July 1943

Sicily

On right flank 2nd Battalion of the Herman Goering Panzer Regiment overruns a battalion of 26th Infantry Regiment and pushes back the center of the 1st Infantry Division. The Left BattleGroup breaks through from of what is left of 180th RCT and pushed toward Hill 41, which is defended by 2nd Battalionn or 16th RCT. Panzers supported by their artillery regiment is too much for the defenders as the Germans take the hill. Gen Patton is at Gela cheering the army on while army and naval engineers are repairing the demolished pier so tanks could be unloaded.

The final US position is to be defended by the 32nd Field Artillery Battalionn supported by the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment along with the 18th RCT. By 10:30am the 2nd Panzer Battalion has pushed to within two miles of Gela despite taking heavy casualties from naval gunfire from the Savannah (CL-42) the and destroyer Glennon (DD-840). A crisis point is reached at 11:00am as the Navy cannot help as the units are too intermingled. Some US units withdraw into terrain unsuitable for tanks. The Hermann Goering Division is within 2,000 yds of the beach and their guns hit the supply dumps and landing craft on the beach. The German attack is finally halted by guns of 32nd Field Artillery Battalion, the 16th Cannon Company, the heavier weapons of the 18th RCT, the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment and 4 Shermans that were finally unloaded and sent into action. The Germans begin a slow retreat and a little distance is put between them and the Americans when the light cruiser Boise (CL-47) opens up with her 6-in guns. The Axis retreat becomes faster and more confused and eventually degenerates into a rout. The Americans do not pursue and at 2:00pm Gen Conrath calls off the battle and falls back to his original positions. The Hermann Goering Panzer Regiment loses about a third of its strength on this day with about half of its total damaged.

Elsewhere KampfGruppe Links (Left Battlegroup) attacks the Biazzo Ridge at 9:00am, defended by some paratroopers and some elements of the 180th RCT. Gen Gavin who was just a half mile away rushes to the sound of the guns as does other American units. Gen Middleton also sends everything he can spare. The KampfGruppe should have overrun the Americans but there is too much nervousness and confusion in the leadership. Lt-Col Helmut Bergengruen is unable to take the ridge and as more Americans arrive, he assumes a defensive position. By 5:00pm the ridge is firmly in American hands. KampfGruppe Links is driven from the field pursued by Gavin's ad hoc combat group.

A mission of the US 45th Infantry Division was to capture Comiso Airfield. Gen Middleton sends the 157th and 179th Infantry Regiments to take it in a deep pincer movement. Opposition is light and the airport falls about 4:30pm. Gen Bradley sends army engineers and an anti-aircraft battalion to occupy the airfield. The RCTs continue inland, the 179th north along a secondary road and the 157th east to linkup with the Canadians. Meanwhile, KampfGruppe Links withdraws and the 180th RCT on 45th's left flank passes through the paratroopers and takes Biscari about 8:00pm.

On the extreme left of the invasion Gen Truscott's units, the 7th RCT, 15th RCT, CCA (Combat Command A) of the 2nd Armored Division, and 30th RCT, attack along their entire front. They overwhelm several Italian units and take Palma di Montechiaro about 1:00pm. Two miles northeast of Naro CCA runs into the 35th Bersagilieri Battalion of the 10th Bersagilieri Regiment which has moved up from Agrigento. Rough terrain forces the CCA units to call for infantry support. The advance begins moving about 4:00pm against stiffening oppostion, but the Italians withdraw at nightfall, and CCA halts about four miles south of Cancatti.

The 15th RCT attacks along Highway 123 from Favarotta, seven miles south of Licata, toward Campobello. They are opposed by Group Venturi (Col Venturi's reinforced 177th Bersaglieri Regiment) moving down the highway to attack Licata. A fierce battle begins at 4:45am and lasts about four hours. Group Venturi suffers heavily as US artillery pounds the Italians. They fall back to Campobello. Col Fritz Fullriede's 129th Panzer Grenadier Regiment is also defeated and falls back to positions northeast of Canicatti. The German 115th Reconnaissance Battalion delays the Americans and covers the withdrawal as Venturi falls back to Case San Silvestro.

On Truscott's right flank, 30th RCT covers 14 miles against light resistance, takes Riesi and links up with the 1st Infantry Division.

Gen Patton decides to reinforce the 1st Infantry Division with a paratroop drop: 2 Battalions of the 504th PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment), the 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, and engineer, medical and signal troops, 2,304 men total. A problem develops, however, as the Luftwaffe had been attacking 7th Army beaches and nearby ships all day, in an estimated 475 sorties. Right before the C-47s are to pass over the ships and beach, Ju-88s from Col Dietrich Pelts 2nd Air Fleet approach at 10:15pm. The attack lasts about an hour. Then the C-47s come in and ships open fire thinking more Ju-88s. Needless to say many are shot down, some turn back, and some of the paratroopers jump early. On the morning of the 12th only 400 paratroopers form up near Gela, out of 2,304. 23 of the 144 C-47s are destroyed, only 6 go down before the troopers could jump out and 37 are badly damaged. Carrier command loses 60 pliots and crewmen killed, 30 are wounded. Casualties among the paratroopers: 81 dead, 132 wounded, 16 missing.

In the British sector, Brigade Schmalz (2nd Herman Goering Panzer Regiment) fights a delaying action up the eastern coastal highway (Highway 114) slowly giving up villages of Priolo, Mililli, and Sortino. The British are advancing in two main directions: toward Augusta and northwest toward Vizzini. Schmalz holds up the British 17th Brigade at Priolo, as the 13th Brigade attacks Solarino on Schmalz's right flank. The Napoli Division's CO Gen Giulio Porcinari had posted two battalions of the 75th Infantry Regiment there, but they simply disappear. During night Schmalz decides to abandon Augusta and fall back to Lentini.