This WWII newsreel “Bombs Rock Italy” shows American bombers attacking Genoa and Foggia, Italy in the run-up to the invasion of continental Europe. General Jimmy Doolittle is seen with American air forces planning operations over Rome. Military objectives in the Italian capitol are smashed including the San Lorenzo rail yards. The invasion of Sicily by British and American forces is also shown. Italian forces begin to surrender, foreshadowing the collapse of the Italian fascist state. The film ends with some of the 125,000 surrendered Italian forces embarking on ships towards internment.
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis Powers (Italy and Nazi Germany). It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.
Husky began on the night of 9–10 July 1943, and ended on 17 August. Strategically, Husky achieved the goals set out for it by Allied planners; the Allies drove Axis air, land and naval forces from the island and the Mediterranean’s sea lanes were opened. As a result of the invasion, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was toppled from power in Italy. It opened the way for the invasion of Italy. Also, Hitler “canceled a major offensive at Kursk after only a week, in part to divert forces to Italy,” resulting in a reduction of German strength on the Eastern Front.
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