Gela Landing

The landing at Gela was the opening engagement of the US portion of the Allied Invasion of Sicily. US troops landed along the eastern end of the south coast of Sicily. They withstood attacks by Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica aircraft …

1943-07-10

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The landing at Gela was the opening engagement of the US portion of the Allied Invasion of Sicily. US troops landed along the eastern end of the south coast of Sicily. They withstood attacks by Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica aircraft while defending the beachhead against German and Italian tanks until the US Army could capture Ponte Olivo, which would protect the beachhead and become a springboard for the advance further inland. The landing did not go as planned: By noon, not a single piece of Allied artillery had been landed, and none of the ten tanks assigned to the 1st Division were ashore. The Italians sent infantries and Fiat 300 tanks to defend Gela. And from Niscemi the German Herman Göring Division also advanced to the beach, with their tanks being delayed by the olive groves. The rest is history

Gela, Sicily

The amphibious Battle of Gela was the opening engagement of the American portion of the Allied Invasion of Sicily during World War Two. United States Navy ships landed United States Army troops along the eastern end of the south coast of Sicily; and withstood attacks by Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica aircraft while defending the beachhead against German tanks and Italian tanks of the Livorno Division until the Army captured the Ponte Olivo Airfield for use by United States Army Air Forces planes. The battle convinced United States Army officers of the value of naval artillery support, and revealed problems coordinating air support from autonomous air forces during amphibious operations.

Wikipedia: Battle of Gela (1943)

German/Italian

American

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Available