Anzio '44 - Forgotten D-Day in Italy 

We Need To Write Books To Tell The World What Great Humans Our Fathers And Grandfathers Were...

Cool. My grandad fought at Anzio in the 45th Infantry division (US). Maybe they met each other.

@@saltyreesescup3104 да ты прав)) наши русские деды все сделали... а вы просто прибежали на готовенькое )) google translite

My dad was an MP at a POW camp. The German soldiers were happy to be there and taught my dad German. The Japanese were a different story.

Part of the British Royal Army Service Corp?

Mark Clarke couldn’t step foot in Texas post war after the losses of the 36th Infantry Division at the Rapido River.

@@Chiller01 I wonder if Patton was in charge of U.S forces at Anzio would it have ended differently?

Perhaps that’s part of why Anzio is not mentioned? Shame and anger over the failed invasion?

@@joeywheelerii9136 Yep, Patton would have ruthlessly expanded and cut off the Germans on the first day instead of consolidating at the beach. Too bad Patton was an army commander, not a corps commander.

@@joeywheelerii9136 probably. Clark moved way to slow with everything. Army scouts entered Rome and there were no Germans. They pulled out. They reported that to Clark, he dithered, the Germans rentered Rome, and American died because he wasn't aggressive enough. George Patton would have seized the moment, and saved lives.

He saw all the death that god caused and became scared or what?

Did all the new arrivals that got killed become atheists?

I have often heard the phrase "There are no atheists in foxholes" and always thought what a poor selling point that was for believing in God; You need to be scared out of your wits, life hanging in the balance for religion to make sense?

@@PROVOCATEURSK He learned to pray and saw the effects of his prayers.

@@Lee-bh9bf My religion has always made far more sense than any secular theory or philosophy, but I've never been in any situation that really threatened my mortal existence. I have a very clear, logical and satisfying explanation for every aspect of existence that I have observed. I certainly don't know all the details, but everything that I've ever observed fits within, without schism.

was looking for this comment. a lyric in “When the Tigers Broke Free” mentions the Anzio bridgehead. never knew much about the battle til now

And the Anzio bridgehead was held at the cost of a few hundred ordinary lives .

@@davidrussell8689 and kind old King George wrote mother a note, when he heard that father was gone

Here in Anzio we have graffiti commemorating Waters, he even came to remember his father who died here

So sad he was a fan of alcohol.

Was he in the 56th London Division….the Black Cats ?

@@californiadreamin8423 Yes he was

@@bikes02 My Dad was in the 214 Field Ambulance RAMC, 56 Division. After Iraq they joined the 8th Army at Mareth , and on to Enfidaville. Thereafter they became part of the 5th Army, amphibious training at Bizerta for Salerno, then Monte Camino, the Garigliano, and then Anzio . After Anzio they went back to Egypt to rebuild after so many casualties. Then back to the 8th Army and the Gothic Line. I don’t recall him mentioning Rimini but he was worried about Lake Commachio. He asked for leave on the grounds he’d done his bit , but it was refused !! Apparently an amphibious operation outflanked the Germans and they broke through. He ended at Trieste. He said they were there to stop Tito’s partisans from taking over. I have some newspaper cuttings of a Divisional Football match against the local Italian team…Gradisca ??…in which he scored. It’s a small world.

@@californiadreamin8423 Wow yes it is a small world, my dad was in the 64th Field Regiment RA of 56 Div. For all we know, they could have met, I'll guess we'll never know.

He was a busy man 👍🏻👶🏻

Jesus Christ, someone couldn't keep it to himself :D

Beast

Like Groucho Marx said I like my cigar but I take it out of my mouth once in awhile

The Italian Campaign was a bloodbath with the Germans making the Allies pay for every inch of ground. He survived and he was damn well going to enjoy that survival! 😅

Hi Darrin, there were many opportunities at memorials and commemorations for former adversaries to meet. I always found it immensely sad that these men who were once deadly enemies later discovered that they had so much in common and could actually be good friends. It just goes to show what a tragic waste of human life war is, pointless and achingly sad.

