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Battle of Anzio

The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944. The battle began with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, and ended on June 4, 1944 with the liberation of Rome. The operation was opposed by German and by Italian Repubblica Sociale Italiana (RSI) forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno.[a][4]

Allied landings on the Italian mainland began in September of 1943, and after slow gains against German resistance, the progress was stopped in December of 1943 at the German defensive Gustav Line, south of Rome.[5]


The operation was initially commanded by Major General John P. Lucas, of the U.S. Army, commanding U.S. VI Corps with the intent to outflank German forces at the Winter Line and enable an attack on Rome.


The success of an amphibious landing at that location, in a basin consisting substantially of reclaimed marshland and surrounded by mountains, depended on the element of surprise and the swiftness with which the invaders could build up strength and move inland relative to the reaction time and strength of the defenders. Any delay could result in the occupation of the mountains by the defenders and the consequent entrapment of the invaders. Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, commander of the U.S. Fifth Army, understood that risk, but he did not pass on his appreciation of the situation to his subordinate Lucas, who preferred to take time to entrench against an expected counterattack. The initial landing achieved complete surprise with no opposition and a jeep patrol even made it as far as the outskirts of Rome. However, Lucas, who had little confidence in the operation as planned, failed to capitalize on the element of surprise and delayed his advance until he judged his position was sufficiently consolidated and he had sufficient strength.


While Lucas consolidated, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, the German commander in the Italian theatre, moved every unit he could spare into a defensive ring around the beachhead. His artillery units had a clear view of every Allied position. The Germans also stopped the drainage pumps and flooded the reclaimed marsh with salt water, planning to entrap the Allies and destroy them by epidemic. For weeks a rain of shells fell on the beach, the marsh, the harbour, and on anything else observable from the hills, with little distinction between forward and rear positions.


After a month of heavy but inconclusive fighting, Lucas was relieved and sent home. His replacement was Major General Lucian Truscott, who had previously commanded the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division. The Allies broke out in May. But, instead of striking inland to cut lines of communication of the German Tenth Army's units fighting at Monte Cassino, Truscott, on Clark's orders, reluctantly turned his forces north-west towards Rome, which was captured on June 4, 1944. As a result, the forces of the German Tenth Army fighting at Cassino were able to withdraw and rejoin the rest of Kesselring's forces north of Rome, regroup, and make a fighting withdrawal to his next major prepared defensive position on the Gothic Line.


The battle was costly, with 24,000 U.S. and 10,000 British casualties.[5]

British actor participated in this battle in the No. 260 Squadron RAF.

Christopher Lee

actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon on the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years. Arness served in the United States Army during World War II and was severely wounded on the frontline of Anzio, serving with the 3rd Infantry Division, leading to a lifelong if slight limp.

James Arness

a newly commissioned officer serving in the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards of 24th Guards Brigade of British 1st Infantry Division, who was later the fifth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and eighth leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

James Chichester-Clark, Baron Moyola

twice United States hammer throw champion, received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the Anzio-Nettuno area.[77]

Chester Cruikshank

later a Labour Party Defence Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, was the Military Landing Officer for the British assault brigade at Anzio.

Denis Healey

noted Scottish communist and folklorist, was an intelligence officer at Anzio, where he interrogated German prisoners. It was at Anzio that he heard the tune "The Bloody Fields of Flanders", to which he later set alternative Scottish national and internationalist anthem "Freedom Come-All-Ye".[78]

Hamish Henderson

noted cartoonist, creator of Willie and Joe, who appeared in the American Army newspaper Stars and Stripes, was in the Anzio-Nettuno area, serving with the 45th Infantry Division.

Bill Mauldin

Hollywood actor. Murphy became the most decorated United States combat soldier in United States military history. He received the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's highest award for valor, along with 32 additional U.S. medals. He served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.[79]

Audie Murphy

a Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist and war correspondent who is best known for his stories about ordinary American soldiers during World War, was at Anzio Beachhead, with his time there being documented in his book “Brave Men” published in 1944.

Ernest Pyle

Major , awarded the Victoria Cross for actions with the 5th Battalion, Grenadier Guards in the Anzio beachhead. Sidney's father in law, Lord Gort, also had been awarded the Victoria Cross in the First World War.

William Sidney

reporter Alan Whicker was at Anzio as a member of the British Army Film and Photo Unit. His 2004 documentary Whicker's War describes his experiences there.[76]

BBC

(1916–2008), writer and historian, was a Major in the 24th Guards Brigade of the British 1st Infantry Division at Anzio. His book 'Vessel of Sadness' is based on his experience of the battle.

William Woodruff

Eric Fletcher Waters (1913–1944), the father of bassist Roger Waters and a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Fusiliers, died at Anzio. Waters' death and the battle inspired his musician son to write several songs over his career, including "When The Tigers Broke Free" for the band's 1982 film, Pink Floyd – The Wall.

Pink Floyd

General , the tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was member of the 34th Infantry Division, and during the Battle of Anzio, he received a battlefield commission from first sergeant to second lieutenant.[80]

John William Vessey Jr.

(1917-2007) a commander of the 157th Infantry's 3rd Battalion, which he later led during its participation in the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Later an associate justice in the Colorado supreme court.

Felix Sparks

an American labor union official and associate of Jimmy Hoffa, served 411 days in World War II, including the Battle of Anzio.

Frank Sheeran

Blumenson, Martin (2000) [1960]. . In Greenfield, Kent Roberts (ed.). Command Decisions. Vol. CMH Pub 70-7. United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2010-06-18.

"Chapter 13: General Lucas at Anzio"

Muhm, Gerhard. . Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-26.

"German Tactics in the Italian Campaign"

Muhm, Gerhard (1993). "La Tattica tedesca nella Campagna d'Italia" [The German Tactics in the Italian Campaign]. In Montemaggi, Amedeo (ed.). Linea Gotica, avamposto dei Balcani [Gothic Line, an outpost in the Balkans] (in Italian). Rome, Italy: Edizioni Civitas.  859681332, 489650125.

OCLC

XIV Army Corps (Germany). Gliederung und Kriegstagebuch 14. Armee (From January to May 1944) (War diary of 14th German Army Corps) (in German).

Lamson, Maj. Roy Jr.; Conn, Dr. Stetson (1948). . American Forces in Action Series. Washington: United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 100-10. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2010.

Anzio 22 January – 22 May 1944

. Intelligence Bulletin. 2 (11). U.S. Military Intelligence Service. July 1944. Retrieved 2008-09-26.

"A German defence Area on the Anzio Front"

Kappes, Irwin J. (2003). . militaryhistoryonline.com website. Retrieved 2008-09-26.

"Anzio – The Allies' Greatest Blunder of World War II"

on YouTube

Anzio Beach head – contemporary film footage

The official history of the London Irish Rifles containing an account of the unit's participation in the Anzio battle

Archived 2020-09-23 at the Wayback Machine European Center of Military History

Anzio 1944 – German 10. Armee and 14. Armee