Research: Three Months in the Mediterranean, 1943 (18)

Benito Mussolini in a Big Mess, OH!

RCAF Takes Part in Greatest Raid in History

Aftermath in the Eilbek district of Hamburg. This picture was taken after much

of the rubble had been cleared, probably after VE day. Credit Wikipedia. 

Please click here to view a YouTube documentary re Hamburg Raid

Introduction:

Readers of The Montreal Gazette would have been greeted with a smorgasbord of news from the Mediterranean - related to the invasion of Sicily, Operation HUSKY - beginning July 10 and continuing into August, 1943. The same would have been true across Canada. The Canadian Army was finally involved and was soon up to its neck in fighting the Axis powers in Sicily, and war correspondents from newspapers and radio (e.g., the CBC, BBC and many U.S. stations) represented major countries very well.

I will continue to share clippings re HUSKY from The Gazette as found on microfilm at the University of Western Ontario in my home city of London Anyny questions and comments re the news articles can be sent to gordh7700@gmail.com and I will make a good effort to respond within the week.

My father served in the RCNVR and Combined Operations from 1941 - 1945 and spent "three months in the Mediterranean" transporting all materials of war from ship to shore during Operation HUSKY on Landing Craft Mechanised (LCMs). His service was in support of Montgomery's Eighth Army from July 10 - August 7, approx. (@Beach 44 or GEORGE Sector, Fontane Bianche), followed by support of Canadian troops beginning in September on the toe of the boot of Italy, i.e., during Operation BAYTOWN. So, if an article mentions the role of the Canadian Navy even in a small way I will be very happy.

For example, when sharing an article (below, half way down) entitled "Palermo Natives Throng Streets to Welcome (Patton's) Conquering 7th Army" I added some details re the bombing of Palermo with a photograph from the National Museum of the U.S. Navy. On the same page of photos appeared one of "Beach 44 or GEORGE Sector, Fontane Bianche," the exact location where the 80th Flotilla of Canadian Landing Crafts (LCMs), including my father, transported all materials of war (from supply ships to the shore) for Monty's Eighth Army. 

I share the photo and caption below:

Operation Husky, July-August 1943. U.S. Army Air Force Reconnaissance plane

photograph shows part of the southeastern Sicilian coast, the day the Allies invaded.

Scores of our boats can be seen mostly transports and landing craft. The smaller craft

darting speedily among the large ships (indicated by their white wakes), are probably

PT boats and unloading craft. In bay on the right, LCT boats for unloading tanks are

discernible at the beach. Explosions in the water may be seen nearby. Note airplane near

this beach, and another at the mouth of the bay. Shellbursts from land batteries can also

be seen near the transports lying offshore. U.S. Army Photograph: 24195A. Courtesy of

Library of Congress. (2017/05/26). Found at National Museum of the U.S. Navy, pg. 2

Most days several news articles share details re the progress of Allied armies, and I would be happy to hear as well from readers who had a relative active in some way in Sicily, Malta or Italy during the 'significant summer' of 1943.

Let the news of the day begin:

CBC Radio correspondent Peter Stursberg writes the following in his book The Sound of War:

The bitter battle for Ortona the Canadians had fought and won, but all attacks on Cassino had failed. The best that the British and the Americans could do was to bomb the cities of the Reich, the British at night and the Americans in daylight; the RAF in a series of raids on Hamburg had created a fire storm that had incinerated 50,000 civilians and made 800,000 homeless. It was a horror story that passed without much notice. (Page 146)  

Lt. General George S. Patton enjoyed "two weeks of smashing success (see article below) unequalled by any other American Army in this war":

In upper left corner of the map, west of Palermo, see Trapani, mentioned

in the headline below. Credit - Sicily 1943, U.S. Army Military History

Italian soldiers of the 206th Coastal Division, taken prisoner by British forces.

Typical of the second-rate equipment issued to the Coastal divisions, they are wearing

Adrian helmets of World War I vintage, rather than the more modern M 33. Wikipedia

Same Principals, Same Hats:

Photo Credit - Deviant Art/History

Photo Credit - On This Day (BBC) 

One is out and the other is in. See details" below:

Three Canadian war correspondents, Sicily 1943. L - R: Ross Munro (see article

below), Peter Stursberg (CBC Radio), Lionel Shapiro (see 2nd next article below)

Photo Credit: Canadian Army Film Unit, National Archives, 21083, Album 61

7th Battery, 2nd Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery personnel

firing 25 pounder at enemy positions. July 28, Album 61, 22237, CAFU

"3-inch mortar crew firing on enemy positions of Nissoria: Privates F.K. Stephenson,

W.H. Montgomery, T. Marsland; 2 Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery.

