| Lieutenant Colonel Lyle Bernard, Colorado, 30th Infantry Regiment, a prominent figure in the 2nd daring amphibious landing behind enemy lines on Sicily’s north coast, discusses military strategy with Lieutenant General George S. Patton. Near Brolo. Lieutenant General George S. Patton (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) Commander, 7th Army, ordered the move of Lieutenant Colonel Lyle W. Bernard’s (February 6, 1910 – May 5, 1990) 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry by sea, together with tanks and artillery and other supporting elements. It was a successful example of a maneuver known to the Americans as an “end run.” The term comes from American football, where players from the attacking team run around the end of their opposition’s line, as indeed was the intention here. With firm defenses and difficult country facing them, United States Army Major General Lucian K. Truscott Junior’s (January 9, 1895 – September 12, 1965) 3rd Infantry Division loaded the aforementioned units into 10 landing craft of various types, sailed eastwards along the coast to a point 7 miles (11 kilometers) behind enemy lines, and disembarked with the mission of fighting inland to cut the highway and isolate the defenders. 5 hours after coming ashore early on the morning of August 8, 1943, they blocked the road and by noon, Sant’Agata was in American hands. 250 Nazi German soldaten were killed, another 100 captured, and 4 panzers were destroyed. Disorganized by this move and under pressure at San Fratello, the Germans fell back from their advanced positions. As they withdrew an American destroyer scored a lucky hit when 1 of its shells detonated the explosives that they had laid under a road bridge. As the Germans had laid mines around the river bed to prevent the bridge being by-passed, they were now faced with the problem of clearing them so that they could make good their escape. The traffic jam that built up while this was being done was hit by the pursuing Americans, contributing to their “bag” of prisoners of war. Task Force “Bernard” was called upon to repeat its amphibious outflanking operation on August 11, this time to cut the highway at Brolo, halfway between Cape Orlando and Cape Calva, 15 miles (24 kilometers) behind the German lines. Truscott’s division had continued its march with the other 2 battalions of 30th Infantry on the coast road while 7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division had swung inland. As with the previous landing, Bernard’s men landed without opposition at 0243 Hours, the entire force being safely ashore by 0400 Hours. The place selected for the landing, however, had been picked from aerial photographs and proved to be without beach exits. The only way inland for vehicles was to drive through a lemon grove which had several ditches running across it, then under bridges at either end of the beach, and up a steep embankment. The American infantrymen reached the highway by 0345 Hours and allowed an enemy vehicle to pass by unhindered to maintain secrecy. 5 minutes later a motorcyclist came down the road and was shot dead, and then a car was destroyed with a bazooka. The Germans were now thoroughly alerted by the racket and commenced firing at the invaders with machine guns. Their tracer gave their positions away, and 4 were silenced by riflemen who hauled themselves up the slopes by clinging to bushes. By 0530 Hours, GIs were atop Monte Creole which dominated the town, and within an hour all units were in their assigned positions. From now on, however, anyone attempting to get to the mountain crest came under fire from enemy machine guns and 2 centimeter (.78 caliber) Flakvierling 38 guns. About 15 men were killed trying to take messages or equipment to those on the summit. Down in the lemon grove, a battery of armored field artillery fired on Brolo, while a 2nd battery engaged opportunity targets to the west. The gun positions were dominated by high ground to their west, and the enemy were nearby in the east; the gunners were also hampered by a dearth of observation posts from which to direct fire on close-in targets. Nevertheless, they were able to give effective supporting fire until they were destroyed during the afternoon. The tanks, too, were severely hampered by the ditches in the grove and by a stone wall bordering the road, which reduced their maneuverability and reduced their function to being no more than static gun positions. By 0700 Hours, the Nazi German soldaten were beginning to reconnoitre the American positions. A motorized patrol came down the road from Naso, on the inland road to the southwest of Brolo, suffering their 1st 2 vehicles being set alight by rocket and machine gun fire. A dismounted group of about 30 Germans then began working its way down a riverbed. It was allowed to get to within 700 yards before it was decimated by machine gun fire from the summit of Monte Creole. The last incursion was made by a company-sized group which marched down the Naso River, only to be pinned down by machine gun and 60 millimeter (2.36 inch) mortar rounds. The situation fell quiet for the night. The next morning the enemy preparations to remove the Task Force were well in hand. A number of German vehicles which had attempted to move down the coast from the west had been stopped by naval gunfire, and an attack was in the offing from the direction of Brolo, where at least 2 companies of infantry had arrived in personnel carriers, and several tanks had been seen entering the town. In the woods east of Brolo, groups of the enemy could also be seen. For the Americans, a lack of mortar bombs was beginning to cause concern. Of the 16 mules which had come ashore to transport ammunition, only 2 had survived when they had come under machine-gun fire as they were led up the hill. These 2 reached the top late in the afternoon, and attempts to bring ammunition up by manpack on the exposed slopes were of little success because of the distance and the losses inflicted by the enemy. Shortly after midday the American artillery and mortars were brought to bear on Brolo, and heavy naval gunfire to the west of the town came from the cruiser USS Philadelphia (CL-41) with 2 escorting destroyers. An hour later air strikes bombed the roads and assembly areas east of Brolo. While this onslaught appeared to have halted any attempt to mount an attack from that direction, 3 Mark IV panzers remained in the town, and at 1500 hours, they moved across the bridge over the Brolo River. The artillery was unable to engage them because of the high wall at this point, and the tanks managed to get into the American gun positions and to destroy 2 guns and 2 ammunition half-tracks. 