 With control of Africa, the Allies looked north to Sicily, target for invasion. Sicilian enemy hands meant domination of the Mediterranean shipping lane. Sicily hours, the Italian mainland was with an easy reach. General Eisenhower was designated supreme commander. General Alexander, deputy commander. Admiral Cunningham, naval commander. Air Marshal Titter, air commander. General Patton, American ground forces. And General Montgomery, British ground forces. The Italians had spent five years fortifying Pantelleria to guard Sicily. Major General Doolittle's African Air Force blasted Pantelleria from early May to mid-June, dropping 6,300 tons of bombs, morning of June 11, troops of the British First Infantry Division approached Pantelleria. Even as the assault boats moved toward shore, part of the Italian garrison capitulated as a result of air attacks. After the landings, 11,000 Italians became willing prisoners of war. His Axis planes from Sicily attacked our supply ships again and again. In spite of considerable damage to shipping, equipment arrived to repair Pantelleria's airfields and fast underground hangars for the assault on Sicily. Meanwhile, our planes launched daily attacks on Sicily, from Newly Won Pantelleria, Malta, and North Africa. The tempo of bombing, especially on shore defenses, was intensified as the day approached. On July 9, 2,250 sorties were made, raining 600 tons of bombs on Sicily in one day. Meanwhile, at ports from the United Kingdom to Alexandria, troops and equipment were loaded for D-Day, July 10, 1943. The pattern after a final inspection of American forces boarded his flagship, the Monrovia. General Eisenhower flew to Malta for a last-minute conference with Admiral Cunningham, General Alexander, and Air Marshal Tedder. Then 3,000 ships awaited the signal for departure. Troops to make the initial assault were aboard the speediest vessels. As the armada left Africa, Patton's American force was designated the 7th United States Army. Combined with the British 8th Army, it formed the 15th Army Group under General Alexander. Unexpectedly, a summer gale struck the convoy after several hours at sea. Smaller vessels began to fall behind. There could be no landing in such a rough sea. A high wind would blow up airborne troop carriers. Last-minute plans were made to delay the invasion and orders were flashed to the fleet. By late afternoon, the sea leveled off with the coast of Sicily only 90 miles away. Orders for delay were canceled. With the word go ahead, troops reviewed the tactics to be employed, and each unit was briefed on its mission. Three hours ahead of the main assault, the airfield at Fonte Olivo was to be captured by units of the 82nd Airborne Division. At 0245 hours, the three main forces, given the code names Dime, Scent, and Joss, were to land on the beaches. The Dime Force, mostly the 1st Division, was to land east of Jaila. The Scent Force, mainly the 45th Division, was to land at Scoliti. The Joss Force, the 3rd Division, with Combat Command A of the 2nd Armored Division as reserve, was to land on both sides of La Cata. The rest of the 2nd Armored Division and the 18th Regimental Combat Team of the 1st Division comprised of floating reserves. All landings were to be simultaneous, extending the beachhead with all possible speed to line yellow from Palma de Monte Chiaro to Calta Gironi. The British 8th Army was to capture the airfield at Pacino and the port of Siracuse. Making contact with the Americans at the left, the British were to take a 2nd port at Augusta. Assembled up to July 1943 achieved complete tactical surprise. There was little opposition to the 1st landings except near Jaila. Instead of landing where enemy coastal defenses were formidable, we struck where the enemy thought the water too shallow for our craft to unload heavy equipment. Floating causeways, an ingenious method of bridging from ship to shore made the landings possible. A well guarded secret, the causeways proved successful under baptism of fire at Sicily. Still mesh landing mats were laid on the sandy beaches. More than 80,000 men, 7,000 vehicles, 300 tanks and 900 guns were landed the first 2 days. Without the then new amphibian trucks called ducks, the invasion could never have been maintained. Our forces used 700 and the British had 300 more. There was some shell fire from enemy artillery back in the hill. No counter-attack developed at Jaila beachhead. By the end of D-Day the beachheads were consolidated to a depth of 2 to 4 miles. La Cotta, D-Day objective on the left flank, was taken by the 3rd division. D-Day plus 1 as General Patton came ashore, reports revealed a total of 72 American dead for the first 24 hours of a major invasion. While our troops pushed toward line yellow, the Luftwaffe struck vainly at our supply ships. For the next 2 days there were repeated air attacks. The ammunition ship, Robert Rowan, was hit by a bomb which fell through an open hatchway. One hour later, with all hands safely off, the fire reached the ammunition. From the artillery and the rough mediterranean left beach littered with supply casualties. Italians ordered to hold us until German armor could drive us into the sea, surrendered by the thousands. At the extreme left, American 3rd division units fought toward Campo Bello and Palma di Monticchiaro, who began to meet German delaying action in minefield. Major General Truscat, 3rd division commander, led the drive on line yellow. There was only minor opposition at Campo Bello. 