No. 22220, Album 61, CAFU, National Archives Ottawa

Sherman Tank of The Three Rivers Regiment passing through Agira. LAC Photo

Same Principals, Different Hats:

Photo Credit - Associated Press

And now for something completely different:

Following are key dates re Mussolini's rise and fall. (The date beginning March 23rd was in the year 1919):

American troops entered and liberated the war-torn city of Palermo and reportedly received "an enthusiastic welcome":

Palermo, upper left. "The Americans are swarming through this capital..."

81-mm. mortars support Patton's drive on Palermo. (National Archives)

General George S. Patton, commander of US Seventh Army, instructing troops

on Sicily, July 1943. US Army Signal Corps Photo No. 175663, USA.

Civilians in Palermo’s theater district cheer and wave to the Americans,

whom they treated as liberators. Photo - warfare history network

Palermo had been extensively bombed on several occasions during the months leading up to the invasion of Sicily. Click here for more information re the Allied bombings, as found at Wikipedia.

 Operation Husky, July-August 1943. Flying through an intense barrage of anti-

aircraft fire U.S. Army Air Force Flying Fortress B-17 fought off an attacking form-

ation of enemy planes and accomplished their mission which was to bomb shipping

and harbor installations at Palermo, Sicily. A bomb can be seen on its way while bursts

from preceding bombs have wrecked destruction below. U.S. Army Air Force Photo.

Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Lot-11631-1. (2016/05/27).   

As found at National Museum of the U.S. Navy. Page 2

Below are four photographs taken recently in Palermo by friend Fabrizio Sergi, author and film maker from Santa Teresa di Riva, Sicily. Most will agree that Palermo is a beautiful city in which to live or visit:

Please note, the door within a door

While in Sicily in Sept. 2023 I was introduced to many delicious foods

My family is used to hearing me say, "Yes, I could easily live in Sicily," or

the country I just returned from visiting re research about "Dad's Navy Days."

I think Fontane Bianche would be near the top of my list, Beach 44, on the 

east coast of Sicily, but I wouldn't choose the caves where Canadian sailors

- including my father - lived for 2 - 3 weeks during July and August, 1943.

Photographs by Fabrizio Sergi. Used with Permission

Fontane Bianche, Sept. 2023: Imagine scores of landing craft on Beach 44.

Canadian LCMs travelled from this shore at Mili Marina (south of Messina)

and from Messina to the opposite shore at Reggio di Calabria (on the toe of

Italy's boot beginning September 3, 1943. Photo by GH

Fabrizio Sergi with his book related to his hometown (Santa Teresa di Riva)

and the embarkation of British troops to Italy, Operation BAYTOWN

Well before the invasion of Italy beginning in early September, 1943, railroads and railyards were a primary target for Allied air forces:

More from the well-known war correspondent with The Montreal Gazette:

The Bridge: This is the Primosole Bridge over the Simeto River, it was

meant to be captured as part of Operation Fustian by 1st Parachute Brigade.

No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit 

(Photographer) Sgt. Travis (Undefined) NA 4826 Imperial War Museum 

Original wartime caption: Sherman tank of the 44 R.T.R. moving up in

support of 151 de during the action against Gornalunga Bridge.

No. 2 Army Film and Photo, Army Film and Photographic Unit

(Photographer) Sgt. Travis (Undefined) NA 4816 IWM

Original wartime caption: The Gornalunga bridge, captured by the 151 Brigade

infantry. This is the Primosole Bridge over the Simeto R. No. 2 Army Film

and Photo, Army Film and Photographic Unit  Sgt. Travis NA 4828 IWM

Below we see significant action taken by "the toe of the boot" of Italy, perhaps a foreshadowing of upcoming action "on the toe of the boot", i.e., Operation BAYTOWN, the invasion of Italy beginning Sept. 3, 1943:

Light Coastal Forces? My father remarked in his memoirs that not many people knew about the role of Canadians in Combined Operations during WWII (thus the focus of this website), and another group - that many may not be aware of - is highlighted below:

Please click here for more information re Lt. Cmdr. Hichens and Light Coastal Forces.

