Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Vol. I no. 63. Monday july 12, 1943 u. S. Army daily newspaper for troops in Algiers area one franc Allied invasion forces keep driving according to plan a paratroopers were Beady yanks land at Gela when Zero hour came naval units support operations on Sicily by so Jack of i Sii stars and stripes staff write an advanced air Freix in North Africa. July 9 delayed this Iii the eve of the Day and american paratroopers who will lie Undine amid the enemy even la fore the hour have gathered for j laced with extra tightness. Tim Takeoff. This is the moment _ a they have Long awaited. A year of bivouac atmosphere checked and lacked their gear and a sight the men with Timeir faces equipment. Each of the Many blackened. Hie american Flag pockets of their jumping suits were freshly sewed on their sleeves utilized the Natty jumping boots gathered at the feet of their Cuin trademark of the profession were Mander. By pal. George Dorsey stars and stripes staff writer Allied Force he a thwart ers july la for the  time 1 the colonel tallest of them All. Since the invasion of Sicily was announced at 6 am saturday a place up his lean face More liberally smud name where Allied landings have taken place has been revealed it h Vul main i business like Quot and grim. No with blackening the darkest was disclosed in a Natal communique issued Here shortly after  i horseplay no heroics no coasts of them All. Spoke his final com today thai american forces have landed East and not of Gela it had Mem. Many of mein win doubts tile yanks were ready lands the stowing of equipment i the town of Gela lies almost in the dead Center of a Large Crescent ii Ive their first taste of War the confident. The tenseness no smoking while in flight the Bay by the same name in South Shily there Are air installation.1 toughest kind of War the Invas-1  a a a time grew Short appointed rendezvous the time of nearby. The population of Gela As retried in a guide of the italian Ion of Europe. Ii a Isan departure the time of replacing touring club and probably based on a 19110 census is 31.919 the men Are lounging in the i ask Chow was served at Lojo. Mae West with the Chute Quot although few details have yet come in it is Clear  our Oil Era Shador of the wings of the giant and now the Sun was going the time Over the dropping zone tons against Sicily continue to go according to  said a ground Ira i Cost Mir us which will carry them Down behind the tunisian Djebel he outlined their procedure Atter forces communique which accompanied the naval bulletin Over the Black Mediterranean to where just two months ago the foe hitting the ground. His words were the three sentence ground forces communique added that g xxx the carefully designated dropping had fought his last round in North Calm and Cool and direct. The time Progress had been made during the Day and tin t the Allied forces Miles. Africa. The evening Breeze stir for Pep Macj passed. Opera a continue to Advance it was re their Mission is to take enemy j1 by the Cooling of the hot tons had started urd Romes to take them and hold Earth was picking up the Sand off of Atli maps were issued to each pm Vliem until the seaborne land  tile held Man. The pass word was an jul a c2s forces reach and relieve them. Their Mission the paratroopers had the colonel who would Lead his j a and a a us a known for several Days. They had combat team into action was give h he colonel added for Wal you to by   mans and memorized my a last minute briefing to the. I in for troops a Brown Haze. The colonel who would Lead his bounced. Studied their maps and memorized ing a last minute briefing to the then tare going to be a lot of itchy nn/4 Tomn Lounh Shpir t Ivlin Forl Mon a Fri orc onh non War their orders and completed their coordinated plans but it was not until this morning at reveille that they were told a a tonight is  there were cheers at the announcement and at least one Good crack from the ranks. Quot Hurrah no More c  the men carried a Krand do rations into Battle. Throughout the Day the men insisted men. Officers and one War try a Uker fingers Torresd Onpeng who would ride and jump with him. His plane was briefing was Over. The time numbered of and bore the Emblem or Takeoff would be 20j5. The of the mighty Eagle of War. Men had a few minutes left for a it was a sacred huddle this a drink of water and a briefing. The generals and Stair w ,3 Enlis de men officers who had come to wish j Lead plane. I asked them Luck stood off to the Side. It 1 was a strange and fascinating continued on Page 2> first troops on Sicily ferried in by gliders air infantry opens fight for Island Allied Force Headquarters july Llu the part played by paratroopers and glider borne soldiers in spearheading the invasion of Sicily was revealed in some detail yesterday. The first Allied troops on the Island were those ferried in by glider. They began Landing at 2210 hours Friday whereas the main invasion forces hit the shores Only a couple of hours before Dawn saturday Parachute troops were landed on their targets starting at 2320 hours Friday. Iii tile face of High winds enemy anti aircraft fire and searchlights. The operation represented a remarkable Success by the troop Carrier command of the Northwest african air forces. Commander of the advanced flight of the american troop carriers was it. Col. John Demy of Harrison Idaho. A professional Soldier who Rose from the ranks to the command of the most experienced troop Carrier unit in North Africa it col. Demy was High in his Praise of the airmen who made the successful invasion flight. A the air discipline of the combat teams was beyond expectation a he declared. A a All ships went ahead against anti aircraft fire and searchlights demonstrating courage skill and fighting spirit. The men showed courage in continuing to the target and dropping an entire battalion on one  the Allied attack from the skies was a coordinated operation with americans hitting from the West continued on Page 4 pilots bring Back stories of landings communique sealed yesterday that american British and Canadian troops Are involved in the operations. Details of Allied Cam Salties were not yet available but it was believed that they have been slight according to the ground forces information. Allied naval forces during the Day were engaged in lending further troops guns vehicles and supplies and in silencing enemy Shore batteries according to the naval release. All beaches were