大象传媒

Operation Shingle continued

Chapter 2 of 6

The time had now come for all to be revealed. The men had been allocated an area below decks where I gathered them around a map and gave a talk on the whys-and-wherefores of the Italy Campaign as far as it had gone and explained the impasse along the Gustav Line and at Cassino. I then gave orders which ensured that all information was provided in the correct, time honoured army way: "Information about the enemy/own troops; Intention: Method: Intercommunication: Administration: Any questions". Some say the army has funny ways but in my experience they are sound, practical common sense in war.

When I had finished I hoped they were clear that we were part of the 5th US.Army and under command of the 6th US.Corps, that the immediate intention of our 1st (Br) Division was to land at Anzio on Peter Beaches red, yellow and green, strike inland and seize the high ground of the Alban Hills whilst the US forces were to land on X-Ray Beaches and advance and seize Cisterna, that a major offensive at Cassino was to coincide with our landing, that they understood the roles of the RE Field Companies with their infantry battalions and then what was expected of themselves. It is always an aim to ensure that every man is informed of what is happening and required of him. This maintains morale and team work. The news was received quietly with the stoical acceptance of the inevitable which marks that incomparable man, the British Soldier. What may have been private thoughts were kept private.

We sailed through the night but sleep would not come. What might the next few hours hold in store? Did the Germans know where we were coming? Departure from Naples had been for all to see: they must know something big was afoot, had security been watertight? Personal thoughts, which are natural at such times, chased through the mind. Everyone was to stay below decks but, with the approach of H hour, I went onto the top deck. It was dark but light enough against the sea to see we were lined up facing a smudge of land, about 2 miles distant, with many other craft spaced around. The sea was still: all was absolute silence.

It was 0153hrs. I saw something I never had seen before, nor since. The shadowy form of the ship nearby suddenly broke the silence with a frightening roar as a flight of rockets tore through the night in the direction of the shore each trailing a line of fire, lighting the night around the ship with a bright intensity. Within seconds another flight roared away and then another and another and another........until no more, only to be seen the trails of fire from those last rockets thundering into the distance. The darkness closed in and all was silent once more. It was a spectacle beyond my imagining. What I had seen and heard was a Rocket Ship in action. The rockets hitting the yellow beaches must have caused terror in the hearts of any defenders and played havoc with any minefields and beach defences. But there was one thing which was certain - they must know we were there ....and where!

The rocket ship was HMS LST[R]147 with a modified top deck. All obstructions were removed to provide a large flat area on which were mounted rocket batteries consisting of row upon row of tubes, set at an inclined angle towards to bow of the ship and pointing to the target. There were perhaps 100 tubes in total. Each tube had a rocket 5" diameter. A formidable and exciting weapon.

The leading infantry of 2 and 3 Brigades got ashore on H hour at 0200hrs. Of the first to land was a party of RE and the Recce. Regiment in an armoured car - "Bakerforce" - under the command of a sapper officer Lt George Baker MC. Their task was to travel the lateral road, running parallel with the shore, some 2 miles northward, form a light defensive screen to allow the sappers to prepare the bridge over the mouth of the River Moletta for demolition, then withdraw to a safe distance, as goes the saying, and initiate the charge. This was done successfully and a safe withdrawal made thus maintaining the sapper tradition of "first in, last out" This was sufficient to delay any surprise armoured attack. The honour, if that be the word, of starting proceedings, therefore fell to the Royal Engineers. For those who can remember the humour of Stanley Holloway: "Let battle commence".

I was Adjutant to my Colonel, the CRE, and was his right-hand man. I had to act on his behalf when he was away from HQRE and, as a humble Captain found myself dealing with officers of a far exalted station: or conveying orders to the Officers Commanding the RE Field Companies, but as the latter were all good friends this was no problem. It struck me as after the style of a wild-west stage coach with the CRE having the reins of four galloping horses (the Field Companies) with myself riding as shot-gun and ready to take over the reins whilst the proper driver was elsewhere.

The CRE was not due to land until the following day so I was left to my own devices. Peter Beach was not ideal. The beach shelved gently and sand bars had formed preventing a close approach inshore and to overcome this the Navy had formed a pontoon floating-roadway stretching from the shore to deeper water. This was narrow with a minimal distance either side of vehicle wheels and the thought of one of my transports slipping off the side of the pontoons, losing the vehicle and perhaps damaging the pontoons themselves thus holding up the unloading of our ship, already delayed once at Naples, filled me with alarm. I got the drivers together for serious instructions and promised all kinds of retribution should any transgress. Having seen my party in their quarters and given a cheerful word I went on top deck again to see what was happening.

We were edging forward towards the Floating Roadway. Not far away a RN Destroyer was lying broadside-on ready to fire in support of those ashore. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse was being played between the ship's commander and an enemy artillery piece ashore. A shell exploded to the stern of the ship the next being beyond the bow thus bracketing the target. The next was sure to land between the two and hit the vessel. In the short interval whilst the gun was being reloaded I observed the ship move forward very slowly. The next shell came and surely enough it landed between the first two and where the ship had been. And so it went on with the ship imperceptibly changing its position and the shells missing the target. All praise to the RN Commander. The game ceased suddenly and I presume the German gunners saw the wisdom of removing themselves whilst the going was good.

There was no resistance from the land and surprise was complete which speaks much for our security and schemes of deception. It was known that the enemy was expecting a landing and, no doubt, had contingency plans and code words to cover any eventuality. However, an incursion north of Rome was the favoured place and our arrival at Anzio was altogether unexpected. The landing was thus declared as "unopposed". People seem to forget that there are forces other than military and that the air force is part of a war machine and that the Luftwaffe was equipped with very good machines and brave pilots and that the nearby airfields around Rome soon woke up to the fact that unwelcomed invaders were on their doorstep. The beehive had been thoroughly disturbed by the time we arrived and, as we were approaching our landing place, over they came. The sky became alive with tracer-shot as the guns of every ship around let fly. Thousands of rounds of ammunition yet no plane took a plunge into the sea. It is not surprising that it is remarkably difficult to bring down a plane, diving at 350 MPH, with small calibre weapons. Our attackers were intent on sinking ships by dive bombing. I was in a good position to view the scene. I could see that one plane had singled out our ship with unfriendly intentions. In it came at a steep dive and I saw the bomb detatch but I was not hanging about to see events unfold. All I can say is that it must have skimmed over the deck to burst alongside. I was in quite a hurry to get ashore to a less hectic environment! I was 25 years of age

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