Sicily after 65 years

I think this is an ammo bunker destroyed and as a result its not being built on. There is a reason its not a warehouse. I figure its got to much stuff in the ground to deal with. Like 1000 pounders unexploded. The craters last even after they are filled in as the compacted soil sinks later as evidence by the neat little round holes everywhere. What do yall think ?

 

Tron
I know the bunker in the pictures, is it in front of tha italian navy helicopter station.
Is it a raid shelter. around this area you can see more of this building.
I think this aren't 88 position because if you see the farm nearest there are the airplane wall(like Gerbini).(see the pictures)
German, I think, build this place to avoid to concentrate airplane in the principal airport.
I spoke with a farmer, he said there were many position of machine gun in the farm near airport, and 88. He have still the house and some old mandarine trees with signs of bomb.

 

THIS IS A REPOST OF MY EARLIER ARTICLE BUT THIS TIME COMPLETE WITH PICTURES TAKEN ON MY VISIT.
IT FITS NICELY INTO THIS THREAD.






Punta dei Malati - 3 Commando Bridge. July 14th/15th 1943.

In WW2, bridges played an important part :- Kwai, Remagen, Toko Ri, Pegasus, Primasole etc. This is the story of one that has been forgotten.
Three kilometres north of Lentini near to the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily, lies the Malati Bridge. Today it is now on a minor road, overshadowed by an autostrada on massive concrete piles. This was not so in 1943.

The Casablanca Conference in January 1943 attended by Churchill, Roosevelt and their military and civil advisers, decided that on victory in North Africa the next step in the war against the Axis forces would be the invasion and reduction of the island of Sicily. The “return to Europe”. Timed to take place in mid 1943 and code-named “Husky” the D-Day for this operation would be the 10th of July 43. The British and Commonwealth 8th Army and the US 7th Army, along with allied naval and air arms would make up the invading forces, landing by sea and air.

The invasion of Sicily, a massive undertaking, was initially a sad tale of bad luck, poor planning and a large loss of allied troops to friendly-fire. Witness the Military Cemeterys at Catania, Syracuse and Agira and the numbers of those with “no known grave” commemorated on panels at the Cassino Military Cemetery. But with dogged determination both armies secured their landings and the Axis forces were engaged..

By the 13th of July the 8th Army under the command of General Montgomery was established ashore and moving north. The intention was to push the Axis towards Messina cornering them in the north east of Sicily. The officer commanding No 3 Commando, Lt.Col. J.F.Durnford-Slater was summoned to the quay at Syracuse and given orders by General Dempsey to capture the Malati Bridge over the river Leonardo. Montgomery had realised that this bridge was on the main route north to Catania and wanted it intact and in Allied hands to ensure that the 50th Division could continue its advance.

3 Commando were put ashore north of Augusta in the Bay of Agnone from the infantry assault ship HMS Prince Albert and following the railway line, headed west towards Lentini. It had been thought that the only resistance would be from scattered Italian defenders, but straight away the commandos ran into the 3rd Battalion of the Hermann Goering Regiment. This meant that all the way to the bridge there was intensive fighting, but their objective was reached by 0300 on the 14th July.

The Italians guarding the bridge were quickly overcome and it came under British control. The demolition charges were removed and the commandos now had the task of holding the bridge until the arrival of the 50th Division which was fighting its way up Highway 114. This was the route north for the 8th Army and south for the re-supply of the German forces and their principal evacuation route north, so the Malati Bridge became the focus of numerous firefights. A German Mk VI Tiger tank appeared not more than 200 yards away and began firing its heavy machine gun towards the commandos who were around and under the bridge with no cover. A number of men were wounded and some, including Lt. Tony Butler who had joined No 3 (Army) Commando from the North Irish Horse Tank Regiment, were killed. More tanks could be heard coming down the road and with the 50th Division still not in sight, after a short discussion it was decided that the remaining commandos would withdraw into the hills to the east and reform. Once there they came under heavy fire again and they were ordered to set off in small parties to make for a prearranged rendezvous on the coast. With great difficulty most reached this objective, although some were captured (only to escape their captors shortly afterwards) and the majority of the survivors after a few square meals and a couple of nights’ rest began to look forward to the next battle. Lt. Butler and Lt. Cave along with four other commando dead, were buried at the bridge. The other dead and wounded were recovered from the surrounding area, the total of casualties from the action being 153 killed, wounded and missing. This figure might have made the operation seem like a failure, but the fact that the bridge was not blown and the confusion caused the Axis forces by 3 Commando meant that the 50th Division could continue it’s advance north.

After the fall of Catania, General Montgomery ordered that a stone be carved with “3 Commando Bridge” and this stone cemented into the Punta dei Malati bridge.

One reason for my latest trip to Sicily was to visit the Malati Bridge, which with the help of the Lentini stationmaster and a private motorist, plus a few Euros I managed to do.

The bridge today looks exactly as it did in a 1943 photograph, Montys stone still in place and the large pill box guarding one end. Standing under the bridge (as Lt. Butler and his comrades had done), on this hot, sunny, quiet afternoon it was hard to imagine those July days 62 years ago.

