Allied HQ, North Africa (July 13, 1943)
Communiqué
During the past 24 hours, great activity has continued odd and on all the beaches as reinforcements, vehicles and supplies were being landed by the Navy and sent forward. The surf has made this work difficult in some of the more exposed positions.
The port of Syracuse is now in our hands, with its port and harbor facilities apparently undamaged. There has been some bombing of shipping by aircraft.
Augusta was bombarded early in the afternoon of July 12 by a strong force of cruisers and a monitor. Minesweepers have swept the bridgehead to this port.
The naval operations, in which more than 3,000 shipping vessels and crafts of all types., warships and merchantmen, are taking part are proceeding satisfactorily.
Good progress has again been made today, and the bridgehead has now been increased in some places to 20 miles. In the eastern sector pour troops encountered some resistance in their advance along the coast. Inland, very good progress has been made.
Palazzolo has been occupied and our patrols have reached the outskirts of Ragusa.
In the western sector, the advance continues and an early counterattack has been successfully beaten off and a large number of prisoners were taken and some tanks destroyed.
Air Communiqué
Fighter-bombers throughout yesterday continued their heavy attacks on enemy troop columns and lines of communications and destroyed or damaged large numbers of enemy motor transports.
During the night of July 11-12, our bombers attacked Sicilian ports and the Montecorvino airfields in Italy. Heavy and concentrated attacks were made by heavy bombers against focal points at Messina, Reggio Calabria and San Giovanni. Medium, light and fighter-bombers attacked airfields and focal points of communications in Sicily.
Throughout the day, our fighters carried out sweeps over our shipping, the beaches and our advancing troops. Intermittent enemy attempts to interfere with our landings and shipping were intercepted and enemy aircraft of various types were destroyed or damaged.
During the course of attacks on enemy shipping in the Tyrrhenian Sea, two merchant vessels were sunk and two destroyers were left blazing.
22 enemy aircraft were destroyed during these operations and 11 of ours are missing.