Tag Archives: Cape Murro di Porco

The Story of Glider 88 – the Battle for LZ 2

Surrounded by enemy positions, with many wounded at risk, a small group of glider troops overcame the odds. Glider: Waco CG-4A number 88, ‘Powder River Montana’, serial no. 245697.Glider carrying: part of 11 Platoon of B Company, 1st Battalion of … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Archive Documents, Glider Stories, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943, Veterans' accounts | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Paddy Mayne and the SAS Attack on the Second Battery

The SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) could have withdrawn after taking the gun battery on Cape Murro di Porco. Instead Major Paddy Mayne opted for more fighting. In one of the opening moves of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of … Continue reading

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The Story of Glider 50 – Hemmed In By Fire

The men of Glider 50 found themselves surrounded by Italian positions until they were rescued by the SAS troopers of the Special Raiding Squadron (SRS). Glider: CG-4A Waco 50, serial 277213.Glider carrying: 11 Subsection, 3 Section, 9th Field Company Royal Engineers.Troops’ … Continue reading

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The Story of Glider 8 – Calm Before the Storm

The C-47 towing Glider 8 had an easy run in Operation Ladbroke. For its captain and his crew, it was the calm before the storm. Glider: CG-4A Waco 8, serial no. 73602.Glider carrying: Part of D Company HQ, 2nd Battalion South … Continue reading

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Mystery Plane – Wellington Bomber Wreck off Cape Murro di Porco

For over 75 years the fate of a lost Wellington bomber remained a mystery. Detective work on land and in the sea has confirmed its fate and that of its crew. In September 2017 a friend of mine sent me … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Battlefield Visits, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943 | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

Photo Story: SAS SRS & Airborne – Agony & Ecstasy in the Med

While men of the SAS SRS assaulted a deadly gun battery, glider troops drowned in Operation Ladbroke. Returning later, the SRS remembered both the excitement and the horror.  There is a well-known photograph of SAS troopers of Major Paddy Mayne’s … Continue reading

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SAS Special Raiding Squadron (SRS) – The Cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco

The cliffs below the gun battery at Cape Murro di Porco are daunting. Did Major Paddy Mayne’s SAS Special Raiding Squadron really climb them to attack and destroy the guns? Recently discovered documents shed new light. The southern coast of … Continue reading

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The Story of Glider 57 – The Cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco

Waco glider 57 landed in the sea off Sicily, near the forbidding cliffs of Cape Murro di Porco. As the men floundered onto the wing, they came under fire. Glider: CG-4A Waco 57Glider carrying: CO and men of Battalion HQ of 1 Border … Continue reading

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Lt J S D Hardy, RSO of 1 Border Regiment in Operation Ladbroke

Lt J S D Hardy was Regimental Signals Officer of the 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment in Operation Ladbroke. This is his account. Lt J S D Hardy was part of the Battalion HQ team of 1 Border Regiment … Continue reading

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