2018-07-17 Tue

Malta Post released a new stamp on 10th July to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the 1943 Allied Invasion of Sicily also known as ‘Operation Husky’. The €1 stamps feature photographs of Commander General Dwight Eisenhower and Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder with their troops getting ready for Operation Husky.

Sheets of nine stamps consisting of 60,000 stamps in total were released. "Maltese Crosses" watermark is featured on the stamps that were printed by Printex Limited. The stamps can be either purchased from any post office in Malta and Gozo or can be ordered online, by mail etc.

The Allied invasion of Sicily was a major campaign of World War II where the Allies took the island of Sicily from Italy and Nazi Germany. It started with a large naval and airborne operation and then continued by a six-week land campaign. Through the operation, the Allies pushed Axis air, land and naval forces out of the island. For the first time since 1941, the Mediterranean Sea lanes were opened for Allied merchant ships. Italy's Benito Mussolini lost his power which led to the Allied invasion of Italy. Germany's Adolf Hitler also had to hold back his army campaigns.

Image Courtesy: Malta Post