1 of the panzers was put out of action during this attack, but the other 2 escaped. On top of Monte Creole, the Germans brought down a heavy artillery barrage which caused several casualties. Tracer had set the undergrowth alight on the northern slopes, which burned through telephone lines that had been laid by the Americans, a loss which was difficult to replace, again because of the casualties inflicted on those who attempted repairs. The broken lines and poor radio links made it impossible to request gunfire support from the United States Navy, which was urgently needed to forestall an enemy attack; indeed, the United States Navy reported receiving few requests for support – it is easy to understand why, when communications were cut. An attempt to move the artillery to a better position to fire onto the enemy resulted in the gun positions being revealed, and the Germans were quick to bring up tanks which destroyed 3 guns. Machine gun and mortar ammunition was now being conserved to be used only in an emergency, and a requested air strike had failed to materialize. The American artillery was now reduced to a single gun from 1 battery and 4 from the other. These were of use for only a little longer, however, for when the air strike eventually arrived at around 1630 Hours, it succeeded in destroying 4 guns and bombing the battalion’s command post rather than bombing the enemy. The infantry that were not on the mountainside were now under fire from their rear, being attacked by the enemy in front, and disoriented by 2 ammunition half-tracks which were afire and with ammunition exploding. They were ordered into the hills to establish a defensive position, the remaining mortar bombs being fired to give them cover as they moved. Now the United States Navy returned to the battle, summonsed by a short, urgent message which somehow got through. The ships were unable to give their full attention to their task of supporting the ground forces, however: USS Philadelphia and her escort were firing onto the enemy positions when 8 Focke-Wulf FW-190s arrived and attacked them. After a half-hour fight between ships and aircraft, 7 of the enemy planes were downed. Now came a message of hope. An unknown source radioed through to say that the 7th Infantry was on its way, and was just beyond Naso. It was a question of holding out until they arrived – the 1st sight of friendly forces was at 0600 hours the next morning; 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry made contact at 0830 Hours, passed through and resumed the advance eastwards. The encounter had cost the Germans an estimated a 100 dead and 12 captured; the Americans lost 4 officers and 37 men killed, 3 officers and 75 wounded, and 58 missing. 7 105 millimeter (4.1 inch) self-propelled guns were destroyed, 1 disabled; 2 half-tracks destroyed and 14 mules killed. The Germans, once again, were not going easily – the net effect of the operation had been make them abandon Cape Orlando a day earlier than they had planned, and none of their troops were trapped by the landing. While 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry was engaged in its end-run, the 7th Infantry had progressed alongside Highway 113 with the remaining 2 battalions of the 30th following. The 15th Infantry had moved across country further south. On arriving at the Di Zappula River, 7th Infantry ran into heavy resistance, including generously laid mines in the riverbed which inflicted several casualties as the unit crossed. On the far bank 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry was counterattacked and forced to fall back after a 5-hour battle; 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry resumed the advance the night of August 11, and established itself on a hill on the eastern side of the river. To the south 15th Infantry was experiencing similar problems: a determined enemy making full use of the natural advantages of the ground. The 2 regiments inched their way forward, taking the village of Naso and moving into the area around Castel Umberto; enemy resistance now became weaker and progress became steadier. The 1st took Cape Orlando, and on hearing of the difficulties 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry was in ahead of them started a speed march, reaching their sister battalion at Monte Creole. The units fighting towards Brolo also took losses. An approximate casualty return for the 7th Infantry gave 15 officers and 400 men killed, wounded and missing for the period August 7-12. The 15th Infantry was believed to have similar casualty numbers. Throughout the Allied movements across Sicily, the engineers of both 8th and 7th Armies had been kept busy repairing and constructing roads, bridges and other facilities, such as the ports. On Highway 113 and the routes eastwards to Messina they were constantly employed: as 15th Infantry advanced along the highway on August 4, the 10th Engineer Battalion was sent to build a road into the mountains to the right so that artillery could be moved to support the operation. 2 platoons of engineers had landed with Bernard’s force on both of the landings, providing repair, clearing and construction facilities. But perhaps the most spectacular feat the engineers achieved was a few miles east of Brolo, near Cape Calava. Here the Germans had demolished a 150 foot length of Highway 113 where it ran along the cliffs 300 feet above the sea. Truscott gave the 10th Engineers until noon on August 14 to bridge the gap, a period of 24 hours. 2/3 of the breach was closed by grading, but the remaining length had to be bridged, and without the use of Bailey Bridges, which were unavailable. With only 1 platoon able to work at a time because of the lack of space, the engineers built a bridge by daybreak, 18 hours after starting work, and Truscott led the way across it in his jeep. By midday trucks were crossing in safety. The advance towards Messina, although slowed, was not halted by the blown road. A considerable amount of heavy equipment, including tanks and guns, was ferried around Cape Calava in landing craft while the engineers constructed the bridge. A 3rd “end run” was ordered by Patton for August 15. This time the 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division, with an accompanying field artillery battalion, were loaded into ships at Termini Imerese with Bivio Salica as the designated landing site, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Messina. Either Patton did not know or did not care that Truscott’s men had already passed this point, and the landing craft were met by friendly faces. The incident was not without tragedy, however, for 16 men – all heavily laden with arms and equipment – drowned when their LCVP threw them into the sea when a davit broke on the mothership. The drive of 3rd Infantry Division continued. Patti fell, then Cape Tindari and Oliveri. Enemy resistance was light, and by August 15, 7th Infantry was in Barcellona. By that evening they were in Spadafora, only 10 miles or so from Messina. The enemy had abandoned strong defensive positions at Milazzo, leaving coastal batteries, ammunition dumps and large numbers of vehicles, but at Spadafora they had engaged the Americans in street fighting before withdrawing. The next day, August 16, 1943, found the division on high ground overlooking Messina. It was the last day of enemy resistance in Sicily. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0633.jpg |
| Image Size | 981.15 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2759 x 2898 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 15, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Brolo |
| State or Province | Sicily |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-246532 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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