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Battlefield Map - Eastern side of Sicily |
After holding off the Hermann Goering Divison on Gela Beach, elements of the 1st Divison seized the Ponte Olivio and Niscemi airfields, thwarting any air attacks by the enemy that would hold up their progress inland.
The goal marching inland was to slice the island in half and force the Germans back to mainland Italy through the Straits of Messina. The British had claimed the east side of the island, leaving the 1st Division to their left in the center. The principal route northward was along Highway 117, through Enna, the capital city of Sicily. The division's initial final target was the steep-cliffed city of Cefalu, on the north shore of Sicily, but things changed as the Fighting First advanced inland.
The division's advance eventually took it seventy miles north to Petralia, before making a right turn and heading east to take Troina. Most of the roadways were rough, the hillsides steep and the trails were cut into frequent gorges and canyons. The Germans blew most of the bridges that crossed this rugged terrain in their retreat, making every inch of advancement particularly difficult.
After the British landings farthest east in Syracuse and Augusta, their forces were bogged down on the stiffling hot Catania Plains for weeks. Meantime, Patton's armies headed west, to and through Palermo northward towards the Straits of Messina.
Yielding to the fact that Patton's positions were far superior to conquering Sicily than their own, the British commanders reluctantly gave the Seventh Army permission to move to the top of the island, but not before the 1st Division moved to the right towards Troina, the higest town in Sicily, and stopped the German forces that could have blocked Patton's charge.
General Allen moved two regiments to either side of Highway 117 for his advance, and put a light tank battalion right in the middle of these zones so that it could break off in support as needed. A horse-mounted cavalry unit covered the gaps the tanks couldn't get to. Later, the 4th Tabor of Guoms, native North Africans who joined the fight in Sicily, roamed the hills on the flanks where they conducted savage mountain warfare in support of the 1st Division.
Allen's third regiment went into the hills farther on the left flank, making their way to Petralia and Gangi over the most difficult terrain on Sicily. By the time they reached Petralia, the rest of the divison had mopped up Enna and the other towns in their path. The three regiments then converged on the final major battle line for Sicily - the roads leading to the mountain top city of Troina.
Troina fell during the first week of August. By the 15th, the Germans had completed the withdrawl of nearly 60,000 troops, 13,000 vehicles and 40,000 tons of supply across the Straits of Messina back to Italy. Two days later, Patton entered the city of Messina under thunderous applause and made his way to the piazza in the center of town where he met up with his British rivals.
The leader of a British commando unit that had been airlifted in was there to greet him - not Bernard Montgomery, as was depicted in the movie "Patton." In splendid corinthian spirit, this man shook Patton's hand and said, "It was a jolly good race. I congratulate you." | | |
