Kesselring, upon being told about the Allied landings, immediately sent mobile reaction units to the scene. He also asked for, and received, reinforcements numbering six divisions from the German High Command.
Kesselring had at first believed that the landings were not containable, but he modified his views upon seeing the inaction of Lucas. By January 24, there were 40, men facing the Allied lines in prepared positions. One week later, Clark moved to replace Lucas with his deputy, Lucian Truscott. Lucas was relegated to that deputy status, and was told that his future role would be in the United States rather than in front-line combat. Conditions remained difficult for the Allied forces, and for several months they were unable to mount the desired breakout.
This finally occurred in May, when intense fighting took place near the Gustav Line. In just one day, the U. Despite these losses, the breakout was a success and the Americans steadily advanced on Rome. Hitler, wanting to avoid another Stalingrad, ordered that Rome be declared an open city, and Clark himself entered the capital on June 4.
Even Alexander conceded that the way events actually turned out was probably the best outcome for the Allies in the long run. Your email address will not be published. View the full text of this report. Accession Number: ADA Personal Author s : Gray, Stephen P.
With great will, with passion fueled by rejection, they would navigate the conflicts of our history, fighting not only for the moment but also for future possibilities. To open the realm of possibilities for future freedoms and future opportunities, selflessness was key and sacrifice a must.
Sacrifice meant doing your job and providing service to your country as a Red Tail airman. It meant giving up your identity or not understanding it, and giving up glitz and glamor and fame for possibility. One bomber, that's 10 men.
We count our victories by the bombers we get to their targets, by the husbands we return to their wives, by the fathers we give back to their children. Edward J. Further troop movements including the arrival of U. While one force was to cut Highway 7 at Cisterna before moving east into the Alban Hills, a second was to advance northeast up the Via Anziate towards Campoleone.
Allied forces by this time totalled 76, including the recently arrived British 56th Infantry Division [19] After a making exploratory probes on the Campoleone salient on the afternoon of February 3 the German forces launched a full counterattack at [20] in order to reduce the salient and "iron out" the front line. Some hours after the attack started the coherence of the front line had been completely shattered, and the fighting for the salient had given way to small unit actions, swaying back and forth through the gullies.
Even though the base of the salient was nearly broken, Lucas was able to bolster 1st Infantry Division's defenses with one of the newly arrived brigades from 56th Division, allowing the withdrawal of the British 3rd Infantry Brigade.
They held the line all day taking heavy casualties, but were eventually ordered to pull back and made a fighting retreat at 5pm to the Factory with the aid of artillery. From February 5 to February 7 both sides employed heavy artillery concentrations and bombers to disrupt the other side. At on February 7 the Germans renewed their attack. By February 18, after desperate fighting, the Allies' Final Beachhead Line prepared defenses more or less on the line of the original beachhead was under attack.
However, a counterattack using VI Corps' reserves halted the German advance, and on February 20, Fischfang petered out with both sides exhausted. During Fischfang the Germans had sustained some 5, casualties, the Allies 3, Both had suffered 20, casualties each since the first landings. This push achieved little except to generate a further casualties for the 14th Army. Churchill had continued to bridle at Lucas' perceived passivity. He had written on February 10 to Alexander [25] encouraging him to exert his authority and Alexander had visited the beachhead on February 14 to tell Lucas he wished for a breakout as soon as the tactical situation allowed.
I am disappointed with VI Corps Headquarters. They are negative and lacking in the necessary drive and enthusiasm to get things done. They appeared to have become depressed by events.
Lucas wrote in his diary on February [31]. I am afraid that the top side is not completely satisfied with my work They are naturally disappointed that I failed to chase the Hun out of Italy but there was no military reason why I should have been able to do so.
In fact there is no military reason for "Shingle". Both sides had realised that no decisive result could be achieved until the spring and reverted to a defensive posture involving aggressive patrolling and artillery duels whilst they worked to rebuild their fighting capabilities.
In anticipation of the following spring, Kesselring ordered the preparation of a new defence line, the Caesar C line , behind the line of beachhead running from the mouth of the river Tiber just south of Rome through Albano , skirting south of the Alban Hills to Valmontone and across Italy to the Adriatic coast at Pescara, behind which 14th Army and, to their left, 10th Army might withdraw when the need arose.
The objective of the plan was to fully engage Kesselring's armies with a major offensive and remove any prospect of the Germans withdrawing forces from Italy to redeploy elsewhere. Dispersed among German battalions, the German commanding officers later gave the Italians companies favourable reports. Members of the "Vendetta" under former Blackshirt Lieutenant-Colonel Delgi Oddi distinguished themeselves in defeating a determined effort by the U. In March, U.
By late May, there were some , Allied troops in the bridgehead [37] including five U. The Germans were well dug into prepared defenses, but were weak in numbers of officers and NCOs and, by the time of the late May offensive, lacked any reserves which had all been sent south to the Gustav fighting.
Despite Alexander's overall plan for Diadem requiring VI Corps to strike inland and cut Route 6, Clark asked Truscott to prepare alternatives and to be ready to switch from one to another at 48 hours' notice.
Of the four scenarios prepared by Truscott, Operation Buffalo called for an attack through Cisterna, into the gap in the hills and to cut Route 6 at Valmontone.
Operation Turtle on the other hand foresaw a main thrust to the left of the Alban Hills taking Campoleone, Albano and on to Rome.
On May 5, Alexander selected Buffalo and issued Clark with orders to this effect. However, Clark was determined that VI Corps should strike directly for Rome as evidenced in his later writing: "We not only wanted the honour of capturing Rome, but felt that we deserved it Not only did we intend to become the first army to seize Rome from the south, but we intended to see that people at home knew that it was the Fifth Army that did the job, and knew the price that had been paid for it.
Truscott's planning for Buffalo was meticulous: British 5th Division and 1st Division on the left were to attack along the coast and up the Via Anziate to pin the German 4th Parachute, 65th Infantry and 3rd Panzergrenadier in place whilst the U. At on May 23, , 1, Allied artillery pieces commenced bombardment. Forty minutes later the guns paused as attacks were made by close air support and then resumed as the infantry and armour moved forward. Mackensen had been convinced that the Allies' main thrust would be up the Via Anziate, and the ferocity of the British feint on May 23 and May 24 did nothing to persuade him otherwise.
In the afternoon of May 25 Cisterna finally fell to 3rd Division who had had to go house to house winkling out the German nd Infantry which had refused to withdraw and, as a consequence, had virtually ceased to exist by the end of the day. By the end of May 25, 3rd Infantry were heading into the Velletri gap near Cori , and elements of 1st Armored had reached within 3 miles 4. These were, in effect, to implement Operation Turtle and turn the main line of attack ninety degrees to the left.
Most importantly, although the attack towards Valmontone and Route 6 would continue, 1st Armored were to withdraw to prepare to exploit the planned breakthrough along the new line of attack leaving 3rd Division to continue towards Valmontone with 1st Special Service Force in support. At the time, Truscott was shocked, writing later " I was dumbfounded. This was no time to drive to the north-west where the enemy was still strong; we should pour our maximum power into the Valmontone Gap to insure the destruction of the retreating German Army.
I would not comply with the order without first talking to General Clark in person. On the 26th the order was put into effect. To be first in Rome was a poor compensation for this lost opportunity". On May 26, whilst VI Corps was initiating its difficult maneuver, Kesselring threw elements of 4 divisions into the Velletri gap to stall the advance on Route 6.
For four days they slugged it out against 3rd Division until finally withdrawing on May 30, having kept Route 6 open and allowed 7 divisions from 10th Army to withdraw and head north of Rome.
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