Sicily: invasion going to plan on 100 mile-front
Title
Sicily: invasion going to plan on 100 mile-front
Description
Article headlines: Sicily invasion going to plan on 100-mile front, dawn attack success of all landings by 6 am, troops advancing by 7.30 am, allied navies pour men and supplies onto island. Sub-headlines: 1000 planes support sea attack, Eisenhower sees air armada leave, watching the charts Mr Roosevelt sends message to Pope. Account of landings noting that Royal and United States navies as well as units from Indian, Dutch, Polish and Greek navies involved. Mentions air involvement.
Date
1943-07-11
Temporal Coverage
Language
Type
Format
One newspaper cutting mounted on a scrapbook page
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
SValentineJRM1251404v10075
Transcription
THE OBSERVER, SUNDAY, JULY 11, 1943
Sicily: Invasion Going to Plan on 100-Mile Front
Dawn Attack: Success of All Landings by 6 a.m.
Troops Advancing by 7.30 a.m.
Allied Navies Pour Men & Supplies into Island
A communiqué from Allied Force Headquarters broadcast by Algiers Radio last night said:-
“In spite of unfavourable weather and a swell off the Sicilian Channel, the Allied landing in Sicily started before dawn and is proceeding according to plan.
“Many beaches and landing places used for these first assaults extended over about 100 miles.
“By about 6 a.m. this morning under heavy fire from a covering force of cruisers and destroyers and gunboats and other naval units enemy opposition had been countered and the success of our landing was already assured.
“By about 7.30 a.m. our troops were advancing and our artillery was being put ashore. Fighting continues, and more troops with their guns, vehicles, stores and equipment are being landed by the Royal and U.S. Navies.
“Units from the Royal Indian, and the Dutch, Polish and Greek Navies are participating in the naval operations.”
An Allied Force Headquarters Air communiqué broadcast by Algiers Radio stated, “In addition to attacking the few aerodromes still being used by the enemy, our heavy, medium, and fighter bombers attacked roads and communications throughout Sicily. Air operations are proceeding according to plan.”
Unofficial reports reaching Washington stated that in spite of strong Axis counter-attacks the Allied landings in Sicily were being consolidated.
1,000 Planes Support Sea Attack on Defences
[missing words]
Eisenhower Sees the Air Armada Leave
ALLIED H.Q., NORTH AFRICA, Saturday
AS the Allied invasion fleet approached Sicily last night, General Eisenhower, Allied Commander-in-Chief, gave seven old coins, including a gold English five-guinea piece, which he always carries in his pocket, a rub for luck.
In the early hours of this morning the General heard that the landing had been made and everything was going according to plan. He had spent all night at Headquarters, except for one brief period, when he drove out to the coast with a small party of his staff to watch the Allied Air Fleet leaving.
Climbing out of his car, he stood in the moonlight with hand raised to salute as the flying armada went off. The period of waiting between the planning of the assault and its coming into being was over.
Watching the Charts
Returning to his headquarters, General Eisenhower went at once to the naval section, where he joined his staff in following closely the movement of the operations on charts. He then spent some time in the Fighter Command room, from which the “air umbrella” covered operations are controlled. At 1.30 apparently satisfied with the progress of the operations, he went to bed.
On a small truckle bed in a room next to his War Room he slept soundly for three hours until awakened at 4.30 by his aide, who informed him that assault troops had landed and everything was going according to plan.
The Royal Navy served the general with a cup of hot tea, and he then returned to the War Room, where reports were now coming in regularly.
He remained there until he heard the B.B.C. broadcast his message telling the people of France that this was the first stage of the invasion of the European Continent, which would be followed by others.
He then left the War Room – but only for a change of clothes. He returned within a short period to follow, with his commanders, the progress of operations. – Reuter.
Sicily: Invasion Going to Plan on 100-Mile Front
Dawn Attack: Success of All Landings by 6 a.m.
Troops Advancing by 7.30 a.m.
Allied Navies Pour Men & Supplies into Island
A communiqué from Allied Force Headquarters broadcast by Algiers Radio last night said:-
“In spite of unfavourable weather and a swell off the Sicilian Channel, the Allied landing in Sicily started before dawn and is proceeding according to plan.
“Many beaches and landing places used for these first assaults extended over about 100 miles.
“By about 6 a.m. this morning under heavy fire from a covering force of cruisers and destroyers and gunboats and other naval units enemy opposition had been countered and the success of our landing was already assured.
“By about 7.30 a.m. our troops were advancing and our artillery was being put ashore. Fighting continues, and more troops with their guns, vehicles, stores and equipment are being landed by the Royal and U.S. Navies.
“Units from the Royal Indian, and the Dutch, Polish and Greek Navies are participating in the naval operations.”
An Allied Force Headquarters Air communiqué broadcast by Algiers Radio stated, “In addition to attacking the few aerodromes still being used by the enemy, our heavy, medium, and fighter bombers attacked roads and communications throughout Sicily. Air operations are proceeding according to plan.”
Unofficial reports reaching Washington stated that in spite of strong Axis counter-attacks the Allied landings in Sicily were being consolidated.
1,000 Planes Support Sea Attack on Defences
[missing words]
Eisenhower Sees the Air Armada Leave
ALLIED H.Q., NORTH AFRICA, Saturday
AS the Allied invasion fleet approached Sicily last night, General Eisenhower, Allied Commander-in-Chief, gave seven old coins, including a gold English five-guinea piece, which he always carries in his pocket, a rub for luck.
In the early hours of this morning the General heard that the landing had been made and everything was going according to plan. He had spent all night at Headquarters, except for one brief period, when he drove out to the coast with a small party of his staff to watch the Allied Air Fleet leaving.
Climbing out of his car, he stood in the moonlight with hand raised to salute as the flying armada went off. The period of waiting between the planning of the assault and its coming into being was over.
Watching the Charts
Returning to his headquarters, General Eisenhower went at once to the naval section, where he joined his staff in following closely the movement of the operations on charts. He then spent some time in the Fighter Command room, from which the “air umbrella” covered operations are controlled. At 1.30 apparently satisfied with the progress of the operations, he went to bed.
On a small truckle bed in a room next to his War Room he slept soundly for three hours until awakened at 4.30 by his aide, who informed him that assault troops had landed and everything was going according to plan.
The Royal Navy served the general with a cup of hot tea, and he then returned to the War Room, where reports were now coming in regularly.
He remained there until he heard the B.B.C. broadcast his message telling the people of France that this was the first stage of the invasion of the European Continent, which would be followed by others.
He then left the War Room – but only for a change of clothes. He returned within a short period to follow, with his commanders, the progress of operations. – Reuter.
Citation
“Sicily: invasion going to plan on 100 mile-front,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed December 11, 2023, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/22056.
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