Editing Erice (section)

==History==
[[File:Erice-Chiesa-Madre-bjs-3.jpg|thumb|240px|Tower of the Chiesa Madre (Cathedral)]]
{{main|Eryx (Sicily)}}

The ancient Greek name of Erice was [[Eryx (Sicily)|Eryx]] ({{lang|grc|Έρυξ}} in [[Greek language|Greek]]), and its foundation was associated with the eponymous Greek hero [[Eryx (mythology)|Eryx]]. It was not a Greek colony, as the [[Phoenicia]]ns founded it, but was largely [[Hellenization|Hellenized]]. It was destroyed in the [[First Punic War]] by the [[Carthage|Carthaginians]], and from then on declined in importance.

Eryx was conquered by the [[Aghlabids]] in 831 and was renamed as Cebel Hamid (in Western sources Gebel Hamed, meaning Mountain of Hamid). It was ruled by the Arabs until the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman conquest]]. In 1167 the Normans renamed it '''Monte San Giuliano''', a name maintained until the 20th century.

===20th Century===
In 1934 the town changed its name from ''Monte San Giuliano'' to '''Erice'''.
 
During the Second World War a Luftwaffe Operations Centre (associated with  ''[[Zerstörergeschwader 26]]'' and ''[[Jagdgeschwader 27]]'' which operated out of the nearby [[Trapani–Milo Airport]]) was located on the slopes of Monte Erice from early 1943 until they were forced by Allied air raids to relocate.<ref name= Holland>{{cite book |last= Holland |first= James |title= Sicily '43: The First Assault on Fortress Europe |year= 2020 |location= London |publisher= Bantam Press |pages= 383 |type= Hardback |isbn= 978-1-7876-3293-6}}</ref>   Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 troops of the 2nd Battalion of the [[505th Infantry Regiment (United States)| 505th Infantry Regiment]] [[Seventh United States Army| Seventh Army]] under the command of Major Mark Alexander began on 22 July 1943 to climb up the side of Monte Erice in order to secure the town and its commanding position overlooking the surrounding countryside. As they did so they came under artillery fire from Italian forces stationed on the ramparts with one soldier being killed and another wounded. Realizing that the safest position was directly under the walls of town the lead troops took shelter there. Rather than waiting on artillery support to arrive the decision was then made for F Company to attack. However before the troops had come close enough to engage them the Italian forces signaled their surrender.<ref name= Holland/>