world war 2 operation husky in sicily us army

General Alexander had little confidence in the ability of the American ground forces to effectively combat the Axis forces. Trust is the reliance on or faith in the ability or integrity of a person or thing to perform a task or function. and British operational commanders during Operation HUSKY. There was a clear lack of mutual trust between the U.S. The Allies planned conservatively in Sicily, unaware that the majority of Axis forces were incapable of serious resistance. forces towards the capture of Palermo, which did nothing to hasten the defeat of Axis forces on the island. General Alexander’s prioritization of employing British land forces against the Germans resulted in a diversion of U.S. For instance, the inability of the air and maritime components to close the straits of Messina allowed the Axis powers to evacuate forces from Sicily that would later oppose the Allies on the Italian mainland. ĭue to his failure to develop and effectively communicate his intent, the lack of understanding between General Eisenhower’s principal subordinates led to poor decision-making and adverse consequences for the Allies. Understanding is the possession of the insight and foresight needed to make effective decisions, manage risk, and consider the consequences of decisions. This failure resulted in unsynchronized operations for the duration of the campaign between the two field armies under his command. As the army group commander, General Alexander also failed to create detailed plans for the land component beyond the initial landings. Thus, the air, land, and sea component staffs never attempted to coordinate their subsequent plans to ensure all efforts focused on a singular set of goals beyond simply landing ashore and engaging with Axis forces. Eisenhower, nor the deputy commander (and land component commander) British General Sir Harold Alexander, produced an overall strategy or vision for how the campaign was to unfold. During the planning for Operation HUSKY, neither the Supreme Allied commander, U.S. The failure to utilize appropriate command and control at the operational level during the Sicily Campaign resulted in a much longer and more costly campaign than necessary to seize the island and clear Axis forces from the territory.Ĭommander’s intent is an expression of the purpose of the operation, and the desired military end state. These tenets can enable disciplined initiative by subordinates in order to achieve the commander’s objectives without micromanagement by the commander. The tenets of mission command are commander’s intent, mutual trust, and understanding. This deficit is most pronounced when measured against the tenets of mission command as defined in current joint doctrine. Ĭommand and control at the operational level was deficient during Operation HUSKY. The commitment by the British to invade France in 1944 served as the final impetus and persuaded reluctant U.S. British planners believed this strategy would increase the chances of a successful Allied invasion of the European continent by 1944. British planners believed there was an insufficient logistics network and capacity on the Allied side to support an invasion of France in 1943, and they were also convinced that peripheral operations combined with continued pressure on the Eastern front would draw German forces away from France. British and American leaders were divided over this decision the Americans wanted to focus on a cross-channel invasion of France targeting Germany whereas the British preferred to operate on the periphery of Axis-held territory. defense doctrine.Īt the conclusion of the Casablanca conference in January 1943, the Allies decided to invade Sicily. The failures of integration during the HUSKY campaign illustrate why mission command and joint operations are critical components of current U.S. While Operation HUSKY still resulted in the Allied conquest of Sicily, the failures of the Allies in command and control and joint function integration during the campaign would result in greater combat losses than necessary and diminished returns during the Sicily invasion, as well as substandard operations on the Italian peninsula. joint doctrine, the integration of joint functions by the Allies during the Sicily Campaign was below par, leading to missed opportunities and increased costs. Poor planning and a weak operational command structure resulted in mediocre command and control of the air, land, and sea components throughout the operation. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation HUSKY, was the first combined amphibious invasion of Axis territory involving both British and U.S.

World war 2 operation husky in sicily us army