On 1 May 1943, British troopship SS "Erinpura" was torpedoed and sunk, resulting in the loss of 694 men from AAPC's 1919th and 1927th Companies; the unit's worst loss of life during the war. On 12 May, the Allies suppressed the last Axis centers of resistance in North Africa and soon afterwards, the AAPC was renamed the African Pioneer Corps (APC) in recognition of its service to the empire. Once the decision for the Allied invasion of Sicily was made, the APC moved to forward operating bases in Tripoli and Malta. The APC took part in the Sicily landings, providing anti-aircraft cover for Syracuse and smoke screens for the beach landings. On 11 August, five APC servicemen were killed and 26 wounded in a bombing raid on their camp at Lentini. On 9 September, the Eighth Army crossed into mainland Italy and APC troops operated as smoke companies in the battles of Anzio, Salerno and Monte Cassino. APC companies also took part in the Dodecanese campaign. The APC unloaded supplies at the ports of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto, occasionally relieving British field artillery units of their duty.