Key Facts
- Date
- 9 July 1943
- Gliders deployed
- 144 (136 Hadrians, 8 Horsas)
- Drowned in sea landings
- ~252 men from 65 gliders
- Troops reaching Ponte Grande
- 87 men
- Survivors at surrender
- 15 unwounded soldiers
Strategic Narrative Overview
Launched from Tunisia on the night of 9 July 1943, 144 gliders were towed by American aircraft toward Sicily. Sixty-five gliders were released prematurely, crashing into the sea and drowning approximately 252 men. Only 87 troops reached Ponte Grande Bridge, captured it, and held it under sustained Italian counterattack. With ammunition exhausted and just 15 men unwounded, the small force eventually surrendered.
01 / The Origins
Operation Ladbroke was conceived as the airborne component of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943. Allied planners sought to seize the Ponte Grande Bridge near Syracuse ahead of the main amphibious landings, securing the city's strategically vital docks to facilitate the broader Allied campaign to drive Axis forces from Sicily and open a route into mainland Italy.
03 / The Outcome
Italian forces recaptured Ponte Grande Bridge but were unable to demolish it because British troops had already removed the attached explosive charges. Ground forces from the main invasion relieved the position shortly after. Other airlanding troops who had scattered across Sicily contributed by destroying communications links and capturing gun batteries, partially fulfilling the operation's broader objectives despite heavy losses.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Brigadier Philip Hicks.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.