Sicily after 65 years

Discussion in 'WW2 Battlefields Today' started by sicily43, Dec 4, 2008.

  1. sicily43

    sicily43 Senior Member

    But if he is buried in syracuse mybe is died in first day of landing.
     
  2. sonya21

    sonya21 Junior Member

    Thank you very much james. This has been most helpful.
     
  3. blueindigo

    blueindigo Junior Member

    Hi Sonya. I could send you some details of the action at Lemon Bridge - although from the perspective of the Military Police who were shepherding 13 Bde (inc the 2nd Inniskillings).
     
  4. colinhotham

    colinhotham Senior Member

    Sonya I do not know if you have tried this route, if not it will give you further information.

    Ministry of Defence | About Defence | What we do | Personnel | Service Records | Making a Request for Information held on the Personnel Records of Deceased Service Personnel

    2013 will be the 70th anniversary of your great uncles death and I'm sure like me you will want the Sicily Campaign to be commemorated like all others in WW2. Operation Husky tends to be glossed over between the North African Campaign and that of the Italian mainland but "the return to Europe" as it was had great significance.

    Colin.
     
  5. ortona

    ortona Junior Member

    Just as an update, I was in Sicily this past July (2010) and Primosole bridge has been completely removed. We were told that it was removed a year ago for structural reasons. The area surrounding it is now a Nature Reserve. I will try to post some pictures soon for those interested.
     
  6. sicily43

    sicily43 Senior Member

    just begining the new bridge
     

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  7. sicily43

    sicily43 Senior Member

    Finally I find the rest of Lemon Bridge, on Simeto river, at south of Catania and at west of Primosole Bridge
    after 1950 was destroy and now there are only some rest.
     

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  8. Brian C

    Brian C Member

    Thanks for letting me know about your photos. I always pictured in my mind the area around 'Lemon Bridge' being a built up. What is the surrounding area like and is there any other points of interest nearby such as pill boxes.
    Like so many others on the forum I'd love to visit your country, I didn't know there were so places to visit until I saw your photos.
    Regards,
    Brian
     
  9. Philip Reinders

    Philip Reinders Very Senior Member

    What about the LZ? are they still exist?
     
  10. sicily43

    sicily43 Senior Member

    Hi Brian
    around the bridge there aren't built, some old farm at 500 mt, but in few km you entry in Catania
    Philip the zone around the bridge is a plane, but the landing zone was near Primosole bridge
     
  11. tron333

    tron333 Member

    the LZ's like reddog 1 2 are still there ( flat fields) and sadly the demise of Johnny 2 is imminent as the city of Siracusa has decided to setup a land fill over the area. Johnny 1 has an antenna and johnny three is still agriculture but the mining operations will probably over time consume this area. I have documented the state of this area now for two years and will do some more shooting this summer. the Lemon bridge I thought was impossible to find, GOOD JOB Sicily43 ! Sicily43 has found some cool stuff. See you this summer !
     
  12. tron333

    tron333 Member

    hey sicily43 libiya is gonna get it tonight ! shades of Tobruk !
    GIT SOME !
     
  13. tron333

    tron333 Member

    OH OH! I went to a gun show and found a guy who had an out of print book on the Falschirmjeagers ! color layouts of uniforms and about Kurt Student. It was printed in the 1960s. We also found a doctor who has a very private collection. The two Volkswagons were registered to Daschau and he has 4 demilled MG42's on motorcycles. Helmets generators kubelwagons radios mess units. Amazing. He fears opening a museum for fear of arsonists who are anti nazi. sad.
     
  14. tron333

    tron333 Member

    found this site that is amazing ! this guy got to flit around in a jeep all through the war.
    Today In WW II History - Topic
    Edward Ardizzone
    1900 - 1979
    Edward Ardizzone
    He was working as official war artist in North Africa when he heard that the invasion of Europe was imminent "I asked to be present at the landing and was told by Public Relations that I could only be put on shore 23 days after the event. Then I met some friends from the 50th division and they at once said, 'Come along with us!' - so I landed on a Sicilian beach with the Division on D-Day."
     
  15. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    tron333

    With ref to:
    found this site that is amazing ! this guy got to flit around in a jeep all through the war.
    Today In WW II History - Topic
    Edward Ardizzone
    1900 - 1979
    Edward Ardizzone



    Many thanks for drawing my attention to this article.

    I have always admired Ardizzone's work but was more au fait with his drawings of life in air raid shelters and as someone who first saw action in Sicily, this article was a treat to read.

    Ron
     
  16. tron333

    tron333 Member

    when you read his notes use google earth to tap in his location. I found it added some dimension to his travails.
     
  17. tron333

    tron333 Member

    Yipee ! I found video of Gerbinni and Fontanarosa(catania) and Taormina ! now the movie is growing into a double feature !
     
  18. tron333

    tron333 Member

    I was diggin for pillboxes and found just rubble in licatta. Via the Google street view you can really do some interesting searches. I may go visit Punto Olive and Licatta this summer.
     

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  19. tron333

    tron333 Member

    WWII in Photographs
    AWESOME ONLINE BOOK !
    back to the book ! Anyone have any points that would be a good contribution to my Documentary, I would greatly appreciate it. I have covered Primosole exhaustively and could spend more months there. I may move over to Catena Nuovo Caltigerona Raggusa. I was at Fontana Bianche last summer and found the beach wonderful. ok nuff said c yall on the battle field.
    -tron aka Keith
     
  20. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Thought I 'd give this thread a bit of a bump to remind any of you that are veterans (or relatives of veterans) that Camelot Lottery are extending the dates of their Heroes Return scheme. Details follow:

    Summary of the programme

    The Big Lottery Fund is pleased to announce it has extended its Heroes Return 2 programme by a further 12 months with a new closing date for applications of 31 January 2012.

    This will ensure Second World War veterans from the UK, Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland who are yet to take advantage of the funding, will have more time to apply for grants to cover travel and accommodation expenses and enables them to make trips throughout 2011 back to places across the world where they served. They can also receive funding to take part in an official commemoration in the UK.

    Since 2004 over 50,000 people have made commemorative trips with funding from BIG’s Heroes Return schemes with grants totalling over £24 million.
     

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