Operation Husky: the Untold Story of the Logistics of the Sicily Invasion

“An illuminating account, firmly grounded in archival research, showing the importance of logistics in a much neglected but hugely significant amphibious operation in World War Two.” Sir Anthony Seldon

Operation Husky, the amphibious invasion of Sicily in July 1943, was the largest and most complex logistical exercise attempted by the Allies up to that point in the war.

An assault force of 176,000 soldiers embarked on 2,590 vessels from ports across the Middle East, North Africa, the UK and the US. Both the size of the initial Allied assault force and the frontage of the campaign would be larger than the Normandy invasion in June 1944.

To further compound the monumental challenges facing the Allied logisticians, the preparatory period for Operation Husky was disjointed and chaotic. In April 1943, General Montgomery described the operational plan as a ‘dog’s breakfast’.

Drawing extensively on new research, James Garvey tells the previously untold story of the British logisticians who triumphed against immense odds to deliver the task force to the beaches of Sicily and supply it successfully in the field.

The lessons learned on the beaches of Sicily established the blueprint for Allied success at Normandy ten months later.

Garvey further argues that the contribution of logisticians to in World War II has been consistently overlooked.

What emerges is a dramatic re-evaluation of the role that they played in winning the war in Europe.

Praise for Operation Husky:

“A brilliant forensic examination of the key role that British logisticians played in the success of the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, preparing the ground for the D-Day landings a year later.” Saul David

James Garvey lives in London and studied the MA in Military History at the University of Buckingham. Operation Husky is his first book.