大象传媒

Memories of Anzio Beach

When we landed in Naples, we were ordered to parade on Naples Dockyard where an officer told the company we were going to make a landing further up the coast (but he didn鈥檛 mention Anzio) but there would be no air support because there was not an operational airport near enough.

We boarded the American landing craft at Naples; we landed at Anzio in the early morning. Coming off in our vehicles, we moved forward to an open space where we came in contact with Americans that landed before us.

I went up to speak to an American soldier and asked him if there was anything doing. He replied, 鈥淎ll quiet on the Western Front鈥�.

At night-time we went onto our bivouacs to sleep. After a while, Jerry started to shell; there were some causalities round about.

Next morning, when we got up, three of us started digging some dug-outs, piling odd things on to make a little roof, trying to prevent shrapnel coming through.

This was a surprise landing as far as the Germans were concerned; it has been alleged that the Army could have moved straight onto Rome without any opposition. They apparently sent a despatch rider out to see how close he could get to Rome before meeting the German Army.

Churchill said that he thought we鈥檇 hurled a wild cat o shore, but we ended up with a stranded whale, so we stuck on the beach-head for some time.

The Division was pulled off due to causalities; we were sent back to Naples to get de-loused. While we were in Naples Vesuvius erupted in 1944! After a couple of weeks in Naples, we went by land to Bari, down the east coast where we boarded ship and headed back to the Middle East and Egypt, the second time for me.

The American General in charge was General Lucas; he was later sacked for moving everything onto the beach and hesitating to move forward from the beach.

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