Turks???

Do you mean Greeks rather than Turks ?

"Nettuno" 2 "t", i live in Anzio next to Nettuno, i must correct you 😉

@@giampierocongiu2327 I like Italy and Italians 🇮🇹 from England UK 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

Thank you for sharing that.😊

Your Uncle Is A Patriot And A Hero Sir...

Good on you for holding on to our history 👍

@@cannz9134 oh yeah

@@saltyreesescup3104 he sure was as far as I know. I never had the pleasure of knowing him personally since he died when my mom was in high school.

I think the role of the British and American navy is often under-represented in these invasions. A lot of the ships risked damage from air and artillery attacks to close in and give the landing forces as much support as they could from their big guns, knowing the need of the landing forces outweighed the risk to the ships. There are distant echoes of this decades later in RN ships using their guns close in to shore in the Falklands to support the Marines and Army landing forces. It's what the navy does, and respect to them for it

@Derrick Bridges I doubt many of them wanted to be there

alot of young soldiers died on the german side too.. war tends to claim the young in huge numbers

Always the young fighting, if the politicians actually had to get out and do the fighting we’d have the brotherhood of man and world peace tomorrow.

Due, in the main, to the indecision and inactivity of Clark.

@@BRANFED Who cares about the Nazis? They started the war, invaded many countries, carried out many atrocities. They cannot be mourned, they were NOT proper soldiers, they were killers, babies, old people, women after being raped. I have no sympathy to waste on them.

Sounds like an admirable man...

Are you now divorced sir?

There are simple ways to avoid war, but only for the brave ;)

The story I heard was that because he was so tall (6'7") he was positioned at the front of is landing craft. When they lowered the ramp he was to be the first one off so as to see how deep the water was!

My uncle also died at Anzio. A gunner. He was 26.

In the long run, it was probably for the best, although not for the reasons Churchill predicted. Forcing the Italians out of the war, securing the Med and opening yet another front for the Germans to defend generally contributed to success. Bloody and horrific success, mind you.

The first I heard of it was in the Pink Floyd dirge "when the tigers broke free"

@@Cailus3542 The Italians had already surrendered. Rome had no military value. Anzio was another of Churchill's misadventures which FDR opposed because it sidelined landing craft, troops, and materiel needed for D-day. If Churchill ever planned a successful military campaign, I don't know what it was.

I mean the soft underbelly thing is true. The Allies were originally going to target Greece and going for Italy knocked out a major Axis power and it forced Germany to divert divisions to that front that could of been sent to the east or west.

@@EricRush Churchill was not a planner, that was the job given to military Generals. It was as a strategist that Churchill came to the fore. The Mediterranean, Italian campaign would have a devastating strategic effect on German efforts of ever achieving its war aims. British victories against the Italians in 1940, the neutralising of the German, Italian and Vichy surface fleets in the Mediterranean and Churchill's decision to support the Greeks that were fending off an Italian invasion alerted Hitler to the vulnerability of its Southern flank. To deal with that it had to delay Barbarossa to invade Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Crete, to dispatch the Afrika Korps into N. Africa and subsequently to invade Italy when they capitulated and declared war on Germany. A haemorrhaging of troops, air forces, ammunition, fuel, armour and shipping supplies even before embarking on its invasion of Russia. Within a few short months German aggression was floundering on the outskirts of Moscow and in defeats in North Africa. For the Germans the tide of their war had turned and the foundations for the allied victories that were to follow had been laid by Churchill in those early stages of WW2.

Very good point. Salerno in particular I think influenced German thinking

The primary problem for the germans and their main fear wasnt allied airpower, but the naval artillery. During their Anzio coutnerattack the absolute elite unit, the "Panzer Lehr Regiment", personaly ordered into battle by Hitler, got absolutely eradicated by naval guns. The germans feared a repeat of that in Normandy and thereby held the tanks back to fight the allied forces, after the initial landings, in a more open field outside naval support range. The german counteroffensive durign the initial landing on sicily got destroyed by naval artillery and the german counterattack at anzio got destroyed by it. They didnt want to take the chance a third time. Allied air superiority only played a secondary role in that decision. Troops could easily still be moved at night with minor loses and the distance from Paris to Normandy isnt exactly long.

The story I heard is that the German did intend to make an armored counterattack against the Normandy beach heads but the Brits found out where German staff HQ for the armored attack was and heavily bombed it by air and killed most of the staff officers involved in planning the counterattack. The Germans had to assign new staff officers and it delayed the attack by several weeks. By then it was too late.

@@noobster4779 I have to strongly disagree that air power is secondary to naval gunfire in disrupting enemy movement in an AO. And I have to also disagree that being denied the ability to move during the day was no big deal for the Germans. Air power was the primary interdiction and attritional tool, for not only destroying German vehicles in the actual battle-zone, but also destroying rail networks vital to German armor movement and re-supply. Naval gunfire was secondary as it is only good for defending the beach head perimeter within the range of their guns. It doesn't disrupt mass German troops deployments in the area of operations, nor can it disrupt supply lines in the Support Zone. Moreover, not being able to move large formations during the day is a HUGE deal. Primary document after primary document described how Allied airpower made the movement of German troops even from the area around Paris difficult. The Germans primarily used railroads to move their tanks. Allied air power had wrecked the rail networks and attacked bridges and during the day armored units were repeatedly attacked. Panzer Divisions reported heavy losses in their days long movement from Paris to Normandy. This movement was delayed precisely because of damage to rail hubs and bridges in and around Paris. Also, the German supply situation was critical thanks to repeated air attack and transportation disruption. The only reason the Germans were able to re-supply at even modest levels is because Rommel had put the canals in northern France on proper footing. Finally, WWII is pre-NVG. Commanders in WWII rarely were able to conduct massive offensive operations at night. The watch word for any counter-attack is speed. Being able to only utilize 8 hours a day for all movement is a decisive handicap.

@@crownprincesebastianjohano7069 don’t forget to add that the French resistance played their part in disrupting rail movements

Bring the boys back home.

I never knew that . I've listened many times to the album ( usually stoned ) and I think it shows the seductive appeal of Fascism and the sense of belonging to something ' greater ' . Hence his metamorphosis on stage where he pulls off the ' old him ' just after the absolute classic track " Comfortably numb " , where has gone a little ' special ' . Check the film and pay close attention to the lyrics .

'When Tigers Broke Free'

What is his name? Respect!

You beat my too it. My fav Pink Floyd. When the Tigers broke free. And the Anzio bridgehead has held For price of A few hundred ordinary lives. Roger Waters father, Eric Fletcher Waters was one of these Ordinary men rip

Beat me to it as well haha, great song!

Dad is gone, across the ocean. Leaving just a memory. A snapshot in the family album. Daddy what else did you leave for me? Daddy whad’ya leave behind for me?

doh i didn't check comments and posted the first few lines as well great minds 😄

@@LoPhatKao Me too. Had to delete my comment once I read the rest And I tried so hard to be an individual lol

Mr Arness was shot in the can, bum, rear... he has a limp a long time after, and odd walk apparent in several scenes on "Gunsmoke ".

Because of his height, he was told to be the first off the landing craft in order to see how deep the water was. He received several decorations and was a true hero.

That sounds like an incredible story. Whereabouts was the brick? Seems like he saw a lot during the war, too.

@@Utraque Just inside the entrance, turned left and a few metres in at eyeliner height. He’d taken mum there a few years ago and she told me almost exactly how to find it - she was the most organised woman in the world. We went as a sort of historic tribute - I took one look and cried, I felt a bit foolish.

You may not believe this Jack, but there is an ACTUAL 1950s movie that shows some of the World War II events around this time in Italy: Force of Arms. What makes the movie unusual though is that it's both a war movie and a romance in one (the lead soldier character played by William Holden starts dating a WAC). Some ladies online have said it's actually their favorite World War II movie, because it's a gritty and honest yet emotional take on the two sides of the war environment.

@@thunderbird1921 Thank you for the info, I’ll look out for that ✌️

My grandfather was also in the 1st Special Service Force/Devil's Brigade at Anzio amongst other places. He never spoke about the war in the 14 years I knew him before he died. Reading up about the FSSF now, I can understand why he kept it to himself.

My Grandfather was also a veteran of The First Special Service Force.

@@regandouglas I remember my Grandfather wouldn't say much about it when I was a little kid but when I got older he started opening up about it. I totally get what you're saying about your Grandfather not taking about it. I'm sure he seen alot of the same things my Grandfather witnessed. I know he saw some real horrible things and he told me about some of them but like I said before he waited till I was a bit older. I'm assuming he did that so I'd understand the scope of it. I guess he didn't want to be telling a child the horrors of war. I would think as well there was alot of stuff he didn't tell me that he took to his grave and I honestly never pressured him into telling me anything. He told me I guess when he felt the time was right. I couldn't even imagine what your Grandfather and mine as well as the other soldiers went through.

He might have fought with either Italian SS or X° MAS infantrymen

Monastery*

"The lack of content on the Italy campaign is a real disaster." Indeed. Especially the Battle for Monte Cassino, arguably the hardest fought battle of WW2, described to be worse than Stalingrad by numerous German veterans.

Good suggestion!

Very good suggestion 👍🏻

The ones where they used river boats to cross a seemingly uncrossable river?

infamously flattened the city with railway mounted guns

Karl Gerät mortar and Dora aka schwerer Gustav Railway Gun would love to be on YT … 😎👍🏼

Are you drinking?

@@ibnewton8951 Drinking to Audie Murphy

A short man from Texas A man of the wild Thrown into combat Where bodies lie piled Fights his emotions His blood's running cold Just like his victories His story unfolds White, a bright light If there'd be any glory in war Let it rest on men like him Who went to hell and came back

Oh yes

@@henrykeyter53 Crosses grow on Anzio, where no soldier sleep and where hell is six feet deep

They might have been my Dads. He gave his away when he finally got home. I’m ashamed to say I finally binned his greatcoat which he prized more than any medals as it kept him warm in the mountains.

Why?

@@DaveSCameron why not

@@tracedonovan3591 Well I'd like to think he's enjoying his August Bank Holiday weekend so perhaps something more akin to the upload here would be useful, respectfully of course 👍

A great series of books which I often re-read. I was lucky enough to meet Spike at the launch of the last volume (‘Peace Work’) and get him to sign my copy. I asked him if he was planning another one and he replied “Give me a bloody chance I’ve only just finished writing this one!”

Two battalions of US Army Rangers were wiped out near Anzio one week after the initial landing. That debacle certainly influenced the actions of the Corps commander who was poorly supported by Mark Clark.

General Lucas had never the writings of General Tacticus - if you want your soldiers to be familiar with a spade, encourage them to become farmers.

IWM "The fears of Allied commanders persisted and in December the Anzio plan was shelved. But Churchill had not lost his enthusiasm and pushed successfully for it to be reinstated. By now, the aims of the operation had become confused. The 15th Army Group Commander, General Sir Harold Alexander, stressed the need to strike out from Anzio to capture the strategically important Alban Hills, which dominate Highway 6 and Highway 7 south of Rome. These were the main German supply routes to Cassino and the western end of the Gustav Line. But he gave too much latitude to Clark and his staff, who were more concerned with establishing a solid enough bridgehead to contain the inevitable German counterattacks. Memories of the US Fifth Army’s experience at Salerno in September, when a furious German response had almost thrown the Americans back into the sea, were fresh in everyone’s mind. Clark considered the Alban Hills too far away to be taken quickly by only two divisions. The bleakest view was held by Major General John Lucas, the man entrusted with tactical command of the operation. He was in charge of US VI Corps, which was to form the invasion force and incorporated British troops. Lucas claimed his men were not sufficiently trained or prepared and advocated caution once ashore. The limited forces provided for the operation and the muddle over objectives would combine to produce a near disaster." IWM Anzio - The Invasion That Almost Failed

