Charles Robert Mills was born Framingham in 1910. He attended Framingham High School (FHS), graduating with the Class of 1934. Following FHS, Charles continued his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he was a member of the Class of 1938. In 1939, he married Virginia Sullivan (1909-1990) who was also from Framingham. Following their nuptials, they lived at the Sullivan home on Concord Street. As of early 1941, Charles was the MIT Assistant to the Vail Collection Librarian.
According to MIT...
“The Vail Collection is one of the world’s foremost rare book collections on electricity, electrical engineering, magnetism, and lighter-than-air travel.”
and
“This historic collection comprises some 25,000 volumes and includes materials dating as far back as the mid-16th century.”
The first indication we have of Charles’ military service comes from the records of the storied First Infantry Division (1st ID). Their documentation indicates Captain Mills participated in Operation Torch, the Invasion of North Africa on 08 November 1942. Based on this timeline, it’s highly likely Charles joined the Army in 1941. He was assigned to the 1st ID’s, 1st Engineer Combat Battalion following his initial training as a Combat Engineer. Before moving further down the timeline, it’s important to first describe the role of a WWII, US Army Engineer Combat Battalion and its combat engineers.
As detailed in the Army’s “Basic Field Manual FM 21-105: Engineer Soldier's Handbook, 1943,” combat engineers support ground combat units by:
-Destroying enemy obstacles such as minefields, booby traps, gun emplacements, pillboxes and beach obstacles.
-Building both floating (pontoon) and fixed bridges.
-Establishing/building logistics hubs,including airfields, supply lines, and roads, frequently under enemy fire.
-Creating housing for troops and prisoners.
-Conducting reconnaissance patrols to gather intelligence.
- Engaging in combat as a ground unit in emergent situations.
"We Clear the Way - Engineers" 1941-1945 Army Corps of Engineers Recruiting Poster
Image: Public Domain
1st ID Patch 1st Engineer Combat Battalion Crest
As part of the 1st ID, like his Framingham peers Robert Irvine and Earl Bailey, Charles participated in the Invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch, November 1942) the Tunisian Campaign (November 1942-May 1943) and the Sicily Campaign (Operation Husky,July 1943-August 1943).
Following the 1943 victory in Tunisia, the Allies decided (at the Casablanca Conference, January 1943) to capture the strategically located Island of Sicily. For several reasons, the time was not right for a cross-English Channel invasion of France and the pressure was on to open a "second front." Sicily was seen as the “steppingstone” to Central Europe. Success here,and eventually in Southern Italy, would also likely lead to the downfall of Benito Mussolini’s Fascist Government, which would cause the Germans to dedicate more of their own troops to defending the Italian Peninsula. This reallocation of forces would weaken the German positions on the Western and Eastern Fronts. Controlling Sicily would also enhance Allied efforts to protect convoys transiting to/from the Mediterranean.Operation Husky and the Sicily Campaign (10 July-17 August 1943)
Image: From the Campaign Summary by Major General Terry Allen, Commanding General of the First Infantry Division**
The Allied Forces included the US Seventh Army (commanded by Lieutenant General George Patton) and the British Eighth Army (commanded by General Bernard Montgomery). The original plan was for American troops to secure the central and western areas of the island while the British moved north up the east coast to Messina. The attack was planned for 10 July 1943; almost 3,000 ships would land approximately 150,000 ground troops on the invasion beaches (see the map). An airborne drop behind enemy lines would also support the effort. The 1st ID and Captain Charles Mills had their orders and were ready to engage.
After successfully moving west and north as planned, the US 7th Army had essentially cut the island in half (south-north route). On the east coast,the British 8th Army was facing stiff resistance and was behind schedule. On the 23rd of July, the 1st ID was ordered to change direction east toward TRIONA via NICOSIA. NICOSIA was an important crossroad; it was fiercely defended. [Of note, on 24 July, Mussolini was removed from power by King Victor Emmanuel III and arrested.] The town was captured by noon on 28 July. Next stop on the parade route was TRIONA, 12 miles to the northeast.
On the afternoon of the 28th, Captain Mills led a reconnaissance patrol ahead of the American positions. He was leading from the front. The 4:30 PM entry in the 1st Engineer Battalion Journal (17-May-31 July) indicates Captain Mills, Commanding Officer of the Headquarters and Support (H&S) Company was killed in action while leading a forward reconnaissance patrol. He was reported to have been felled by German machine gun fire. Another Framingham Citizen-Warrior would not be returning.
By the time Allied Forces arrived in Messina on 17 August 1943, the Axis had masterfully evacuated almost 100,000 troops and a significant number of supplies and ammunition across the Strait of Messina to the mainland. On the 17th, the US 3rd Division entered Messina from the west; British troops entered from the south. While casualty statistics vary, most indicate the Allies suffered approximately 24,000 casualties, and the Axis 165,000 (most were Italian soldiers taken as Prisoners of War). While the 38-day campaign was an Allied victory, the withdrawn Axis forces lived to fight another day. The entire Italian Campaign (10 July 1943-02 May 1945) would prove to be long, brutal and costly.
Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart
On 21 August 1943, Captain Charles R. Mills was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Achievement during combat operations in the North African Theater of Operations. He was also the recipient of the Purple Heart. His final resting place is the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.
Watch: https://youtu.be/8CEgrE6s1Vc
Sources
**A Summary of the Sicily Campaign, During World War II (10 July to 16 August 1943), Major General Terry Allen, Commanding General, First Infantry Division
-This document was originally drafted in 1943. It was only declassified in 1961. It was accessed via the "Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Digital Lab."
After Action Report, Headquarters, First Engineer Combat Battalion, 23 August 1943
-Also published in 1961. It provides a summary of the battalion's participation in Operation Husky and the details of Captain Mills’ unfortunate death. It was accessed via the First Infantry Division Museum.
General Order Number 66, Headquarters 1st US Infantry Division, 21 August 1944
-Provides details for Captain Mills’ Bronze Star Medal. Accessed via the First Infantry Division Museum.
American Battle Monuments Commission, Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
Crusade in Europe, A Personal Account of World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Framingham High School
Framingham History Center
The Imperial War Museum
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, President’s Report Issue, October 1943
National World War II Museum
Society of the First Infantry Division
The Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson
-An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943
-The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944
The US Army Center of Military History
