Being there . . . . for Operation “Husky”, August 10 thru August 15, 1943, with 160,000
sweating, seasick American, British, and Canadian soldiers crammed into the airless holds of
2,000 troopships sailing across the Mediterranean Sea to hit the beaches of southeastern Sicily,
one of our tripartite Axis enemies. Although somewhat rested, well-fed, and heavily armed, not
one enjoyed the lurching, plunging, tilting, and rearing of his boat in the unusually choppy
waters. Because Commander in Chief, Middle East, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery
insisted the risky invasion, even within Allied fighter cover from North Africa, would launch the
march from Italy’s lower Appenine Mountains to the Swiss border. The invasion of Sicily would
not only be the largest amphibious attack to invade a country in world history, but also the first
ground battle action on Mussolini’s home territory controlled and occupied by the some of
Hitler’s elite SS and Wehrmacht divisions.
CASEMATE PUBLISHING PRESENTS THE FULL DISCLOURES, WARTS AND ALL, OF THE GRAVE
DIFFICULTIES, INCLUDING SCATHING ALLIED CRITICISM, THREATENING THE PLANNING AND
LANDING SUCCESS OF OPERATION HUSKY INVOLVING 160,000 MOSTLY AMERICAN-BRITISH
TROOPS, THE MOST CRITICAL VOICED BY EISENHOWER, ALEXANDER, MONTGOMERY,
CUNNINGHAM, AND TEDDER WHO WERE STILL ENGAGED IN LIQUIDATING 250,000 AXIS
TROOPS STILL DEFENDING SICILY’S OUTER APPROACHES IN AFRICA . . .
Reviewed and recommended by Don DeNevi
“THE FIRST BRIDGE TOO FAR – – The Battle of Primosole Bridge 1943”, by Mark Saliger.
CASEMATE Publishers, first printed in 2018; reprinted in 2023: 248 pages, 6” x 9”, softcover,
$24.95. Visit, www.casemate publishers. Com.
“One of the surprises of The First Bridge Too Far is the revelation that the British and German
paratroopers treated each other chivalrously.”
from the New York Journal of Books
The British paratroopers of the famed Parachute Regiment’s 1 st Parachute Brigade known as
the Red Devils fought the equally esteemed German paratroopers, known as the Green Devils
in a battle of attrition basic to winning or losing the first Allied landing on Nazi conquered
Europe. That vicious, all-consuming fight occurred over who would control Primosole Bridge. It
was the first time in the history of warfare that two major forces would parachute onto a
battlefield and engage in close-quarters combat. Either side could claim victory or defeat. For
the Allies, the fledgling Red Devils Parachute Regiment showed extraordinary coolness in the
fiery heat of an inferno. Mark Saliger’s fresh account is so stunning the reader will feel and see
all from the lead point position. He or she will also battle, then celebrate the 1 st Parachute
Brigade’s seizure of the critical bridge, although a short time later watch in alarm and dismay
How it couldn’t be held in the face of overwhelming numbers and firepower of the German
Fallschirmjaegers. Yet, these elite troops even in tightly held positions couldn’t secure the
bridge. They too fell under a storm of heavy gunfire and the onslaught of outnumbering ground
forces. Thus, the battle was labelled a disappointing “heroic failure”. Mark’s vivid descriptions
place us in the heart of the whole mess, narrating in no uncertain terms how the 1 st Parachute
Brigade fought in the true spirit of the Parachute Regiment against overwhelming odds, a
better equipped enemy, including artillery and armor, and without support from our own
rapidly approaching land forces. In short, despite the odds stacked against them, they still
managed to highlight the potential of Airborne Forces. General Browning said it best, “My
conclusion is that these operations were probably the most difficult that will ever be carried out
by airborne troops. Yet, those brave men completely achieved their objectives and a corner of
the veil of future possibilities has been lifted, proving that despite our paras not being
reinforced by ground troops they can still manage to capture all their objectives with only a
small nucleus of their original parachuting force.”
Mark concludes, “It is difficult today to picture that such a bloody battle occurred in these
beautiful tranquil surroundings between two of the toughest sets of airborne warriors. For both
the Red and Green Devils, the Primosole Bridge has proven it, too, was a bridge too far.
