July 1943

Saturday, July 17th


Sicily

At 1:30am British artillery open up in front of the Durhams hoping to obliterate the Fosso Bottaceto area. The Durhams advance but the battle degenerates into series of firefights between small groups of infantry. By 6:30am British are pinned down. At 7:00am a squadron of Shermans cross the bridge and force their way through the orange groves and vineyards crushing all resistance. Lt-Col Walter's 4th Parachute Regiment moves up and occupies the Fosso Bottaceto position and awaits the next British attack. At 7:15pm the 50th (Northumbrian) Division attacks after an artillery barrage. The 168th Brigade is to push forward to Fosso Bottaceto. The Germans have re-formed in the tank ditch beyond the artillery barrage, then move forward to positions south of the Fosso Bottaceto. The attack is halted 200 yards in front of a sunken road. The British decide they have not expanded Simeto River bridgehead enough to warrant advancing to Catania using this route.

During the afternoon elements of Col Ludwig Heilmann's 3rd Parachute Regiment breaks through the British lines and regains contact with Brigade Schmalz on the Catania plain late in the afternoon.

On the Briitsh left the Canadians occupy Piazza Armerina by 6:00am. The town is the former headquarters of Gen Carlo Rossi's XVI Italian Corps and the Canadians capture large stocks of supplies, petrol and badly needed signals equipment. It is noon before the Canadians can regroup and resume its advance up Highway 117 toward Enna. In the hills north of town they meet resistance. The Germans, the 2nd Battalion, 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, fall back to their next delaying position. These are the hills on either side of Portello Grottacalda Pass, 8 miles north of Piazza Armerina, 16 miles southeast of Enna. Enna is an important road junction for the Germans from which they can block the Canadian drive from two directions, northwest to Enna or Northeast to Valguarnera. Joining the 2nd Battalion, is the 1st Battalion of the 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. As the Germans retreat, they blow up bridges to slow the Canadians. The Canadians are next halted four miles north of Piassa Armerina. Before moving further, Canadian engineers have to build a brige on Highway 117. The advance resumes around 4:00pm but comes under fire about 5:00pm. The Candians are stopped having only made five miles this day.

Montgomery orders an all-out attack in all three sectors for the night of the 17-18. Gen Wimberley's Highlanders (51st Division) are to overrun Gerbini and push on to Paterno; the Canadians are to advance north and then east across lower slopes of Mt Etna, capturing Leonforte, Regalbuto and Adrano in turn. Montgomery also promises Gen Leese (XXX Corps) help from US 7th Army, wanting Americans to occupy a line northward from Caltanisetta to Petralia in order to secure the left rear of XXX Corps as the 1st Canadian Division swings right from Leonforte.

Wimberley's troops cross the Gornalunga and clears Ramacca.

In the US 7th Army's Provisional Corps area, the 3rd Division, assisted by naval gunfire, completes the reduction of Agrigento. The 82nd Airborne Division is being moved forward to the western flank by truck. Going into action on the western flank of the II Corps, the 45th Division takes Pietraperzia and secures the crossings of Salso River, south of Caltanissetta, while the 1st Division seizes crossings six miles east of Caltanissetta.


[ July 16th - July 18th]