Includes pictures Includes accounts of the fighting written by soldiers and generals Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Includes a table of contents The rugged island of Sicily, dominated in the east by the snow-crowned eminence of the active volcano Mount Etna which rises to a height of 11,000 feet, lies in the ocean just off the toe of the boot of Italy. This spectacular setting witnessed one of 1943's pivotal battles as the theater of Allied operations shifted from North Africa to Europe - Operation Husky, a mixed victory wresting control of Sicily from the Axis. The action also caused Benito Mussolini's downfall, his imprisonment, and subsequent dramatic rescue by the scar-faced Otto Skorzeny - removing significant portions of Italy from the fascist camp but nevertheless failing to prevent a long and costly Italian campaign. Germany's North African defeat opened up the possibility of taking the war in the west to the European continent for the first ti