Operation Husky: The invasion of Sicily
Welcome to Operation Husky in KARDS!
On July 10, 1943, the Allies launched Operation Husky, a massive amphibious assault on the southern shores of Sicily to open the door to mainland Europe from the Mediterranean. For the next three days, more than 3,000 ships landed over 150,000 ground troops. More than 4,000 aircraft covered the landings and provided vital air support.
In memory of Operation Husky, we have a special event for you in KARDS from 16th to 19th of July.
Following our previous historical events, we now have for you new mini-tournaments and special operations. This time, participation in the tournament is entirely free. These tournaments are for new players and veterans alike as only cards of standard and limited cards are allowed.
Additionally, we introduce the US Field Flask as a new board decoration and also offer you good savings on some of the most popular KARDS bundles.
[h2]Historical background (in a nutshell)[/h2]
Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, was a major step towards the invasion of mainland Europe as it secured the shipping lanes in the Mediterranean and provided a secure base for further operations.
The planning of Operation Husky is worth its own article, especially considering the amount of deception involved to mislead the Axis (most famously Operation Mincemeat [Wikipedia article] [book excerpt]) and to conceal the actual invasion.
Husky was a joint operation between the USA, Great Britain, including the Commonwealth, and Free France against the axis powers of Italy and Germany.
The second-largest amphibious assault, only surpassed by D-Day, Operation Husky involved at its peak almost 800.000 fighting troops, the majority allied forces. The initial assault, complicated by harsh weather conditions, landed over 150.000 troops and 600 tanks.
The German commander-in-chief Albert Kesselring soon realized that the Italian forces couldn't contribute enough to defend Sicily and consequently worked towards a German retreat which was very successfully conducted between August 11 - 17, 1943.
Even though the Allied successfully conquered Sicily, they couldn't prevent the successful retreat of Axis forces, including heavy equipment, and thus failed their second main objective with this invasion.
In the end, however, the successful completion of Operation Husky led to the collapse of the fascist Mussolini regime in Italy and the declaration of war between Italy and Germany.
[h2]Tournament details[/h2]
The KARDS "Operation Husky" tournaments are 4-player single-elimination tournaments for new players and veterans alike: Allowed are only standard and limited cards, no specials or elite cards!
In contrast to previous mini-tournaments, the Operation Husky tournaments are completely free. No entry fee is required at all.
Even though the tournament is free, there are rewards to earn! Complete the special operations assigned to you during this tournament and reap the rewards.
Deck Construction Rules:
- Only Standard or Limited cards
Special Operations win conditions (can be combined):
- Win 5 tournament matches as Britain, Germany, or US
- Win 5 tournament matches with Italy or France as allies
(Edit: To clarify, the above mentioned matches are single matches. You do not need to win 5 times the tournament itself, just 5 individual matches).
We hope you like this format and would love to hear your thoughts on this. As you can see from the previous mini-tournaments and the current iteration, your feedback matters and is much appreciated!
Please let us know and use the comments below or chat with us on KARDS Discord.
Have fun and enjoy. See you on the battlefields of KARDS!