3rd division troops pushed on so that by nightfall of D-Day plus 1, the left flank of the American sector was secure. By late afternoon of the same day, the 45th division took to the enemy airfield at Comiso. In the center, at J.L.A., this enemy column was caught by our fire along the road. Here the 1st division met sharp enemy resistance. Enemy casualties at J.L.A. were also given emergency treatment by our medics. One phase of the operation, the movement of troops by air, departed widely from the plans but contributed significantly to success. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division took off but were scattered far from their original objectives. On the 2nd night after D-Day, a disaster occurred. 23 out of 170 troop carriers were shot down by our own anti-aircraft fire during a German air raid. By 12th July, D-Day plus 2, our beach heads were secure and General Headquarters was established in Sicily. On the left, the 3rd division had reached its objectives on line yellow. In the center, focal point of the enemy counter-attack, we were 8 miles inland, although a gap exists. On the right, the 45th had seized Ragusa and made contact with the British 8th Army, a continuous line across the southeastern end of the island. As snipers were being routed from buildings just beyond the town, our rapid progress on the entire left flank far surpassed expectations. By the 3rd day of the campaign, the prisoners were becoming a serious problem. We had expected stouter resistance from the Italians on their own soil. By D-Day plus 5, line yellow objectives were raged all along the line. The 3rd division pressed on almost to Agri Gento. Agri Gento fell the next day. The 3rd division pushed on along the coast, seizing Porto Empodo Clay. Simultaneously, the 1st and 45th divisions advanced on Calzani Setta in central Sicily. The town was taken by the 45th on the next day, while the 1st moved on east toward Enna. Almost in the exact center of Sicily, Enna was strategically important. Here, with roadblocks, mines and other obstacles, the Germans put up stubborn rearguard resistance. By July 18th, as the Germans began a general withdrawal to the east, a provisional corps of the 82nd Airborne, 2nd Armored and 3rd Divisions was formed to cut Sicily in two and secure the western half. Following this plan, the 3rd Division moved inland from the coast, driving north for Palermo, capital of Sicily, mopping up German rearguard elements. To the southwest, over roads repaired by Italian prisoners, the 82nd Airborne and 2nd Armored Divisions speedily occupied town after town to overrun the western half of Sicily. On July 20th, Siaka was entered. The same day at Menfi, the Italian garrison joined the throng cheering the Americans. Castle Vettrano's slogan, the army is a sure guarantee to the country's destiny, misfired for Mussolini. Following the military maxim, marked separately, strike together, we closed in on Palermo with three columns. Palermo promptly gave in as Italian General Giuseppe Molinero surrendered all his forces unconditionally to General Key. Palermo, which was relatively undamaged, men of the 2nd Armored and 3rd Infantry Division, tired and grimy, paused for the first time in 13 days. Palermo Harbor, the most important in Sicily, was temporarily useless. 44 wrecked vessels blocked the forbs and channels. And we had knocked out another strong air base. By July 24th, the 3rd and final phase of the campaign opened against the enemy in the northeastern end of the island. Cleary Drive up the coast swept up more little-known Italian towns like Castle Vettrano. The Italian army continued to disintegrate, while our advance pushed for the German evacuation point at Messina. General Eisenhower arrived to inspect Palermo, our most important conquest, and a future base for 7th Army operations. Hander arrived in time to see the look spot that challenged our occupation with heavy raids nightly, for which we had bombed barely a week before, was now a target for German planes, while we worked to clear it for our youth. An elaborate smoke screen system was thrown