Interesting portion of page 11 article about “Siebel ferries.” I had been wondering how the Germans were able to remove such huge numbers of troops and equipment from Sicily!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siebel_ferry
The Siebel ferry (Siebelfähre) was a shallow-draft catamaran landing craft operated by Germany’s Wehrmacht during World War II. It served a variety of roles (transport, flak ship, gunboat, convoy escort, minelayer) in the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas as well as along the English Channel. They were originally developed for Operation Sea Lion, Germany’s planned but never-executed 1940 invasion of England. Siebel ferries continued performing useful service even after the war’s end in 1945.