Editing Miles Dempsey (section)

===Sicily and Italy===
On 12 December 1942 Dempsey was promoted to [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-general]] and assumed command of [[XIII Corps (United Kingdom)|XIII Corps]], part of the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]] in North Africa, at the request of Montgomery, the Eighth Army commander. Dempsey replaced Horrocks, who took over [[X Corps (United Kingdom)|X Corps]]. In his memoirs, Montgomery wrote that Dempsey had been a student of his when he was an instructor at the Staff College,<ref>{{London Gazette |date=11 December 1942 |issue=35821 |supp=1 |page=5449}}</ref>{{sfn|Montgomery|1958|p=141}} but his memory was faulty; Montgomery left the Staff College in 1929, and Dempsey did not arrive until 1930.{{sfn|Rostron|2010|pp=33–34}}

[[File:The Campaign in Sicily 1943 NA5687.jpg|thumb|right|Dempsey (left) with two of his staff (Major Priestly and Captain Hay) in Sicily in July 1943]]
Unlike a division, which had a set structure, a corps was a flexible formation to which divisions and brigades were assigned as necessary. When he arrived in [[Cairo]], Dempsey found all he commanded was a headquarters, because the long [[line of communication|lines of communication]] to Eighth Army's spearhead could only sustain X Corps and [[XXX Corps (United Kingdom)|XXX Corps]] (Lieutenant-General [[Oliver Leese]]).{{sfn|Rostron|2010|pp=58–59}}{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=118}} Dempsey was employed in the planning of the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]]. The plan was developed by a staff in [[Algiers]] known as Force 141, under Major-General [[Charles Gairdner]]. Dempsey temporarily assumed the role of [[chief of staff]] of Force 545, the staff responsible for planning the Eighth Army's part in the operation, until Major-General [[Francis de Guingand]], the Eighth Army chief of staff, could be spared to take over.{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|p=8}}

Dempsey did not like the plan, which involved separate, dispersed landings. This assumed that the German and Italian response would be slow and weak, and nothing in the British experience of the war supported the expectation that this would be the case. Dempsey wanted the Allied forces to land where they could support each other in the event of a strong and vigorous German response. Dempsey took his objections to Montgomery on 13 March 1943 and then to Gairdner five days later. The former agreed with him but the latter did not.{{sfn|Rostron|2010|pp=58–59}}{{sfn|De Guingand|1947|pp=274–275}} De Guingand took over on 17 April, enabling Dempsey to return to command of XIII Corps.{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|p=21}}{{sfn|De Guingand|1947|p=272}} De Guingand discussed the plan with Dempsey, agreed with Dempsey's objections and prepared an appreciation for Montgomery.{{sfn|De Guingand|1947|pp=274–275}} Montgomery raised their objections with [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Harold Alexander]], the [[15th Army Group]] commander, on 24 April. After some debate, the [[Supreme Allied Commander]], General [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] accepted Montgomery's revised plan on 3 May.{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|pp=21–23}}{{sfn|De Guingand|1947|pp=278–281}}

[[File:The Campaign in Italy, September-december 1943- the Allied Advance To the Gustav Line- Personalities NA10338.jpg|thumb|left|Dempsey (right) in Italy with (left to right) [[Freddie de Guingand]], [[Harry Broadhurst]], [[Bernard Montgomery]], [[Bernard Freyberg]] and [[Charles Walter Allfrey|Charles Allfrey]]]]

For the invasion of Sicily, XIII Corps had two infantry divisions, the 5th Division under Berney-Ficklin and the [[50th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|50th Division]] under Major-General Sidney Kirkman and the [[4th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters North East|4th Armoured Brigade]] (Brigadier [[John Cecil Currie]]), which had only two armoured regiments, the [[44th Royal Tank Regiment]] and the [[3rd County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters)]].{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|pp=9, 94}} He was also responsible for the [[1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)|1st Airborne Division]] (Major-General George Hopkinson), to be dropped by [[paratrooper|parachute]] and [[Military glider|glider]] just prior to the [[amphibious warfare|amphibious landings]].{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|pp=9, 26}}

