In Canada the eyes of all fixed on Sicily. We know that there is heavy fighting ahead. We know too that Canadian forces will do honour to our country and to themselves. Please give all the assurance that our hearts are with them, that Canada is proud of the decisive courage of her army overseas and that Canada will not fail her fighting men.

• Letter from Prime Minister William Mackenzie King to Major-General Guy G. Simonds, 1943

On the morning of July 10, 1943, Canadian troops came ashore near the Sicilian town of Pachino. “Operation Husky” marked the start of the Italian Campaign, as the Allies attempted to strike at the “soft underbelly of the Axis.” For Canada, the Invasion of Sicily has added significance: this was the Canadian army’s first large-scale campaign in the Second World War—and it performed admirably. On the 75th anniversary of the Invasion of Sicily, the sixth coin in our continuing Second World War Battlefront Serieshonours the contributions of Canadians who helped establish an Allied toehold in Sicily, as a prelude to a renewed assault on Occupied Europe.

A poignant addition to your military-themed coin display. Order your commemorative coin today.

• SIXTH COIN IN SERIES: Your coin is the sixth in our Second World War Battlefront Series, which chronicles Canada's participation in key battles of the Second World War.
• IT BEGAN IN SICILY: On the 75th anniversary of the Invasion of Sicily (July 10-August17, 1943), your pure silver coin travels back to the start of the Italian Campaign to honour the contributions of Canadians who, in spite of great personalrisk, helped bring a strategic Allied victory in the Mediterranean Theatre.
• A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE: While a street-level perspective adds a sense of tension and motion to the design, the finely detailed depiction of a motorcycle draws attention to the often-overlooked legacy of these wartime vehicles and theirriders.
• HISTORY ON THE OBVERSE TOO: Like all Canadian coinage issued in 1943, this coin features the effigy of King George VI by T. H. Paget.
• RICH IN DETAILS: The precision-engraved artistry is a proud testament of the Royal Canadian Mint’s internationally renowned craftsmanship.
• INCLUDES SERIALIZED CERTIFICATE: The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.
• 1 OZ. PURE SILVER: Your coin is crafted from 99.99% pure silver!
• LIMITED WORLDWIDE MINTAGE: Only 7,500 coins will be made available worldwide.
• NO GST/HST!

Designed by Valentine De Landro, your coin travels to a Sicilian town during the Allied Invasion of Sicily. Viewed from a ground-level perspective, a Canadian dispatch rider (DR) races to deliver a vital message; he wears a typical DR uniform, with high boots, a round helmet, goggles, and a leather dispatch bag slung across the body. The motorcycle is a British-builtmodel, featuring a “blackout” headlamp; built for service overseas, the motorcycle’s reliability and extra ground clearance made it ideally suited for the fast-paced work of a dispatch rider, but was also used for training, reconnaissance and escort duties. The scene has an added sense of urgency and motion, as the motorcycle kicksup a cloud of dust while racing past the buildings.The obverse features the effigy of King George VI by T. H. Paget.

Airborne landings preceded the amphibious landing on July 10, 1943. At dawn, the American-led Western Task Force landed on Sicily’s south-central coast, while the British-led Eastern Task Force—including the 1st Canadian Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade on its left flank—came ashore on the island’s southeastern beaches. Four Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons—the three bomber squadrons of No. 333 Wing (Nos. 420, 424 and 425) and No. 417 Squadron—and Royal Canadian Navy landing craft also supported the troops.

The fighting continued for over a month. Pushing north from Pachino, Canadian troops came under enemy fire in places such as Grammichele, Piazza Armerina and Valguarnera,Leonforte and Assoro, Catenanuova and Regalbuto. Their toughest battle took place at Agira, where Canadians endured five days of heavy fighting before theycould capture the town on July 28. The final task was to capture Adrano, where the rough mountain terrain necessitated the use of mule trains to transport weapons and supplies.

After fighting across 240 kilometres of challenging terrain, Canadian troops were put in reserve on August 7. The 38-day Operation Husky proved to be a success: the Allies had secured Mediterranean shipping lanes, relieved some of the pressure along the Eastern Front, and accelerated Mussolini’s downfall. More importantly, the Allies were in position to push on with their campaign and invade the Italian mainland just one month later.

• Canada’s contingent set sail for Sicily in late June 1943. But on July 4/5, the assault convoy fell prey to a U-boat attack that sunk three freighters and killed 58 Canadians; some 500 vehicles and artillery were also lost.
• The Invasion of Sicily contributed to the downfall of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who wasvoted out of power on July 24, 1943, and arrested the next morning by royal command. When Italy surrendered to the Allies on September 8, 1943, Germany intervened by seizing control of northern and central Italy and establishing a puppet state (the Italian Social Republic or RSI) led by a newly freed Mussolini. It would take 20 more months of fighting to force the capitulation of German forces in Italy, which occurred shortly after a fleeing Mussolini was captured and shot by Italian partisans.
• Dispatch riders (DR), such as the one on the coin’s reverse, were often tasked with delivering messages—especially reconnaissance reports that couldn’t or shouldn’t be transmitted by radio. They would also ride out, day or night, to locate missing units or lead convoys along unfamiliar roads—it was a high-risk task, as the DR often travelled alone and was constantly at risk of being fired upon or captured by the enemy.
• Victory in Sicily came at a cost of 562 Canadian lives, along with 1,664 wounded and 84 prisoners-of-war.

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a custom beauty box.

Each coin is packaged in a custom graphic beauty box that is unique to the series: collect each coin and place the boxes spine to spine to see a timeline of Canada in combat during the Second World War.