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Soldiers of the 1St Canadian Infantry Division on the Road During the Advance on Ispica, 12 July 1943

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Soldiers of the 1St Canadian Infantry Division on the Road During the Advance on Ispica, 12 July 1943 Soldiers of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division on the road during the advance on Ispica, 12 July 1943. 4 “The Eyes of All Fixed on Sicily” Canada’s Unexpected Victory, 1943 Lee Windsor his year’s seventieth anniversary in the next scheduled Mediterranean Tcommemoration of Canada’s Abstract: Canada’s role in the Battle operation.2 contribution to the 1943 invasion of for Sicily is usually overshadowed The inexperienced and unproven Sicily is a worthy time to reflect on by Anglo-American tensions and 1st Canadian Infantry Division and 1st German assertions that they were the why it matters. Operation Husky, real victors. The green 1st Canadian Canadian Army Tank Brigade were as the Allied collective effort was Division was supposed to play a assigned supporting roles in plans to code-named, constituted the largest supporting role alongside veteran invade Sicily, second to battle-tested international military air, sea and British and American formations, British and American formations land operation in history and turned but found themselves at the centre fresh from victory in North Africa. of events. Canada’s contingent the tide of the Second World War destroyed elements of every major RCAF bomber and fighter squadrons irreversibly in the Allies’ favour. Axis formation on the island and along with RCN landing craft flotillas It marked the end of a three year contributed significantly to the Allied rounded out Canada’s contribution struggle to contain Axis expansion capture of Sicily which broke Fascist to the great armada bound for the while the Allies mobilized, built, and power in Rome. central Mediterranean. Once the trained the massive forces necessary invasion began on 10 July 1943 a to return to Axis-occupied Europe. chain of events and decisions thrust Canadians formed a large portion Of course blood had been spilled the newcomer Canadians to centre- of the Allied invasion force and at Hong Kong in 1941 and Dieppe stage, ready or not. Five days into played a pivotal role in the victorious in 1942 demonstrating Canada’s Operation Husky British Eighth 38-day struggle for the island, but commitment to the Allied cause, but Army’s renowned commander, their voices were drowned out by it remained to be seen whether the General Sir Bernard Montgomery, those louder and more numerous in nation’s Great War reputation for ordered 1st Canadian Division to Germany, the United States, and the military effectiveness would carry make haste for the mountainous United Kingdom. What follows here through to the Second World War. central province of Enna in search of is an effort to re-consider Canada’s First Canadian Army trained and the weak point between Axis forces part in Operation Husky.1 waited in England, held together for gathering in eastern Sicily and those In June 1943, when the Canadian the invasion of France postponed believed to be remaining in the west.3 contingent sailed from Great Britain until 1944. Meanwhile, British Montgomery’s controversial order bound for Sicily the Royal Canadian and other Commonwealth forces resulted in 23 consecutive days of Navy had been fighting German had been fighting German and violent clashes amid rugged hills U-boats for three long years. Royal Italian armies in the Mediterranean and rolling grain fields, culminating Canadian Air Force personnel had region since 1940. By early 1943 the around the ancient mountaintop helped thwart a German invasion Canadian government, people, and towns of Agira, Regalbuto, and of Great Britain in 1940-41 and by senior Army leadership could wait Centuripe. During those days 1st 1943 were carrying the bomber war no longer to get their soldiers into Canadian Division alongside 231st to the heart of Germany. Only the the fight. Senior British commanders British “Malta” Brigade and 1st US Canadian Army still waited; coiled granted Ottawa’s request to find a Division broke the centre of the up and anxious to join the fight. place for a Canadian Army contingent Axis defence. By 7 August, combat © Canadian Military History, Volume 22, Number 3, Summer 2013, pp.4-34. 