"LIKE SPITHEAD REVIEW"

Evening Star, Volume 24914, Issue 24914, 12 July 1943, Page 3

"LIKE SPITHEAD REVIEW"

BATTERIES SOON SILENCED EQUIPMENT LANDED UNOPPOSED (Rec. noon.) RUGBY, July 11. . The Sicilian picture begins to take clearer shape, as eye-witness accounts reach London. One account received from an Allied .force command post states:—"lt was like Spithead review, 1 ' was how a naval officer described the scene off the Sicilian coast yesterday, with long lines of ships of all types and all sizes lying off the beaches, the only thing missing being the bunting. Lauding crafts were fussing backwards and forwards to the beaches, which were crowded with troops. Naval beach parties were supervising the unloading of equipment, guns, and tanks, which went on steadily throughout the day. After the enemy coastal batteries had been silenced and our troops had broken through the beach defences, there was very little sign that we had landed ,in enemy territory. During the early stages of tho assault in the hours of darkness, weather conditions made the landing of troops no easy task. A high, wind caused a heavy swell, but the Allied navies carried out the job without any hitch. In an amphibious operation the Navy has complete charge until the troops actually put their feet on land, and they .overcame the many difficulties magnificently. The huge battle fleet which covered the landing contained many' Allied units, and included a big American force talking part in its first amphibious operation in the European theatre.

The cruisers and destroyers silenced many of the coastal batteries which opened fire on our assault boats as they went in to the beaches. One of these batteries whose code name was " P for Peter," after being silenced by the warships, began to fire agaiu, but only spasmodically. Its shells never fell within range of our ships, but apparently they annoyed the British admiral, who sent a signal, "If ' P for Peter ' opens his mouth again I'll give him the works." Admiral Cunningham .was afloat on Saturday afternoon, visiting in turn the naval forces off the Sicilian coast and the naval forces working the beaches. By this time the swell had died down, and it was a lovely summer afternoon.

As we passed through the long line of ships we saw-a big transport unloading tanks into landing craft, and watched the troops being taken ashore without any interference from the enemy. The only excitement was when a. solitary enemy aircraft dropped a stick of bombs into the sea about two miles away.. The little coast towns all looked deserted.