Lt. Butler and Lt. Cave are buried side by side in Catania Commonwealth Military Cemetery. Other officers and men of 3 Commando are buried in Syracuse Commonwealth Military Cemetery. They and those of 3 Commando (Army) who survived will not be forgotten. C.H.
.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
Note:
For an in depth account of this action see “ Storm From The Sea”.
by Peter Young (1989) New edition - Wren’s Park 2002.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article is dedicated to the memory of Lt. Anthony Danvers Cavendish Butler of the North Irish Horse, Royal Armoured Corps and No. 3 Commando.
Killed on 14th July 1943 aged 27.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

PICTURES.

1. Diagram of the attack.
2. Lt. Butler.
3. The bridge today.
4. The bridge 1943.
5. Monty's stone.
6. The bridge pillbox.

 

very good Colin
Next time you will come to Malati bridge..........I will bring you

 

A day at the beach between Castellammare del Golfo and Scopello led to my discovering these old WW2 defences on the west coast of Sicily. The landings on the island in 1943 came many miles away on the south east coast and only Patton and the US 7th Army came this way on it's venture to Palermo.

 

Most of these are self explanatory but I will add a description:

1. The landing of the US 3rd Infantry Division.
2 & 3. A memorial to the Italians killed in the Gela landings.
4. Memorial to those killed in the battle of Ponte Drillo.
5. Ponte Drillo today.
6. Memorial to the crew of a C47 involved in the landing.
7. The C47 memorial erected by the owner of the hotel in whose grounds
the crash occurred,

 

Some great photos and info in this thread.

When I was at the Juno Centre in Normandy the other week, I was told there is now a Sicily Battlefield guide in the series of Canadian Battlefield Guides being produced. Unfortunately they did not have one to buy, but I see it is on Amazon:

Canadian Battlefields in Italy: Sicily and Southern Italy: Amazon.co.uk: Eric McGeer, Matt Symes: Books



Anyone got it?

 

Thank you for the information Paul. I have visited the Canadian battlefields on Sicily from the Amber Coast landings up to Agira. Valguarnera was of special importance to me as it was here that a member of the Canadian signals was killed and I sent back pictures of the track where this happened and the headstone from the Agira Canadian Military Cemetery where he is buried.
I'm sure you know of this but for others here, a very good book on the role played by the Canadians in Italy including Sicily is: D-Day Dodgers by Dan Dancocks.

Pictured the hill town of Valguarnera, the track (now tarmacked) and a general view from the town heights looking south. The headstone from Agira.

 

When I lived in Villagio Delfino we knew of this and I went back to take pictures. Colin do you have locations lat/ lon for those monuments ?

 

Many thanks for posting..the Sicily campaign is often overlooked.....I hope one day to get to Ponte Grande and Primosole bridge....are some of the photos of the pillboxes that were by the Primosole bridge?

 

sorry, all pillboxes were demolished near primosole. I have HD video of this area. I want to make a small documentary about this. I am presently rendering a PZKW Mark Vi and pzkw mark III for illustrative purposes. I will post some stills later.

 

This house is a house that pretends to be a house but has concrete reinforced walls and a bunker in the front yard that had 3ft thick steal reinforced walls.

 

Tron333.

Sorry I do not have numerical locations to give you but I will pass the information I got to start my search.

1. 3rd US Inf Div stone in a small grassed area next to a park near the
Licata seafront on Piazza Vittoria.
2&3. Italian memorial Just off SS117,7km from Gela near Il Castelluccio.
4&5. US memorial attached to farm building 15 miles from Gela on SS115
towards Ragusa on left side next to the Ponte Drillo bridge.
6&7. C47 memorial erected in the grounds of Eremo della Guibiliana on
SS115 halfway between Ragusa and Marina di Ragusa (monument
hard to find - ask at the hotel)

Colin.

 

YES the phillboxs of Primosole bridge were destroyed after the war, except for one which is located about 100 m from the bridge, at north.
Even the bridge was demolished during the war and now it will be rebuilt for the second time.
But even near the bridge you can see a lot!

 

Are they rebuilding the bridge ? I notced the day after I did my photoshoot of the area that the bridge was closed down to one lane and no trucks bigger than 3 axles.
I think that new tunnel may open soon. Catania - Siracusa highway ! yeah ! I have lost a few friends and co-workers on the highway of death ( hwy 114)

 

Yes Tron
about 20 days ago was open the new higway untill Lentini(now from Catania to Lentini is only 10 minutes, with tunnel!!!), so was begining the demolition of the Primosole bridge.

 

Hello all. Thanks for some very interesting pics. I have only recently started to get interested in the Sicily campaign and one area in particular. My uncle belonged to the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and died during heavy fighting around "Lemon Bridge" west of Catania in 19th July 1943. It would be greta if anyone can give me more information regarding the exact location, any details of events of that time and whether the bridge still exists.

Thanks,
Jont