Salerno Mutiny
1943 CE.
Shown on the map at 40.680°, 14.770°.
The Salerno mutiny occurred during the Second World War and involved about 200 British soldiers who, on 16 September 1943, refused assignment to new units as replacements during the initial stages of the Allied invasion of Italy. About 1,500 men from the 50th (Northumbrian) and 51st (Highland) Infantry Divisions sailed from Tripoli, on the understanding that they were to join the rest of their units, at the time based in Sicily and soon to return to the United Kingdom in preparation for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. Both of these divisions had served as part of General Sir Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army, and were veterans of the North African campaign. Once aboard ship, the men were told that they were being taken to Salerno, Italy, to join the British 46th Infantry Division (Major-General John Hawkesworth) and 56th (London) Infantry Division (Major-General Douglas Graham), which had both suffered heavy losses. Both divisions were serving as part of Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery's British X Corps, which itself was fighting as part of Lieutenant General Mark Clark's U.S. Fifth Army.
Text from the Wikipedia article Salerno mutiny, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.