Battle of Sicily

On July 10, 1943, American, British, and Canadian forces launched a massive amphibious and airborne assault on Sicily. After a five-week campaign--during which American Gen. George Patton and British Gen. Bernard Montgomery conducted their famous race to Messina--Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had been deposed, and the island lay in Allied hands. Yet total victory eluded them. With only four divisions, the Germans held off the invaders for thirty-eight days and then escaped, dooming the Allies to a prolonged battle of attrition for Italy.