| United States 7th Army M4A1 Sherman tanks raise dust on their way to Palermo, rolling past an abandoned Italian Obice da 149/19 150 millimeter (5.8 inch) modello 37 heavy howitzer. The Italians had little stomach for the fight, leaving much of the defense of Sicily to the Germans. The invasion commenced just after midnight on July 10, 1943. As the only United States Army Armored Division in the invasion, the 2nd Armored was split between 2 of the 3-7th Army task forces. On the left, Combat Command A (CCA) accompanied the 3rd Infantry Division, now led by Major General Lucian Truscott (January 9, 1895 – September 12, 1965) in landings at Licata, the whole known as Joss Force. The bulk of the division was employed as a floating reserve to support the central invasion around Gela. The 3rd task force, closest to the British, was targeted on the village of Scoglitti. The 2nd Armored Division jumped off from Castelvetrano at 0600 Hours on July 22 for the advance to Palermo with CCA leading. CCA continued north with the main road Camporeale – San Giuseppe – Monreale as its axis of advance. It met only sporadic resistance until it reached the hill mass and pass about 4 miles north= east of San Giuseppe, Here it met determined resistance from well emplaced antitank guns, including German 163 millimeter anti-tank guns, organized in depth and covering the roads through the narrow defiles. This resistance was overcome by dismounted patrols supported by artillery fire, and was effective only in that it delayed the column for about 2 hours. CCA continued to advance toward Palermo, and at 1830 hours sent its 1st patrol into the city. By mistake CCA had crossed the Corps restraining line and entered the city. When this became known, it withdrew behind this line until entrance was authorized by Corps. The remainder of the division, less CCB, moved into an assembly area in preparation for a coordinated attack on the city, but as no resistance materialized no attack was made. Meanwhile, the patrol, of CCA, that had entered the city captured the Italian Major General Giuseppe Molinero (July 26, 1884 – ????), who surrendered all military and naval forces in the Palermo area to the Commanding Major General Geoffrey Keyes, of the Provisional Corps, at 1924 Hours on July 22, 1943. The division Reconnaissance Battalion patrolled the city throughout the night and on July 23, CCA moved into an assigned sector of the city with the mission of policing and clearing it of prisoners of war. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1844.jpg |
| Image Size | 289.31 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1620 x 1073 |
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| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | July 1, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Palermo |
| State or Province | Sicily |
| Country | Italy |
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| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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