Released 31/7/23 and not yet listened to the podcast (1h 12m). An alert today from BP: Link: Bletchley Park / E153 - Sicilian Deception I have checked the forums for Operation Husky, Sicily and here there does not appear to be a thread on this subject.
Thanks for the share David. I've just started searching for basic info on Husky and you've already distracted me! Do you have an idea on the best book on the British ground actions in Sicily?
Just searched Sicily on thread titles, only one stood out on a study tour for 78th Division in one action. Another dismissed James Holland's book Sicily 1943 (not that I have read it). I seem to recall the Faughs / Irish Brigade were there and a historian has developed a website. A wider search - not using the site's search option - with "Sicily" + "book" site;ww2talk.com could find more. Off to walk the dog.
What level are you interested in? For Monty's viewpoint, see Hamilton's biography Vol 2. The British OH gives good coverage of British operations but at a high level. Carlo d'Este's book 'Bitter Victory' covers the whole campaign from all angles and contains a full bibliography to start you off. For a recent British focus, try the book by Christopher Jary 'Roy's Boys' which covers the operations of 231 Infantry Brigade in Sicily (and southern Italy) - Devons, Hants & Dorsets. Another solid description of one battalion's period in Sicily can be found in Alastair Borthwick's excellent 'Battalion'. There are also a multitude of books about the airborne ops. Regards Tom
Cheers Tom and David! I've got nearly half of those - it's like I've got a few pieces of the puzzle but not the picture of the box. Might try D'Este for my first dabble and take it from there.
A quick search of the Forum did not highlight Capt David Scherr, onetime OC of 54 Field Security Section in Gibraltar and other things thereafter. A brief taste of his wartime endeavours may be gleaned from: https://www.mi5.gov.uk/the-battle-for-gibraltar and in archives at: https://friendsofgibraltar.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Rock-Talk-14-2020-21.pdf with more on deception in the Mediterranean within this DPhil thesis, especially Chapter 4: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/...1/Lintott_Brett_201511_PhD_thesis.pdf#page185 offering some interesting other insights and sources.
Quarterfinal, Thanks for your post and the pointers within. A friend is obsessed with Gib, so sent onwards to them.
That's interesting as I have read a couple of little wartime books about the brigade's units. Am I wrong in coming away from that with the impression that they spent most of their time in Sicily working under Canadian command - and thus not, in fact, as part of the main British effort on the coast? I may very well be mistaken. That aside, though, they come across as having had a tough battle on the island while also having fought very well. Having looked at a description of this book, though, it seems likely more of a "keeper" than what I've got. Personal memories? Loads of photos? Oooh... Edited - I had Italy where I should have written Sicily.
Mate, not exactly British, but Commonwealth nevertheless: Operation Husky, by Mark Zuehlke. Canadian ops during the campaign And this one, a tad more Brit: The First Bridge Too Far, by Mark Saliger
