One of Many

The Story Of 46 Division during WW2

Detailed Account (First) Italian Campaign

Operation Avalanche by the 5th Army

By 01:50 am six Royal Navy minesweepers had cleared two channels through the mined bay north of the Sele River. At 02:00 am the Germans artillery opened fire on the now assembled armada in the bay. Destroyers' Brecon, Blankney, and Mendip returned fire and smoke.

The aim of the assault by 46 and 56 division was to form a beach head to include Salerno and as far south and inland to Battipaglia, the airfield at Montecorvino and the hills overlooking Highway 18 to Naples.

Operation Avalanche British Ten Corps

Operation Avalanche began at 02:30 on 9^th September 1943. Following the initial landings, on Red and Green Beach, 46 Division was ordered to form and secure a beach head between the rivers. This represented a front just over a mile, opposite Pontecagnano.

After securing the beachheads, where 519 Company RASC had landed behind the assault brigade the division was then able to gain the hills that overlooked Salerno.

The division consisted of 138, 139, 128 Brigades, and commandos. Despite the determined enemy counter attacks, they did however manage to hold their wide but shallow beachhead in the hills around Salerno.

On the night of 10^th September, 120 enemy aircraft maintained an almost constant bombing of the beaches. September 11^th the enemy's major attacks came down the Sanseverino Road and were partially successful with some retreating. When the enemy's general offensive began on 12^th, 56 division was driven out of Battapaglia and the Americans were forced to withdraw from Altavilla.

Because of the worsening situation Clark even considered evacuation, both Mc.Creery and Alexander (Dep. Commander in Chief) were opposed to it. On the 13^th an even more critical situation arose when the enemy forced an inroad into the left flank of US 6^th Corps on the Sele River. Clark organized a Naval bombardment and using every reserve saved the situation. 504 Parachute infantry was air-dropped in at night to reinforce the area.

In the next 3 days using shipped in reserves, parachutists, and all administrative personnel as infantry, the situation began to slowly turn in favour of the allies. The battle for White Cross hill started on 14^th when a company of 5^th Hampshire was overrun in a surprise attack. For about a week many costly attempts were made up the sides of White Cross Hill, where the enemy had observation of the beaches. Three battalions and a company tried to take the hill by the opposite mound called the Crag, but failed with heavy losses. On the 15^th, Commandos attacked the enemy position on White Cross Hill, from the valley in the south, but were repulsed after heavy losses to both sides before reaching the summit. In succeeding days both sides gained and were unable to hold the hill, The fighting generally began to reduce mainly due to the influx of reinforcements, and the start of the German withdrawal on the 20^th September.

Along the front the fighting died down, and by the 22^nd September, 46 and 56 Divisions were ready to undertake the second phase of the plan. This included opening the northern passes, so enabling the 7 Armoured Division that had started to land on the 14^th to go forward into the Naples Plain. 139 brigade of 46 division began probing northwards through steep hills towards Cava.

On the 23^rd Montgomery who landed with the Eighth Army at Reggio in the South arrived in Salerno for a meeting with Clark. General Mc.Creery issued an Order of the Day to the troops of the 46 and 56 Divisions.

" After 10 days of heavy fighting Tenth Corps has forced the enemy onto the defensive and on our right he is carrying out a big withdrawal. His object was to drive us back onto our beaches and for this purpose he concentrated against us the 16^th Panzer Division and elements of 4 other German divisions. He has failed - thanks to the courage, endurance, and splendid fighting spirit of you all. You have inflicted very heavy losses on the enemy, and he has lost much equipment. We will now turn to the offensive in conjunction with the US Rangers on our left, who have harassed the enemy continually in very hilly and mountainous country. Once we have the enemy on the run we will keep him moving."

On the night of the 23^rd September the offensive was taken and after heavy fighting the 46 division reached the edge of the Naples Plain so enabling the 7^th Armoured division to move through.

By the end of September the next objective was an assault across the Volturno River. However, a brief pause was needed for reserves from North Africa, to replace the heavy casualties of Salerno. October 5^th saw the division move forward with 139 brigade taking up a position with an 8-mile front, stretching inland from the mouth of the Volturno.

The enemy was holding the line of the Volturno from Capua to the sea, with two very strong divisions (15 Panzer Grenadiers, Herman Goering Division). The obvious crossing places were held in some strength, with reserve tanks and infantry for local support.

It fell to 46 division to make the bridgehead on this flank. The weather was a problem as by 12^th October autumn rains had made the river a formidable obstacle.

Crossing the Volturno & the Winter Line

That night however, an infantry crossing was made on a wide front. Before any tanks could cross to support them, enemy forces made a strong counter defence but the bridgehead held firm and was further enlarged.

