大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Paul Trainer of Torbay Library Services on behalf of Benita Cumming, duaghter of Ben Cumming and has been added to the site with her permission. Ms Cumming fully understands the site's Terms and Conditions.

Sometime in July we boarded some American launches and set off for Malta. Arriving there we waited to join a convoy whose destination was the Island of Sicily. What made an impression on me while we were at Malta was seeing troops that had been stationed there for a couple of years; they were gaunt and pale as they had spent a lot of the time in underground shelters because of the constant bombing they had to endure from the German and Italian planes. The ones I saw were Regiments from the Westcountry; The Devons, The Somersets, and The Dorsets, and the men were keen to be going into action in Sicily, so as to get a bit of their own back on the enemy. The initial landings had taken place several weeks earlier on the 10th July. The American 7th Army Corps under General "Blood and Guts" Patton had landed at Gela on the east coast, and the British 8th Army under General Montgomery at Siracusa on the east. The plan was for the British to press on to Messina via the coast roads, and the Yanks to advance through the centre of the Island over the mountains on the left flank of the 8th Army, but Patton cut off to the west coast and pulled a fast one on Montgomery by reaching and liberating Palermo and Messina before him, much to Monty's chargrin and having his ego deflated. The convoy of which my unit A.M.G.O.T. was part set off from Malta several weeks after this, and landed at Siracusa late in the evening and spent the next few days bogged down in a fig grove before making our way to Catania, a large town and of great importance, which 'AMGOT' took over to be able to control and administer the immediate area. As the battlefront moved forward 'AMGOT' followed the American 7th Army over Mount Etna (which is a volcano), reaching a town near the summit called Enna. We moved over to the east of the Island and eventually reached Palermo whjch is the main city of Sicily. The American 7th Army pushed on to Messina further along the north coast, but AMGOT remained in Palermo; I heard rumours at the time that some of the American Officers collaborated with the Mafia. Several months were spent in Palermo including the Christmas period, my first overseas.

I am afraid I ran into a spot of bother at the festive season. A few of us had been celebrating at a Tratoria (wine bar) and had got "un poco unbriago" (a little drunk); making my way back to our quarters I got picked up by a Military Police patrol and taken to their H.Q., which was in a medieval castle, and spent the next 24 hours in a cell with a stone floor with two blankets only. The charges against me were:- being drunk, being out after curfew, being in possession of unauthorised firearms (an Italian automatic pistol) and captured enemy equipment (a clock from a German staff car). I will always remember the description they gave of me: fair hair, blue eyes, ruddy complexion, and speaking with a Westcountry accent. That's my Bengamino for you! The outcome of it all was that I got off fairly lightly as it was Christmas time, 28 days confined to billets plus 28 days loss of pay.

After the occupation of Sicily the next objective was the invasion of the mainland of Italy. The 8th Army under General Montgomery landed at Calabria across the Straits of Messina on the toe of Italy on the 3rd September 1943. It was not an ideal site, but the main thrust was to be undertaken by the American 5th Army under General Mark Clark, landing at Salerno on the west coast. The plan was that after consolidating the beach-head, they would press on to Naples about 50 miles further along the coast, so that the Allies would have a major port in their possession, to be able to handle the vast amount of supplies and equipment which are required for waging a campaign against a determined enemy. The invasion fleet sailed into Salerno Bay past the Isle of Capri on the 8th September, the same day Benito Mussolini, the Facist Dictator, was overthrown and Italy surrendered, and the ships on course for landing at Salerno announced that fact over their loudspeakers; by doing this it was hoped the landings would be unopposed. The leading troops landed at dawn on the following day and were met with heavy German resistance and by the 12th September, were almost thrown back from the beaches. Fierce fighting raged around the bridgehead but the Yanks held out, and on the 17th September the British 8th Army had advanced from their sector and joined up with the Americans and both Armies turned north.

The Allies now came up against the main German so called "Winter Line", a 3,000 foot high mountain called Monte Camino. Battle began on the 7th November in the most appalling conditions; rain and hail soaked everyone, many men developing frostbite. The cold was so intense that some of the wounded died of exposure. It was finally captured on the 17th December. So 1943 came to an end.

It was going to be a long hard slog for the Armies of the Allies in the coming year of 1944. There was a change of leadership. General Eisenhower (U.S.A.) and General Montgomery (British) had returned to Britain to make preparations for the forthcoming and long awaited invasion of France; they were replaced by Sir Henry Wilson, a British General, for Eisenhower, and General Leese for Monty. The next stage in the order of things was an intended landing at a place called Anzio further north along the coast. The plan was to bypass the German defences and try to seize Rome. The landings took place on January 22nd 1944 and initially were successfully achieved, but instead of pushing forward, the American General Lucas who was in overall charge of the operation, gave orders to dig in to consolidate. This allowed the Germans to regroup and bring in reinforcements and fierce fighting ensued. There was stalemate for the next few months with heavy casualties on both sides and the Allies did not break out of the position until the 18th May, and then advanced north through the centre of Italy. During this period my oId mob, the 1st Guards Brigade, landed at Naples. On June 10th, Rome was liberated. It had been declared an open city so there was no fighting and therefore no damage was done to the Holy City; two days after this event news came through of D-Day, the landings in Normandy. The Second Front had started, and the end of the War seemed nearer, but how wrong we were. There was an opinion in the U.K. voiced by a Lady Astor, a Member of Parliament, that the troops in Italy were only there to detract the Germans from being engaged elsewhere, and also that by being there they were dodging the invasion of France, but nothing could be further from the truth, the fighting in Italy was far worse owing to the mountainous terrain and the terrible weather conditions. The troops in Italy had a song about it, "We are the D-Day Dodgers out in Italy", sung to the tune of 'Lili Marlene', which was of German origin.

The advance through Italy toward the north continued, and on 20th June, Perugia was captured. The Allied advance continued steadily, and on August 5th reached the River Arno and the battle began for Florence, which was taken on the 25th August. After the surrender of Italy in September 1943, the Unit to which I belonged was renamed the Allied Military Government (A.M.G.) and the Occupied Territory part was omitted, as the liberated areas of Italy were in the process of becoming a Democracy and had come over to the side of the Allies. We ultimately left Palermo about June-July, 1944, by plane, and landed at Naples, when the A.M.G. then took over the administration of the southern half of the country, which had been freed from Facist rule and German occupation.

The next obstacle to the advance north, was the German defence position known as the Gothic Line. Whilst the battle for Florence went on, Field Marshal Alexander secretly concentrated a strong force at the east end of the Gothic Line on the Adriatic Coast. On August 25th, 1944, he attacked
and broke through. The American 5th Army closed up to the Gothic Line in Central Italy, and to everyone's surprise found it had been abandoned. There was a great wave of optimism over this, but it soon vanished as it became transparent that the enemy had only withdrawn to a much stronger defence line based on a chain of peaks in the Apennines; here the Allies would have to spend the next five months. When Spring came in 1945, Field Marshal Alexander prepared for the final blow. There were thirty German Divisions still holding out in the Po Valley, and Field Marshal Kesselring held the strong line in the mountains. Alexander's plan was to encircle the German Army. The British 8th Army was to advance along the Adriatic Coast to Ferrara, while the American 5th Army struck at Bolgna. If all went well the main German forces south of the River Po would be cut off. On the 22nd April 1945, the British and American Armies met up at a place called Finale, (what an appropriate name!) and the encirclement was completed. On May 2nd, 1945, the German Command surrendered and 230,000 men were taken prisoner. The Italian campaign, to all intent and purposes, was over.

During the battles in the south of the country, the Italian Partagagni (partisans) in the north were active against the Facist Regime under Mussolini and the Hated Tedesce (Germans). Just before the Germans surrendered, Mussolini, along with his mistress and a wagon load of gold and other treasures, were heading for Switzerland, seeking asylum in that country which was neutral. They were intercepted and captured by a group of Partisans, taken to Milan and summarily executed. Mussolini and his unfortunate mistress were then strung up by their heels and their bodies were mutilated by some of the populace. It must have been a gruesome spectacle; I did not see it myself but was shown pictures of it. As the Allied Armies fought their way through Italy, the Allied Military Government were close on their heels to take over and administer the liberated territories. After Naples we moved to Monticantini, which in more peaceful times was an upmarket holiday resort. It was not far from Rome, which I was able to visit, and whilst there entered the Holy City, the Vatican, not for any religious reasons but to satisfy my curiosity. It amused me that long trousers had to be worn (no bare knees) and sleeves pulled down before being allowed access.

From Monticantini the next stop was Orvieto, then Perugia and on to Arezo, Lucca, Padua, Siena and Pisa (of Leaning Tower fame). All these towns and cities were so historical and lovely to behold; I have always deeply regretted not to have gone back in peace time to visit all those places again, and to see them in all their true glory. When we moved into the areas which had been liberated, we had to round up and capture any Fascists that remained after the Germans had been driven out, and restore law and order, whilst engineers would repair Public Utilities such as Gas, Water, Electricity, etc., which had been damaged or destroyed during the fighting. Also, food and essential supplies were being distributed by an organisation called the 'United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency', (U.N.R.R.A.). It was non-Military, being supervised by civilians, and another of our duties was to guard the convoys, Depots and Distributing Centres to prevent stealing and looting which was a problem, as the countryside was teeming with Army deserters, bandits and the local Mafia.

The city I was most fond of was Florence (Firence); it is very elegant and beautiful and our billets were in a building bang in the centre of the city. Piazza and Duomo was adjacent as well as the Cathedral, where Michelangalos' masterpieces are, and in the Piazza (Square) are his sculptures. The building we were in was a convent which had been requisitioned by the Military Authority. Half was still occupied by Vestal young women, and we had the other half - quite an interesting situation to say the least! The episode I can recall most clearly regarding Florence was the day a party of us soldiers were crossing a certain bridge over the River Arno. This particular bridge called Ponte AIle Vechia (The Ancient Bridge) dates from medieval times and is historically famous, so much so that the Germans resisted blowing it up when they retreated from Florence. Anyway, whilst on the bridge we were told the war was over in Europe. It was the 6th May, 1945, V.E. Day. A few weeks after this we moved to the East of the country, our first stop being Ancona, a Port on the Adriatic, and it was there I again made contact with Charlie Lear my brother-in-law. We did not stay long in Ancona and moved further along the coast to Rimini, and after that it was Venice, a fabulous city of canals and gondolas. From there it was on to our penultimate destination, Trieste, another lovely city and an important Port on the Adriatic. And it was in Trieste that started the beginning of the end of the first two decades of my humble existence.

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