Evening star., 1943-08-10

Army newspaper Stars and
Stripes. FOLLOWING is his account
OF the spectacular "invdsion
Within an inudSion," made early
Sunday and first announced by
Allied headquarters yeSterday.)
BY SERGT. JACK FOISIE,
Stars and Stripes Correspondent.
distributed by the Associated Press)
WITH AMERICAN FORCES AD-
VANCING ALONG THE COAST
OF NORTHERN SICILY, Aug. 8
DelayedD We landed miles be-
hind the enemy lines at 3 am.
today.
Our mission was to fight our way
through the beach defenses to$ a
high tableland mile inland, there
to cut the coastal highway leading
to San Agata and isolate en-
trenched Germans holding up the
American advance along the North
Sicilian coast.
Alone and without hope of REIN
forcements, we were to hold off for
"a hours the bulk of Axis forces
to the east, at the same time keep
ing net tightly closed around the
enemy caught between us and the
main American lines.
It's a chance few outfits get, so
let's cut the road and knock them
all the way back to Messina," were
the final words of raider 1t. Col.
Lyle w. Bernard of Highland Falls,
N. Y.
Five hours after the first assault
boat had touched sand we were
firmly entrenched in the hills and
had smeared all German traffic
going in either direction. BY noon
the town of San Agata had fallen.
At 12:4l pm.-14 hours ahead of
chedule-contact was established
with advanced elements of the main
American forces.
Enemy Sent Keeling Back.
The unparalleled success of the
daring, knife-like thrust at the en-
emys rear resulted in the complete
collapse of their strong defense line
on a 2,400-foot ridge east of San
Agata and sent them reeling back
without time to lay minefields and
other Nazi tricks for delaying
action.
Because OF the necessity OF speed
in reaching the hills, we had no
inclination to take prisoners during
the early hours before dawn.
If they insist on surrendering I
guess We can find something to
put them in" the colonel instructed
his men.
Some 80 of the enemy did insist,
more than half of them Germans.
This was in addition to 300 collected
later in the trap between the two
forces. The German dead num-
pered about so.
Our losses were extremely light,
especially in view OF the hazards
OF the operation.
1t was grimly silent band of
raiders17"and don't call us rangers:
we are just infantrymen"-who as
sembled in invasion craft of the
beach where the landings were
to be made. These same Yanks
on another Sunday morning lust
nine months ago had been first in
at Fedala in French Morocco. They
had been first at Licata in Sicily.
Objective Pointed Out Like Candle,
Never thought we'd make an
other one on this island" muttered
1t. Robert F. Ferrell of San Fran
cisco, who led the first wave of
assault troops. They pulled away
from the landing craft, manned by
American sailors, shortly after 2
am. Along with them went COM
bat engineers, led by 1t. Walter
w. Wagner Of Anoka, MINI. who
was to clear the beach of mines
and barbed wire so that a second
wave OF mobile artillery and tanks
could quickly reach the highway
and cut the German supply line.
AT 2:45 am. American l55-mm,
Long Toms opened a barrage from
behind our forward lines on a rail-
road station miles east of San
Agata.
The station marked our proposed
beachhead and fire of the explosion
was to be cur direction pointer. The
oarrage was to lift at 3 amour
II hour-and be shifted to our OBJ
jective, the high tableland.
They will point it out to us like
a candle in the sky said the colonel.
The point at which we landed was
not defended and had no barbed
wire and no mines.
The point to the east appeared to
have been heavily fortified.
Those first few minutes after the
Landing were anxious ones for us
who were to follow in the second
wave. When there came no sound
from the shore. we grew apprehen-
slVe. No landing can be that
quiet" muttered Staff Sergt. Lorne
Helpel of Detroit.
Not even the flash of tracer fire
was there-only an occasional fall
Ing star to mock us.
But finally there came a blinker
light to flash its story of success.
Landing unopposed-come on in. q"
We came ashore in amphibious
ducks. Jerry wasn't hunting ducks
last night, but we were hunting
Jerry. On either flank the long
proved lot of boats raced shoreward
with cargo of mobile artillery.
tanks and dependable bull dozers to
clear the way.
Our duck, loaded to capacity with
men and munitions, waddled back
ward out OF the landing craft. eased
into the water and churned through
the phosphorescent Mediterranean
Sea. We passed grim destroyers
lying at point-blank range off the
l,500-yard beachhead. ready to blast
any shore defenses which 80 much
as yawned"
But nothing stopped us from COM
ing in although the sleepy enemy
had gotten a few machine guns into
action by the time we landed.
Tank smashes Opening.
For time we were unable to find
the way through to the road It
was imperative that we leave the