July 1943

Sicily

By nightfall, Wimberleys troops (51st Division) hold positions south of Mount Turcisi and are preparing to break through the German lines at Sferro with the objective of capturing Paterno. At same time on his right flank, 152nd Infantry and 23rd Armored Brigades have pushed to within about two miles of Gerbini and the important airfields. But, the Germans have dug in, determined to retreat no more. Opposite the 51st Highlander Division is the 2nd Hermann Göring Panzer Grenadier Regiment and what is left of the Herman Göring Panzer Regiment, 48 tanks in all. Mixed in are some units of the Napoli Division's 76th Infantry Regiment. On the right is the 1st Herman Göring Panzer Grenadier Regiment and on left is Brigade Schmalz.

Candians resume their attack before daybreak with 2 infantry brigades supported by a tank regiment and 5 artillery regiments. Despite their firepower the attack is halted. The attack resumes at midmorning, by the 3rd Brigade with 3 regiments in the line. The battle rages all day and because of rugged terrain forward artillery observers can not move up to report to the artillery. As a result, the Canadians fight most of day with no artillery support. The Germans hold all day but at about 5:00pm Monte della Forma falls and the road junction is lost at nightfall. Under cover of darkness the Germans fall back through Valguarnera which the Canadians occupy later during the night. The 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment keeps itself between the Canadians and Leonforte. The battle here continues until the morning of the 21st.

Patton issues orders for the drive on Palermo. The 7th Army is directed to cut the north coastal road after the capture of Petralia. Upon gaining the line across the island from Campofelice on the north to Agrigento on the south, it is to mop up the western part of the island. The army advances rapidly all along the line as the enemy continues its withdrawal to the northeastern part of the island. The Provisional Corps with 82nd Airborne, 3rd Infantry and 2nd Armored Division with Maj-Gen Geoffrey Keyes in command, is charged with capturing Palermo with the 3rd Infantry in the lead reaching the line Raffadali-Cataldo. The 82nd Airborne with the 39th RCT of the 9th Division begins operations on the western flank of the corps. They attack through the 3rd Division near Agrigento and seize crossings of Fiume delle Canno, about 8 miles west of Porto Empedocle. Bradley's II Corps with 1st and 45 Infantry Divisions drive northwest to attack Palermo from the east. The 45th Division takes Caltanissetta and pushes on through Catering. The 1st Division is to take the western half of Enna road net reaching the Monte Capadarso area northeast to Caltanissetta.