Auckland Naval Man First Ashore In Italy

Northern Advocate, 1 October 1943, Page 3

Auckland Naval Man First Ashore In Italy

(Special) LONDON, September 30. A 21-year-old New Zealander was the first man to land on the Italian mainland after zero hour at one of the assault beaches in the invasion of Italy. He was Sub-Lieutenant G. H. Lamer, R.N.Z.N.V.R. (Auckland), commanding an infantry land-ing-craft. On the previous night an admiral boarded his ship and told Sub-Lieutenant Larner that he and his fellow commanding officer, Sub-Lieutenant Terence Doyle, R.N.V.R. (Eire), who were two of the youngest. commanding officers of the flotilla, were to have the honour of leading in infantry landing-craft to the beaches. Sub-Lieutenant Lamer’s craft actually led in the assault with assaultcraft lashed on either side. Awe-inspiring

Sub-Lieutenant Larner said: “It was pretty awe-inspiring when we went in. There always seemed to be at least two red tracers overhead. It was impossible to take one’s eyes from night-glasses for a second without being dazzled. Once there was a tremendous flash from the .mainland. We thought for a moment they were opening up on us, but it was only an ammunition dump exploding. It was deadly quiet when the barrage dropped and the smoke was absolutely impenetrable. “Luckily I had been able to get transit on a pylon ashore and was-able to take in others. I was go excited I jumped ashore as soon as we touched. It was not until I saw Canadian sappers whom we brought going up the beach with tuning forks that I remembered about mines, I reboarded in pretty quick time. Those Canadians went ashore like lions.” Sub-Lieutenant Larner had an exciting time during the Sicilian invasion when his craft took Americans on to the beaches at Gela. Some German Tigers broke through to .the. beach and engaged the landing-craft \vJth-gunfi?e. , k y ' : : \’v /V.. '