Troops in the Liri Valley, on the road to Rome, Italian Campaign, 1944

American armor moves up the Appian Way during the drive towards Rome, WWII

American soldiers march up the Appian Way during the drive towards Rome, WWII

Italians watch American armor pass during the drive towards Rome along the Appian Way, World War II

A column of American medical vehicles during the drive towards Rome, World War II

American troops rest in a courtyard during the drive towards Rome, World War II

American jeeps travel through a bombed-out town during the drive towards Rome, World War II

American troops stand in front of a bombed-out building during the drive towards Rome, WWII

Ruins of the town of Monte Cassino, a result of massive Allied bombing during an attempt to dislodge German troops occupying the city, 1944

Ruins of the town of Monte Cassino, a result of massive Allied bombing during an attempt to dislodge German troops occupying the city, 1944

Ruins in the Rapido Valley, 1944

A German graveyard along the Esperia Road, photographed during the Allied drive towards Rome, World War II

American soldier trying to spot German positions during the Allied drive towards Rome, 1944

Liri Valley, on the road to Rome, 1944

American troops camped by the roadside during the drive towards Rome, 1944

An American soldier sleeps on a pile of rocks during the drive towards Rome, 1944

Liri Valley, on the road to Rome, 1944

In the Rapido Valley during WWII, 1944

American troops rest in a field during the drive towards Rome, 1944

An American soldier on a meal break during the drive towards Rome, 1944

American troops look over German armor destroyed during the drive towards Rome, 1944

The Italian Campaign, World War II, 1944

British and South African soldiers hold up a Nazi trophy flag while combat engineers on bulldozers clear a path through the debris of a bombed-out city, Italian Campaign, World War II

According to, before dawn on July 10 1943, 150,000 American and British troops — along with Canadian, Free French and other Allies, and 3,000 ships, 600 tanks and 4,000 aircraft — made for the southern shores of the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea: the storied, 10,000-square-mile land of Sicily. Within six weeks, the Allies had pushed Axis troops (primarily Germans) out of Sicily and were poised for the invasion of mainland Italy and one of the most arduous 20 months of the entire war: the long, often brutal Italian Campaign.(Photos: