sea, and only 12 landed on or near their designated landing zones.

McCardie’s own glider, carrying his battalion headquarters, was one of

the many that landed in the sea, approximately two miles short of the

Sicilian shoreline. He ordered the six men who could swim to make their

way to shore while he and the rest of his party clung to the wreckage.

Hours later, they were rescued by a boat. Tired and barefoot, McCardie

and his men eventually made it to land, where they spent the night

ghting minor skirmishes with scattered Italian troops.

The battalion’s mission was in jeopardy from the start. A small group of

men from the South Staffords, led by Lieutenant Withers, was the only

force to land near the bridge. They successfully captured it and disarmed

the demolition charges, but the rest of the battalion was scattered

across the countryside. Over the next

day, McCardie’s men, along with other

stragglers from the 1st Airlanding

Brigade, fought their way towards the

objective. Despite the overwhelming

odds and the complete failure of the

landing plan, small groups of glider

troops continued to harass the enemy

and disrupt their communications. The

heroic defense of the Ponte Grande by

the isolated platoon was a key factor

in the eventual success of the landing.

McCardie and his men nally reached

the bridge, which was by then in the hands of the advancing seaborne

forces.

After the Sicilian campaign, McCardie’s battalion was withdrawn to

North Africa to rebuild and ret. His command’s next major engagement

would be the Battle of Arnhem during Operation Market Garden in

September 1944.

Operation Market Garden

Lieutenant-Colonel Derek McCardie’s command of the 2nd Battalion,

South Staffordshire Regiment, was put to its ultimate test at the Battle

A squad of South Staords glider troops pose by a

roadside wall opposite Syracuse cemetery, 11 July

1943, the day aer the battle for the Ponte Grande

bridge