1000 Men, 1000 Stories : Research: Three Months in the Mediterranean, 1943 (26)

Monty's Eighth and Canadian Army are Earning Their Keep

German Defensive Line at Mount Etna (Sicily) 'Cracked'!!

Allied forces are working their way toward Messina, upper right

Click here for more details and maps re Operation HUSKY, 1943

Introduction:

The news goes on and on and on. Beginning on July 10, 1943, Operation HUSKY was launched and Allied forces worked their way from the south eastern coasts of Sicily to its upper right hand corner into early August. Excellent coverage - on a daily basis, sometimes twice! - was provided for the folks back home by way of newspaper, radio and film reports.

Readers will find below extensive news columns from the Montreal Gazette written by well-known (by now), battle-tested, sometimes bone-weary reporters, e.g., Ross Munro and Lionel Shapiro (two of my favourites).

Questions or comments can be addressed to Gord H. via email. gordh7700@gmail.com

First up, Lionel Shapiro, author of They Left the Back Door Open

Though I tend to focus on the heroics of the sailors in RCNVR and Combined Operations, please find below 'July figures' (only July, mind) related to how the air force(s) are doing!

Please find below, two articles for the price of one:

Oh, and about that "seven point proposal" mentioned in the first of the two articles above:

What's on the menu for Berliners these days? Read below:

The head of Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, did face some opposition to his approach to "the area bombing of German cities." Click here for more information, from Wikipedia.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Travers Harris, 24 April 1944. Wikipedia

Along those same lines...

The De Havilland Mosquito Bomber. Photo and details, Wikipedia

Click here to read about a Canadian link to the Mosquito

The news article continues...

Most of Monty's 8th Army landed between Cape Passero and Syracuse (red arrow).

Canadian Army landed west of Cape Passero (red arrow). Both armies made up the

Eastern Task Force (yellow oval). Four Canadian Flotillas of Landing Craft (LCAs

and LCMs, i.e., 'landing craft assault' and 'landing craft mechanized', landed British

troops and all materials of war during Operation HUSKY, July - Aug. '43 (lower

blue oval). One Canadian Flotilla of LCMs (the 80th, incl. my father) landed

Canadian troops (a first) and British troops - and all supplies - during Operation

BAYTOWN on the toe of the boot of Italy beginning Sept. 3, '43 (top blue oval)

The news article continues:

Though the Allies are "making life hot for the Axis" and "gains are promising", someone should make sure the back door is not left open!

Too late to close it!!

Meanwhile, back at the Atlantic Ocean...

The need for a base hospital, for Canadians, manned by Canadian nurses, was likely quite high and I haven't spotted too many articles about such an establishment:

Though the nurses were seemingly looking forward to helping where their skills were needed, it must be remembered that they likely knew that they would conceivably be working in a hostile environment. Shortly after Operation Husky began (July 10, 1943) an Allied hospital ship (HMHS Talamba) was set ablaze and sunk by bombardments from the Luftwaffe just off the coast of eastern Sicily, very close to where the 80th and 81st Canadian Flotillas of Landing Craft were at work (near Avola) transporting reinforcements and all material of war for Monty's Eighth Army.

Click here to read more about the sinking of HMHS Talamba as found in Navy memoirs by Doug Harrison, RCNVR/Combined Operations.

Click here to read about "Revenge for HMHS Talamba"

Ross Munro, a frequent eye witness to the movements and work of Canadian troops while in Sicily, again provides a very readable and detailed account re Monty's Eighth and Canadian forces near Mount Etna: