Publisher's Synopsis
Crossings is a pictorial account of the little-discussed war that took place in the belly of the Axis powers in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. The invasion of North Africa on November 8, 1942 marked the largest invasion by sea in the history of the world and established the Allied powers determination to beat back the Axis powers and to eventually regain control of Europe. The war in the southern theater was the training ground for some of the greatest generals of World War II, including Dwight D. Eisenhower who cut his combat teeth in North Africa. General George S. Patton commanded Allied forces who landed near Casablanca and later commanded II Corps in North Africa and Seventh Army in Sicily before becoming a legend in Europe. General Mark Clark went on a secret mission on the night before the invasion of North Africa and later commanded Fifth Army as it landed in Italy and fought up the Italian Peninsula. General Omar Bradley served as deputy commander of II Corps under Patton in North Africa and then commanded II Corps in North Africa and the Sicily campaign. General Bernard Montgomery commanded the British Eighth Army in North Africa and Sicily. On the other side, the Allies faced Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, General Herman Kesselring, General Von Sengar and the best that Hitler had to offer. During the southern campaign, the Allies defeated the Vichy French and then turned the French into a fighting force beside the Allies while they contributed fighting units from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. As Sicily fell, so did Mussolini while many Italians volunteered for fighting units to face retreating Axis armies. In the middle of the war in the south, the 19th Engineer Regiment (Combat) paved the way for thousands of Allied infantry and armor to press the fight. Men of the 19th cleared mine fields, rebuilt destroyed bridges, blew up obstacles, built pontoon bridges under ferocious fire and fought as infantry when necessary. The 19th were some of the few defenders of Kasserine Pass and was nearly obliterated by a ferocious German and Italian onslaught. Units of the 19th led the way in the initial landing in North Africa as well as Sicily and Italy. As they did so, men of the 19th fought and died. They died from exploding mines, from enemy bullets and from German artillery. When Allied armor columns were deployed to attack, men of the 19th were in front, building bridges and shoe-flies for them to go forward. When infantry units were poised for the offensive, the combat engineers lead the way through mine fields and across streams and rivers. Jerome T. Berry was one of the first officers assigned to the 19th when it was activated on July 1, 1942 in Fort Ord, California. He served the 19th as a second lieutenant, first lieutenant and captain throughout the southern campaign, from initial training at Fort Ord, to forward deployment in England and Ireland, to the invasion of Algeria, to the invasion and conquering of Sicily to the defeat of Germany and Italy up the Italian peninsula. Berry relives his three and a half years with the 19th through his son, Robert, in this delightful documentary. Included are hundreds of photos of the men of the 19th shown in combat, in rest, working and playing. "We cleared mines night and day. We cleared thousands and thousands of mines. As fast as we could beat back the Germans, they laid thousands of mines to slow our advance and we were the ones who had to take them out - usually under fire." So, the 19th Engineer Regiment crossed the United States, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, North African deserts, the island of Sicily, the Italian peninsula and enabled hundreds of thousands of their comrades to cross mine fields, rivers, mountains, roads, passes, muddy fields, snow-covered valleys and defended hilltops.
