July 1943

Sicily

About 7 miles south of Ponte Grande, at 2:45am the British 5th Infantry Division begins landing on the coast of Sicily. 49 landing craft are assigned to the division, and about 700 are put ashore every hour. It is almost 12 hours later before the division is ready to move off the beachhead. Meanwhile the airborne troops holding the bridge at Ponte Grande are attacked by units of the 206th Coastal Defense Division from Syracuse. They are joined by the Italian 385th Coastal Battalion and at 11:30am the 1st Battalion of the Italian 75th (Napoli) Infantry Regiment comes up. The British hold out until their ammunition runs out at 3:30pm and surrender. They are to be sent back to Syracuse, but on the way another group of the Briitish Landing Brigade free them from their captors. Back at the bridge the Italians try to re-wire it for demolition, but they did not have enough time before the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers attack and re-capture the bridge.

Maj-Gen Sidney C. Kirkman's 50th Infantry Division land south of Syracuse and take the town of Avola at 10:00am. Lt-Gen Oliver Leese's XXX Corps lands on the beaches south of Avola. On the northern flank is the 231st Independent Brigaede lands at Marzamemi, completely surprising an Italian gun crew still asleep. South of them is Maj-Gen Douglas Wimberley 51st (Highland) Division landing on three separate beaches between 2:45am and 4:30am. The landing is so smooth that all heavy equipment is shore before daylight. On Wimberley's left flank is the 1st Canadian Infantry Division. As they advance inland the horse-drawn Italian 54th Artillery Regiment of the Napoli Division just melt away. Most of the Italians they meet on the way to the Pachino Airfield surrender.

The British 5th Infantry Division marches into Syracuse on the evening of the 10th meeting no resistance. After a German anti-aircraft detachment withdraws to the north of Syracuse, the Italians are demoralized. They proceed to attempt to destroy all their equipment in a frenzy. When the British march in they fine the Naval Fortress Area Syracuse-August is abandoned and the port installations intact.

In the American sector, the 45th Infantry Division was to land (Cent landings) in two groups of beaches on either side of the fishing vilage of Scoglitti. Because of rough weather, the main assault landing is postponed an hour. The craft already in the water do not get the word, so the landing is piecemeal. Several boats are carried south of their objectives. Col Forest F. Cookson, CO of the 180th (RCT) Regimental Combat Team lands to the north in the area of the 1st Infantry Division's zone. As a result the 180th RCT is leaderless. Despite the confusion Col C. M. Ankcorn gets elements of his 157th RCT heading inland on the morning of the landing. As they move further inland the Italians either surrender or take to the hills; there are no Germans in this sector. About 2:00pm the 1st Battalion of the 179th RCT captures Scoglitti from the rapidly disintegrating 389th Coastal Defense Battalion of Col Sebastianello's 178th Coastal Defense Regiment. About 6 miles up the road the city of Vittoria is in American hands by late afternoon. By nightfall Gen Troy Middleton has pushed his center and right flank inland about 7 miles. Col Robert B. Hutchins's 179th RCT is pushing toward Camiso Airfield against crumbling oppostion from the 18th Coastal Defense Brigade of the 206th Division. The 180th on Middleton's left was still scattered over about 12 miles of beaches.

The US 1st Infantry Division is to take the port of Gela and Ponte Olivo Airfied in conjunction with the 82nd Airborne. The 1st and 4th Ranger Battalions find tough going in their sector landing on a heavily mined section of beach covered by pillboxes defended by the 429th Coastal Battalion. In the 1st Division's center is Col John W. Bowen's 26th RCT landing virtually unopposed. One battalion is sent to help Rangers against the 429th when Gela does not surrender quickly. To the east is the 16th RCT which establishes a beachhead and drives inland toward Piano Lubo and a planned linkup with the 82nd Airborne. By midmorning all units of 1st Division pushing inland against light and crumbling opposition.

The left flank of entire invasion is 3rd Infantry Division of Maj-Gen Lucian K. Truscott. His main objective is small city of Licata. The Italian XII Corps - Aosta, Assietta and 15th Panzer Grenadier Division - are too far west to interfere. The only oppostion here is 390th Coastal Defense Battalion of 207th Coastal Defense Division and the 145th Coastal Artillery Battalionn. Both are demoralized and panicky and surrender as quickly as possible when opportunity presents itself. Licata is captured by 11:30am. The harbor is cleared quickly and Truscott comes ashore shortly after noon and sets up headquarters at Palazzo La Lumia. By nightfall all of Truscott's initial objectives have been taken and 30th RCT is advancing down the coastal road to link up with the II Corps.

