| Original caption: “Sergeant Norwood Dorman, Benson, North Carolina, stops to rest at the memorial to the Italian soldier of World War I.” Original caption: “Boots, Boots – Before a memorial to Italy’s World War I soldiers, a soldier of World War II rests his weary feet. Sergeant Norwood Dorman, Benson, North Carolina, is the 1943 infantryman, footsore and dusty after “marching up and down again” to Brolo, Sicily.” An American GI mimics the pose of an Italian World War I soldier statue at the Monumento ai Caduti nella Grande Guerra di Brolo (“Monument in Brolo to the Fallen of the Great War”). The monument, made of concrete and white Carrara marble, was erected by the municipality of Brolo in 1931. Designed by Michele Amoroso (1882-1970), the monument features a depiction of Aquila, a fascist symbol representing the greatness of the Italian Empire, and the coat of arms of the House of Savoy, the family of Italian Kings. Sergeant Norwood Dorman (April 21, 1918 – January 10, 2009), E Company, 36 Field Artillery, enlisted on November 29, 1939. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Good Conduct Medal for his duty in the Western European, African, and Middle Eastern theaters, and later the Tunisian, Sicilian, and Italian campaigns. While recovering from malaria in England, he learned clock and watch repair. He was honorably discharged on November 2, 1944. The 36th Field Artillery Regiment, equipped with the 155 millimeter (6.1 inch) “Long Tom” gun, was the 1st unit to employ this weapon on December 24, 1942, 2 weeks after landing in Oran, Algeria. During Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, the unit’s 2 battalions operated independently, supporting 2 different divisions. Later, it opened fire on Italy in August 1943, becoming the 1st American unit to fire on mainland Europe. A 3rd amphibious operation took place 25 miles (40 kilometers) further east at Brolo and was the subject of bitter American controversy. After being forced from the San Fratello Line, 29.Panzergrenadier-Division established new defences along the Zappula River in the Cape Orlando peninsula. By this time, Lieutenant General George S. Patton (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was showing increasing signs of frustration at what he considered a sluggish advance by II Corps and kept up constant pressure on his subordinate commanders to win the race for Messina. The prospect of another debilitating and costly San Fratello battle led Patton on August 10, 1943, to summon Lieutenant General Omar Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 9, 1981) and order Lieutenant Colonel Lyle W. Bernard’s (February 6, 1910 – May 5, 1990) task force to land at Brolo the following morning. The operation was planned in conjunction with a flank attack against the main German positions around the village of Naso. Originally scheduled for August 10, the landing was delayed when a Luftwaffe air attack sank 1 of the LSTs. “Now Patton was in no mood for another postponement, and he left no doubt in Bradley’s mind of this fact.” Patton called Bradley to state that the operation would go in as scheduled, and he accepted full responsibility for failure. He then strode from Lucian K. Truscott’s (January 9, 1895 – September 12, 1965) Command Post and was not seen again during the battle for Brolo. “I am not going to the front today,” he wrote, “as I feel it would show a lack of confidence in Truscott, and it is necessary to maintain the self-respect of generals in order to get the best out of them. Nor did Patton have more than momentary regrets over the incident with Truscott: I may have been bull-headed, but I truly feel that I did my exact and full duty.” LSTs landed Bernard’s 650 soldiers undetected in the early morning hours of a day that Truscott said “I will never forget.” As the American force was crossing Route 113, a chance encounter with a passing German half-track led to the detection of the landing and a swift and violent German reaction to this grave threat to their rear. Bernard’s objective was nearby Mount Cipolla, which overlooked Brolo and controlled the coastal highway from Cape Orlando to Brolo, where it paralleled a 4-mile strip of coastal plain. The Americans found no enemy forces on Mount Cipolla, but by mid-morning, they were beating off the 1st of many counterattacks. By noon, with the nearest 3d Division unit still some miles away, the situation quickly became extremely grave. As Truscott restlessly prowled the front, urging his troops to break through to Bernard, a steady stream of messages arrived pleading for air and naval support. The Navy, believing its job done, had returned to Palermo only to be urgently recalled to help break up the German counterattacks. At 1340 came this message: “Enemy counterattacking fiercely. Do something.” The naval task force arrived off Brolo at 1400 Hours and delivered welcome supporting fire. The Gls ashore began to cheer. 