Those that are not knowledgeable about World War II think that basically everything went as planned for the Allies. They also think that there were distinct goals based on sound planning. As we are all quite aware from current events, that is rarely the case when it comes to conflicts. There are so many variables that even the best of plans are generally obsolete once the operation gets under way.

So it was with Anzio in early 1944.

Pushed on Allied planners by Churchill, and carried out by some generals who were at least as interested in headlines as they were in sound strategy, the landings at Anzio were further frustrated by a less than ideal battleground and a lack of transport/materials due to the pending 'Overlord' operation.

The idea was to try to break the stalemate that had been raging in Italy along the 'Gustav Line' south of Rome. An end run north of German positions was supposed to draw away troops from the German defensive line and allow the Allies to break through for a drive on Rome.

The landings were planned for a large open area at the resort towns of Anzio and Netturno. From there, the Allies were hoping to quickly move out to cut the supply lines to German troops. The Allies landed with very little opposition, but instead of taking advantage of this, they moved only far enough to consolidate defensive positions while more men and materiel arrived at the beachhead. This provided the Germans the opportunity to bring in troops to oppose the Allied forces.

Thanks to the particularly wet winter of 1943/44, the battlefield was a sodden mess. This prevented both sides from being able to effectively use their tanks, which became quickly bogged down when they left the roads. Eventually, both sides took heavy casualties fighting back and forth with objectives being taken then overrun and taken again. Eventually, the lack of troops turned the battleground into a stalemate. It was eventually artillery that determined the outcome of the campaign. While the Germans had plenty of guns, it was ammunition that decided things with the Allies having easily a 10-1 advantage in the number of rounds they could fire, while the Germans had to husband their ammunition.

Eventually, the Allies did break out and General Mark Clark did capture Rome; one day before the D-Day landings. He got his glory but it was short lived and the Italian campaign turned into a backwater of the war with all the attention on France.

Steven J Zaloga tells the story of Anzio magnificently. The book is easy to read and conveys the horror and frustration to the reader with flowing prose. Add to this the numerous period photographs, the excellent maps and the illustrations of Peter Dennis, and you have one outstanding short history of this frustrating campaign.

This book is #155 in Osprey's 'Campaign' series and is one that I can highly recommend to you about a part of World War II that is rarely in the limelight.

September 2005

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