Invasion of Italy (1943)

During the Second World War the liberation of Sicily was complete by early August 1943. The decision to employ the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade in the invasion of the Italian mainland had been confirmed; Canadian proposals to send Lieutenant-General Henry Crerar, his corps headquarters, and additional armour were debated for two months. Dispatching the 1st Canadian Corps to Italy was a political decision of limited popularity among the Allies. General Dwight David Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean, felt that he had no immediate need of an additional corps headquarters, while others complained that an additional infantry division rather than an armoured division would have been preferable. Eventually it was decided to accept the Canadian troops. Bad weather and an Allied focus on operations in western Italy prevented Crerar from leading his men into action before 4 March. The corps would fight on in Italy for another year.