MGB 64 at this stage of the war armed with twin Lewis guns along-

side the bridge and a four barrelled Boulton Paul gun turret aft.

6th MGB Flotilla, Hitch's MGB 64 leading. The aft mounted 20mm

Oerlikon position can be easily seen. Photo credit - Wikipedia

Please click here to read more on Wikipedia about Lt. C. A. (Tony) Law and the 29th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla.

"Upheaval in Italy" is from The Gazette's editorial page:

Reinforcements "en route" July 1943. Album 61 CAFU, Photogr. Whitcombe

Below is the front cover of the actual booklet, from the collection of Clayton Marks (of London Ont; deceased), RCNVR/Combined Operations:

A few details re the 'nature of the land' follow, mentioning locations referred to in news clips above:

Another fine article by Canadian war correspondent Ross Munro:

British Bofors 40 mm L/60 on Mk VII naval mounting, Priddy's Hard,

Gosport, UK. Photo and more details re Bofors gun are found at Wikipedia

More News from The Montreal Gazette will follow.

Please click here to view Research: Three Months in the Mediterranean, 1943 (17)

Questions or comments can be addressed to gordh7700@gmail.com

Unattributed Photos GH

Research: Three Months in the Mediterranean, 1943 (17)

Allied Troops are Knee Deep in the War in Sicily

Palermo, Catania and Enna (Can. troops) are Hot Spots

Map of Canadian Operations in Sicily, 10 July to 17 August 1943. Map by

C.C.J. Bond, in C.P. Stacey, The Canadian Army 1939-1945: Official

Historical Summary (1948), DND. Red circle denotes Can. troops. GH

Introduction:

The Montreal Gazette ran a lot of stories concerning WWII, especially on a busy Saturday in July. Canadian war correspondents - producing newspaper articles at a very steady clip - kept Canada informed to a very good degree. As well, radio broadcasts became another significant aspect re reporting how Allied troops were progressing, and a few items will be shared in this entry about the Canadian role in getting "on the air" across Canada.

And what about the Canadian Navy boys working hard aboard landing crafts along the eastern shores of Sicily just south of Syracusa? Don't worry, I've got them covered. I've learned that CBC Radio was definitely in their area, i.e., GEORGE Sector, at Fontane Bianche, and I have a few lines to share about that connection later. 

Now, for the news - 

Lionel Shapiro, author of They Left the Back Door Open (re Sicily WWII), and mentioned in the last entry as "missing in action" and "where the heck did he get to?", eventually settled into a lovely routine of sharing buckets of information with his readership in Montreal (and beyond). Here is a lead article re Monty's Eighth Army near Catania:

[About the last paragraph above: Would the majority of Sicilians have somewhat the same attitude today, i.e., "what is Italy's business/concern is not necessarily our business/concern?"]

Map focused on Catania. Modified from map at top of page. 

The Eighth is halfway up the coast but not halfway done. GH

Canadian troops are featured below related to actions in Enna (see red circle in the centre of the map at top of page):

In the third-last paragraph above we read about the masterful use of "booby traps and demolitions" by the Germans, to be expected in the "Troina-Aderno (etc.) area" NE of Enna. If one looks at the map of Sicily below (SE of Enna), the GEORGE Sector aka Beach 44 can be found, home of the RCNVR volunteers connected to Combined Operations (UK organization), who transported all materials of war aboard their landing crafts (the 80th Flotilla of Canadian LCMs) for the use of Monty's Eighth Army. 

Inside the red circle an arrow points toward Fontane Bianche, Beach 44, Sicily.

Dozens of members of the 80th, incl. my father, served in that area for 4 weeks

during July 1943, and made two adjoining caves near the beach their home.

About German "booby traps and demolitions" my father wrote the following in his Navy memoirs: 

(After our initial landings) we moved into a limestone cave, dank and wet, but safe from bombs. We hung a barrage balloon over it, about 1,000 feet up, and one sailor got drunk and shot it down but we had 50 - 60 feet of limestone over our heads. We used a pail of sand saturated with gasoline to heat our meals on if any food was available.

