Artillery being landed during the invasion of mainland Italy at Salerno, September 1943. By sundown on D-Day, more than 50,000 Allies (out of a total of 189,000 on September 16) were ashore and had pushed inland as much as eight miles. Their intention was to cross the level Salerno plain, cross over the foothills to the mountain passes and through them to Naples, where they could use its port and airfields as a base for future operations in Italy.
