Historic Museum of the Landing in Sicily 1943

Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943

The »Historic Museum of the Landing in Sicily 1943« is dedicated to the Allied landing on the southern coast of Sicily on July 10, 1943. The invasion of Sicily is considered the beginning Italy's liberation from fascism.

History

At the beginning of 1943, British prime minister Winston Churchill and US president Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed on a joint invasion of Sicily. »Operation Husky« was supposed to strike the German Reich and its ally Italy at a vulnerable spot, exerting pressure on Italy to exit the war and clearing transport routes across the Mediterranean. On July 10, 1943, at 2.45 a.m., the British 8th Army led by General Bernard Montgomery and the US 7th Army under General George S. Patton landed on Sicily's south coast. The US troops landed in the Gulf of Gela, while the British troops landed between Pachino and Syracuse on the southern tip of Sicily. The presence of German troops had been reduced because their military leadership fell for »Operation Mincemeat«, a deception operation of the British Secret Service. Nevertheless, the Allies were met with fierce resistance on Sicily, facing at least 40,000 German soldiers and difficult climactic conditions - in fact, General Patton considered retreating already 24 hours after the landing. Yet due to many factors, such as the war fatigue of the Italian soldiers and the disarray of the army following Mussolini's downfall on July 25, the Allies were able to advance to Messina - the gate to the Italian mainland - by August 17. All of Sicily had been captured. Though the German troops managed to retreat to the mainland, the success of the invasion was an important strategic step for the Allies. Italy's new head of government, Pietro Badoglio, claimed Italy would continue the war as Germany's ally, but on July 28, he agreed with King Vittorio Emanuele III on contacting the Allies in order to initiate the armistice, which was signed on September 3. On September 8, 1943, the armistice was publicly announced.

Gela, July 11, 1943, American SS Robert Rowan being hit by a bomb, U.S. Army Signal Corps

Catania, about 2010, Entrance to the museum, Museo dello sbarco in Sicilia

Victims

The museum is dedicated to all those who died during the battle for Sicily - both soldiers and civilians. Over 150,000 Allied soldiers took part in »Operation Husky«, one of the largest coastal operation during World War II. They were opposed by 230,000-300,000 Italian and at least 40,000 German soldiers. The battle for Sicily, which according to Allied generals was to last between 5-15 days, took over a month and cost the lives of thousands of soldiers: the British and American troops lost over 2,500 soldiers each, while over 4,000 Italian and over 4,500 German soldiers were killed in action. Around 21,000 Allied soldiers contracted malaria, which at the time was widespread in Southern Italy and frequently fatal.

In 1922 the Kingdom of Italy became a dictatorship under the »Duce« (leader) Benito Mussolini (1883–1945) and his fascist party. Until the mid-1930s there was barely any evidence of public anti-semitism in Italy; discriminatory measures were not introduced until 1938. At the time, around 46,000 Jews were living in Italy. During this period, the Italian state also included the Istrian peninsula and a number of islands that are now part of Greece, such as Rhodes, which had a Jewish community rich in tradition. The Italian government was a close ally of the German Reich but was not involved in the mass deportations of Jews to German extermination camps until autumn 1943. It was only following the occupation of the north of the country by the German Wehrmacht (the south had already been liberated by American and British troops) that the German SS and police began to implement plans to systematically deport the Italian Jews. The Jews were initially held in detention camps and then transported halfway across Europe to Auschwitz, where many were killed in the gas chambers on arrival. Between 7,000 and 8,500 Jews from Italy (excluding Italian-occupied territory) were murdered or died as a result of brutality. Tens of thousands of Italian Jews and Jewish refugees were able to survive by emigrating or going into hiding with the help of non-Jews. The Allied liberation of southern Italy spared over 2,000 Jews from deportation by the German regime. The period 1943 to 1945 saw violent conflicts between the German occupation forces and Italian partisans from the communist-dominated resistance movement »Resistenza«. German troops responded with horrific reprisal measures and massacres, for example in Marzabotto and in the Ardeatine Caves near Rome. More than 400,000 Italians – soldiers, civilians and partisans – died during the Second World War. Once the war was over, the partisan campaign became a key feature of Italian national identity and the Italian culture of memory cultivated the myth that the country had liberated itself from fascism. There was barely any confrontation with the widespread Italian support for Mussolini. The best-known sites of memory such as the former concentration camp at Risiera di San Sabba near Trieste or the memorials at Marzabotto and the Ardeatine Caves are dedicated to the resistance, as are many museums. However, there are few memorial sites at former detention camps for Jews and where these do exist they tend to commemorate the liberators rather than the victims. One example is Villa Emma in Nonatola, where Jewish children were able to survive in hiding. One feature linking many of these sites is their focus on human rights education for the present and future. In recent years, the memory of the deported and murdered Jews has become more prominent. In 2013, the Memoriale de la Shoah di Milano opened in Milan’s central railway station, and in 2023, the decision has been made to create a central holocaust memorial in Rome.

Remembrance

The graves of the fallen »Commonwealth« troops - British, Indian, Australian and South African soldiers - can be visited at the military cemeteries in Catania and Syracuse. 490 Canadians, who also fought with the British as members of the »Commonwealth«, were laid to rest in Agira. Over 4,500 German soldiers were buried in Motta Sant’Anastasia. American soldiers killed in action were either taken back to the US or buried on the Italian mainland.
In 2003, the »Historic Museum of the Landing in Sicily 1943« was founded. With 3,000 square metres exhibition space, it is the largest World War II museum in Italy. The museum was designed by Giacomo Leone (building) and Gaspare Mannoia (interior) and it is currently run by the province of Catania. Spread out over three floors, dioramas, artefacts, testimonials and interactive elements illustrate life on Sicily before, during and after the war. Sites and objects such as bunkers, landing crafts, Red Cross tents or bombed villages and cities are portrayed in full detail. A tableau scene depicts the signing of the armistice on September 3, 1943. Wax figures of important historical persons are part of the exhibition. The last room of the exhibition is a memorial room dedicated to the victims. A picture of the »Commonwealth« military cemetery, which is located not far from the museum in the Bicocca quarter of town, is projected onto the wall and the names of fallen soldiers are read aloud.
Until today, traces of the fighting which took place in the summer of 1943 remain visible all over Sicily, especially bunkers - there are 90 bunkers in and around Catania alone.

Catania, 2005, Commonwealth military cemetery, British Consulate in Catania, Richard Brown

Ragusa, 2008, Bunkers used in the battle for Sicily, Antonio Maria Privitera

Possibilities

Guided tours for groups, events, seminars, library

Open

November 1 to May 31 Tuesday to Sunday: 9 a.m. to 4.45 p.m., last entry 3.45 p.m.
June 1 to Octobre 31 Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5.45 p.m., last entry 4.45 p.m.

Contact

http://www.provincia.ct.it/il_territorio/musei/museo_dello_sbarco_in_sicilia/

museosbarco@provincia.ct.it

+39 095 40 11 921

Catania, undated, Tableau depicting the signing of the armistice between Italy and the Allies, Museo dello sbarco in Sicilia

Marzamemi, 2008, The beach on which British troops landed on July 10, 1943, Antonio Maria Privitera

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