The advance moved from the slow sea of mud of the Volturno Canal area where prolonged heavy rains flooded hospital tents and supplies and made progress slow and costly. On October 25^th the main advance was along Highway 7, with 46 & 56 divisions given the leading role. October 29^th , the attack to cross the Teano River was in progress, a steady advance continued with random enemy contacts accompanied by mortar and shellfire. After the capture of Sessa a divisional and later Corps headquarters was set up.

November saw the 5^th Army consisting of six infantry divisions come to a temporary halt opposite the lower reaches of the Garigliano, and at the headwaters of the Volturno. Ahead, the enemy now with the advantage of strong natural defences of the mountains, consisted of 7 divisions of the XIV Panzer Corps. Due to the German's thorough demolitions there was a considerable problem of supply, and coupled with worsening weather a period of rest, to rearrange supply systems and establish routes was ordered on 15^th November.

San Clemente

In early December the objective was Monte Camino, a large hill guarding the entrance of the Liri Valley, 'the so called Gateway to Rome'. West of this the Garigliano flows through a narrow valley between the opposite hills, north, was Highway 6 leading to Cassino about 10 miles away.

Heavy fighting from the 1^st to 9^th gained Monte Camino and surrounding area, but the 46 division suffered over 400 casualties.

After the capture of Monte Camino 10 Corps was to assume a holding role while the American 2 Corps attacked northwards towards Liri valley and Cassino. 46 Division was put on the right flank from the rugged hills of Monte Maggiore along to the west of Camino, and south as far as Carlo. The task of supplying the brigades on Monte Maggiore (138 brigade) and (128 brigade) from San Nicola to Carlo was desperate. The Cocuruzzo Track wound for 5 miles over mud, rock and low hills. After a month, two Field Companies and 100 Italian Labours made 1¹/₂ miles of this track possible for 3 ton lorries to use, while the rest of the supplies were transported in jeeps and trailers. Part of the track was under observation from hills across the river, so Calabritto came in for heavy shelling when traffic passed in daylight.

In early January, after some preliminary battles, the assault on the German Winter Line was planned. Ten Corps was to cross the lower Garigliano and advance up the Austente valley behind Castelforte, so threatening the rear of the Liri valley defences. While 2 US Corps would mount a frontal attack towards Cassino. US 6 Corps was to land at Anzio on the 4^th and loss of troops to 6 Corps by US 2 Corps meant they now only had two divisions. Because of the weakened US 2 Corps, 46 division was ordered to force a crossing of the Garigliano below San Ambrogio, in order to protect 2 Corps left flank. 46 Division's crossing was scheduled for 19^th January, but this crossing failed due to the enemy opening the sluice gates at San Giovanni so causing heavy flooding, and strongly held enemy defence positions on the opposite bank. 56 division at a bridgehead opposite Castelforte established a crossing.

Crossing the Garigliano January 1944

The bridgehead over the Garigliano River was held by X Corps with the 46 division always on the mountainous right flank. The Germans swiftly reinforced 94 Panzer Grenadier Division, and began strong counter attacks near Castelforte, and to the north the US 2 Corps faced a costly repulse at San Angelo. The division held despite repeated enemy counter attacks, and meant that the defended hills gave a covered crossing of the river.

The weather for this period was recorded as one of the coldest and wettest known in Italy. Troops in these mountains each side of the Garigliano at a height of over two thousand feet suffered appalling conditions, with rain and snow. For shelter a rock sangar, and the rations mainly compo, were sometimes supplemented so at least the troops rarely went hungry. To achieve this major supply problem, 24-hour operations over mountainous tracks were implemented but it still took 2 days for casualties to be evacuated.

The American 34 Division and French Expeditionary Corps made a crossing of the Rapido river and dented the German Gustav Line at Cairo village, and Monte Belvedere. On 22^nd January US 6 Corps made an almost unopposed landing at Anzio.

The German command did not deplete the Liri valley to counter, but rushed three Divisions from the Adriatic front, and four divisions from the north. These reserves had early limited success, but it meant that during February the Germans successfully repulsed the allied attempt to smash the Winter Line and capture Rome. Only at Cassino did US 2 Corps and New Zealand Corps attempt to costly batter a way through.

During the period 28th February to the 7^th March 'Operation Pitchfork' one of the most popular operations, transported 46 Division to a period of rest in the Middle East.

This marked the end of the FIRST Italian Campaign. During this campaign the division sustained: -

5173 Casualties.

71 & 683 Officers and Men killed.

194 & 3091 Officers and Men wounded

45 & 1399 Officers and Men reported missing