The landings on Sicily on 10 July initially went well, with XIII Corps achieving all its first-day objectives but by 12 July progress slowed after the 5th Division encountered elements of the German [[Hermann Göring Division]]. Montgomery and Dempsey attempted to capture [[Catania]] using [[paratroops]] and [[Commandos (United Kingdom)|commandos]]. [[Operation Fustian]] was only partially successful and Catania was not taken. Dempsey suggested an amphibious operation but this was rejected by Montgomery in favour of switching the main axis of the Eighth Army's advance inland to the west of [[Mount Etna]].{{sfn|Rostron|2010|pp=63–66}} On 3 August Dempsey relieved Berney-Ficklin of his command. His performance had impressed neither Dempsey nor Montgomery and the latter was happy to replace him with another protégé, Major-General [[Gerard Bucknall]].{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=65}}

[[Air Vice Marshal]] [[Harry Broadhurst]] recalled an incident from the campaign:{{blockquote|"Bimbo" Dempsey, who'd then got XIII Corps, they were completely new ... they'd given a bomb line, asked for air support, close support, they were going to attack somewhere.{{efn|Questions about the origin of this nickname always made him blush.{{sfn|D'Este|1994|p=60}} He used it in correspondence with close friends and those he considered equals, like O'Connor.{{sfn|Rostron|2010|p=166}} According to [[Peter Caddick-Adams]], it was the name of his horse at the staff college.{{sfn|Caddick-Adams|2022|p=53}} }} And the Germans withdrew before we got there. So they advanced without bothering to tell us. And we attacked the place they said. And of course it was Dempsey's own troops. So Dempsey was stinkingly rude. Freddie [de Guingand] rang me up and said: "This is terrible, attacked our troops. I thought we had grown out of that. I said, "Well, I'll go into it." And of course Freddie signalled Montgomery.  I went into it and found they'd advanced after they'd asked for air support and then forgotten to cancel it. So I rang Freddie up and said, "It's your lot this time, boy." Monty sent for Dempsey. I was there with him. And he lined Dempsey up and gave him the biggest strip I've ever seen a general get... made him apologise.{{sfn|Hamilton|1983|pp=340–341}}}}
On 13 August, towards the end of the campaign, the XIII Corps HQ was withdrawn to reserve to plan [[Operation Baytown]], the Eighth Army's part in the [[Allied invasion of Italy]] across the [[Strait of Messina]].{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|p=223}} The 50th Division was earmarked to return to the UK and was replaced by the [[1st Canadian Division]] (Major-General [[Guy Simonds]]), whom Dempsey considered a friend.{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|p=455}} Although [[Armistice of Cassibile|surrender negotiations]] with the Italians were in progress, intelligence on German and Italian dispositions was sketchy, so the possibility of strong opposition could not be ruled out.{{sfn|Rostron|2010|pp=69–71}} Dempsey insisted on an adequate number of [[landing craft]] being provided to lift three brigades, along with their supplies, which delayed the operation until 3 September.{{sfn|Molony|Flynn|Davies|Gleave|1973|pp=231–234}}

Although the XIII Corps landing was unopposed, and subsequent opposition was light, the Germans ensured his progress was slow by destroying bridges and culverts on the only routes through the harsh terrain. It took nearly two weeks to advance more than {{cvt|300|mi}} to the north to link up with the US [[United States Army North|Fifth Army]] landing at [[Salerno]] as part of [[Operation Avalanche]].{{sfn|Rostron|2010|pp=69–71}} Allied forces then commenced to fight their way northward with the Fifth Army to the west and the Eighth Army to the east of the [[Apennine Mountains]]. XIII Corps took part in the [[Moro River Campaign]] but the severe winter weather precluded further progress.{{sfn|Mead|2007|p=119}}