Tag Archives: 1 Airborne Division

Italian Cavalry Attack British Glider Troops on the Ponte Grande Bridge?

The source was impeccable: the BBC. The news was incredible: Italian cavalry had charged British airborne troops holding the Ponte Grande bridge. In the middle of WW2, could it possibly be true? The thunder of hooves, clods of earth flying, weapons … Continue reading

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

Chatterton vs Hopkinson – the Facts

There is a story about Lt Col Chatterton and Maj Gen Hopkinson and the genesis of Operation Ladbroke that is so pervasive that it has almost become gospel. Certainly it seems to go completely unchallenged. But there is no evidence … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

German predictions for Operation Ladbroke & airborne landings in Sicily

German General Kurt Student’s June 1943 report reproduced in full.  One month before Operation Ladbroke, the opening glider assault in Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, the leader of Germany’s airborne forces produced an intelligence report. It predicted with startling … Continue reading

Posted in All Posts, Archive Documents, Operation Ladbroke - Sicily 1943 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment