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The History of WWII Podcast · Ray Harris Jr

Episode 604-Patton's End Run

·31 min·2 clips
A bridge shell hit German demolitions on the Rosmarino River and changed the retreat timetable.
1. The History of WWII Podcast episode 604, "Patton's End Run," follows the fighting on Sicily's north coast near San Fratello, Sant'Agata, and the Rosmarino River. 2. The episode is narrated by Wesley Levesay, who frames the story around Patton, Bradley, and General Truscott's attempt to break the Axis line. 3. The core question is whether a small amphibious landing by Task Force 88 could disrupt the 29th Panzergrenadier Division's retreat toward Italy proper. 4. Truscott's 3rd Division advanced along the coast and took San Fratello, about 50 miles west of Messina. 5. On August 4th, part of the 15th Infantry tried to cross a river and suffered 103 casualties. 6. General Freese pulled back during the night of August 5th because the 15th Panzergrenadier Division's withdrawal from Troina exposed his left flank. 7. Hill 673, San Fratello, and the coast road kept absorbing American attacks while German artillery and mortar fire stalled the advance. 8. Bernard's landing force included the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry, batteries from the 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, a platoon of medium tanks, and a platoon of combat engineers. 9. A Luftwaffe attack on the transports forced Truscott to delay the end run for 24 hours and bring in a replacement LST from Palermo. 10. On August 7th, Bernard's force sailed at 7:40 p.m. with Admiral Davison's two cruisers and six destroyers escorting the landing craft. 11. One shell from Davison's escort hit German demolitions near the Rosmarino River bridge and forced the retreat route to be cleared under pressure. 12. Bernard's men landed by 4:15 a.m. on August 8th and found themselves not far east of Sant'Agata rather than east of the Rosmarino River. 13. German and Italian units counterattacked with two Italian Renault tanks and two German Mark IV tanks, but Bernard's artillery and medium tanks stopped them. 14. Company F crossed the Rosmarino River, while other elements blocked roads toward Sant'Agata, Militello, and San Marco. 15. Machine-gun platoons from Company H destroyed German vehicles moving down the coast road and the inland road from San Marco. 16. By 11:30 a.m., the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry entered Sant'Agata, and by 12:30 p.m. lead elements met Bernard's company G east of the town. 17. The episode describes fierce fighting on Hill 673, where ammunition ran out, bayonets appeared, grenades were used, and some men threw rocks at each other. 18. The narration is delivered in a steady campaign-history style, with date-by-date movement across Sicily and a final shift into the Tarvis Conference. 19. Listeners who follow Sicily, Allied landings, and Axis command politics will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners seeking a short, self-contained battlefield overview may want a different entry point.

As heard by us

A coastal operation where timing, damage, and one shell reshape the retreat.

Patton's End Run tracks a landing that keeps slipping off schedule. Luftwaffe attacks damage an LST and an escort, and a shell from one of Admiral Davison's escorts hits German demolitions near the Rosmarino River bridge, which forces engineers to clear a path before the retreat…

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You want Patton's End Run explained step by step, not hand-waved.

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