U.S. Naval Aviator Cmdr. C.G. Lewis, decorated hero at Gela, Sicily 10 July 1943

Tonight marks the 69th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Sicily. Allies launched the attack the night of 9-10 July 1943. The most heavily fortified and defended area was that of Gela beach. Here is a brief account of one of the many heroes of that invasion.

Naval aviator Cyril G. Lewis had previously experienced the ravages of war. He was serving as an aviator aboard the USS Boise at Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal when the Boise was nearly destroyed the night of 11-12 October 1942.

The USS Boise was a cruiser, not an aircraft carrier. Lewis piloted an unarmed photo reconnaissance plane, was catapulted off the deck to launch, and was required to land in the water and be hoisted back to the deck upon returning from a mission. He was regularly exposed to anti-aircraft and enemy fighter fire. Multiple times he narrowly escaped death as he gathered intelligence information, charted enemy gun and troop emplacements and called in air strikes. The early morning hours of 10 July 1943 was no exception to the rule.

I will need to post a few times to show just a few of the 233 photographs I currently show on my site of the grouping I acquired from Cmdr. Lewis' son last year. The pistol is nothing too special; a s0-so condition 1924 Colt M1911A1 pistol. It's not in good condition, but is all original, except for the WWI vintage common-leg HP barrel. Obviously, the pistol wasn't new when it was issued to Lewis. It was nearly 20 years old when he acquired it. But the story is not really about the pistol; it's about Lewis and his service. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during the early hours of the D-Day invasion of Sicily. Commander Lewis is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

A few photos of the pistol, unique holster, mag pocket, etc. issued to Lewis. When I first was the pistol and holster I was a little disappointed. I'd hoped it would be better condition. I never doubted the holster was used by Lewis. However, it was commercial and I thought I could never document that to Lewis. I was wrong. Mr. Lewis (the son), while showing me all that was with the pistol, produced a letter his father had written his mother, asking her to purchase a shoulder holster. He also showed me a scrapbook with images taken by Life magazine photographer, J.R. Eyerman, while aboard the USS Boise during the invasion of Sicily. Those photos clearly show Lewis with his pistol and that specific (modified) holster.

The pistol; nothing too special.
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The modified Brauer Bros. shoulder holster (strap added). The mag pocket with spare mags and the letter requesting his wife to purchase the holster.
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A photo taken by Life magazine photographer during the invasion of Sicily, showing Lewis wearing this holster and pistol. Another photo showing him wearing the rig and this magazine pocket with the rounded flap.
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More to follow...

Commander Lewis was a highly skilled and trained individual who served in the Pacific, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe as a photo reconnaissance pilot. He also served as an Instructor for the Navy towards the end of WWII, training Navy Aviators and photo recon personnel. Here is one link that shows some of his assignments and awards: Blue Print Version


Just a tiny portion of the things that came with this grouping...

His footlocker and other misc. items
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The Honor Roll from the USS Boise regarding the action at Guadalcanal.
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More to come....

thanks for sharing this interesting info and marking the anniversary of Sicily, my grandfather was there with the "Ontarios" (tank regmt.)
Jim

I have Cmdr. Lewis' two pilot log books, showing nearly 1400 hours and listing all the details of the missions he flew. It was really interesting going through the logs and comparing the notes to letters he wrote his wife at the same time. Just prior to departing overseas, Lewis devised a simple, private code to let his wife know where in the world he was serving, and what type of duty he was doing. I have the letter where he offers several ways he'll address her in his letter, ie. Dear Verona, Dearest Ronnie, etc. Each way stood for a different part of the world, a specific country or region. The way he closed his letters, ie. As always, Cy or Forever yours, Your loving husband, etc. told Verona what type of duty. That way, even though letters were censored, she could at least watch the news and have some idea of where he was and what he was doing.

When you compare the entries in the log book to the 4 years of letters back and forth between Lewis and his bride, it is kind of cool to decode the letter addresses and closing and then look at the log books to verify. :) Here is just one of the hundreds of entries in the first log book, dealing specifically with the D-Day invasion of Sicily at Gela beach. On 10 July 1943, you can see his notes indicate his plane was shot pretty badly by German ME-109 fighters.