The Axis response to Allied landing is slow. Lt-Gen Paul Conrath, CO of the Hermann Goering Panzer Division, receives word at his headquarters at Caltagirone that Allies have landed. He forms two combat groups and orders them to get ready to head for the beaches at Gela and Scoglitti with the objective of pushing the invaders back into the sea. The problem is his men are 25 miles from Gela and 27 miles from Scoglitti and can not move until his plan is approved by Gen von Senger und Etterlin. It is approved, but it is 4:00am before the two combat groups move out. Using three separate roads, they head for the assembly areas south of Biscari and Niscemi from which they would strike. The enemy is now ashore, but they are still 25 miles away.

Capt Giuseppe Cranieri's Mobile Group E leaves Niscemi in two columns, one to advance to Piano Lupo to oust the paratroopers on high ground there and then attack Gela from the northeast. The second column advances past Ponte Olivo Airfield and hits Gela from the north. Gen Domenico Chirieleison's Livorno Division would advance from Butera to attack the port city from the northwest. It is not a good plan, especially since most of the units had no communication with each other. The objective was good, to attack enemy that had just landed. The left hand column of Mobile Group E reaches Casa del Prolo, 1-1/2 miles from Americans' objective, the junction of the Niscemi Road and Highway 115. Defending this area is Lt-Col Arthur Gorham's 1st Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, with about 100 men. His men had captured several Italian machine guns and half a million rounds of ammo. The column of Mobile Group E arrives and Gorham's men knock all of their trucks and many of the infantry are slaughtered. The killing continues until the Italians bring up a single artillery piece which is out of range of American guns. Gorham's unit intends to fall back toward Piano Lupo but the Italians get there first.

The 16th RCT arrives to meet up with 505th at Piano Lupo only to find a battle in progress. They attack the Italians and call for fire support from the Navy. The US destroyer Jeffers (DD-621) delivers 19 salvos from her 5-in guns causing the Italians to take cover. 20 Axis tanks move past the infantry and push the 16th back about a mile when Naval gunfire starts hitting the tanks. The tanks retire into the hills northeast of Gela. About 11:00am the 16th RCT rejoins the paratroopers and clear the Italian infantry out of Piano Lupo.

US Rangers and engineers north of Gela spot the right hand column of Mobile Group E with about 25 tanks advancing onto the open plain. Again Naval gunifire, this time from Destroyer Shubrick (DD-639), bombards the tanks. Several are knocked out, others speed up and break through the American perimeter, but without infantry support. The Rangers and engineers fight from rooftops where the tanks' guns cannot reach. More tanks are knocked out and the undamaged ones retreat back to the hills. A short time later the 3rd Battalionn of the 33rd Infantry Regimentt, Livorno Division, attacks from the west. But, they were sitting ducks. The Rangers open up with everything they have creating another slaughter. The survivors flee, leaving many dead and wounded behind.

The Hermann Goering Division was divided into two battle groups, a right and a left. The Right began to advance at 2:00pm over the same ground Mobile Group E had used. It is halted near Priolo by US Navy gunfire. The Left is supposed to attack the left flank of the 45th Infantry Division, smash it, turn northwest, cross the Acate River and take Piano Lupo in the rear. Had they attacked in the morning, it might have succeeded. But now, two battalions of the 180th RCT is there to plug the gap, organized and in position north of the coastal road. Gen Conrath, CO of the Hermann Goering Division, does not know where his infantry-heavy battle group is, having lost contact with divisional headquarters. The Left battle group is quickly halted by the 1st Battalionn, 180th RCT, some paratroopers and a battery of artillery. The olive groves they were in retricted tank movement and the junior officers and NCOs are not up to task. By 3:30pm the attack had been brought to a halt. A second attack by the Germans follows and they overrun the 1st Battalion when they run into the 3rd Battalionn which halts the initial attack. But, unexplained, the Germans panicked and fled wildly to the rear. Conrath calls off the battle at 4:00pm hoping to resume the next day.

During night the Axis commanders make plans for next day. Conrath's men are to attack in three columns, splitting the Right Battlegroup into two columns. Meanwhile, Gen Guzzoni tries to prepare defense of Enna; the 177th Bersagilieri Regiment under Col Venturi is to plug the gap between Livorno's right flank and 207th Coastal Defense Division's left. Venturi is to attack toward Licata from the north, while 207th is to form a special battle group to attack from west. He orders the 162nd Artillery Battalionn to move from northern coast into a blocking position in the Canicatti area. Meanwhile Gen Rodt deploys most of his 15th Panzer Grenadier Division along Truscott's 3rd Infantry Division's likely lines of advance. Gen Arizio, XII Corps commander, deploys a battlegroup in a semicircle from positions southwest of Agrigento to a point south of Canicatti.