I had 27 days at Sicily living on tomatoes and Bully Beef. I swore I would kick the first bull I saw in Canada - right in the posterior - if I got back. Everywhere I looked there were anti-personal hand-sized grenades that needed only to be touched to go off. They were built to maim and not kill because it takes men to look after the wounded, but if you’re dead, you’re dead. We threw tomatoes at a lot and exploded them in that manner. (page 33, "Dad, Well Done")

Wanted. More Italian troops!

The Italian "powers that be" are targeting new recruits, while the American "powers that be" are encouraging Allied bombers to target Italy, including Rome:

Allied muscle (like a "sledgehammer") is gradually moving across Sicily. Where are Allied armies now and what are they doing?:

The War News Digest provides details from most of the war fronts, spread around the word:

A Nazi Military Governor announces executions are in order:

I have looked through the following book (copy from a Canadian navy veteran), and though some of the same ideas are listed, I do not think it is the same booklet described above. If you have a copy of a booklet that is described above, please let me know. Email me at gordh7700@gmail.com

 

The injured are well taken care of, but had a long journey to the nearest hospital:

re the third-last paragraph above, i.e., words from a Canadian Army captain from Salmon Arm, B.C.: "...as soon as we began disembarking, machine-gun fire opened. As far as I know we had two injured. One sailor was killed."

The captain had landed SW of Pachino (lower right corner of the map of Sicily at top of page). The sailor was likely British. 

Canadian sailors landed British troops (in LCAs, i.e., landing craft assault), and then all materials of war (in LCMs, landing craft mechanised) as part of the 55th, 61st, 80th and 81st Flotillas of Canadian Landing Craft while serving Monty's Eighth Army south of Syracuse and north of Avola, on the lower third of the eastern coastline of Sicily. 

As we read above, the Canadian troops landed SW of Pachino with some light opposition. Peter Stursberg, a renowned Canadian radio broadcaster, was close by, and describes the scene he encountered as follows:

I landed in Sicily without getting my feet wet. A large amphibious vehicle called a DUKW came alongside the LSI (Landing Ship, Infantry) when we ran into a sandbar and took us ashore. Already anti-aircraft guns were on the beach, and a bulldozer were widening the entrance to a small lane. Landing craft, including large tank-landing craft (LCTs), kept coming in and offloading troops and guns and tanks.

Operation Husky. Men of the Highland Division wade ashore from 

landing craft during the landings in Sicily, 10 July 1943. Photo by

Wackett, F. (Sgt) No. 2 Army Film and Photo Section Credit - IWM

Peter Stursberg continues:

There was a great array of ships in the waters off Pachino Peninsula, a stretch of poor farm land that had been turned into the busiest port in Sicily. A combined operation* was confusion, organized confusion. I recall that I didn't know quite what to do. There was no transportation, no one to report to. Ross Munro had landed earlier, but I could not find him on the crowded beach. So I sat down on the sand and began to write my first story. It was scorching hot; and there was nothing in the sky, not even a cloud. The Sound of War, page 98 

Caption: CBC personnel making sound recording – A. W. Holmes or Alex

McDonald, Peter Stursberg. Note: Photo likely taken in Sicily, inside a van

that carried carefully-manufactured recording equipment. GH

*combined operation - an exercise, raid or invasion that involved planned cooperation and co-ordination of efforts by the three major military forces, i.e., army, navy and air force. (Combined Operations is also a British organization, under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten during Operation Husky and Baytown - invasions of Sicily and Italy, and more. My father took part in combined operations (e.g., exercises, raids, etc.) while a member of RCNVR and Combined Operations from 1941 - 1945, as did 950 - 1,000 other Canadian sailors.)

It is important to note that while many war correspondents followed the activities of the Allied armies in Sicily (e.g., U.S. troops making their way to Palermo, then to Messina; Canadian troops from west of Pachino to Enna to Mount Etna to Messina; British troops from Avola to Syracuse, Augusta, Catania to Messina), the activities of the Canadian Navy (RCNVR/Comb. Ops) upon which this site focusses, were taking place - for 4 weeks - along the eastern seaboard of Sicily, south of Syracuse. More about that to follow.

But first, some important news from Hollywood!

