Operation Avalanche and the Italian mainland. The Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, codenamed Operation Husky, was highly successful, although many of the Axis forces there were allowed to avoid capture and escape to the mainland. More importantly a "coup" deposed Benito Mussolini as head of the Italian government, which then began approaching the Allies to make peace. It was believed a quick invasion of Italy might hasten an Italian surrender and produce quick military victories over the German troops that would now be trapped fighting in a hostile country. However, Italian (and more so German) resistance proved relatively strong, and
Operation Marne Avalanche Operation Marne Avalanche Operation Marne Avalanche was a US military operation that occurred in southern Baghdad in July 2007 as part of Operation Phantom Thunder. The goal of the offensive operation was to stop southern Baghdad from being used as a haven and to prevent the movement of weapons, munitions and insurgent activity into Baghdad. The operation’s intent was to improve security conditions in southern Baghdad and reduce the influence of insurgents in the area. Another goal of the operation was to stanche the flow of weapons into Baghdad. Marne Avalanche built on the successes of Task Force Marne’s offensive