The Anzio landing Battlefield Tour: HISTORICA BACKGROUD
“Your aunt is ill and about to die!”
The landings at Anzio took place on January 22nd, with two divisions landing at Anzio and Nettuno without opposition. On the left, the 2nd Brigade of the British 1st Division came ashore north of Anzio on Peter Beach, alongside the 2nd Special Service Brigade. The 24th Guards Brigade landed behind the initial assault waves, while the 615th Ranger Regiment, supported by the US 509th Parachute Battalion, landed directly into the town. On X-Ray Beach, the US 3rd Division landed without encountering major resistance. Overall, the landings were a great success.
Operation Shingle: X-Ray Beach Anzio and Peter Beach Anzio
The landings were so easy that British and American units had achieved their first objectives by noon and were already four miles inland by early afternoon. The location of the landings surprised the local German forces, who were completely unprepared. After a week, once the Allies had consolidated their position, the Germans were ready to launch a counterattack. Following the successful British landing at Termoli on October 2–3, 1943, behind German lines along the Adriatic coast, it became clear that a similar operation could be carried out on the Tyrrhenian coast, which took place on November 8th.
The Anzio landing Battlefield Tour
General Alexander, Commander of the 15th Army Group, asked Mark Clark to plan a landing of a single division at Anzio. General Clark appointed Major General Lucas to lead the invasion, and the contingent was planned to be larger than initially expected. The Anzio invasion began at 2:00 a.m. on January 22nd, 1944, taking the Germans by surprise, as they had sent their regional reserves south to the Gustav Line. The British forces landed in the north and center, while the Americans landed in the south, and all were successful.
The Anzio landing Battlefield Tour
By midnight, over 36,000 men and 3,200 vehicles were inland, and 227 German soldiers had been captured. On January 24th, the British 1st Division advanced toward the Anzio-Albano Road in the direction of Campoleone and captured the town of Aprilia, known as “The Factory.” Following these successful assaults, Major General Truscott, commander of the 3rd Division, requested a pause between January 26th and 29th to consolidate the beachhead forces. Meanwhile, Kesselring sent all available divisions toward Anzio, and within a few days, the German 14th Army had grown to approximately 70,000 men.
Operation Shingle:
Major General Lucas began receiving congratulations from commanders across the board. He was confident and not overly worried about the impending counterattacks. By January 24th, the lodgement extended seven miles deep and ten miles wide. Although initially caught off guard, Kesselring quickly responded by deploying the 4th Parachute Division and elements of the Hermann Göring Fallschirm Panzer Division to block the route from Anzio to the Alban Hills. However, he soon changed his strategy and ordered General Mackensen to send approximately eight divisions to halt the Allied landings.
Kesselring reacted swiftly and effectively, aiming to confine the American and British forces within their small beachhead as a first step toward pushing them back into the sea. The main purpose of the landings was to force the Germans to withdraw their army from the Gustav Line, but the Anzio assault was largely contained by German units redeployed from other parts of Italy.
The Anzio landing Battlefield Tour: WHAT TO EXPECT
The “Anzio Landing Gran Tour” (about 6 hours) includes:
1) pickup from your arrival at the railway station in Anzio everyday at 10.00AM
2) about 6h guided tour of the most meaningful sites of Anzio, Nettuno and the area:
- Anzio Landing sites: X-Ray Beach and Peter Beach
- Commonwealth War Cemeteries
- Sicily Rome American Cemetery and Memorial
- Campo di Carne
- the Factory (Aprilia)
- The Beachhead Museum
- The failed assault on Campoleone.
- Ranger Forces Plaque – Anzio
- 3th Division Markers Anzio
- FSSF plaque Anzio
- 488th Port Battalion Plaque Anzio
- The Flyover
- Isolabella memorials
3) return to the railway station in Anzio at 05.30PM
The Anzio landing Battlefield Tour: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THIS TOUR
WHEN AND WHERE: At the railway station in Cassino every day at 10.00am or 02.00pm (Main Square, near the Green Kiosk) IN THIS PERIODE THIS TOUR IS NON AVAILLABLE!
WHAT IS INCLUDED: Minivan and ww2 tour guide
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED: Lunch and dinner are not included but I can suggest…
PRICE PER PERSON: 200 euros (minimum 2 people lunch and dinner not included)
GUIDES/LOCAL EXPERTS: IN THIS PERIODE THIS TOUR IS NON AVAILLABLE!
“The Anzio landing” Battlefield Tour: More Tours Available in This Area
3rd Division Battlefield Tour on the Winter Line ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ranger Battalion Battlefield tour on the Winter Line ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
504th and 509th division battlefield tour on the Winter Line ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