and 4th Tabor of Goumiers were given the mission of crossing the mountains in central Sicily undetected to flank the Germans. Urban's company and battalion successfully spearheaded 4,000 men with pack-mules single file by night, which caught the Germans off guard and caused them to retreat from Troina to the next line of defense at Randazzo. A battle would have cost hundreds of American lives. Sicily was liberated on August 20. On September 5, Urban was presented a Silver Star in Sicily, before the 9th Infantry Division was sent back to England on November 8 for a rest and to re-equip and train for the Invasion of Normandy. France Urban and the 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry landed on Utah Beach on June 11, 1944. On June 14, Urban's company attacked German positions near Renouf, France. As F Company was hit by heavy enemy small arms and tank fire, Urban picked up a bazooka after the bazooka gunner was shot, and persuaded the gunner's ammo carrier to accompany him through the hedgerows to a point near the oncoming tanks. Exposing himself to the enemy, he knocked out two German tanks, and the company moved forward and routed the enemy. Later that day, while advancing near Orglandes, Urban was struck in the left leg by shrapnel by direct fire from a German tank who spotted and aimed towards him before he could fire the bazooka. Urban refused to be evacuated after a medic attended him, and continued directing his company from position to position while being carried by his men sitting down on a stretcher. The next day, he was wounded in the right forearm and attended in the field by the 2nd Battalion doctor, who had him evacuated to a field hospital surgical tent where Urban underwent surgery on his left calf by two doctors using lanterns for light. Urban was then shipped to England for further treatment on a troop carrier. While Urban was recovering at a hospital in England in July 1944, he learned from casualties from his battalion that they had been taking severe losses in the hedgerows of France, and were lacking experienced combat officers. In order to go back to his men instead of being sent back to the United States because of his leg injury, he took charge of training forty soldiers near the hospital who were soon being sent to Normandy. He left with