian soldiers landed on beaches on Sicily's southeast coast. Overcoming light resistance on landing, they began a tough march through the mountainous terrain of central Sicily in debilitating heat. Their first serious fighting came when they met entrenched Germans in the centre of the island who contested every metre of ground until the withdraw to the Italian mainland to fight again. The names of Leonforte, Assoro, Agira, Regalbuto, and Etna resound in the memories of the Canadians who fought there. It was an arduous campaign, fought on hot, dusty countryside, devoid of shade and plagued with malaria.
Operation Husky was an unprecedented joint and combined operational achievement comparable in scale and complexity to the invasion of Normandy in 1944. Seven separate army divisions sailed from ports in the United States, Scotland, and North Africa to converge off Malta before turning north to Sicily. Two airborne divisions flew in from Tunisian airfields the night before the landings. Three hundred fighting vessels protected 2,000 other ships and landing craft. They were guarded from above by a vast armada of Allied aircraft. Their common objectives were to free Mediterranean shipping lanes and drive Italy from the war...view details

On July 10, 1943, as Operation Husky, the invasion of the island of Sicily unfolded, the men of the First Canadian Division sallied forth. The Division was made up on the First Brigade (the Royal Canadian Regiment, the 48th Highlanders of Canada and the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment), the Second Brigade (the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada), and the Third Brigade (the Royal 22e Regiment, the Carleton and York Regiment and the West Nova Scotia Highlanders). The infantry brigades were supported by the the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, the Second Field Regiment, and the Third Field Regiment, respectively. In addition, the Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun), 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, 2nd Light Anti-Tank Regiment and the 4th Reconnaissance Regiment (4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards). Armoured support came from the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade made up of the Ontario Regiment, the Calgary Regiment and the Three Rivers Regiment.All the infantry brigades were made up on one Permanent force unit and two NPAM (Non-Permanent Army Militia) regiments. And the battalions represented all parts of the country...view details