Hi Ulrich I write from Catania, the first pictures I think in the south part of the city near Forntanarossa air field. the second is in the center, I must see where was locate this cinema
dear friends here is another photo taken at adrano. acknowledge someone?, can you tell me what the battalion?
Hi Ulrich about 70 years ago your father was here! I can't take the pictures of the other site because now is a private street, but I'm sure is near the Catania Airport
Many thanks sicily43! Thats great, seems there hasn´t much changed. Only the cinema is disappeared. Thanks again for your efforts!
Some really interesting info here, so a very many thanks, as it provides a lot of useful background! With the obvious knowledge of posters here of Sicily, and I know it may be a bit of a long shot, but wonder if anyone can help identify any of the following underlined locations, these being described in a diary by a member of 76th Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery. They were used for RHQ. "We passed the ancient Grecian temple and the wrecked radio station to a large field surrounded by a stone wall about 3-4ft high in which were enclosed many tall almond trees. It was a scorcher of a place, stiff with swarms of persistent and troublesome flies that nearly drove us all mad. We swatted and flapped our flappers at them all day. We had again to resort to camouflage for visits from Jerry aircraft were frequent as he tried to strafe the shipping in the harbour. From a little knoll above the camp we could look out over Augusta and Syracuse, and we had some perfect views of the raids with the many coloured tracers of our own guns and captured equipment. Our next abode was right beside the sea just south of Augusta. The shell fragments used to come whistling down on us at night when the sky was lit up by thousands of star like shell bursts, long fingers of searchlights, and tracer. After Augusta we had one or two short stays passing through many very old towns. From our positions we could look right out over the plains of Catania behind which loomed Etna. Towards the latter days of the Sicilian campaign you could easily see tanks and vehicles burning down there by the great columns of black oily smoke belching out all over the place, while white cotton wool puffs indicated shells. It was hell for the infantry on that plain, the heat and flies by day, and mosquitoes by night. Sicily is very malarious, and we encountered our first batches of malaria there."
Hi Haara I think he speack about a german radio station at south of Siracuse, and the Grecia temple is in Siracuse. So he come from South and went toward Siracuse, before the almond was the principal crop in this area. After he move toward Augusta (north from Siracuse). After he follow the old road SS114, that after Augusta trough Villasmundo, Carlentini and Lentini(I think the old towns), so he passed the 3 Commando Bridge, and after he was in the Hills before Prinosole Bridge and he can see the plains. at primosole Bridge I think he see the tanks and the other burning vehicles. The area before Primosole bridge in 1943 was a big swamp (so the road was in the hills) and this the cause of malaria.
Thank you!!! I'll see if I can trace that on a map. In a later document he describes a building, which I believe to be the 'wrecked radio station', being, at that time, a modern building finished in stucco, and decorated with emblems that he describes as 'axes bundled in sticks' - I guess these are like 'Fasces'. Do you think this is the same building, and do you know where this is? Thanks you again!
there is a pciture of which I have not been able to find again where an English observer is standing on the edge of johnny1 /2 overlooking the plains. The area now is being turned into a dump site for trash and has big blue tarps on it.
Photos from the website of: It's a Project of 1° Institute “ M. BARTOLO “ Pachino (Sicily) Brougham, R.E. Cairns, J Dunn, R Mort, L
I don't know how many forum members watch the Inspector Motalbano TV series on BBC 4 every week but I have to declare I am an avid watcher strictly because it is set in Sicily and I love to hear the Sicilian dialect being spoken. (sub-titles are provided) I've always wondered what area it was filmed in and finally used GOOGLE to get the answer. Apparently it is filmed in Ragusa, map attached, and as I had always realised, I had never actually been there, as my Ack Ack unit first went ashore at Avola which is North East of Ragusa. BBC - WW2 People's War - Sicily, Then On To Italy Any more Montalbano fans out there ? Ron
Any ideas where this is? It comes from The Invasion of Sicily (1943) @ 7:59. The wreck in the foreground is a Renault R35, probably deposited there by engineers to clear the route as I have seen a still of it the right way up! Update: I’ve identified the location as Via San Biagio, Comiso - looking south. The perspective dramatically foreshortens the view and makes it look very different from Street View, and what looks like a single church is actually three churches in alignment.