As many already know, the Canadian Army - after arriving in England - remained on the island for a long, long, long time before being called into action in Sicily. In Peter Stursberg's book, The Sound of War, which details his journey as a CBC radio reporter during WWII, comments are made about the waiting game Canadian troops endured:

Most of my work with the CBC Overseas Unit was reporting on the Canadian troops, visiting their camps, and covering their endless exercises, which were rehearsals for the real thing, as all exercises were. But when would the curtain rise? When would the balloon go up? That is what the rank and file wanted to know. They had been waiting around too long for the battle to begin.

After Dunkirk and the fall of France, the onus for the defence of the United Kingdom had fallen on the shoulders of the Canadians, who were the only fully equipped troops left in Britain. They were the guardians of the island fortress... (they) were stationed in the most vulnerable part of the country, the south coast, and they remained there for so long that the counties of Sussex, Hampshire, and Surry became know as the Canadian country. (page 67)

And now, finally, they're in the fight:

1939-1943: Training in England. Major Hoffmeister leads B Company (sans

drummer-boy) on a route march near the village of Limpsfield in the summer

of 1940. Click here for more details re the Seaforth Highlanders (Canadian)

Lionel Shapiro, of The Montreal Gazette, is keeping readers well-informed:

The "buzz" is as follows. Canadian 'Buzz' Beurling shot a lot of Italian and German planes down!

 

Click here for more about BUZZ from Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame.

I know this photo of a minesweeper isn't much to look at, but some the 950 - 1,000 members of RCNVR who volunteered for Combined Operations, got their first taste of the sea by spending a wee bit of time on a minesweeper off the coast of Halifax in late 1941. One such sailor, Lloyd Evans (from Ottawa) recounts the following:

The new entry training there (i.e. at HMCS Stadacona, Halifax) was the ex-army Wellington Barracks (then C Block of HMCS Stadacona). The training consisted of knots and splices, rifle drill, semaphore, Morse code, ship and aircraft recognition, gunnery drill and parade drill. The highlight of the training was a one-day trip to sea on a Minesweeper for gunnery practice. The whole ship rattled and shook when the 4-inch gun went off. It wasn't all fun - one of our boys was so seasick he pleaded to be thrown over the side! I heard later that he was posted to sea and was just as sick and still pleading to be thrown overboard. He finally got his wish when his ship was hit by a torpedo! (As found in 'My Navy Chronicles' by L. Evans)

A few items from the back pages of The Montreal Gazette close out this lengthy (hopefully informative) entry:

One airfield that the Allies took over was near the British landing site my father became very familiar with, on the east coast of Sicily about one mile from GEORGE Sector or Beach 44 (serviced by the 80th Flotilla of Canadian Landing Craft), between modern day Fontane Bianche and Cassibile).  About a very memorable experience at the airfield my father wrote the following:

One morning in Sicily I woke up in my hammock in our cave (the hammock was slung between two lime-stone piers and above the lizards) and I saw Hurricane planes taking off just a short distance away. We now began working eight hours on and eight hours off. When we were pretty well unloaded I decided, on my eight hours off, to investigate the air strip and, behold, they were Canadians with Hurricane fighters. I arrived about supper time and explained who I was and was invited for a supper of tomatoes and bully beef... Not that again!

“I have no mess fanny or spoon,” I said, and the cook told me there were some fellows washing theirs up and to ask one of them for the loan of their mess fanny and spoon. So I walked over, tapped a man’s shoulder and asked if I could borrow his equipment. The man straightened up and said “sure” and it turned out to be Bill Donnelly from my own hometown of Norwich, Ontario.

I got my oppo, A/B Buryl McIntyre from the cave (at GEORGE Sector, Fontane Bianche) and did the vino ever run that night. Small world. So when we had had enough Bill crawled into his hole in the ground, covered himself with mosquito netting, and we headed back to the cave. Overhead, Beaufort night fighters were giving Jerry fighters and bombers hell. We felt the courage given us by the vino and slept quite soundly in our dank old cave ‘til morning rolled around again. 

From "Dad, Well Done" my father's Navy memoirs. 

K. Simpson's article continues:

Canadian artists and writers made a long-lasting contribution to the art of war:

Click here to view entries related to "the arts of war."

I think I've seen a better photo of the wreck below but cannot find it. So, I call for "Help Wanted." If you can find a clean photo of the damaged ship please let me know @ gordh7700@gmail.com

Two short articles, in conclusion:

More news clippings from The Montreal Gazette to follow.

Please click here to view Research: Three Months in the Mediterranean, 1943 (16)

Unattributed Photos GH