up, and stealing vital targets. This defense measure proved effective. The harbor partially cleared, Palermo became an evacuation point for the wounded. The water ambulance evacuated the wounded to a hospital ship waiting in the harbor. In record time, the severely injured were receiving expert medical treatment in North Africa. About 6,000 casualties were evacuated by air and sea. The majority were enemy soldiers. Italian motorcycle corpsmen eager to surrender rode their own vehicles to a PW collection point. Outside Cerrami, Generals Bradley, Lucas, Patton and Roosevelt conferred in preparation for the all-out assault on the enemy. The 2nd Corps reinforced was designated a spearheadly strike. The 9th Division in reserve in Africa came up via Palermo to support the 1st, while the 3rd relieved the battle-worn 45th. On August 1st, the 3rd phase of the Allied offensive sprang into action. Americans attacked in the northern sector from San Stefano to Troina. The Canadians in the center, the British to the south. After four days of continuous fighting, the British smashed through at Catania. Americans at Troina faced the toughest battle of the campaign. Situated in a superior defense position, the hilltop town of Troina was the key point of German resistance. The town held firm against 1st Division thrusts and air bombings for five days. The enemy took our blasting, counter-attacked 24 times, fighting for time to withdraw. On August 6th, a 9th Division patrol, which had outflanked the town, reported Troina abandoned by the enemy. Troina had suffered the fate of so many towns located in the path of war. On the coast, San Fratello still held up. A surprise amphibious landing behind the German line, the first of three such end runs, resulted in the capture of the town. From this point it was a chase to the Messina Peninsula. The enemy, in full retreat, attempted to hold us back with demolitions and stubborn rearguard actions. Along the coast, we moved up heavy equipment by sea to bypass blown-out bridges and mined highways. Without these amphibious operations, enemy demolitions would have caused weeks of delay. The 9th Division moved along the coast from San Fratello, and made contact with the British near Rondazzo, deep in the Messina Peninsula. Piper Cubs, used as artillery observation planes, radioed locations of enemy positions which were promptly fired upon. Enemy demolitions were highly effective on the highways of the steep cliffs in northeastern Sicily, slowing our advance. Despite the speed and resourcefulness of our untiring engineers, the Germans gained time to fall back on Messina. Last days of the campaign were a race against time. Two more amphibious moves to cut off the German escape did not bring us close enough. In the final drive, more and more wrecked and abandoned enemy equipment lined the highways. Captured enemy film tells the story of the German evacuation from Messina just prior to our arrival. Masters in the art of withdrawal, they used small craft to carry their troops across the narrow strait, undercover of a mass concentration of coastal guns. Despite the intensity of our drive across the island, over 100,000 men, equivalent to more than three German divisions, and almost twice as many Italians, with considerable amounts of supply, reached the Italian mainland safely. The last of the Nazis pulled out during the night of August 16th. At daylight the following morning, we entered the city of Messina, the usual contingent of Italian soldiers who were expected to hold us back surrendered. The harbor had taken a terrific pounding, first to stop access reinforcements, later to obstruct German evacuation. The fall of Messina, 38 days after the landing, marked the end of the campaign in Sicily. Our next offensive would be against the boot of Italy, only two miles across the water. The Allied military government first operated in Sicily. Military government officers, including Colonel Poletti of New York, followed the frontline troops to take over administration of the island. Sicily was now an Allied base of operations. Strict regulations were enforced, including confiscation of all weapons. To battle starvation, stockpiles were established, tidying the people through the winter, until Sicily could begin to produce again. A rigid system of rationing and price control was set up. Hidden or hoarded wheat was dug out. Disease, the inevitable result of war, was brought under control. Force were re-established, and even the accused learned about justice. Banks were reopened and a new financial system established. Freedom of the press was restored. Slowly life in Sicily began to resume its normal pattern. In December 1943, President Roosevelt paid tribute to the men living and dead, whose fighting spirit and sacrifice freed Sicily.