reported firmly held and All troops were said to be making steady advances. Coastline attacked coupling the announcement to Allied Force head Quad i Day that landings have let Cen made ters july Llu much of the sue near Gela and yesterdays reports Cess of the Allied landings in Sicily that the allies have attacked on a 100-mile front in Southeast Sicily. It can but a surmised that the stiff opposition reflected in Day s toll against foe could be attributed to the sweep Allied Force command my activities of the planes of the Post july Llu Here is Hie text Northwest african air forces it of today s noon communique was seen Here today in reports naval with All the beaches which were arriving from the air firmly held and All the troops and front dancing the Allied Navy a most in unceasing attacks were levelled innately 50 Miles from Gela. How portent task during the Day was j by the Naaf on the Island s few far the attacks May extend up the Landing further troops with their flying bases remaining in operate Eastern coast from the Cape is United nations assault envelops much if not All of the coastline Down to Cui get Passero. This southernmost tip of Silv is approx vehicles guns fuel equipment and tag condition. Hundreds of Allied stores. This important work pro aircraft bombed and machine Allied Force head Quad needed satisfactorily in spite of the gunned enemy troop concentrations ters july Llu some of the Best heavy swell on some of the Beach motor and rail transportation descriptions of troop activities ones some of the places being heavily j Bridges Barracks gun ctn place Sicily were being brought Back by mined. I merits and communications in flyers who had been Over the is Chian Battle Irons in combat or reconnaissance forays. The general picture was one of warships were also engaged in stalls tons. Silencing enemy Battery gun positions whenever necessary and in purely Guesswork. Between Gela and a Ain Passero there an few towns of any size. In fact Only Pezzallo appears to break the sparsely settled coast. In Landing men and material the naval units had to contend Twenty two enemy aircraft were with Large swells at some of the destroyed by the Naaf during air beaches thick mine Fields made Allied soldiers swarming out on the a1 attacks by enemy fighter Bonsib beaches from a veritable Bridge of j Els. Mine sweepers were employed ships. Many of the returning air i sweeping various anchorages. A men reported seeing Little enemy Val units reported that the forces resistance in evidence. J Landing in the neighbourhood of two of the significant strains Gela successfully engaged tank re which i ran through the air reports a a Forcemeats coming from Inland. Was the meager Axis aircraft of the Navy s primary duty of getting position to the landings and the i the army safely ashore continued in "um0ers of 1 ground forces-�?a11 Hough few the Allied air Arm details have come in it is Clear As 2nd it Donald s. Bustier a at operations against Sicily Bombardier from St. Albans n. J continue to go according to plan put it during the course of the Days Quot ifs hard to see How the ital fighting Good Progress has been ians could do much fighting win a made and the Advance continues. So Many of our aircraft in the air. Here Are some other eyewitness accounts As released by the North providing defense against occasion combat while 28 Allied planes i Hie operations perilous in some failed to return to their bases. This was the largest single Day loss of Naaf aircraft in weeks but it could not be attributed to continued on Page 4 Axis radio Speaks up sections but the important work of supplying the great offensive was Quot proceeding satisfactorily a warships were proving a valuable attack weapon by providing a sheltering anti aircraft fire for troops occasionally attacked by enemy Fig liter bom hers during landings. Enemy tanks met american troops who landed in the neighbourhood of Gela have successfully engaged tank reinforcements which the enemy West african air forces it. Arnold f. Bodine Nunda n. Y., a navigator Quot i saw Large scale Landing operations. Already there were hordes of men on the beaches and hundreds of Small boats shuttling Back and Forth from ships to the  it. John w. Coby Vinta okla �?�1 did no to see any enemy naval Craft. Our destroyers were throwing broadsides into enemy defences but i saw no return of  flight officer Raymond Poxon. Houston. Texas a there were fires everywhere. Hell seemed to be breaking Loose every place. The beaches were jammed with men continued on Page v information in regard to casualties Wjt h repeated assertions that the is not yet available but it is be Allied invasion of Sicily came As lived they have been slight. A direct result of Premier Joseph i Stalin s requests for help. A i continuing on this line of con new Fri Stsing a-30 nesting the Eastern front with the invasion the Axis radio commentators said the landings failed to satisfy the russian government the Berlin Rome propaganda brought up from the Interior to line took a new slant yesterday throw into the Battle used Over Sicily Allied Force Headquar-1 and that Moscow remained silent terse now in action with the i and unimpressed Northwest african air forces is the a-36, a new fast fighter bomber developed from North americans p-51 Mustang fighter it was revealed Here yesterday. Carrying Over its fighting abilities the converted aircraft is Well Able to defend itself during bombing and strafing missions it is also equipped with bomb Racks the soviets asserted silence like most other Axis propaganda was obviously false since an earlier big broadcast had quoted Moscow As saying a a russians Appeal for the allies to strike at the German rear has been answered in the invasion of  berlins statement that the rus continued on Page ii mine sweepers were employed to Good effect Clearing lurking explosives from several anchorages. Yesterdays night communique reported that the sea it Ower of great Brita Ltd and the United states was being backed by units of the Royal Indian. Dutch. Polish and greek navies. Allied military authorities have warned against Early optimism in View of the Success of the Sicily landings. It was pointed out that there Are two methods of defense against amphibious invasion. The first is to throw the opponent Back into the sea before he can establish a foot hold. The second method is to offer Little resistance at the beginning but later counter attack in great strength thus in continued on Page i