Thread by @NickWhithorn

At 10 p.m. on 16 August 1943, Patton's US 7th Army enters Messina, completing the liberation of Sicily & beating Montgomery's 8th Army by a few hours in the 'Race to Messina'. This thread deals with a little known episode in the Sicilian campaign, involving Patton's troops >> 1

Before the landings in Sicily (9 July 1943) General Patton makes a speech to officers of the 45th Infantry Division, members of which are involved in the events described here, the content of which they use to justify their actions. Patton's speech is typically forthright >> 2

"If they surrender when you're two-three hundred yards from them, ignore their raised hands. Aim between the third and fourth rib, then fire. ...no prisoners! The time for playing is over, it's time to kill! I want a division of killers, because killers are immortal!" >> 3

Among the first objectives of the US troops is the capture of airfields in southern Sicily and the 180th Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division is given the task of taking the Santo Pietro airfield near the town of Biscardi (now known as Acate) >> 4

The 180th Regiment, as the rest of the 45th Division, has no previous combat experience and it performs so badly in the first two days after the landings that consideration is given to replacing its Commander, although this does not happen >> 5

The attack on the airfield begins overnight between 13 & 14 July. The airfield is defended by Italian soldiers & airmen, supported by a small contingent of German troops. They put up stiff resistance but, outnumbered & overpowered, they surrender in the afternoon of 14 July >> 6

The incident or 2 distinct incidents that interest us take place in the morning of 14 July during fighting for control of the airfield. It is uncertain which of the 2 episodes happens first: one involves Sgt.Horace West, the other Capt.John Compton, both of the 1st Battalion >> 7

Sgt. Horace West is ordered by the Executive Officer of the 1st Battalion to accompany a group of prisoners (45 Italians & 3 Germans) to the rear & off the road so that they will not be conspicuous & to hold them for questioning by intelligence officers >> 8

After a mile, he halts the POWs & sends a small group off for questioning. He takes the others off the road & lines them up. The prisoners have had their shirts & shoes removed to discourage escape attempts. West then asks to borrow the Company First Sargeant's Thompson gun >> 9

He opens fire on the POWs saying he is going to "kill the sons of bitches" & telling his comrades to turn their backs if they don't want to see. All the prisoners die (37) except one, Airman Giuseppe Giannola, wounded in the arm but protected by bodies falling on top of him >> 10

He remains motionless under the bodies for two & a half hours, as he hears other shots. Anyone who shows signs of life is shot in the heart. When Giannola decides to risk moving, not sensing the presence of soldiers, he is fired at from a distance & a bullet grazes his head >> 11

He again plays dead for half an hour until he sees American soldiers with red cross medic armbands. He crawls to them and they treat his wounds. They then move on leaving him there with instructions to wait for an ambulance >> 12

Before the ambulance arrives, a jeep with two Americans aboard stops as it is passing him. One of them climbs out & asks if he is Italian. When Giannola answers "yes", the American soldier shoots him through the neck, climbs back in the jeep & drives off >> 13

Amazingly, Giannola is still alive. Shortly afterwards, the ambulance arrives & he is taken to a field hospital in Scoglitti. From here he is transferred to the British hospital in Biserta (Tunisia) before being returned to Italy in March 1944 >> 14

After the war, on 4 March 1947, Giannola (photo) files a detailed report of the events with the Italian Air Force Command but it is not taken seriously. In 2004, a military Prosecutor opens a file on the case but nothing comes of it. Giannola dies in 2016, aged 99 >> 15

The second incident, involving Capt. John Compton happens on the same morning on another side of the airfield. Compton's platoon is pinned down by sniper fire & suffers heavy casualties. Compton has not slept for 3 days & is highly agitated >> 16

When the Italian & German troops firing at them finally surrender, Compton orders his men to shoot them. A firing squad of 11 is formed & the 36 prisoners are made to stand on a ridge. Two men, Virginio de Roit & Silvio Quaggiotto, manage to flee before the rest are shot >> 17

It is thanks to Giannola, de Roit & Quaggiotto that these events are remembered in Italy, although no legal prosecutions have ever been initiated against those responsible >> 18

As regards US military justice, thanks to LT. Col. William King, a chaplain serving with the 45th Division, who sees the bodies the day after the massacre and brings pressure to bear on Gen. Omar Bradley, proceedings are initiated against both West & Compton >> 19

Both West & Compton rely on Patton's words as a defence but only Compton is able to call senior officers to testify as to what Patton said. Compton is acquitted. He is transferred to the 179th Infantry Regiment & is killed in action on 8 November 1943, near Montecassino >> 20

West, on the other hand, is convicted & sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he is freed on 24 November 1944 & returns to active service in Italy, demoted to rank of Private. At the end of the war he receives an honourable discharge. He dies in Oklahoma in January 1974 >> 21

A curiosity regarding the Biscari massacre is the identity of one of the German victims. He is Luz Long, who won the silver medal in the long jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics behind Jesse Owens (photo), of whom he became a great friend >> 22

Owens recorded two foul jumps in qualification and was at risk of elimination if he didn't record a valid third jump. Long gave him advice on his run up, helping him to make a valid jump & qualify for the final & was the first to congratulate Owens when he won the gold medal >>23

In his last letter to his friend, Long asked Owens to visit his son in Germany and tell him about his father and how tell him "how things can be between men on this earth." Owens respected his friend's wishes and even attended Long's son's wedding // 24