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The Battle of Anzio, which took place between January and June 1944, pitted the Allies against the Axis Powers in Lazio, Italy. With Allied forces entrenched in marshland, what unusual strategy did the Axis powers use to drive out the Allies?

Answer: They stopped the drainage pumps and deliberately flooded the marshes behind the Anzio beachhead, hoping to encourage proliferation of malaria-bearing mosquitoes. While the plan largely failed, the event is considered the only instance of attempted biological warfare in Europe during the Second World War (1939-1945).

Source: Mediterranean Front by James Smith

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