@@neiloflongbeck5705 Tacitus never faced Panther tanks, Ferdinand Assault guns, Nebelwerfer rocket launchers nor MG 42 machine guns. At Salerno the year before one German panzer division nearly triumphed. Lucas was placed in a crappy position, initially with just two divisions. The Germans dominated the high ground. Allied familiarity with the spade, sheer guts, and a lot of artillery and naval gunfire saved the Anzio bridgehead when the oft delayed German counter offensive was finally mounted. The Germans took too long to mobilize the counterattack forces, mostly because Hitler insisted on waiting until the Panther battalion and other heavy weapons arrived. He also demanded that the Infantry Lehr Regiment spearhead the attack, a huge mistake because this unit had no combat experience. Even then the German counter offensive nearly split the bridgehead.

@@infantryattacks no, but when he became King of IIRC Sto Lat he assessed which nations posed the greatest treat to his throne and then declared war on his former country the city state of Ankh Morpork. At Anzio they needed a commander who was dynamic, instead they got incompetence of a scale demonstrated at Galipoli. A d we all know how that panned out.

According to a German officer, Siegfried Knap, who wrote his memoirs in English after the war ("Soldat") he and other soldiers returning to their units from leave were hastily formed into emergency "Kampfgruppen" armed with infantry weapons only, to defend the these surrounding hills. He wrote that they would not have held out long had the allies attacked. But by the time the attack came, they had been replaced by numerous regular divisions.

Long gone? Are you real????

@@DaveSCameron re read what he said dude

@@froot6086 he said ? he ???

1/504 Inf & 1/319th FA of the 82nd Airborne Division were the units you were not sure of Good book Devils in baggy pants about the infantry unit and the 1/319th was awarded a presidential unit citation for fire support for the Rangers at Chinzy pass not sure if I spelled that correctly

@@yorkarrages7617 IIRC, a german general said "Deliver us from those devils in baggy pants."

The objective was always Caen. The trouble is it wasn't an easy bone to raw.

Nobody on the Allies or Axes side thought, or even believed that the hedgerows in Normandy would be a problem for them. But after seeing those hedgerows up close. Those things were thick as a two story house.

Well, the landings in the South of France in Operation Dragoon went pretty well too, only 7 months after Anzio. That led to the rapid capture of Marseille and Toulon in relatively decent condition (in good enough shape to provide substantive logistical support for the allies in France by October). By rapid capture, meaning the landings were on the 15 August, and the two ports were captured by the end of the month.

Rome was a secondary target...stopping the Germans was the priority...going for Rome gave the Germans time to regroup & re-equip & attack once again...I believe Kesselring stated that if Lucas had started moving, the Germans were not ready to repel them at that point in time...Clark's grandstanding caused the campaign to go on for 11 more months with additional casualties...interesting that if Patton had done this, Ike would have probably flayed him...this did not happen to Clark...imho, Patton would not have gone for Rome, he knew better...

T NG…..where did you study military history ?

sabaton approved

" passed"

@@creaturecaldwell9858 Thats what happens when your tired from a long work day😆

To some extent yeah but allies moved way farther than the Entente and Central Powers did.

@@joeywheelerii9136 No doubt about that. Actually Rommel predicted the landings at Anzio back in 1943, not exactly at Anzio but he figured with Allied naval superiority they would just land around defenses further north and cut them off. He was both right and wrong.