Sicily '43. James Holland

>

      James Holland

      SICILY ’43

      The First Assault on Fortress Europe

      Atlantic Monthly Press

      New York

      About the Author

      James Holland is a historian, writer and broadcaster. The author of a number of bestselling histories including Battle of Britain, Dam Busters and, most recently, Normandy ’44, he has also written nine works of historical fiction, including the Jack Tanner novels.

      He is currently writing the final volume of an acclaimed new history of the Second World War, The War in the West. He has presented – and written – a large number of television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic, and the History and Discovery channels.

      James is co-founder of the Chalke Valley History Festival and of WarGen.org, an online Second World War resource site, and presents the Chalke Valley History Hit podcast. He also presents We Have Ways of Making You Talk, a podcast with Al Murray in which they discuss the Second World War. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @James1940.

      A three-part documentary series based on his bestselling book Normandy ’44 can be found on Normandy44.info and Amazon Prime under the same title.

       Also by James Holland

       Non-fiction

      FORTRESS MALTA

      TOGETHER WE STAND

      HEROES

      ITALY’S SORROW

      THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN

      DAM BUSTERS

      AN ENGLISHMAN AT WAR

      THE RISE OF GERMANY

      THE ALLIES STRIKE BACK

      BIG WEEK

      NORMANDY ’44

       Fiction

      THE BURNING BLUE

      A PAIR OF SILVER WINGS

      THE ODIN MISSION

      DARKEST HOUR

      BLOOD OF HONOUR

      HELLFIRE

      DEVIL’S PACT

       For my oldest friend and best man, Giles Bourne

      Picture Acknowledgements

      All photographs have been kindly supplied by the author except those listed below. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders; those overlooked are invited to get in touch with the publishers.

      1 Pantelleria under attack: © Imperial War Museum CNA 902.

      2 All other images on page 1: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      3 Me109 partially hidden beneath olive trees: Büschgens/Bundesarchiv, bild: 101I-421-2070-21

      4 One of JG77’s Me109s at Trapani: Büschgens/Bundesarchiv, bild 101I-421-2070-10

      5 American P-38 Lightning: Courtesy US Air Force Historical Research Agency

      6 Two destroyed Me109s: Supplied by author

      7 Abandoned and captured Luftwaffe Messerschmitts and Regia Aeronautica Macchis: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      8 The allied commanders for HUSKY: © Imperial War Museum CNA 1075

      9 Mussolini: AP/Shutterstock

      10 Kesselring and von Senger: Supplied by author

      11 RAF operations room in underground Lascaris bunker complex on Malta: Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna (The Malta Heritage Trust)

      12 British troops loading LSTs for Operation HUSKY: National Army Museum

      13 Rows of LSTs line up at Bizerte as US troops march aboard: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      14 The invasion fleet under sail: National Army Museum

      15 British glider-borne troops load up in Tunisia: © Imperial War Museum CNA 1002

      16 US paratroopers aboard a C-47: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      17 A Horsa glider en route to Sicily: Malta Aviation Museum

      18 Very rough seas off Licata on D-Day: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      19 The British XIII Corps invasion, with the high escarpment looking down on the invasion beaches: National Army Museum

      20 British Tommies coming ashore: Supplied by author

      21 A near miss sends a fountain of water high into the air near Avola: National Army Museum

      22 The 231st Malta Brigade coming ashore on D-Day: National Army Museum

      23 LST 313 destroyed at Gela: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      24 Destruction of Liberty ship Robert Rowan: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      25 Jam-packed transport vessels: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      26 Light cruiser USS Brooklyn: Naval History Heritage Command

      27 British troops move through Cassibile: National Army Museum

      28 The destroyer HMS Tetcott firing on Augusta: National Army Museum

      29 Canadian infantry push inland: © Imperial War Museum NA 4491

      30 All other images on page 7: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      31 The landscape around Mount Etna: National Army Museum

      32 All other images on page 8, with the exception of middle left (Don Calogero Vizzini): Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      33 Melilli after its bombardment from the sea: National Army Museum

      34 The Italian strongpoint at Ponte Dirillo: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      35 One of the mighty Tigers of 2. Kompanie, 504. Heavy Panzer Bataillon: Esselborn/Bundesarchiv, bild 183-J14953

      36 Well-positioned German machine-gunners: Dohm/Bundesarchiv, bild 183-J14874

      37 US infantry moving forward: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      38 Monty addressing Canadian troops: National Army Museum

      39 German Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) moving forward: Novak/Bundesarchiv, bild: 101I-634-3899-02A

      40 British paratroopers of the 2nd Parachute Brigade: Airborne Assault Museum

      41 All other images on page 10: National Army Museum

      42 Captured British paratroopers and Tommies: Funke/Bundesarchiv, bild: 101I-303-0558-22

      43 An American half-track struggles through the narrow Sicilian streets: Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, USA

      44 All other images on page 11: National Army Museum

      45