| On July 13, 1943, the United States Army’s 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment moved out in the attack, spearheading the 82nd Airborne Division’s drive northwest a 150 miles along the southern coast of Sicily. With captured Italian light tanks, trucks, motorcycles, horses, mules, bicycles, and even wheelbarrows pressed into service, the 82nd encountered only light resistance and took 22,000 prisoners in their 1st contact with Nazi and Fascist forces. Overall, the Sicilian operation proved costly both in lives and equipment, but the unit gained valuable fighting experience and managed to hurt the enemy in the process. It was with this experience and esprit de corps that the 504th returned to its base in Kairouan, Tunisia, to prepare for the invasion of mainland Italy. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0343.jpg |
| Image Size | 261.40 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 949 x 1363 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 13, 1943 |
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| State or Province | Sicily |
| Country | Italy |
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| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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