American Landing
On July 10, 1943, Licata was protagonist of the Anglo-American landing in Sicily, on the famous D-Day. The city has been chosen for its particular geographic and territorial position, equipped of a port and a long coast that has simplified the operations against the Italian-German armed forces. This operation was called “Husky”. Licata was the first city to pass under the American administration of the Amgot, which was in charge of civil affairs, fascist symbols were removed, it had a mayor and a democratic junta. The most important beaches interested in landing were: Mollarella – Poliscia, Gaffe, Plaia-Montegrande and Due Rocche, each coded with the names of colors: green, red, yellow and blue.
After landing, numerous internationally renowned personalities arrived in the city to document what had happened and made known Licata outside its borders. Among them are mentioned Phil Stern, the famous photographer from Hollywood who has immortalized, with his reportage, the scenes of the arrival of Americans arrival; Audie Murphy, the most militarily decorated of World War II, he was an actor too, writer of novel “To Hell And Back” of which was also produced a film in which he played himself; the commander Frank Toscani who administered the city and the correspondent journalist John Hersey of the “Time”, author of novel “A Bell For Adano”, which title refers to the bell of the Town Hall, considered a symbol of the city and for this reason it was not removed for weapons production. The novel describes the first week of the city’s American administration. The best seller won the international Pulitzer Prize in 1945.
