Sunday, 8 August 1943 — War Diary

21 Squadron War Diary

1030 hrs Hal Far, Malta

NO. 21 SQUADRON, SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE.8th AUGUST, 1943.GELA, SICILY.8that 1030 hours and pitched a temporary Camp. The first impression of Sicily was rather very disheartening, as practically everybody got the impression that it was a dry, barren, poverty-stricken and fly infested Island.9thLate in the afternoon a message was received that a [struck out] of the N.M.C. was injured by a mine, or booby trap and was admitted to the American Reception Hospital, in Gela. W.O. Schoeman, proceeded to the Hospital where the native was identified, as Pte. Daniel Mojelefa. A Statement was taken from him. The Medical Officer informed, that the native would be evacuated to Africa, on the following day.10thThe Town of Gela and the surrounding beach, was put 'out of bounds' to all ranks, on account of the danger of mines and booby traps. Squadron Routine Order No. 68/43.Appendix "A"11thA sight-seeing trip was arranged for some Senior N.C.O's. The trip was quite interesting and it was observed that therewwere picturesque scenes on the Island. The part seen was highly cultivated and hardly an inch of soil was uncultivated. Also good defensive positions were observed, which gave the impression, that if the Sicilians really wanted to fight, it would have been rather a difficult job for the Allies to conquer the Island.12thIt seemed as if the War had been stopped for the day, as everything looked so quite_and peaceful.

Transcriber's Notes

N.M.C: Native Military Corps.
W.O: Warrant Officer.
N.C.O: Non-Commissioned Officer.

Mines and Booby Traps: The entry for the 10th ("Town of Gela... out of bounds") indicates that a full month after the initial invasion, the area remained hazardous. Retreating German and Italian forces heavily mined the area to delay the Allied advance.

"If the Sicilians really wanted to fight...": This observation on the 11th reflects the reality of the campaign; Italian morale was low, and many Italian units surrendered quickly or melted away, leaving the Germans to conduct the primary defensive actions. The diarist correctly assesses the terrain ("good defensive positions"), which would become the defining nightmare of the subsequent Italian mainland campaign (e.g., Monte Cassino), where the terrain heavily favored the defender.

Typographical Errors: