50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division - Battle of Sicily

Battle of Sicily

After Tunisia, the Division was involved in the Sicily landings of 1943. Eighth Army was to operate in the eastern sector, and had as its objectives the port of Syracuse and the airfield at Pachino. Its XIII Corps, (which included 50th (Northumbrian) Division), was to land south of Cap Murro Di Porco with 5th Division on a two-brigade front,and the 50th (Northumbrian) Division on a one-brigade front. XIII Corps, was to move on to the port and airfield at Augusta, then to the airfields at Catania and Gerbini. When it landed at Avola there objective was the hills above the landing beaches. The 168th (London) Infantry Brigade was attached from the 56th Infantry Division during this campaign. The British 151st Infantry Brigade was ordered to advance towards Primosole Bridge. The order was for the 9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry, to lead the way to the Simeto River on which the Primosole Bridge stood. Primosole Bridge was a key bridge on the Sicilian coast near Mount Etna which the British required intact to continue their drive along the coast. As part of the overall plan 3 British Commando battalion were to capture the Ponti di Malati, another bridge just north of Lentini, to enable the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and 4th Armoured Brigade to sweep north over both bridges and then on to Catania. 1st and 2nd Parachute Regiment took the southern approaches, but 3rd Para lacked the numbers to secure the northern approach. Heavily outnumbered, the handful of Paras were forced to abandon the bridge after 24 hours, which was longer than the entire Brigade was supposed to hold it, and were saved from destruction by the arrival of 9th Durham Light Infantry. On 16 July at 01:30, after an artillery bombardment of an hour, the Durham Light Infantry 6th, 8th and 9th battalions of 151st Brigade launched another attack to secure Primosole Bridge. They captured the north end of the Bridge but tanks and infantry scheduled to cross immediately afterwards to establish a bridgehead failed to do so because of the failure of British wireless sets. Only when a War Office observer riding a bicycle crossed the bridge to 'observe' the battle and was able to report with news of the success of the DLI did the tanks get forward. However five Sherman tanks were knocked out. Meanwhile the infantry clung tenaciously to the small bridgehead established and fierce hand-to-hand fighting continued throughout the day.

After Sicily the division was then recalled from the Eighth Army in Italy, on the wishes of the General Bernard Law Montgomery, to prepare for the invasion of North-West Europe.