Italy 1943–1945
Ponte Grande, Syracuse
Bridge
The story
The objective of the first large British glider operation of the war. A few dozen men held this bridge for most of 10 July until the last fifteen unwounded defenders surrendered at 15:30, less than an hour before the relief force arrived and retook it intact.
What to look for
The bridge over the Anapo, the canal ditches, and the view towards Syracuse, the prize the bridge protected.
Plan your visit
Roadside on the SS115 at the south edge of Syracuse; park nearby with care.
Nearby sites
- Syracuse War Cemetery, Syracuse · 2 km
- Operation Husky monument, Pachino · 41 km
- Primosole Bridge, Simeto river · 42 km
- Bark West beach, Maucini · 46 km
- Catania War Cemetery, Catania · 50 km
- Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943, Catania · 53 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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