1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Editor's Research: Invasion of Italy (1)

In Search of Two Particular Articles About

Canadians in Combined Operations

If I read these old issues carefully I may be rewarded

Introduction:

I am trying to solve a mystery by following a loose thread. And I can't even find the thread.

That being said, I will go on record and say that I have a pretty good memory, and if I can find that thread I am almost one hundred per cent certain it will connect me to at least one story from The Montreal Star that I will regard as pure gold.

Several years ago while doing some initial reading about the invasion of Italy, from the point of view of a Canadian in Combined Operations like my father, I recall that this man - while taking troops and/or supplies from Messina (Sicily) to Reggio Calabria (toe of Italy's boot) in a landing craft - mentioned that a writer from The Montreal Star was on board with him.

Now, I have displayed many articles from The Winnipeg Tribune and several from other newspapers, and I have included an article or two that shares the names of the Canadian writers that accompanied troops during the war in Sicily. And one writer was from The Montreal Star, and I think his name was Sholto Watts. And that's all I've got to show for that recollection.

What I want to know and then share on this site are the following facts:

The name of the Canadian sailor/officer on the aforementioned landing craft.

The source of that recollection, i.e., memoir, story, or quote.

The name of the writer from The Montreal Star.

The news articles he wrote while accompanying Canadians on the Strait of Messina in September, 1943.

My reasons may be easily determined by some readers of this blog, who already know that my father operated landing crafts during 1943 - in Sicily (Operation Husky) and Italy (Operation Baytown) - with several other Canadians in Combined Operations.

However, though I have his memoirs about those experiences and the memoirs of one or two other veterans who were there as well, I would like to get my hands on more stories that confirm what my father and his mates saw and did during their month working "ship to shore" between Sicily and Italy, approx. between Sept. 1 - Oct. 7, 1943.

I am fortunate that the city in which I live has a vibrant university (the University of Western Ontario) within walking distance and in its main library can be found microfiche or film of old issues of The Montreal Star. I now plan to collect some of the news items that relate to the invasion of Italy, in September 1943, and will display items of interest related to my search.

For example, on this very day I was able to locate the story in which the reference to The Montreal Star was made. I followed a hunch and thumbed through Combined Operations by Londoner Clayton Marks and found a story that began in the following way:

Clayton Marks assembled veterans' stories in the early 1990s.

Much information can be read here. E.g., The Officer's story begins in Roseneath, Scotland in the spring of 1943. Canadian sailors in Combined Ops heard rumours (buzzes) about leaving their training site to take part in an operation (it was to be Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in July), from the mouth of 'Eppus' Murphy (a Leading Seaman from Saskatchewan). The writer is an officer of the 80th Canadian LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanised) Flotilla, of which my father was a member.

From what I have read, however, the Canadian Flotilla of Landing Crafts was sub-divided into small groups of landing crafts under the command of various Canadian Officers. The number of groups and names of all the officers I do not have as of yet.

"The most exciting trip" was to take the 80th Flotilla around Africa on their way to Sicily, and the story goes on to share many significant details. And on the last page of the unnamed officer's story we read the following:

"We landed at Scilla" with a reporter and Canadian maintenance staff.

Was my father included? We shall see what we can see in the news.

Though the lengthy story contains countless details - many confirmed in my father's memoirs and stories written by his mates and other officers - about the role and experiences of Canadians in Combined Ops during the invasions of Sicily and Italy, I do not learn the writer's name. However, he mentions the names of other officers, e.g., Jake Koyl, Andy Wedd, and perhaps by the process of elimination I may be able to determine the author's own name.

Some other photos I have may help:

This hammock bears the names of officers and ratings of the 80th Flotilla

that travelled around Africa in the Silver Walnut, my father included.

Is the writer's name there?

Officer (LT.) Jake Koyl, mentioned in the writer's reminiscences,

appears with some ratings in the 80th Flotilla. Names below.

Lt. Jake Koyl, I believe, appears front row, left side, in this

rare photo, but no other names appear. I'm searching!

So, the hunt is on. I have one good story by an officer who was in Italy with a reporter from The Montreal Star and it may help lead me to more information. And if I can find the above photo with the officers' names attached we will have - perhaps - the author of the story.

