With combatexperienced divisions in north africa, the junglecovered islands of the pacific, the aleutians, where they had wiped out the japanese on attu. Now, the bloodied veterans of the north African Campaign had landed on sicily in a drive for the italian mainland. Millions more were training in the united states. We were well on the road to the ultimate victory. [rousing music] in 1940, our army numbered a little more than a quarter of a million men. Three years later in 1943, it numbered almost 7 million and would continue to grow grow to 8 million. But numbers alone do not make an efficient fighting force capable of winning the final victory. An undisciplined and unequipped rabble, even though the cause be war against the trained and well disciplined, well armed, and well led force. To the intensive training soldiers hadican never been as well trained and equipped to fight as were our soldiers in world war ii. The northns of African Campaign learned intensive training pays off. Now they were continuing to prove it. Hour drive across sicily was aimed across the narrow straight which separates it from the italian mainland. The germans thought stubbornly. Italian forces offered little resistance. The seventh American Army attacked from one side while the eighth british army pressed forward from the other. Citizen soldier g. I. Joe had fought and defeated the best the nazis had to offer in north africa and had taken the enemys measure. Now he was a veteran who had growing confidence in himself and his leadership. He was a soldier. Whether he knew it or not, he was adding new glory to the traditions of the American Fighting man, and that in the wars outcome, the word defeat had never been written on the scrolls of that fine tradition. In many areas, there was nothing more than a rut for a road. [explosions] so units of the seventh army did a little amphibious leapfrogging along the coast in their push for messina. [explosions] [explosions] while our seventh army pushed the nazis across sicily, in faraway new guinea, the 503rd parachute regiment made an airdrop while american and australian Ground Forces continued to press forward. Our growing air power made a daylight raid on military objectives in the heart of italy with 500 bombers. [airplane engines] on sicilys north coast, pattons seventh drove eastward towards messina. In the air, 177 bombers raided the Oil Refineries in romania with 300 tons of explosives. [explosions] the initiative no longer belonged to the nazi fascist activists, in the air or on the ground. [airplane engines and gunfire] the ruthless drive for world conquest had been stopped all the way around the earth. From north africa to the pacific, where u. S. Army troops and marines captured airfields on the island of new georgia. On the same day our troops took the airfield, soviet forces drove across central russia. [explosions] [gunfire] key military targets on the italian mainland were being mauled by our air force. [airplane engines] [explosions] our Ground Forces were also hitting the enemy with devastating power. [explosions] the crushing defeat suffered by the axis in north africa and pattons advance towards the straits of messina were psychological poison to a badly shaken fascist regime. The once triumphant caesar god, who looked like this at the height of his power and whose fascist legions slaughtered african tribesmen, now looked like this. Mussolini had led his people through a nightmare of military disasters. His arrogant dictatorship had come to an end. Retributive justice was close at hand. The king of italy ordered a marshal to organize a new government and begin secret negotiations for surrender. A separate peace by italy was the last thing hitler wanted. The collapse of mussolini and his fascist regime brought additional German Forces pouring into italy. [explosions] from fighting ally, the nazi was now the unwelcome troop who would wage his battles a fierce resistance on italian soil, bringing further ruin to a warsick and exhausted people. On the 17th of august 1943, 38 days after the invasion began, pattons seventh army took messina and all sicily was in allied hands. As well as 100,000 italian prisoners. Most of the nazis had escaped to the mainland across the straits of messina. 11 days after the fall of sicily, allied headquarters in the pacific announced the end of all japanese resistance on new georgia island. General mcarthurs forces were starting on the road back. We had already begun our Island Hopping in the central solomons. But the battle for naziheld italy was only beginning. On the 3rd of september, two british divisions crossed the straits of messina to land on the toe of the italian boot. [airplane engines] [explosions] six days later, American Forces struck the beach at salerno, 30 miles south of naples. They met stiff enemy resistance. [explosions] [airplane engines] [gunfire and explosions] four days after the landings, the enemy launched a strong counterattack, pouring in some of its best troops. For a time, our foothold was precarious. But supported by a concentration of combined firepower from aircraft, naval guns, and artillery, the allies held the beachhead. [explosions] [gunfire] the heavy pounding by land, sea and air was too much for the nazis. They