Italy 1943–1945
Gela seafront and pier, Gela
Landing beach
The story
Heart of the American landings. The Rangers attacked the town directly while the 1st Infantry Division landed on the beaches to the east. Over the next two days Italian and German tanks came close to throwing the Americans back into the sea here; only naval gunfire and artillery landed on the beach saved the beachhead.
What to look for
The modern pier on the site of the one blown in 1943, the long beaches to the east, and the old town on its ridge that the Rangers cleared street by street.
Plan your visit
Free, public seafront. Parking along the lungomare.
Nearby sites
- Piano Lupo crossroads, near Gela · 10 km
- 82nd Airborne memorial, Ponte Dirillo · 14 km
- Landing beaches, Licata · 28 km
- Agira Canadian War Cemetery, Agira · 71 km
- Centuripe, Enna · 76 km
- Primosole Bridge, Simeto river · 81 km
All 96 sites in Italy 1943–1945 →
Into Europe: Italy 1943–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The places of the Allied campaign in Italy, from the Sicily landings of July 1943 through Salerno, the Winter Line, Ortona, Cassino and Anzio, Rome, the Gothic Line and the final battles on the Senio and the Po in April 1945.
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