Below are a few items from The Montreal Star, September 1, 1943. They may help us feel as if we have our own feet on the ground in Italy during World War II and may help set the stage for future discoveries... I hope : )

The headlines inform us that British Warships are 'softening up' Italy's shoreline defences before the day of invasion, September 3:

A few lines from the following article - from 'Aboard a British destroyer in Messina Straits - reveals details recalled by Canadians aboard small landing crafts stationed near Messina, seven miles away from the 'blasted' coast of the toe of Italy's boot.

D. Schmids writes (Aug. 31):

With battle ensign flying two British battleships with an escorting force of a cruiser and destroyers boldly swept up the Straits of Messina in daylight today and pulverized shore batteries around Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland in one of the greatest naval bombardments of the war.

The rumble of the great guns, audible for more than 50 miles. must have shaken the whole toe of the Italian boot.

The cruiser and destroyers, together with the six-inch guns and other armament of the battleships, meanwhile bombarded the shore battery at Cape Pellaro, six miles south of Reggio Calabria, and other gun positions as far south as Melito, 10 miles below Pellaro.

The only Italian answer to the bombardment came from the cape Pellaro battery which fired six times, dropping shells a few hundred yards from this and other destroyers before it was silenced.

We had a front-row seat for the bombardment as the destroyer advanced up the straits to a point near Reggio Calabria while the battleships and other vessels fired over our heads...

We saw the first battleship open the bombardment with armor piercing shells from a distance of eight miles. A sheet of flame burst from the side of the warship, then disappeared in a cloud of brown and orange smoke. Seconds later came a sound like the beating of a big bass drum.

The first shells landed near the hillside batteries and the others struck in the town that once served as the mainland terminus of the Sicilian ferry line...

. . . . .

A second article on Page 1 of The Star mentions that the Allies aimed some of their offensive efforts toward Salerno, north of Reggio Calabria. Canadians in Combined Ops tells us that the first landings (Operation Baytown) were on the toe of the boot, and the second landings, several days later (Operation Avalanche), were at Salerno. So, softening up two locations took place simultaneously:

Reynolds Packard writes from Allied Headquarters, North Africa, Sept. 1:

Giant guns of the British battleships Nelson and Rodney bombarded the Italian invasion coast yesterday while a strong force of American bombers swept far northward to raid the rail-air centre of Pisa, it was announced today.

Accompanied by a cruiser and destroyer escort, the battleships levelled their 16-inch guns at Reggio Calabria on the Strait of messina and poured shells into enemy guns at Cape Pellaro, six miles to the south that ineffectively answered the bombardment...

Big Fires At Pisa, Canucks Hit Salerno

Fortresses dropped a trail of bombs across Pisa's railroad marshalling yards which connect Genoa and Rome and scored hits on the nearby Piaggio aircraft factory and the San Giusto airdrome.

Fires visible 60 miles were started at Pisa... six of 25 challenging enemy planes were shot down.

British and Canadian Wellingtons kept the air attacks on a day and night basis with another smashing raid on the railroad yards at Salerno in Southern Italy. A communique said, "The Salerno gas works was believed to have been destroyed by the Canadians."

. . . . .

While war is waged, the production of armaments in the United States reaches unprecedented levels.

We read the following news out of Boston, Sept. 1 (A.P.):

Just 8 and 1/2 days after the laying of the keel, the destroyer-escort H.M.S. Fitzroy slid down the ways of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Hingham shipyard today, establishing a second new national record in two days at a Bethlehem shipyard in the Boston area in construction of these husky foes of submarines...

The Fitzroy was built for the Royal Navy under the Lend-lease Act.

. . . . .

American efforts are strong and steady in more ways than one. The following short article was found on the inside pages of The Montreal Star, Sept. 1:

A photo of a microfiche-reader screen. Limited success on my part.

Special Note:

I posted the above material on Oct. 22, 2019. The date now is Dec. 7, 2019 and I have one article to share that mentions the name of an officer I have not heard about in the past. The officer, Lt. Robert Smith is listed below as one who is working with Lt. Jake Koyl as Canadian landing crafts prepare to undergo practice runs in Egypt leading up to the invasion of Sicily. The article was found in the July 27, 1943 issue of The Winnipeg Tribune.

Was he the writer of the story that mentioned the reporter from The Montreal Star who accompanied Canadians to Italy? Maybe, maybe not, but at least we are provided with a good possibility because there would just not be that many officers we can choose from in this regard.