With an Armistice With Italy Imminent in World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower Praises the Unity of the Allied Nations and the Benefits Accruing From It

On July 10, 1943, combined British-Canadian-American forces launched Operation Husky – the invasion of Sicily. There were combined air and sea landings involving 150,000 troops, 3,000 ships and 4,000 aircraft, all directed at the southern shores of the island. The American 7th Army under Patton and British 8th Army under Montgomery led the way. The defending German and Italian troops were weakened by losses they had suffered in North Africa, in casualties as well as the several hundred thousand troops captured at the end of that campaign. They were unable to halt the Allied capture of Sicily. On July 25, Mussolini was removed from government by King Victor Emmanuel III and arrested. The new Italian government that rose in its place was one that had never supported the German alliance, and negotiations commenced with the Allies to remove Italy from the war. With an Italian armistice imminent, gained by the Allies working together (despite predictions that they would squabble and be unable to fro so), Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower was particularly pleased with the result.

He was not the only one feeling satisfaction, as the people of the Allied nations, and their press and media, were riveted as well. A political cartoon ran in Britain concerning working together in a common cause, and a woman sent a copy to Ike. He responded. Typed letter signed, on his Allied Force Headquarters letterhead, armed with the knowledge that peace with Italy was almost upon him, September 1, 1943, to a Miss Aisewood, stating his approval of cooperating with the other allies. "Thank you very much for your nice letter. I enjoyed the cartoon which succinctly portrays the unity of the Allies and the benefits attendant upon such cooperation." As brief as this letter is, it is one of the very few we have seen specifically praising the unity of the Allied nations. The envelope is also present.

Just two days later, on September 3, the armistice with Italy was signed, and on September 8 Eisenhower announced Italy's surrender. The next day, in another example of cooperation, the Allies landed on the Italian mainland in force, with the Americans establishing a beachhead near Salerno and the British landing on Italy's "heel." The city of Brindisi would fall to the British within two days, securing the region for the Allies.