A little aside to the 51st {Highland} Division's Farewell to Sicilly.
Part of the Eight Army [ the army that had fought through the desert in WWII} were pulled out of the line and sent back to England, "to be re-equiped and to have some R&R".
They were equiped OK and kept in barracks until they were put on transport to the Normandy beaches, as the powers in the war office wanted seasoned troops on the beach as they thought that the untried troops would would panic.
BTW. The war through the desert and up through Italy gets forgotten about. The liberation of Rome took place on the same day as D day.
dave