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Contact:
COL (Ret) Bruce ClarkePhone: (785) 550-8653E-mail: bbgclarke@aol.comWebsite: www.brucebgclarke.com
Prepared Remarks by Colonel (Ret) Bruce B. G. Clarke at Point Dirillo,Sicily 11 July 2008, the 65
th
anniversary of Operation Husky—The Invasion of Sicily
Ladies and Gentlemen:Today I join you not only as a former warrior, but as the son of a true warrior (LTC Arthur F.Gorham), who gave his life while leading his airborne soldiers against a determined foe at thebeginning of the effort to rid Italy and Europe of the scourge of Fascism’s two evil dictatorships. Iam reminded of a saying that I had to learn while a cadet at West Point that is attributed toGeneral Douglas MacArthur
—“There is no substitute for victory.” 
The brave men and womenfrom many countries who struggled with the foe here in Sicily 65 years ago as part of OperationHusky knew what the sweet taste of victory would be.The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation
Husky 
, was a major World War II campaign,in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis (Italy and Nazi Germany). It was a coordinated largescale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of intense land combat. Huskyset the stage for launching the campaign to liberate the rest of
 
Italy.
Husky 
began on the night of July 9, 1943, and ended August 17. It was the largest amphibiousoperation of the war in terms of men landed on the beaches and of frontage. Strategically,
Husky 
 achieved the goals set out for it by Allied planners. The Allies drove Axis air and naval forces fromthe island; the Mediterranean's sea lanes were opened and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini wastoppled from power. It opened the way to the Allied invasion of Italy.Extreme were the conditions: from the winds that blew to the fierce combat that ensued to theextreme heroism that we are here today to honor.The Allied land forces were mainly from the American, British, and Canadian armies. Othercountries also contributed to the air and naval forces for the invasion. The landings took place inextremely strong wind, which made the landings difficult but also ensured the element of surprise.Landings were made on the southern and eastern coasts of the island, with British forces in theeast and Americans towards the west.Spearheading the sledgehammer blow to crack open Hitler's Festung Europa, for the first time,would be paratroopers of the 505
th
Regiment of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and glidermenand parachutists of Britain's 1st Airborne Division. My father was one of those AmericanparatroopersHistory was made by these brave men. It was the first nighttime mass parachute drop ever. Itwas the first true test of combined military operations by a military coalition. At midnight on July8, 1943 these men would leap into Sicily totally unaware that scores of German panzers werelurking just inland in the darkness.Strong winds of up to 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) scattered aircraft widely off course, and half theU.S. paratroopers failed to reach their rallying points. Those that did defeated severalcounterattacks against the beachhead and thus insured the success of the landings.
 
The casualties on the Axis side totaled 29,000, with 140,000 (mostly Italians) captured. The U.S.lost 2,237 killed and 6,544 wounded and captured; the British suffered 2,721 dead, and 10,122wounded and captured; the Canadians suffered 2,410 casualties including 562 killed and 1,848wounded and captured. One does NOT measure success by body count! But these casualtiesare more than have been lost in both Iraq and Afghanistan. For many of the American forces andfor the entire Canadian contingent, this was their first time in combat. They had learned what itmeant to win on the battlefield against a determined foe.Today the nature of warfare has changed. It is unclear what constitutes victory in the currentpolitical climate in the eyes of the media. What is the taste of victory? We fight against terroristswho know no rules of war and who want to deny us our freedoms. Very pertinent to today is whatWinston Churchill said in 1940 before the United States entered World War II
“Victory at all cost. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory no matter how long and how hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.
As we contemplate the sacrifices made 65 years ago let us insure that these warriors’ livescontinue to be relevant in our search for freedom from the tyranny that terrorists would impose onus. We as an international community must remember that for without victory there is no survival.Those brave men and women of 65 years ago understood this—do we?
 
Let me close by reassuring those who gave their lives for freedom that we understand theirsacrifice by reciting The Absent Legions by - Edgar A. Guest
 
Somewhere, far away, they heard us When the word of Victory stirred us.Safe within God’s Holy keeping,Heard us cheer and saw us weeping; Shared in all we did or said— Freedom’s glorious, youngest dead.Never doubt it, there was gladness Where the dead are done with madness,Hate and hurt, and need for dying.As they saw our banners flying On our day of joyous pride,“ ‘Twas for this,” said they,“We died!” What if tears our eyes had blinded,As of them we were reminded? Never doubt it, they were voicing Somewhere, songs of great rejoicing; Glad to look on earth and see Safe our country, still, and free.
Thank you for the warm hospitality and we look forward to returning to Sicily sometime in the nearfuture.
 
 
Monument at Point Drillo, Sicily
THE NIGHT OF JULY 10, 1943 WAS WITNESS TO BLOODY COMBAT BETWEENTHE 82nd AMERICAN AIRBORNE DIV. AND ITALIAN AND GERMAN TROOPSEXTREME WERE THE LOSES SUPREME WAS THE HEROISM AND FROM THESACRIFICE OF THESE MEN IS CREATED THE NEW HISTORYOF EUROPE

Remarks on the 65th Anniversary of Operation Husky

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madadbattyleft a comment

Dear Col Bruce, Dear Susan, It was indeed a pleasure to share the moments of the deadication Ceremony with you. Wendy and I were honoured to have been invited. You have a remarkable military record, I doubt if followed in the shadow of your brave and heroic father, but more likely to have bathed in the light of his sacrifice. It was such a pleasure talking to Sue and your sons, who clearly are determined single minded yougmen. I am sure that Larry Ludlum, will have opened yet another chapter in your geneology, Susan, may have learned a few more recipes from Larry.I very much look forward to reading your accounts, when serving in South East Asia. I shall be in Saigon in early September. I apologies for my unscripted off the cuff remarks,on the poidium, the message I would have wished to convey, was that without the intervention, the deadication to duty and the bravery of the people of the United States of America, who intially provided Britain with the tools to do the job, then under Ike, the battlfield commanders who fought side by with their men. I am not in a postion to speak for my country, but I can speak for my family, who remember well, the combined Armed Forces of the United States Of America, arriving in Britain before the Normany Landings, it was in those determined young faces that the British were given hope, and the opportunity for Victory. Without, the Intervention of the United States of America, Sir Winston Churchills words, would have been a sound bite, not the inspiring words of history. You must have felt 10 foot tall when John Hoffpauir called the role. I salute you Sir, I salute your father. Yours sincerely a humble retired professional soldier. Major(Retired)Alan Robert Joseph Batty MBE and Wendy Molly Batty. 65th Anniversary for the Battle for Ponte Drillio Sicily.
07 / 11 / 2008
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