United States Army in World War II
Mediterranean Theater of Operations

Sicily and the Surrender of Italy

by
Albert N. Garland
and
Howard McGaw Smyth
Assisted by
Martin Blumenson

CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY
UNITED STATES ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1993

 

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. . . to Those Who Served

 

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UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR IIStetson Conn, General EditorAdvisory Committee
(As of 15 June 1963) 

Fred C. Cole Washington and Lee University	Maj. Gen. Hugh M. Exton U.S. Continental Army Command
William R. Emerson Yale University	Maj. Gen. Tom R. Stoughton Industrial College of the Armed Forces
Earl Pomeroy University of Oregon	Brig. Gen. Ward S. Ryan U.S. Army War College
Theodore Ropp Duke University	Col. Elias C. Townsend U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Bell I. Wiley Emory University	Col. Vincent J. Esposito United States Military Academy
C. Vann Woodward Yale University

Office of the Chief of Military History
Brig. Gen. Hal C. Pattison, Chief of Military History

Chief Historian	Stetson Conn
Acting Chief, Histories Division	Lt. Col. Paul W. Phillips
Chief, Editorial and Graphics Division	Lt. Col. James R. Hillard
Editor in Chief	Joseph R. Friedman

 

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Contents

 

Foreword			vii
The Authors			viii
Preface			ix
PART ONE Background and Plans
Chapter			Page
I.	Allied Strategy in the Mediterranean		1
		Casablanca: The Decision for Sicily	1
		TRIDENT: Beyond Sicily	12
		Algiers–And Italy?	23
		The Surrender Problem	25
II.	The Axis on the Defensive		27
		The Italo-German Alliance	27
		The Disintegration of Fascism	39
		The Allied Threat	44
III.	Preparations and Preliminaries		52
		The Beginnings	52
		The Plan	58
		Other Factors	63
IV.	The Axis Situation		69
		Pantelleria	69
		Growing German Strength	73
		The Defenses of Sicily	75
V.	Final Allied Preparations		88
		Missions and Forces	88
		Seventh Army Plans	96
		Naval and Air Plans	105
		The Final Days	108
PART TWO Operations and Negotiations
VI.	The Assault		115
		The Airborne Operations	115
		The Seaborne Operations	119
VII.	The First Day		147
		The Axis Reaction	147
		The Battle	150
		The Beaches	156
VIII.	The Axis Threat		163
IX.	Airborne Reinforcement		175
X.	The Beachhead Secure		185
		Straightening Out the Sag	185
		On to the YELLOW Line	189
XI.	Continuing the Campaign: The Decisions		202
		Sixth Army and OB SUED	202
		The Allied Problem: How to Continue	205
		Comando Supremo and OKW	211
XII.	Seventh Army Changes Directions		218
		The Eighth Army Attempt To Break Through	218
		The II Corps Front	219
		Agrigento	224
		Army Directive of 15 July 1943	230
		Discord and Harmony	234
XIII.	The Drive to the Climax		239
		The Feltre Conference	239
		Planning the Western Sweep	244
		The Pounce on Palermo	250
		Denouement	254
XIV.	The Climax		258
		Sardinia Versus the Mainland	258
		The Overthrow of Mussolini	263
		Allied Reaction	268
		Rome: Open City	278
XV.	Dissolution of the Rome-Berlin Axis		281
		Badoglio’s First Moves	281
		Friction Along the Alps	288
		The Italian Course is Changed	295
XVI.	The Drive to the East		300
		Developing an East Front	300
		Axis Reactions	306
		Nicosia	309
		Along the North Coast	316
XVII.	The Battle of Troina		324
XVIII.	Breaking the San Fratello Line		348
XIX.	Evacuation		368
		The Tarvis Conference	368
		The Italian Dilemma	371
		The Decision to Evacuate Sicily	374
		Allied Reaction	378
		The Evacuation Begins	382
XX.	Brolo		388
XXI.	The End of the Campaign		406
		The Race to Messina	406
		Conclusions	417
		Patton	425
PART THREE The Surrender
XXII.	The QUADRANT Conference and the Quebec Memorandum		435
		Strategic Issues at Quebec	435
		The Mission of General Castellano	440
		The Quebec Memorandum	446
		Approval of the Long Terms	448
XXIII.	The Surrender Preliminaries		451
		The Zanussi Mission	451
		Castellano at Lisbon	455
		Zanussi’s Negotiations in Lisbon and Algiers	461
		Thoughts in Rome	465
XXIV.	The Italian Decision		469
		ACHSE	469
		The Parleys at Cassibile	474
		The Decision at Rome	479
XXV.	The Armistice		482
		The Signature	482
		Planning GIANT II	485
		Second Thoughts in Rome	489
XXVI.	The Renunciation		497
		“Innocuous”	498
		The Announcement	505
XXVII.	The Surrender		510
		Badoglio’s Announcement	510
		Flight of the King and High Command	513
		Interpretations	519
XXVIII.	The Dissolution		522
		German Reaction	522
		The Battle for Rome	524
		Dissolution of the Italian Armed Forces	532
		Mussolini	536
XXIX.	The Second Capitulation		540
		Mission to Brindisi	540
		The Long Terms	543
		Malta	549
		Epilogue	552
Appendix
A.	Composition of American Forces		555
B.	The Quebec Memorandum		556
C.	Short (Military) Terms in General Eisenhower’s Possession on 6 August 1943		558
D.	Additional Conditions (Long Terms) Signed on 29 September 1943		559
Bibliographical Note
Glossary
Basic Military Map Symbols
Index

