Operation Avalanche

E13682

Operation Avalanche was the Allied amphibious invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno in September 1943, a key campaign that led to the downfall of Mussolini’s regime and opened a new front against Nazi Germany in Europe.

Aliases (1)
  • Operation Shingle ×1

Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf amphibious invasion
military operation
belligerent Allies
Axis powers
codename Avalanche
commander Harold Alexander
Mark W. Clark
conflict Second World War
countryInvolved Canada
Kingdom of Italy
Nazi Germany
United Kingdom
United States
date September 1943
endDate 1943-09-16
followedBy Battle of the Volturno Line
advance on Naples
front Italian Front
impact contributed to Italy switching sides to the Allies
involvedForce British X Corps
U.S. Fifth Army
U.S. VI Corps
location Campania
Salerno
mainland Italy
notableFeature extensive use of naval gunfire support
heavy German counterattacks against the beachhead
no preliminary naval bombardment at some beaches
objective establish Allied presence on mainland Italy
secure a beachhead at Salerno
support the overthrow of Mussolini’s regime
opponent German Tenth Army
opposingCommander Albert Kesselring
Heinrich von Vietinghoff
partOf Allied invasion of Italy
Italian Campaign
precededBy Allied invasion of Sicily
relatedArmistice Armistice of Cassibile
result Allied victory
establishment of Allied beachhead at Salerno
facilitated collapse of Italian Fascist regime
opening of a new front against Nazi Germany in Europe
startDate 1943-09-09
strategicSignificance diverted German forces from Eastern and Western Fronts
opened direct Allied front on the European mainland south of Germany
theater Mediterranean Theater of Operations
typeOfLanding amphibious landing


Please wait…