| The
American Spirit in Itlay |
|
On
Display: February, 2004 -May 9th,
2004.
Location: Special Exhibits Gallery, 3rd
Floor, Louisiana Memorial Pavilion |
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The
American Spirit in Italy
In February 2004
the National World War II
Museum will unveil a temporary exhibit focusing
on the Italian Campaign. The exhibit will
examine the multicultural and multinational
nature of this campaign with a special emphasis
on those Americans who received the Congressional
Medal of Honor. The exhibit will feature interviews
with several of the Medal of Honor recipients
as well as photographs and artifacts. Runs
February 2004 through 9 May 2004.
On September 9, 1943, British troops crossed
the Straits of Messina, landing at the toe
of Italy. Six days later, the American 5th
Army under General Mark Clark landed 400 miles
north on the beach at Salerno. The 22-month
campaign to liberate Italy had begun. On September
28, the Allies captured the airfields near
Foggia, which gave them new bases for bombing
targets in Germany, Austria, southern France
and the Balkans—targets that were once
up to 1,000 miles away were now half that
distance. Advancing north, Allied ground forces
continued to seize Italian airfields and increase
bombing and supply missions.
Rocky mountains and muddy valleys were hallmarks
of the Italian campaign. The Allies also faced
the north-west running Appennine Mountains
as they tried to out flank the series of east-west
running German defensive lines. Rome was the
objective in early 1944. In an attempt to
break through the Gustav Line, the German
defense line south of Rome, the Allies landed
at Anzio in January. Stiff German opposition
stopped Allied forces at the Anzio beachhead.
It was four months before the Allies succeeded
in breaking out at Anzio and smashing the
Gustav line. On June 4, 1944, Rome was liberated.
The Allied advance continued northward past
Rome during the summer.
The advance stalled as men and material were
withdrawn for action on other fronts. During
the fall and winter of 1944-1945, the Allied
forces were stalled by the German Gothic Line.
Finally, in the spring of 1945, Allied forces
were reinforced with new units and broke trough
the Gothic line into the Po River Valley.
German forces retreated to the northern border
of Italy. German commanders in Italy surrendered
on May 2, 1945. |
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