Landing in Sicily

Our brigade was the 3rd Brigade, and we were the third one ashore Like, the other two landed, were supposedly the assault landing. But there was no really assault because the Italians, all that was there was the Italian home guard, more or less and they didn't want to fight, they were sitting on their packs ready to go to POW camp. But I, I . . . when the infantry went ashore, they went in these little boats, these assault boats. They climb in the boat and they lower them down in, into the sea and then they go ashore. But with us, my buddy and I we were to have the back up set, in case the main set got knocked out, we were the standby. And we had a great big heavy set that we carried on our back and the batteries, the other fella carried the batteries and somebody got the idea, they'd put us in a duck and took us ashore. So we rolled right up on the beach, didn't even get our feet wet. We had all our, all our gear, or big packs and everything and we just went up the beach a ways and they said, "This is going to be your drop off area," and we took our big packs off and all that and we went down to battle order and we left the stuff there and when the trucks came ashore they collected our stuff. We started going towards the enemy, but there wasn't really any enemy there. Except that night they dropped American paratroopers on us, but that was just kind of a... oh, they were, the Americans paratroopers were mad. They said, these guys, there was six of them, that we got a hold, we caught. We found them, they had, they had, when they sent our companies out looking for them, you know, we had seen them coming down. When they flew over our ships, where we had landed and all that. They started shooting at them, because they weren't in the right place. I, I suppose the planes weren't in the right place. But anyway, they said, the pilot says "Okay this is it, out, out" as soon as bullets started flying at them, he kicked them all out. And some of them landed in the water and some of them landed by us. But they were really browned off at the air force.

Mr. Munn talks about the landing of his brigade in Sicily and how the Italian troops did not put up a fight in defence of the island.

Lee Munn

Mr. Munn was born the oldest child of four in Boiestown, New Brunswick. He had one brother and two sisters. His father, a Veteran of the First World War, was a victim of gas attacks in Ypres, Belgium, and died in 1926 due to complications from the gas attack. The family survived through the 1930s on the pension that the Canadian Army issued to the widow and family. Mr. Munn finished high school and decided to work briefly in the woods before he joined the Canadian Army in Fredericton. From there he did his basic training in Kentville, Nova Scotia. He also took a signal course after completing his basic training. Mr. Munn left for England aboard the Dutchess of York, crossing in roughly six to seven days, landing in Greenock, Scotland, and then on to Aldershot, England. While there he continued to do signal training and drill before he was assigned to the Carleton York Regiment as a replacement during the beginning of the Battle of Britain. Mr. Munn was eventually moved to the CCS Royal Canadian Corp of Signals and was assigned to serve in Italy. He was transported aboard a Polish ship from England to Sicily. After serving in Italy, Mr. Munn was assigned to serve on the Western Front in Holland. After the end of the war Mr. Munn returned to Canada aboard a troop ship. He landed in Quebec City and then took the train back to New Brunswick. After the war Mr. Munn worked in the woods for a brief period and then went back to school in Moncton to get a trade as an electrician.

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:35
Person Interviewed:: Lee Munn
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Italy
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Royal Canadian Signals Corps
Rank:: Corporal
Occupation:: Signalman

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