| Summary/Abstract |
THE SUCCESSFUL landing of British and American troops in Sicily in the summer of 1943 and the further course of Allied military operations against Nazi Germany and its satellites in the Mediterranean brought major political changes in the region. A coup on July 25, 1943, removed fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who was replaced with Marshal Pietro Badoglio by order of King Victor Emmanuel III. The new government capitulated to the Allies; it severed all relations with Nazi Germany and on October 13, 1943, declared war on it. That same day, the Anti-Hitler coalition of the Soviet Union, the US, and Great Britain recognized Italy as a cobelligerent.
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