Allied invasion of Italy troops that could be trapped fighting in a hostile country. However, Italian (and more so German) resistance proved relatively strong, and fighting in Italy continued even after the fall of Berlin in April 1945. In addition, the invasion left the Allies in a position of supplying food and supplies to conquered territory, a burden which would otherwise have fallen on Germany. As well, Italy occupied by a hostile German army would have created additional problems for the German Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), "Generalfeldmarschall" Albert Kesselring. Prior to Sicily, Allied plans envisioned crossing the Strait of Messina, a limited invasion in the "instep"
The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War book, Frankland also criticised the lack of detail around air deception during the war. Historian Max Hastings called the book a "worthy celebration" of British deception and praised Holt's avoidance of the sensational. M. R. D. Foot said of the book, "as good as it is long." The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War, by Thaddeus Holt, is a 2004 historical account of Allied military deception during the Second World War. The book focuses primarily on the work of Dudley Clarke in the Middle East, John Bevan