Whilst the US portion of 5th Army pushed inland through the hills, British X Corps advanced along the coastal plain past Vesuvius and captured Naples by the end of September.
For the Sharpshooters, it was difficult country with many valleys to traverse over rough terrain. The Germans had mined roads and blown bridges, fighting a very successful withdrawal. The veterans of the Desert Rats had to learn a whole new form of warfare after fighting across the wide open expanses of the Western Desert.