Maps
1.	British Eighth Army Operations, 10 July 1943	122
2.	The Seizure of Agrigento, 3d Infantry Division, 14-17 July 1943	227
3.	15th Army Group Front, 23 July 1943	305
4.	II Corps Advance, 24-31 July 1943	312
5.	The Capture of Troina, 1st Infantry Division, 1-6 August 1943	335
6.	The Fight for San Fratello, 3d Infantry Division, 8 August 1943	362
7.	15th Army Group Gains, 24 July-10 August 1943	381
8.	Brolo and the Naso Ridge, 3d Infantry Division, 11-12 August 1943	395
Maps I-IX are in accompanying map envelope
I.	Central Europe and the Mediterranean (National Geographic Society Map)
II.	The Battleground and the Enemy, 10 July 1943
III.	The Final Landing Plan
IV.	The Seventh Army Assault, 10 July 1943
V.	Counterattack at Gela, 11 July 1943
VI.	Seventh Army Advance, 11-12 July 1943
VII.	The Seventh Army Changes Direction, 13-18 July 1943
VIII.	The Seventh Army Clears Western Sicily, 19-23 July 1943
IX.	The Race to Messina, 13-17 August 1943
Illustrations
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill		9
Allied Leaders in the Sicilian Campaign		13
Churchill Addressing the U.S. Congress, May 1943		20
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini		28
King Victor Emmanuel III		30
Generale d’Armata Ugo Cavallero		31
Feldmarschall Albert Kesselring and General der Infanterie Enno von Rintelen with Prince Umberto Di Savoia		34
Generale d’Armata Vittorio Ambrosio		36
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Giacomo Carboni		37
Count Dino Grandi		40
Count Galeazzo Ciano		41
General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery and Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., in Sicily		55
Lt. Gen. Sir Miles C. Dempsey		62
Lt. Gen. Sir Oliver Leese		63
Pantelleria Under Attack		71
Generale di Corpo d’Armata Comandante Designato D’Armata Mario Roatta		77
Generale d’Armata Alfredo Guzzoni		77
Generalleutnant Eberhard Rodt		80
Feldmarschall Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen		80
Generalmajor Paul Conrath		80
Generalleutnant Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin		81
Col. Ernst Guenther Baade		81
General der Panzertruppen Hans Valentin Hube		81
Looking South From the Heights of Enna		85
Gela Beach		90
Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley and Maj. Gen. Terry de la Mesa Allen		93
Maj. Gen. Troy H. Middleton		94
Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway		94
Maj. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott, Jr		94
Maj. Gen. Manton S. Eddy		95
Maj. Gen. Hugh J. Gaffey		95
Lt. Col. William O. Darby, Leader of Force X		95
Ponton Causeway From an LST to Shore		104
Landing Craft Massed in Bizerte Harbor for the Invasion of Sicily		109
Paratroopers Preparing To Emplane for Sicily		116
Glider Casualty		116
Ponte Dirillo Crossing Site		118
USS Boise Bombarding Coastal Defenses in Gela Landing Area		121
Licata and Beach Areas to the East		124
The Right Flank Beach at Licata		126
Highway 115		127
A Shore-to-Shore LCT at Licata Beach		130
Army Donkeys Wading Ashore at Licata		130
Bringing Up Supplies by Cart at Licata Beach		132
Knocked-Out Italian Railway Battery on Licata Mole		132
