"O'ER THE HILLS OF SICILY"From The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Song O'er The Hills Of SicilySung To The Tune Of Waltzing MatildaCanadians Help Clear The IslandOn July 9, 1943, Allied troops went ashore on beaches in southern Sicily. This was Operation Husky, the first stage of an attempt to clear the Axis forces from Italy. Among the invading troops were soldiers from Canada, including The Loyal Edmonton Regiment.The invasion was the beginning of nearly a month of slow, steady combat. Infantry units moved on foot through the hilly, rocky terrain and the many villages that dotted the island off the southwest tip of the Italian peninsula.In a famous phrase, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the expedition against Italy, "A thrust into the soft underbelly of the Axis." He had gauged the battle for Sicily correctly. It was no walk over, but the Italian troops had little heart for the conflict and surrendered in droves.While the fighting went on in Sicily the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, was deposed, though the new Italian government said it would continue to fight alongside their Axis partners the Germans.The Germans put up stiffer resistance, but it became obvious that they could not hope to prevent the Allies from taking Sicily. Twenty-seven days after the invasion the remaining Axis forces were evacuated to the Italian mainland.The Allied conquest of Sicily took 38 days. The short fight cost 562 Canadians their lives. Among the dead were 54 members of The Loyal Edmonton Regiment.After the fighting ended on August 17 the troops enjoyed a half month of leisure in which to rest and recuperate. The invasion of the Italian mainland lay ahead.