The Allied invasion of Italy, a phase of the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, took place on 3 September at Reggio di Calabria (Operation Baytown), and on 9 September 1943 at Taranto and Salerno (Operation Slapstick and Operation Avalanche respectively). Allied naval forces landed American and Commonwealth troops on the beaches of southern Italy where they faced resistance from Axis forces.
Allied Forces
editTheatre and army group commanders
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Sir Harold Alexander
Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ), Mediterranean
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ground forces
Naval forces
- Allied Naval Forces, Mediterranean (Admiral Andrew Cunningham)
- Western Task Force (Operation Avalanche) (Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN)
- Force H (Vice Admiral Sir Algernon Willis, RN)
- Naval Task Force, Operation Slapstick (Vice Admiral Arthur Power, RN)
Air forces
- Mediterranean Air Command (Allied) (Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder)[a]
Operation Baytown – 3 September
editLandings across Strait of Messina
British Eighth Army
edit
Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
Sir Miles Dempsey
General Bernard Law Montgomery
British XIII Corps
editLieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey
- Corps troops
- 1st Special Reconnaissance Squadron
- No. 3 Commando
- No. 40 (Royal Marine) Commando
- Corps artillery
- 6th Army Group, Royal Artillery
- 2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade
- Also supporting XIII Corps
- 5th Army Group, Royal Artillery
- XXX Corps Artillery
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Operation Slapstick – 9 September
editLandings at Taranto
British Eighth Army
editGeneral Sir Bernard Law Montgomery
British 1st Airborne Division[4]
- Major-General George F. Hopkinson killed in action 9 Sep,
then Major-General Ernest Down- 1st Parachute Brigade (Brigadier G.W. Lathbury)
- 2nd Parachute Brigade (Brigadier Ernest Down)
- 4th Parachute Brigade (Brigadier J.W. Hackett)
- 1st Airlanding Brigade (Brigadier Pip Hicks)
- 1st Battalion Border Regiment
- 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment
- 181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
- Glider Pilot Regiment
- Major-General George F. Hopkinson killed in action 9 Sep,
Operation Avalanche – 9 September
editLandings at Salerno
US Fifth Army
edit
Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark
Army Group Reserve[b]
US 82nd Airborne ("All-American") Division- Major General Matthew B. Ridgway
US 1st Armored ("Old Ironsides") Division[c]- Major General Ernest N. Harmon
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British X Corps
editLieutenant-General Richard L. McCreery
Northern landing beaches
- Corps troops
- Royal Scots Greys (Sherman tanks, attached to 56th Division)[5]
- 40th Royal Tank Regiment (attached to British 46th Infantry Division)[6]
- British Special Service Brigade (Brigadier Robert Laycock)
- US Ranger Force (Lieutenant Colonel William O. Darby)[d]
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US VI Corps
edit
Major General Ernest J. Dawley
Southern landing beaches
US 3rd Infantry ("Rock of the Marne") Division- Major General Lucian K. Truscott[e]
- 7th Infantry Regiment
- 15th Infantry Regiment
- 30th Infantry Regiment
- HHB 3rd DIVARTY
- 9th Field Artillery Battalion
- 10th Field Artillery Battalion
- 39th Field Artillery Battalion
- 41st Field Artillery Battalion
- 3rd Reconnaissance Troop
- 10th Engineer Combat Battalion
- 3rd Medical Battalion
- Headquarters, 3rd Special Troops
- HHC, 3rd Infantry Division
- 703rd Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
- 3rd Signal Company
- 3rd Quartermaster Company
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US 34th Infantry ("Red Bull") Division[f]- Major General Charles W. Ryder
US 36th Infantry ("Arrowhead") Division- Major General Fred L. Walker
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Axis Forces
editArmy Command South
edit
Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring[9]
Armeeoberkommando (AOK) 10
editGeneraloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff
- XIV Panzer Corps
- General der Panzertruppen Hermann Balck
- Deployed along coast from north to south of Naples:
- 15th Panzergrenadier Division (Generalleutnant Eberhard Rodt)
- Kampfgruppe Stroh
- Panzer Division Hermann Göring (Generalmajor Wilhelm Schmalz)[g]
- Kampfgruppe Haas
- Kampfgruppe Becker
- 16th Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Rudolf Sieckenius)[h]
- Kampfgruppe Dörnemann
- Kampfgruppe Stempel
- Kampfgruppe von Holtey
- Kampfgruppe von Doering
- LXXVI Panzer Corps
- General der Panzertruppen Traugott Herr
- Deployed in Calabria and Apulia:
- 26th Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Smilo Freiherr von Lüttwitz)
- Kampfgruppe[i]
- 3rd Panzergrenadier Division (Generalleutnant Fritz-Hubert Gräser)
- Kampfgruppe Moldenhaur
- 29th Panzergrenadier Division (Generalleutnant Walter Fries)
- Kampfgruppe Ulich
- Kampfgruppe Krüger
Italian 7th Army
edit
- Generale d'Armata Mario Arisio
- XXXI Army Corps
- Tenente Generale Camillo Mercalli
- 211th Coastal Division (Generale d'Brigata Felice Gonnella)[11]
- 185th Paratroopers Regiment 'Nembo'
Notes
edit- ^ Headquarters at Algiers, Algeria[1]
- ^ Available to Fifth Army
- ^ 1st Armored Division was in Morocco being reorganized in the new "light armored division" organization. It began to arrive at Naples on 28 October 1943 and thus was not in the Army Group reserve for the landings in Italy.
- ^ Under British X Corps for this operation.
- ^ Did not take part in initial landings
- ^ Did not take part in initial landings
- ^ CO Generalleutnant Paul Conrath was on leave at the time of the Salerno landings.[10]
- ^ Absorbed the initial Allied assault
- ^ CO unknown
Citations
edit- ^ Secret Document 161, Location of units in the Royal Air Force, 34th issue, July 1943, Royal Air Force Museum accession number PR02859.
- ^ a b Molony, p. 234n.
- ^ Molony, pp. 117 & 234.
- ^ Molony, pp. 242, 244 & 245.
- ^ Molony, p. 276n.
- ^ a b Molony, p. 278n.
- ^ Molony, p. 277n.
- ^ Molony, p. 337n.
- ^ Konstam 2013, p. 25
- ^ Konstam 2013, pp. 21-22
- ^ The 211th Coastal Division was the only notable Italian division that fought during the Allied invasion of Italy. The remaining divisions of the 7th Army surrendered to the Allies, or disbanded by the Germans.
Bibliography
edit- Konstam, Angus (2013). Salerno 1943: The Allies invade southern Italy. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-249-8.
- Molony, Brigadier C.J.C.; with Flynn, Captain F.C. (R.N.); Davies, Major-General H.L. & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [1st. pub. HMSO:1973]. Butler, Sir James (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. V: The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and The Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN 1-84574-069-6.
Web
edit- Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen. "World War II unit histories and officers". Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- "Orders of Battle.com". Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2010.