pulled back as our own forces pushed on towards naples. By then, italy had surrendered unconditionally, now officially out of the war. October 1, 1943 elements of general clarks army entered the city of naples. They were greeted not as conquerors but liberators. The citizens of naples knew that we and our allies were the only hope of driving the germans from their homeland. Here, as elsewhere, a new problem confronted our invasion forces. How to provide government for the civilian populations . Years of fascism had promised plenty but delivered only strife and hunger. Unless such centers of hungry population along the advance are wellcontrolled, the advance is hampered. Communications break down. Supply channels clogged up. In naples, the allies met the challenge and thwarted chaos. The naples water supply presented another challenge to allied forces. This problem was also mastered. Military government was a necessity, one which also had a direct influence on post war rehabilitation throughout europe. Following the fall of naples, we expected our advance to continue. It did. But only for a brief period. [explosions] the mountainous regions of central italy provided the germans with a number of natural defense lines. These together with the closing in of the italian winter virtually stop our forces in their tracks, scarcely 80 miles from rome. While our fighting men in italy were faced with a veritable stalemate, an entirely different kind of war was going on in the faraway pacific, where allied forces landed on sterling islands in a Campaign Launched to drive the japanese from bougainville. [gunfire and explosions] we invaded the gilbert islands. The Second Marine Division took tarawa after 76 hours of bloody fighting. [gunfire and explosions] heavy casualties were suffered. But, the japanese were wiped out. Elements of the armys 27th Infantry Division took a neighboring atoll. [gunfire and explosions] our Army Air Corps was engaged in massive bombing of the industrial plants of germany. Devastating nazi plants and marshaling yards, but the twilight of the gods had yet to come. [airplane engines] the bitterest of largescale battles had yet to be fought, and some of these were soon to come on the italian front, where strong, defensive positions were held by a tough and stubborn enemy. [explosions] that and the weather had bogged down our advance. It was winter 1943. The stage was set for the cairotehran talks. Roosevelt and churchill met with shanghai scheck at cairo. Even at the moment, fighting was most intense in italy. Highlevel master plans continued to be made for the invasion of france, and for other allied operations around the world. At cairo, talks centered on european operations in the pacific. From cairo, roosevelt and churchill flew to tehran. For the first time during the war, they met with martial stalin, dictator of soviet russia. The allied leaders failed to agree on everything. But one thing they did agree upon was the invasion of normandy in Southern France must and would take place sometime during the following summer of 1944. For some time, there had been doubt as to who would command overlord, the invasion of normandy. Roosevelt, en route home, stopped to see general eisenhower and told him he was to command overlord. The grand design for victory in europe was now completed. But so far as the allies in italy were concerned, france and the cross channel invasion were a long way off. It was to be a tragically long winter of hard fighting in italy. [explosions] [airplane engines] there was the battle for monte cassino. [explosions] to bypass the mountainous terrain in southern italy, our forces made an Amphibious Landing in anzio, 35 miles south of rome. Heavy resistance stalled the breakout from the beaches. [gunfire and airplane engines] finally, we blasted our way out of the pocket. The landings at anzio convinced hitler that we were launching an all out campaign in italy. He rushed eight more divisions to reinforce his army in italy and the stalemate was resumed. [explosions] in total war, there is no easy road to victory. We had entered world war ii unprepared for global war of such unprecedented magnitude against aggressors who numbered their trained combat divisions by the hundreds. It was two long years from pearl harbor to the winter stalemate in italy. During those two years, lack of time had been our most immediate and worst enemy. Precious time we had needed in which to prepare while two great oceans protected our shores and the embattled british were fighting a delaying action on to the death. Three times in the last 50 years, aggressors have underestimated our capability and our will to fight. Our military weakness and our isolationist attitude at the time invited the aggressor to launch his grandiose design for conquest. Today, the world has shrunk until, in travel time, the atlantic and Pacific Oceans are no more than large lakes. Our coastlines and inland cities are vulnerable to attack. We are a member of a family of freedom loving nations. If that family is not to be annihilated, we have the responsibility of maintaining the moral resolve and military strength to protect ourselves and those others with whom we have the common goal of the preservation of liberty and freedom