Invading Sicily: A Tale of Branches and Sequels; Journal article

摘要

In July 1943, the Americans and British executed Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. It was the first major opposed amphibious landing since Gallipoli in World War I, a seven-division amphibious assault echelon that made it the largest such assault in modern history. The Allies met weak resistance which soon caused the Axis forces to evacuate the island. Operation Husky is frequently cited as a prelude to the Normandy invasion. As one writer notes, 'Sicily was essential for Normandy: a real-life live-fire training exercise in which lessons were learned in planning and executing amphibious operations, and in joint and combined organization, planning, and command and control.' Among the lessons was the role of planning branches and sequels. Sadly, failure in this step turned the operation into a hollow triumph. Many lessons were learned in Sicily, but planning branches and sequels was not one of them. As Montgomery lamented, 'If the planning and conduct of the campaign in Sicily were bad, the preparations for the invasion of Italy, and the subsequent conduct of the campaign in that country, were worse still.' Curiously, the Army would conclude after the war, 'Sicily was also a victory for...the staff planner.' This may be the case in terms of some details of amphibious operations, but certainly not for the larger elements of campaign planning. Planners today should learn from Sicily the criticality of planning branches and sequels.