Return to Sicily after 66 years

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by Ron Goldstein, Sep 14, 2009.

  1. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    general der panzetruppen Hans Valentine Hube
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    FJPzgren. Div Herman Goering
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  2. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Going by "Panzer Colors III" this Grille would belong to Fallschirm Panzer Art. Reg 1, III Btn., 9th Battery, judging by the disk marking. Even so I'm bit unsure, as normally this kind of howitzer is assigned elsewhere other than the Art. Reg.
     
  3. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Hi Lehrgang

    Some fascinating pics there !

    Tell me, what info do you have about the picture that shows Montgomery looking across a stretch of water ?

    Many thanks

    Ron
     
  4. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Oldman:
    Ron
    Great to see you enjoyed the returm visit, it seamed odd to me to find the
    chariot in the middle of the park especially as the park gardens were set up by an english woman.
    Unlike you we flew into Catania Airport the first thing we noticed on the drive out to
    Taromina was the CWGc cemetery a beatuiful setting in the evening sun.
    Oldman


    Hi

    Actually, we (that's my wife & I) also flew in to Catania Airport as it was one of the few direct flights from Stansted. Like yourself we spotted the Catania cemetery just outside the Airport, but as it was not on our itinerary and we were in the hotel's transfer taxi we did not stop.

    Did you enjoy Taormina as much as we did ?

    Regards

    Ron
     
  5. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    Ron, that pics is about Messina (torrente Boccetta side, near port) aug 30 1943, Monty and Ike observe the calabrian coast ( beach between Catona and Reggio C.) to organize operation Baytown 3-4- sep
     
  6. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

  7. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Lehrgang
    Ron, that pics is about Messina (torrente Boccetta side, near port) aug 30 1943, Monty and Ike observe the calabrian coast ( beach between Catona and Reggio C.) to organize operation Baytown 3-4- sep



    Thanks once again, it's a pity that you were not a forum member before I returned to Sicily :)

    As you know, my unit was to experience all of the Sicilian campaign, arriving about ten days after the original landings and leaving after a similar time to move on to Italy.
    The link to the Regimental Diary is here:
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/unit-documents/13571-49th-light-ack-ack-rgt-r-regimental-diary-extracts.html

    Ciao !

    Ron
     
  8. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    catania jul 1943, generalleutnant Heidrich I^ FJ Div Commander

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    acireale aug 43, Fj whit antitank gun waiting for you!!!!!!!!!
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  9. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    yes I know, i wrote a book about Husky and the war toward Messina
    your division commander
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  10. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Lehrgang

    Evelegh ?, Div. Commander certainly !

    Never met him, but met Monty twice.

    Once in North Africa after the campaign finished and when he was giving us a pep talk about landing in Sicily and once in Sicily itself when I had to pull my 15cwt truck over to let him pass.

    Ron

    ps
    Did some trawling on the forum and found this little piece I wrote on a thread about "Monty"

    I only saw him twice.

    The first occasion was at Sousse when he adressed 78 Div prior to the Div's landings on Sicily. We had spent what seemed like hours in a dusty field, all being lined up in our serried ranks, when he arrived in his jeep and in his distinctive nasel tone barked out "Break ranks and gather round me !"
    This, I must say, to the disgust of our superiors who had got us into beautiful parade ground formation in the first place !

    The second time was in Sicily when in some now forgotten village I had to pull our wireless truck sharply to one side to let his jeep through a narrow road. My fellow wireless-op threw him a cracking salute and he went flying past.

    We were to lose Monty after Cassino as he went off to handle the D-Day operations and the 8th Army lost a bit of its sparkle from then on.

    Showman? yes..... Good commander? yes...... Out on his own ?.......yes

    RIP Montgomery
     
  11. Oldman

    Oldman Very Senior Member

    Ron
    Yes I did we went late June and did the same as you looked round the town
    and its wonderful sites, went into the hills and walked back to Taormina.
    Like you my father came up through Sicily and on to through Italy to Austria with
    the Royal Engineers.
    One story he did tell us when we were kids was that the lads of the 51st HD saw
    the orange groves and went for the fruit and the MPs had to force them back because the whole grove was booby trapped, an officer stopped his jeep and instructed his driver to pick fruit for him and he refused to accept the expanaation
    so Tommy my dads mate started with the the mine detector and with in three feet had turned up mines and marked them. a red faced officer then drove off.
    Ron many thanks for your memories .

    Oldman
     
  12. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    Ron, this for you ( by E. Verzera's history book)
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    Taormina?? naaa, Messina is better

    8-16-43 Your enter in Scaletta Zanclea (south of Messina), after the last leapfrog (II° Commandos btl, Lt Col.. Chorcill)
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    Messina port. alzabandiera!!
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    Messina Cathidral, fuel dep.
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    Messina, Cairoli square, fascist monument
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    By G. Marcianò book
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    Pellaro, south of Reggio Calabria: Conteduca coastal battery (n5 152/50 guns). This battery sunked some British ships
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    Scilla sep 3
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  13. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    italian battery MS 724 ( 4 gun 76/40, then 90/53) and fire direction building. This side in now named Campo Italia, but it was Campo Inglese, cause in the begin of 19 sec (1805-10), was builded a military quarter (then arrived the families), about coastal controll against French attack from Calabria, by Gioacchino Murat.
    As well in this side was posizioned a lot of guns about fire cover for operation Baytown

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  14. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Lehrgang

    A personal thank-you from me and also one on behalf of the rest of the forum members for all those excellent photos .

    If one of the Mods is reading this, could you consider putting all the Sicily threads items under one general heading ?

    Just a thought/

    Ron
     
  15. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    thanks, it's ok for me!!!
     
  16. Lehrgang

    Lehrgang Junior Member

    I have all names, units etc about Britannic war Catania cimitery .
    Do yu need it???
     
  17. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Just to "Top & Tail" this thread I thought you might like to see the latest Heroes Return Blog which includes my report on the Sicily trip.
    You will need to keep scanning down to "Older Posts" until you hit my articles

    http://heroesreturn.org/

    Ron
     
  18. Rob F

    Rob F Junior Member

    Hello Ron,
    I am really glad that you enjoyed your return to Sicily.
    I would like to do what you did and follow my fathers route after the operation Husky. He was in 592 Army Troop Co RE but I am having great difficulty finding out where he went between landing in Sicily and being in Milan until mid 1946.
    Cheers
    Rob
     
  19. Richard Harrison

    Richard Harrison Senior Member

    Ron, i take it you took part in OP Husky ? my grandfather took part with 17fus part of 5th div but went down with the Mhumps
     
  20. colinhotham

    colinhotham Senior Member

    Hello Ron. I know you will appreciate how much I enjoyed going through your Sicily thread.
    Colin.
     

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