5 losses, Benito Mussolini’s arrest, and 1st Division’s official historian, wrote offensive against Hitler’s “Fortress mounting tension with their Italian that Canada’s “campaign consisted Europe” of the Second World War.7 allies forced the German garrison to of a series of brigade ‘shows’ and Canada’s story in Sicily is also commence an evacuation. The defeat usually the brigade in action only buried in an international history of foiled German hopes to delay an committed one battalion at a time.” Anglo-American friction, particularly Allied conquest of Sicily long enough Conacher’s message referred mostly between British Eighth Army’s for fall weather to postpone Fascist to the dispersed nature of fighting in Sir Bernard Montgomery and the Italy’s collapse and Allied landings a vast mountainous battlefield,5 but United States Seventh Army’s in southern Europe for another year. his message rings true in Canadian George Patton.8 Many believe that Instead, German forces pre-emptively histories of Sicily which generally this dysfunctional alliance frustrated turned on their Italian allies and took feature the small shows at the total victory and let the Germans over the defence of southern Europe, expense of the wider program. escape from Sicily in August 1943 in transferring large numbers of men, Farley Mowat made the Hastings their equivalent to the British 1940 tanks, guns, and planes from other and Prince Edward Regiment’s cliff evacuation from France at Dunkirk. 4 theatres. In short, Allied plans to scaling at Assoro famous in Canadian English language histories near 166751 Canada PA Library and Archives conquer Sicily as a base, remove Italy literature. Other regimental histories unanimously contend that after the from the war, and draw German likewise capture clan accounts, like Allies landed with overwhelming resources away from Russia and that of Princess Patricia’s Canadian force, fighting in Sicily amounted to a France to southern Europe succeeded. Light Infantry in Leonforte, the Royal skilful German delaying withdrawal Canada’s contingent played no small Canadian Regiment at Nissoria, or the which repeatedly foiled a shoddy part in these outcomes. Royal 22e Régiment at Catenanuova.6 Allied pursuit.9 Rick Atkinson Canada’s unanticipated leading Indeed, the heroism, high drama, and recently summed up the prevailing role is Sicily remains little known in tragedy experienced by famous units view that “barely fifty thousand part because the story is often carved made it easy to lose sight of how they Germans had overcome Allied air into small regimental pieces. Not collectively contributed to the global and sea supremacy, and the virtual long after the battle, J.B. Conacher, war in 1943 and the first major land collapse of their Italian confederates, General view of “Roger” and “Sugar” Beaches, the landing site of 1st Canadian Division during the invasion of Sicily, 10 July 1943. 6 Library and Archives Canada PA 166751 Canada PA Library and Archives Library and Archives Canada e008300273 Library and Archives An Italian coastal gun captured by the Canadians near Pachino. to hold off an onslaught by nearly include the 200,000 Italian soldiers on middle phase from 13 July to 6 half a million Anglo-Americans for Sicily. Ulich and most other German August 1943. During those three five weeks.”10 The result was a clean commanders dismissed the Italians’ weeks German forces on Sicily German getaway across the Straights value claiming that they “virtually doubled in size and most of the of Messina to mainland Italy to fight never gave battle” and that “90% of Italian garrison remained in action another day which “doomed the Allies the Italian army are cowards who do and together they fought to hold to a prolonged battle of attrition up not want to fight.”15 On the surface, Sicily. Desertions in some Sicilian the bloody Italian peninsula.”11 Even the surrender of 130,000 Italian coastal militia units and Italy’s final Montgomery grumbled at Allied soldiers in Sicily, many after offering surrender should not overshadow inability to prevent the German only token resistance, affirmed the fact that Italian soldiers, sailors, escape “when we had complete air German complaints.16 Germany’s and aircrew did much of the fighting and naval supremacy.”12 military leadership realized that and dying for the Axis in Sicily.18 Not surprisingly, German Italy would probably break in 1943, Allied units battled mixed Italian commanders who served on Sicily leaving German units trapped on and German formations until the last were the loudest advocates of this Italy’s islands and mainland. General week of the fighting. Italian numbers view. German accounts devalued Walter Warlimont, the deputy chief and firepower made the Axis defence the Allied final victory by insisting of the operations staff of the German possible. Only in August, after the that Sicily was impossible to high command (OKW), thought Allies unloaded and concentrated all defend in the face of overwhelming it best to abandon Sicily sooner available forces in northeast Sicily did Allied superiority. General Hans- rather than later. Hitler insisted field the Allies significantly outnumber Valentin Hube, the German ground commanders be prepared ultimately their opponents on the ground. commander on Sicily, considered to evacuate Sicily and indeed, most During the critical three weeks from his mission hopeless before it of Italy.17 Somehow Germany’s 15 July to 6 August, the Canadians even began.13 General Max Ulich, successful evacuation turned defeat fought their toughest actions against commander of the 29th Panzer in Sicily into a defensive victory. a staunch Axis defence between Grenadier Division, claimed that History’s preoccupation with Enna and Catania.
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