1 said, “The goddam Navy. The good old Navy. Jesus, there ain’t nothin’ like Navy guns.” Again, the navy left, but the ships were recalled twice more to help break up counterattacks. In late afternoon, a furious air-sea battle erupted when 8 Focke-Wulf Fw-190s attacked the fleet, and all but 1 were shot down. Less helpful was the United States Army Air Force (USAAF), whose errant bombs knocked out the Battalion Command Post and 4 artillery pieces. Throughout the afternoon of August 11, an air of desperation prevailed as the 3rd Infantry Division fought to relieve its beleaguered comrades. They were unsuccessful on August 11, and all Truscott could do was to employ his attached 155 millimter “Long Toms” which fired at their maximum 26,000-yard (24,000 meters) range, just barely able to reach Brolo. The landings had imperilled 29.Panzergrenadier-Division’s escape route, but in spite of heavy American artillery fire, Wehrmacht Generallmajor Walter Fries (April 22, 1894 – August 6, 1982) was able to launch 1 attack after another against Task Force Bernard, which lacked the strength to prevent a successful German withdrawal. When contact was finally established early the next morning with their sister ist Battalion, the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division was long gone. Losses on both sides were heavy. Task Force Bernard lost 171 men, along with most of its supporting tanks and artillery, while German losses were equally severe. 1 of the 1st to greet Bernard when he descended from the mountain was Truscott, “Thank God, Bernard, for I am certainly glad to see you.” Bernard’s reply was a heartfelt “General, you just don’t know how glad I am to see you.” What did the Brolo operation accomplish? According to the official historians, very little except for compelling Fries to abandon the Naso positions a full day ahead of the German timetable. A larger, regimental combat-team-sized force would undoubtedly have succeeded in trapping 29.Panzergrenadier-Division at Brolo, thus collapsing the northern anchor of Hube’s defences. The effects on other German units would have been equally calamitous, particularly to Rodt’s 15.Panzergrenadier-Division, whose escape route into Messina would have been severed, and the unsatisfactory ending to the Sicily campaign might have been averted? There was considerable bitterness against Patton in Il Corps. Bradley was furious and later wrote that Patton’s decision had left him “more exasperated than I have ever been,” but “as a subordinate commander of Patton’s, I had no alternative but to comply with his orders.” Equally unimpressed by the Brolo landings was the Kommandant of Deutsches Marinekommando Italien, Konteradmiral Friedrich O. Ruge (December 24, 1894 – July 3, 1985). He was unable to understand why the Allies, with their overwhelming sea power, had not done this sort of thing earlier, more often, and on a bigger scale. Despite the heavy losses and the acrimony over Patton’s refusal to agree to further delay, the real mistake at Brolo was not his decision but his failure to perceive that a larger, more coordinated operation would have garnered a prize worthy of the effort. Nor was Brolo the last American amphibious operation. Several days later, Patton had formed another task force, this time utilizing the 157th Regimental Combat Team of the 45th Infantry Division, which was to land on the beaches east of Cape Milazzo. Truscott protested to Major General Geoffrey Keyes (October 30, 1888 – September 17, 1967), commanding the Provisional Corps, this time for the simple reason that the 3rd Division had already advanced beyond the landing site. Photographer United States Army Lieutenant Robert J. Longini (June 28, 1915 – July 16, 1962), 163rd Signal Photo Company, was born and educated in Chicago. He became interested in photography at the age of 11 and worked as a documentary filmmaker and photographer all his life. Longini served in North Africa and Italy; he was the official Army photographer at the Casablanca Conference and also the cameraman for the Army documentary The Battle of San Pietro. Longini also taught Illinois Institute of Technology. Ordained as a reverend, Dorman served as a minister for approximately 5 years each at 4 churches in Wake, Johnston, and Harnett Counties, North Carolina. He opened the 1st jewelry and watch repair shop, “Dorman’s Locksmiths,” in Angier. The Monumento ai Caduti nella Grande Guerra di Brolo was restored in 2007 and 2021. The Mannlicher-Carano rifle and the soldier’s bayonet were removed at some point in the past decades, and have disappeared. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0994.jpg |
| Image Size | 971.10 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2904 x 2333 |
| Photographer | Robert J. Longini |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 14, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Brolo |
| State or Province | Sicily |
| Country | Italy |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-179879 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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