By Mike Peters
Guiding Member of the
Guild of Battlefield Guides,
Badge Number 19
I visited Ponte Primasole in company with Tim Saunders on Tuesday 9 March 10. Much to my surprise and Tims the objective of 1 Parachute Brigade during Operation FUSTIAN is no more! The bridge including its footings has been removed and there is no immediate prospect of it being replaced. For any members intending to cover the fighting around the bridge or indeed the route of 4th Armoured Brigade up to Catania this presents a small logistic problem. The opening of the new Autostrada has removed the traffic from the area - it is VERY quiet now however, access is an issue. The Durham Light Infantry Memorial is still in place in the Nature Reserve car park but is now the only physical link to the action of 1943. You will have to decide which bank you intend to use for your stand as there will be a significant time penalty in transit if you intend to view the crossing from both the North and South banks. I would suggest the North bank is the better option - with the DLI memorial at hand.
The photographs show how bare the river bank is on both sides without the bridge that replaced the origional.
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