Publish Date: July 26, 1943
Cover Story: Battle of Sicily: March from the Beaches
How TIME Covered the News: A three-pronged attack – by air, land and sea – orchestrated by the Allied Powers succeeded in taking down Benito Mussolini, liberating Italy in World War II. The U.S. Army, led by Lt. General George Patton, successfully invaded Sicily, which then cleared the way for a full invasion of the mainland. The play-by-play was gory but proved the glory of embedded reporting:
Many of the men in the boats had been seasick on the packed ships. Now, on the way to the flaming shore, they were sicker than ever. They held their heads in their hands. They moaned. They vomited. A shore light picked out one of the boats. The faces in the light were pale and green. One of the men growled: “Why don’t they shoot out that goddam searchlight?” Red balls flew toward, over and among the boats. The Italians on the shore had depressed their ack-ack guns. A soldier, crouching, head down, said: “Shooting at the boats. Jeezus!” Gunboats with blue lights, standing in toward the shore as guides for the landing craft, began to hail the first comers: “Straight ahead. Go straight ahead. You’ll see the light on your right. Land there. Look out for mines. Good luck.”