| World War II Timelines: 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 |
1943
Axis powers surrender in N. Africa
The Axis powers in North Africa surrendered after being driven into Tunisia and trapped by Allied forces, resulting in the capture of over 260,000 German and Italian troops.
Operation Husky: Allies invade Sicily
The largest single assault landing carried out by the Allies during the war where over 180,000 soldiers landed on 10th July with the Allies taking control of the island on 17th August. The invasion aimed to remove Axis forces from Sicily and open up the Mediterranean sea lanes for the Allies.
Mussolini overthrown
Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and leader of the Fascist regime, was overthrown and arrested after a vote of no confidence in the Fascist Grand Council. Mussolini was arrested by carabinieri (military police) and taken to a barracks in Rome. After being rescued by German forces, Mussolini became the leader of a German puppet state in northern Italy, known as the Italian Social Republic, but was later captured and executed by Italian partisans in April 1945.
Italy surrenders
After Mussolini’s fall in July 1943, the new Italian government, led by Marshal Pietro Badoglio, began negotiating an armistice with the Allies which was kept secret until the Allied invasion of Italy was underway.
Tehran Conference
A pivotal meeting where the leaders of the Allied Powers (US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin) convened to discuss military strategy and the post-war world order.