Cooperation Between the US Government and the Mafia Part II: Operation Husky

          With the commencement of Operation Underworld, the Office of Naval Intelligence had begun their cooperation with the Mafia for the duration of the war. While Operation Underworld was limited to the home front in New York, Operation Husky involved the Mafia in the US war effort abroad. 
          Operation Husky, gaining its title from the code name for Sicily being Huskyland, was the Allied plan for the invasion of the Italian island. Prior to the invasion, Naval Intelligence needed to accumulate as much information about Sicily as possible. Even before the Mafia's involvement, efforts had been made to acquire intel from Sicilian immigrants, but mostly to no avail. So the help of the Luciano was enlisted once again. He sent out a message to top mobsters, and as word was spread through the streets Italians began showing up at the headquarters for Naval Intelligence with loads of information on their old home. Help was even provided to correct the maps of Sicily that the Navy was using. 
          Luciano himself had few contacts in Sicily, but he enlisted the help of other powerful mobsters that had the contacts he did not. When it came time for the actual invasion, the plan was for the British to advance north along the eastern coast and for the Americans to advance north from the western coast. During their offenses, the British experienced tough resistance from German soldiers trying to slow their advance, and they suffered heavy casualties. The Americans on the other hand quickly marched up the coast and captured the capital of Palermo. Their casualties being very few compared to the British. This is believed to be due to Sicilian Mafia interference in the German defense as a result of Italian American contacts.

          One major example of the Navy receiving help from the Mafia during their invasion is that of a mafioso that at the age of sixteen had shot a police officer in New York. His mom was a cousin of Luciano and she pleaded with him to help her son avoid the death penalty. Complying with her request, Luciano was able to get the boy out of the country through Canada and then on to Sicily. There he grew up to lead a local Mafia family. When reaching Sicily, Lieutenant Paul Alfieri, a Naval Intelligence officer that had requested to be part of the invasion, made contact with this mafioso. With his help, Alfieri was lead to the local headquarters for the Italian Naval Command. His underlings were able to kill the German soldiers there and blow into a safe where documents containing integral information about the Axis' defense of Sicily were found.         
          Beyond the initial penetration of German and Italian defenses of the island, Mafia influence played a very minor and controversial role. It is unclear to what extent Luciano's participation actually benefited the American war effort. However, despite the uncertainty surrounding its efficacy, Luciano was still paid his dues for his help. And in 1946, after spending the better half of nine years in prison, Governor Thomas E. Dewey reduced Luciano's sentence with the condition that he be deported back to Italy. Overall, the effects of the Mafia's aid to the US government can be encapsulated by a statement made by Governor Dewey. When addressing the legislature he stated, "Upon the entry of the United States into the war, Luciano's aid was sought by the armed services in inducing others to provide information concerning possible enemy attack. It appears he cooperated in such effort though the actual value of the information procured is not clear."


Works Cited:

https://argunners.com/unlikely-allies-cooperation-between-the-american-mafia-the-u-s-military during-wwii/

http://www.thehistoryreader.com/modern-history/lucky-luciano-wwiis-operation-husky/

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