![]() Fighting continued in each sector, but advances were made with a view to preparing for the final push. There was, of course, no breaking of contact and no relaxation in the pressure by the British and American forces on land and in the air. A new coordinated plan was prepared to overcome the reorganised resistance of the Germans. The Allied troops had been fighting in difficult country in an oppressive and tiring heat, and it was necessary that the original invaders should be rested and that new men should go forward. The first impetus of the invasion over, the enemy recovered from his surprise and regrouped his forces to meet the main Allied thrusts. They surrendered in thousands.įorsaken by the Italians, the Germans found that their best friend was the country, which could not have been more suitable for a defensive battle. There were about three German divisions in the island and they were reinforced by several paratroop brigades fighting as infantry. They were all handpicked troops and they put up a desperate, stubborn, but hopeless fight with skill and determination. There were four hundred thousand Italians there, too, but they did not seem to function much as soldiers. ![]() Palermo and Marsala fell, and the western half of Sicily was almost cleared up. The Americans made impressive progress against less stubborn opposition. The Eighth Army pushed northwards up the coast until stiff resistance was met outside Catania. Montgomery’s plan initially went with a swing. The next objective was the Catania Plain and its spacious airfields, thence east and west of Mount Etna, to converge again in the neighbourhood of Taormina. The American Seventh Army landed on the south coast near Gela and proceeded towards Palermo and Marsala on the west side of the island. ![]() The historic old city had escaped devastation. In early July 1943, the British Eighth Army, fresh from their triumph in North Africa, landed on the beaches of the east coast of Sicily, south of Syracuse, the ancient city founded by the Corinthians several centuries before Christ. The port, scene of stirring battles between the Athenians and the Syracusans, was captured and was quickly made ready to receive the reinforcements which followed up behind the assault troops.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |