Lt. Cyril R. Murphy Jr & his 45th Infantry Thunderbird Division

Operation Husky: The 1943 Invasion of Sicily

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Cyril Raymond Murphy Jr. (1914–1992) was a WW2 military hero. As a commander in Company K, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, Lt. Murphy led his troops in the 1943 Sicily Invasion (Operation Husky), then through Italy, France, & Belgium. For his heroism during the 1944 Battle of Anzio, Lt. Murphy was awarded the  Army’s 2nd highest medal, the Distinguished Service Cross; it was presented to him by Lt. General Mark Clark, Commander of the Fifth Army. Cyril was also awarded a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for being wounded in Italy & France.

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The 45th Infantry invaded Sicily near Gela on July 10th,1943. By July 31st, they secured the north coast town of Tusa. Lt. Murphy purchased a wristwatch there; between that date & the invasion of Italy on Sept 14, 1943, he engraved the inside & back of the watch case with the names of the 13 Sicilian towns where they fought, and his personal information.  Incredible that he engraved this on a 30mm watch case in a war zone!