Commemorative Medal for the Entry to Naples, 1943 – 8th Army
A scarce and appealing example of the Commemorative Medal for the Entry to Naples, 1943, an unofficial but highly evocative wartime souvenir struck to mark the liberation of Naples by elements of the British 8th Army in October 1943. These privately-produced medals were available only locally in Italy, issued in very limited numbers to troops who took part in, or were present shortly after, the city’s liberation.
The medal was created to celebrate the moment Allied forces—principally units of Montgomery’s 8th Army, advancing north after the success at Salerno—entered Naples following the city’s own uprising against German occupation. British forces arrived to find the Partigiani already engaged in fierce street fighting; the fall of Naples became one of the first major urban liberations in the Italian Campaign. These medals were produced almost immediately afterwards by local workshops, making them both period-made and historically significant.
A rare opportunity to acquire an original wartime-produced medal marking one of the defining early moments of the Italian Campaign.
AJMS Medals