US Soldier vs German Soldier by Chris McNab & Steve Noon

Author:Chris McNab & Steve Noon
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472838353
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2020-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

An aerial view of the Allied landing operation at Anzio on January 22, 1944. The landing craft are maneuvering to prevent German guns being able to zero in on a predictable line of approach. (ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

As at Salerno, US Army engineers would form a crucial element of both the assault and consolidation phase. It would be their responsibility not only to clear immediate defensive obstacles, such as minefields, but also to oversee the massive inrush of logistics that would turn a strip of Italian coastline into a major US base of operations in a matter of hours. The main US Army engineer units assigned to the Assault Phase were the 540th ECR and the 36th ECR, plus the 1st Naval Beach Battalion. The 39th ECR would join the effort within days of the initial landings.

Training for the Anzio landings left much to be desired, with just two months of preparation. Few practice landings were conducted, and those that were experienced some serious accidents and problems. After a trial landing near Naples on January 18, for example, total losses of equipment included 43 DUKWs, 19 105mm howitzers (plus much of their fire-control equipment), seven 57mm antitank guns, and two 37mm antitank guns (Blumenson 1993: 355). The shocking issues with landing efficiency concerned many of the planners and commanders greatly, especially Lucas, who could not be described as an enthusiast for the Operation Shingle plan anyway. Yet the die was cast, and on January 21 the invasion fleet – more than 350 vessels strong – departed from Naples and began sailing the 110 miles up the coast to Anzio.

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