November Sunday European CampaignBeachhead ANZIO
Background
The ANZIO operation was initially the plan of Winston Churchill himself in late 1943.
Churchill understanding the situation facing Allied forces at the Gustav Line wanted
to mass enough forces to out flank the resistance and move on to capture Rome.
The Allied General Staff planners of the Italian campaign reviewed the plan and
decided to implement the operation as a way to pull General Field Marshal Albert
Kesselrings forces off of the Gustav line in order to capture the Abbey at Monte
Cassino. The Abbey at Monte Cassino was a large Christian monastery established
in the year 529 AD. Where the monastery was constructed gave the occupiers a
commanding view of the Rapido, Liri and Garigliano valleys. It also gave a grand view
of several other peaks in the Apennine mountains region and the Rapido River.
This made it the ideal command post for the German Wehrmacht’s defense of the
entire Gustav line.
The German Wehrmacht was able to hold the Allied advance to Rome at Monte
Cassino and the Gustav line during the winter blizzard in December of 1943. If the
Allied forces could not dislodge the Germans from the Abbey fighting could
ontinue for months in miserable conditions, hence “Beachhead ANZIO”.
This AH SEC event will recreate three key turning points of the Battle around
ANZIO. We invite you to participate in this three frame event. So, strap on,
buckle up, and hang on for what promise to be a great SEC event.
Each frame starts at 8pm in the UK, 9pm in France/Germany, 10pm in Finland/Estonia
and 3pm EST.
The planned length of a single frame is 2 hours.
ANZIO Trailer
History Frame 1
On January 22, 1944 more than 37,000 Allied troops launched an amphibious invasion
of Anzio, about 35 miles south of Rome. Although they established a beachhead by
nightfall, the Allied forces could not break out of the city. On January 23rd the Luftwaffe,
attacked the Allied positions and two hospital ships in the harbor. Four Army Air Corps
fighter groups and their squadrons took on the task of repelling enemy air raids; among
them was the 99th Fighter Squadron.
On Jan. 27 and 28, formations of FW-190 German warplanes raided Anzio. Eleven pilots
from the 99th Fighter Squadron shot down enemy fighters in those two days. Among
the victors was Capt. Hall, who had scored the squadron's first aerial victory, shot down
two planes.
Eight fighter squadrons were involved in the air defense of Anzio those two days, and
together they shot down 32 enemy aircraft. Of these, the 99th Fighter Squadron had
the highest score: 13. The most enemy aircraft shot down by any of the other squadrons
in those two days was seven.Pilots from the 99th Fighter Squadron earned four more
aerial victory credits on Feb. 5 and 7, pushing the squadron's total to 18.
Host CM ---> ASW
