{"title":"Sicily Zone Handbook","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"town-plan-of-palermo-gsgs-secret-ww2-british-military-occupation-map-june-1943-p-7-028101","title":"Town Plan of Palermo—GSGS Secret WW2 British military occupation map. June 1943","description":"\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e'Town Plan of Palermo—G.S.,G.S. No. 4379, Second Edition'\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn official British military town plan of Palermo, issued in 1943, offered together with the original front cover of the Sicily Zone Handbook, prominently marked “Secret”, numbered 181 and dated June 1943—just one month before the Allied invasion of the island. Both items were produced in direct preparation for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily launched in July 1943. The large-scale town plan was compiled from an Italian base map of 1937 and revised using air photography and intelligence reports up to 1942. Issued by the Geographical Section, General Staff, and published by the War Office, it presents Palermo in exceptional operational detail, with buildings of particular importance to an occupying military administration clearly identified. Port and industrial areas, factories, railways, government buildings, barracks, prisons, hospitals, utilities, and key administrative sites are all shown and named, reflecting the map’s intended tactical and administrative use. The map and Map Section Cover were both originally part of the Sicily Zone Handbook—documentation issued to selected senior officers in the final days before the landings. Offered together, the map and handbook cover constitute a coherent and historically powerful artefact group from one of the Second World War’s decisive Mediterranean operations, providing insight into the intelligence gathering, planning, and administrative preparation underpinning the Allied invasion and subsequent occupation of Sicily.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51916948603227,"sku":"P-7-028101","price":720.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0923\/9583\/1643\/files\/P-7-028101a.jpg?v=1765982186"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.antiquemapsandprints.com\/collections\/sicily-zone-handbook.oembed","provider":"Antiquemapsandprints.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}