US servicemen killed in Sicily 1943.

[colinhotham]

Can anyone tell me why the US servicemen killed in Sicily during Operation Husky were disinterred and moved to a cemetery on the Italian mainland? Carlo D'Este in Bitter Victory states that they were originally buried in four cemeteries at Licata, Gela, Catania and Palermo. The British and Commonwealth dead and the Canadian dead were buried and remain on Sicily at Catania, Syracuse and Agira There must have been a particular reason for the move in April 1947.

 

Colin.

 

[Stevin]

All I know about this is that after the war the 100s of temporary cemeteries were to be removed in lieu of socalled Memorial Parks. These were pieces of land donated by the donor countries. I believe after WW2 8 were opened in Europe. To prevent to have them all scattered, the choice in Italy was to bury them in Nettuno, and have all the war dead from Sicily moved there. The reasoning beyong this is not known to me.

 

For example, practically all Americans that died in Denmark were later moved to Ardennes Cemetery in Belgium, instead of Denmark.

 

BTW, I just got the book COMBAT JUMP by Ed Ruggero. Is it any good???