22-31 July 1943 - In Sicily
Landings on Sicily. Note the 45th Infantry assigned to the beaches at Scoglitti. (1)
Letters postmarked 22-31 July. Full Letters can be seen Here.
On the morning of 10 July 1943, over 150,000 troops from more than 3,000 ships landed on the shores of Sicily. For the 45th Infantry Division, this was their baptism of fire. However, it wasn’t a severe baptism, as the island was lightly guarded thanks to the British deception campaign known as Operation Mincemeat. Conducted in May of 1943, the operation involved planting falsified documents on a corpse disguised as a British officer, which was then set adrift off the coast of Spain. The documents suggested that the Allies intended to invade Greece and Sardinia rather than the actual target, Sicily. The Germans intercepted the documents and redirected their forces, convinced of their authenticity, leaving only two divisions of Germans and some Italian units behind.
Because resistance was light, the Allies were able to roll through Sicily quickly, something Dean references in the second letter he was able to send home after the invasion, postmarked 25 July 1943. He says, “we have been on the run for days, in the right direction however.” He had been able to send a letter just a few days earlier, on the 22nd, just letting Aileen know that he was ok, the fellows were ok, and that he hoped “this thing is over soon so I can be home with you.”
Charlie Battery, 189th Field Artillery Battalion, had been quite busy supporting the infantry as they achieved their targets of Biscari and Biscari air field only three days after the initial invasion. As they moved Northwest through Sicily, they came under fire from snipers and machine guns. Initially, the battalion returned fire with anti-take guns and vehicle-mounted machine gun fire, but this was not enough. A crew of C Battery dropped their howitzer and “fired a round of HE [High Explosive] directly at the hostile emplacements only 300 yards distant. The enemy firing was silenced, definitely!” (2) The threat to the battalion convoy was eliminated.
Map of Sicily showing the movements of the 189th Field Artillery Battalion in July 1943 (3)
By 22 July 1943 the unit was in position near Roccapalumba, Sicily, where the unit got news that Palermo, Sicily’s largest city had been taken by the 3rd Infantry Division. This raised the already high morale of the unit. 25 July 1943 found the 189th FA BN moving to Cefalu, along Sicily’s Northern Coast line. Here Dean writes that he needs a haircut and bath, other than that he is fine, though not getting much sleep! He tells Aileen “This country is full of wine but I never touch it. Very few of the fellows do either.” He also tells her to “call Harry Huston and tell him that the outfit is operating just like we always thought it would.” Harry Huston had been the Charlie Battery Commander prior to the war, and one can hear the pride in Dean’s voice in how his unit is performing under fire. We get a hint of the dangers Dean must have faced when he writes “My driver and myself have been in a few tight places with a plenty excitement.”
After Cefalu, on 30 July 1943 the unit was moved east, with all four battalions of the 45th Division Artillery teaming up with a Navy Destroyer at anchor offshore to “cut loose at the command of Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr., Commanding General of the 7th Army, on one area reported to contain heavy concentration of German troops and materials. The results of this bombardment were catastrophic to the enemy, causing them great loss in equipment and casualties.” (4)
The next day, the 189th was returned to bivouac west of Cefalu to rest. Over the previous twenty-one days of combat, the battalion had fired 1,803 rounds of ammunition. (5) Dean took the opportunity to write to Aileen, telling her about the weather that it is “nice and sunny here where we are in the daytime and cool at nite.” He wishes he could tell her more, “but the censor would have to cut them out.” He had to keep it short as he was off to an officers meeting but “Please remember that I love you and Dona Lu and I’m living until the day I can be with you again.”
1) “Operation Husky Landings,” U.S. Army Center of Military History, Last modified May 28, 2024, https://www.history.army.mil/brochures/72-16/map1.JPG.
2) 189th Field Artillery Battalion History, July 1943, World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948, Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, Record Group 407, National Archives at College Park, MD.
3) Elizabeth Mesa, July Movements of the 189th Field Artillery Battalion, 6 June 2024.
4) 189th Field Artillery Battalion History, July 1943.
5) 189th Field Artillery Battalion History, July 1943.