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I received many books that belonged to Commander Lewis. Many reference his service on the Boise and in battle. A lot of the books are highlighted to indicate things that reference him. Just before his untimely death in 1991, the U.S. Navy requested him to write an account of his actions at Gela. However, he never complete that work, being killed when a tractor overturned on him. He was 75. His obituary can be found online and it notes the Navy request. He was a Founding Member of the U.S. Naval Aviator museum in Pensacola. I suspect they may have wanted the information, but cannot verify that. Commander Lewis and his wife had just returned from the museum in Pensacola a day or two prior to his death. I have the photos he took while there.

Here is one reference to Lewis' service at Gela, Sicily on 10 July 1943, in one of the books I received in the grouping.
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One of the most significant items I received is the actual chart Lewis put together as he flew reconnaissance and called in air strikes at Gela. That chart is the original chart that was used to plan attacks. Versions of it are shown in various books. However, none I have ever seen show all the detail Lewis has on his chart. He folded this cart up and carried it in the front pocket of his flight suit, on his lower leg. The darkened area is simply aging from being exposed the way it was folded. I show several macro shots of this chart on my site. The pistol gives you an idea of the size.
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I show images on the site of his flight suit and the pocket the chart was carried in.

Here are just a few of the images taken by Life magazine during the Sicily invasion. Commander Lewis had a scrapbook with hundreds of images which I have. I show those on the site, too. Many are from North Africa and the Middle East. They're very interesting. Lewis captioned most all the images and provided detailed information to preserve the information for future generations to enjoy. This first one shows Lewis being hoisted back up onto the deck of the USS Boise.
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Lewis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Lewis had been a roommate to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. prior to this. I have newspaper articles written about his gallant actions that day. At least one of them mention rooming with Roosevelt. There must have been some type of friendship between them, as Mrs. Lewis exchanged letters with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In Mrs. Roosevelt's reply, she congratulates Lewis on being awarded the DFC.
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Hopefully, now one might understand why the condition of the pistol really didn't bother me. I think I purchased a grouping that just happened to include the pistol.

---------- Post added at 02:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:25 PM ----------

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Originally Posted by blazer91

thanks for sharing this interesting info and marking the anniversary of Sicily, my grandfather was there with the "Ontarios" (tank regmt.)
Jim

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My hat's off to your grandfather and all the others who served in taking Sicily then.

When I first started as a deputy back in 1977 the Patrol Commander was John "Jack" Grimes. You'll see his name listed above on the Boise roster. John was in damage a control party and I recalled him relating how they entered a compartment to plug a hole in the ships side, he could see tiny flashes in the night through that hole, that was the Japanese ships firing at them.

Great article, you've proudly reminded us the memory of Cmd. Lewis and the ships and sailors he served provided.

Wow!!!!

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Originally Posted by Sarge1998

When I first started as a deputy back in 1977 the Patrol Commander was John "Jack" Grimes. You'll see his name listed above on the Boise roster. John was in damage a control party and I recalled him relating how they entered a compartment to plug a hole in the ships side, he could see tiny flashes in the night through that hole, that was the Japanese ships firing at them.

Great article, you've proudly reminded us the memory of Cmd. Lewis and the ships and sailors he served provided.

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Thanks. I'm glad you were able to recognize someone you know on the list of USS Boise officers and crew. I'm sure those in damage control that night had their hands full.

Wondeful documentation / photos. Thank you very much for sharing with us.

Here is an image that's in the public domain of the USS Boise at New Guinea in 1944.
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Here is an image from Cmdr. Lewis' pilot log book.
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He lists himself as a passenger on that mission.

They really were the greatest generation. :clap: Though I'm proud of those that serve today as the next greatest generation. Not forgetting of course those that served with unselfishness in between. :clap:

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Originally Posted by DaveN

They really were the greatest generation. Though I'm proud of those that serve today as the next greatest generation. Not forgetting of course those that served with unselfishness in between.

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Well put.

That is amazing.

Scott, I am in amazement with the information and wonderful articles, photographs and historical data that you so graciously share with us. Thank you sir! :super:

Much of the enjoyment in having this stuff comes from sharing it with other collectors with similar interests. I appreciate the venue provided by milsurps. Thanks.