A dramatic week of battles beginning at the end of July had come to characterize the fierce inland fighting on Sicily during Operation Husky. The American Seventh Army and two Canadian regiments, had fought off two dozen counter attacks against them, launched by mixed Axis forces who had been supported by artillery which had shelled the Allied positions on the rocky hillsides. The numerous hills and mountains surrounding Troina, which the German 15th Panzer Grenadier Division under General Rodt had heavily fortified, became the focal point of heavy fighting. From these positions the Germans took the Allied forces under fire with both direct and indirect assets. The American 26th Regiment was tasked with outflanking Troina by seizing Monte Basilio, two miles north of town. If successful, the Americans would be able to cut the Axis line of retreat. After the Americans reached the mountains surrounding the town and began to entrench their heavy artillery, the Germans reacted desperately to remove the threat and retake this key position. During August 3rd and 4th, the Axis counterattacks managed to isolate the men on Monte Basilio from the remainder of the 1st Division, causing the Americans to run low on water and ammo. By the 5th of August casualties had greatly depleted the 26th regiment, with no reinforcements in sight. To make matters worse, poor weather had grounded friendly air support. At this point the German infantry attacked again at 0600 hours. Thus began another furious round of fighting to attempt to dislodge the Americans from the hills of Monte Basilio and safeguard the Axis retreat routes out of Troina.
Attacker: German (Schnelle Abteilung ‘Sizilien’, KG Fullriede, 15. Panzer Grenadier Division)
