... 24 Old Photos of the Allied Invasion of Sicily, 1943. Even if Sardinia and Corsica had sufficient-sized ports to support an invasion further north, it is doubtful if it would have been worthwhile to let the invasion force leapfrog over these islands first. The Germans had increased the number of air squadrons in Sardinia, but in July Allied air attacks made many airfields unusable. An invasion of Sardinia and then Corsica would give the Allies a base for a potential attack straight at Rome, or even further north around Livorno or Genoa, or into the south of France. Operation Mincemeat was a successful British disinformation plan during World War II.As part of Operation Barclay, the widespread deception intended to cover the invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 instead of Sicily, the actual objective. Inside they found a shocking letter to a British officer in Tunisia outlining a secret Allied scheme to stage an invasion of Sardinia and Greece in the coming weeks. Following incessant Allied bombings in Sardinia on their installations, German troops quit Sardinia for Corsica in the summer of 1943 and formally took over the occupation of the island. Since 60s the island is a destination for hippies and people who want to run away from the society. There were almost 20,000 German troops still on the island in addition to an Italian garrison of 270,000 men. (Known as Operation Mincemeat, Allied forces convinced the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 instead of Sicily, the actual objective.) > The troops in Sardinia basically stayed in place until the end of the > war. In 1943 Allied air attacks on the island began and increased in intensity as the time for the invasion of Sicily drew near. One wonders why the Corsica divisions were made use of, and the Sardinia divisions were not. In this instance, officers are shown discussing an invasion of Sicily and Sardinia. However, there was just one problem: The discovery was a fake. Interesting. Later, documents found in the attache case revealed top secret plans about a large-scale Allied invasion of Greece and Sardinia. Featured, Italian History. While the main Allied planning in the Mediterranean in late summer 1943 concerned the invasion of the Italian peninsula, General Marshall saw a job for the OSS in the Italian island of Sardinia. The information eventually landed on the desk of German leader Adolf Hitler, who reacted decisively. . Perhaps that the Corsica forces had actually fought the Germans already made them generally willing to re-enter combat, and also assured the Moon Valley is located on a small peninsula (Capo Testa) in the extreme north of Sardinia Island. However, following the Allied landing in Italy, Fascist Italy secretly signed an armistice on 3rd September 1943 and Benito Mussolini was arrested. Search for: Follow us. As you say, it would have been easier to ship off the invading army from French North Africa. On September 18, 1943, Italian forces expelled the last of the German troops from the island.