August 1943

Sicily

Gen Fries orders Lt-Col Krueger's 71st Panzer Grenadier Regiment to hold west of the Zappulla River while Col Max Ulich's 15th Panzer Grenadiers check the American advance along Highway 116, south of Naso. Most of Dr Polack;s 29th Motorized Artillery Regiment is posted in the northern sector to help Krueger delay Gen Truscott's 3rd Infantry Division, but it does little good initially. On this day the American's push back the 71st Panzer Grenadier Regiment. Forward elements of the 3rd Division reach Torrenuovo as the enemy falls back to the Zappulla River.

The 9th Division's 47th Infantry advances along the Cesaro-Randazzo highway, and the 60th advances in difficult terrain to the north. The enemy pulls back to Simeto River line, between Cesaro and Randazzo.

Since the enemy is delaying advance on Messina via Randazzo in British 8th Army's XXX Corps sector, Gen Montgomery decides to make a greater effort along the east coast with the XIII Corps and commits the 5th Division there to drive northward in the region east of Mount Etna in conjunction with the 50th Division.