Evening star., 1943-09-19
Thunderbirds Over. Sicilv ~
By Thomas r.. Henry,
Star STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

the mountain temples of the ancient
moon worshipers.
Not soon will the wild land forget the
roar OF the wings of the cosmic eagle
out OF the West-perhaps the most wide
ly credited mythical creature of the
American Indian. The Tapping of its
wings was the thunder. The flashing of
Its eyes was the lightning. 1t had its
place in the mythology of most tribes
from the Arctic Circle to Panama
Sicily has known the thunderbird in
the flashes of fire from cannon mouths
in the moonlight, in the wall-shaking
thunder of the 45th Divisions artillery,
In the tramping feet of it's soldiers.
Quite appropriately the Indian legend
ary creature was adopted as the symbol
of what originally had been National
Guard division from the Indian States
of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona and
Colorado after the turn of history had
forced it to abandon another symbol,
perhaps the most ancient on earth, which
the red men shared with primitive peo-
piles everywhere-the swastika. OF all
major units engaged in this war the 45th
perhaps represents most closely the ab
original North America of vast plains,
dense forests and wild mountains-the
land of the thunderbird.
Burned into the memory of Sicily now
Is the red and yellow insignia on the
shoulders of it's soldiers. Here, where
1t first came under fire, the 45th won
an enduring place for itself in American
history.
Thunderbird Division.
Since the Thunderbird Division first
was inducted into the Federal service on
September Is, 1910, its original makeup
has markedly changed. In its training
progress through the Blue Ridge Noun
tains of Virginia, the almost Arctic cold
of Pine Camp at Watertown, N. Y, and
the cultured environs of Camp Devens
next door to Emerson's Concord it has
dropped all but about Is per cent of the
men from the Indian country and re-
placed them with recruits from every
State In the Union But the new men
have quickly been nodded into the pat
tern of the followers of the thunderbird.
The division came to Africa in June
fully equipped and trained-ready to step
off the boat and fight. That is essen
TALLY what 1t did. Almost before the
men had learned to walk steadily on
land again they found themselves DASH
Ing through the surf in the.d dawning
Of July 10 toward the barbed wire en-
tanglements and the pillboxes that
guarded q 15-mile stretch of beach on
both sides of the little fishing town of
ecogliti in Southwestern Sicily. They
formed the right wing of the American
Invasion forces, the link between the vet
eran 1st Division which had landed
near Gela and the Canadians who had
made their beachhead farther south. The
Thunderbirds had the longest stretch of
beach to occupy of any division. The
landing was made at am. and some
time was required to assemble the vari-
Gus contingents in the confusing dark
ness.
First Italian Prisoners.
But by the time the cocks were crow
ing in Sicilian farmyards the beachhead
had been established and the defenses
wiped out. There the first Italian pris-
oners were taken. Fortunately the beach
was held by decidedly second-rate troops
Through the heat of the morning the
18th Infantry pressed inland and by
midafternoon had occupied the small
city of vittoria, where the only opposi-
ton encountered was that from a few
Enipers.
Meanwhile the extreme left flank
was catching, together with elements of
the 1st Division, a counterattack from
German troops. These were believed to
be elements of the erstwhile redoubtable
Hermann Goering Division. This was
probably the first contact of any Amer
lean force with the principal enemy.
They were equipped with Mark tanks
with 88-mm. guns. The 45th destroyed
six Of these tanks that morning with
rifle grenades and bazookas.
The next objective was one of the
most important in Sicily-the celebrated
Camisso airport, perhaps the largest and
best equipped on the island. Two in
fantry detachments were approaching
1t from different directions not knowing
of each others movements until an ar
tillery radio established contact between
them. The airfield was being shelled
by the artillery.
When the barrage lifted the infantry
swooped in from three directions. The
field was taken together with about 80
German prisoners. AS many more were
killed. About the time the airport was
safely in American hands German
plane, the pilot evidently not knowing
what had happened, landed there But
he realized his predicament almost in
simultaneously and before the astonished
soldiers had time to rush the plane he
had taken of again and was safely away
1t was an astounding example of quick
thinking, say those who watched the
incident.
A Rich Prize.
Camisso was one of the richest prizes
taken by the Americans in the campaign.
There were thousands of tons of bombs,
ranging from so to 1000 Founders, piled
high in the fields roundabout. There
we're also thousands of barrels of gaso-
line. The port had been the air arsenal
of the island.
Three days later, after being stalled
at the deep gully of the dried-up Drillo
River, the infantry regiment pushed on
and took the town of Biscari There
again they met elements Of the Hermann
Goering Division and there was a weird
battle in an italian GRAVEYARD