Allied invasion of Italy Allied invasion of Italy The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place on 3 September 1943 during the early stages of the Italian Campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group (comprising General Mark W. Clark's Fifth Army and General Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army) and followed the successful invasion of Sicily. The main invasion force landed around Salerno on 9 September on the western coast in Operation Avalanche, while two supporting operations took place in Calabria (Operation Baytown) and Taranto (Operation Slapstick).
Operation Rayon activities was mixed. A moderate increase in German activity on Crete was detected, and the operation succeeded in drawing attention away from a convoy bound for Malta. Many of the 'A' force personnel involved in Operation Rayon were employed in Operation Zeppelin, another operation intended to mislead the Wehrmacht into believing an Allied invasion of Greece would occur. Dummy landing craft (dubbed "Drybob" and "Wetbob") used in Operation "Rayon" were later used in Operation Bodyguard. Operation Rayon Operation "Rayon" was a Allied deception operation in the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II. The operation called for Allied forces to mislead