Enemy Defense Positions Along Coast Road East of Licata		134
Road Junction Y		137
Italian Prisoners Taken at Gela on D-day		138
The Coast Line West of Scoglitti		140
Landing Heavy Equipment at Scoglitti		145
Looking Down the Niscemi Road to Piano Lupo		151
American Troops in Gela on D Plus 1		153
Paratroopers Moving in on the Ridge at Abbio Priolo		166
American Ships Under Air Attack		167
Col. James M. Gavin in Biazzo Ridge Area		169
Wrecked German Tanks Dot Gela Plain		171
The Robert Rowan Exploding Off the Coast at Gela		178
Airborne Reinforcements in a C-47 Heading for Sicily		180
Paratroop Reinforcements Moving Through Vittoria		183
Ponte Olivo Airfield		186
Tank-Mounted Troops Rolling Through Palma		193
Canicatti Under Artillery Fire		198
Butera		221
Agrigento and the Surrounding High Ground		225
A Dukw Hauling Supplies in Porto Empedocle		229
Signal Corps Troops in Caltanissetta		234
Caltanissetta, Southwest Corner of the Enna Loop		247
General Ridgway and Staff Near Ribera		250
Mortar Squad Preparing To Attack Santo Stefano		251
The 2d Armored Division Rolls Into Palermo		252
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes and Italian Generale di Brigata Giuseppe Molinero After Surrender of Palermo		253
Maresciallo d’Italia Pietro Badoglio		264
Southern Approach to Enna		302
Leonforte		303
Caronia Valley		310
Gangi, With Mount Etna in Distance		311
Coast Road Patrol Passing the Bombed-Out Castelbuono Railroad Station, 24 July 1943		316
Demolished Bridge Along Highway 117		322
Troina Ridge From the High Ground Near Cerami		326
Looking West From the Town of Troina		327
Goumiers Moving Toward Capizzi		330
Forward Observation Post Directing Fire on Troina		332
Artillery in Position Near Cerami		332
Half-Track Squeezing Through a Narrow Street in Cerami		334
Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner and General Allen, 8 August 1943		346
Provisional Pack Train and Mounted Troops		349
Enemy Field of Fire Over Furiano River Crossing Site From San Fratello Ridge		350
Looking South Over the Furiano River Valley		351
Looking North Over the San Fratello–Cesaró Road		354
Highway 113		355
San Fratello Ridge		356
Sant’Agata From the Seaward Side of San Fratello Ridge		364
Treating a Wounded Soldier		366
San Marco D’Alunzio		367
Axis Second Echelon Leaders at Tarvis		370
Smoke Pall Covers Parts of Messina After Bombing Attack		377
Randazzo From the Southern Approach		383
Destroyed Bridge Along Highway 116		384
Americans and British Meet at Randazzo		386
Pillbox Overlooking Highway 113		390
Cape Orlando		391
Brolo Beach From the East		392
Enemy View of Landing Area at Brolo		394
Setting a Machine Gun Position on Monte Cipolla		397
Lt. Col. Lyle A. Bernard and His Radioman in Command Post Atop Monte Cipolla		400
The Objective, Messina		407
Troops Moving Around Blown-Out Section of Cliffside Road		408
The Bridge That Was “Hung in the Sky”		409
General Dwight D . Eisenhower and General Montgomery Observing the Effect of Artillery Fire on the Italian Mainland		415
Secret Emissaries to Lisbon		456
The Tiber River at Fumicino		487
The “Rescue” of Mussolini		538
Signing Surrender Document Aboard H.M.S. Nelson