Anzio Day - Commemorating the Battle of Anzio, or Op SHINGLE. This WWII battle commenced on 22nd January 1944 with an Allied amphibious landing against German troops at Anzio, on the West coast of Italy. The operation was intended to outflank German forces and enable an assault on Rome. Following the audacious landings the German High Command dropped plans to transfer five of its best divisions to North West Europe, unwittingly weakening its forces there prior to the upcoming Op Overlord, the D-Day landings! Among the nine infantry battalions present were the 1st Battalion, The Loyal Regiment. Repeated German counter-attacks culminated on 16th February in a massive thrust by three divisions down the Rome-Anzio road with the object of splitting the beach-head and driving its defenders into the sea. In the direct path of this assault, The 1st Loyals occupied the final line of defence around the vital Fly-over Bridge and along Wigan Street. On the 18th and 19th February the enemy launched repeated and heavy assaults on this position, but despite mounting casualties the Loyals fought back valiantly and held their ground until, on the afternoon of the 19th, they were able to mount a successful counter-attack. This was the turning-point of the battle and, although there was much hard fighting over the next few weeks, by the end of May 1st Loyals were advancing on Rome, which was captured on 4th June. Their courage, determination and steadfastness was critical to the success of the Operation and is the reason A Company 1 LANCS proudly bears the name Anzio! On the 22nd January this year, 71 years after the battle commenced, the soldiers of Anzio Company, paid tribute to and celebrated the lives of their predecessors who fought so hard and gave their lives at Anzio. The day began with a commemoration service and sounding of the Last Post. In the afternoon, sections competed in an inter-platoon Its a Knockout! competition. The emphasis being on team work whilst competing in light hearted but physical work. In the end the newly commissioned Anzio Day Best Platoon Shield was awarded to 2 Platoon.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:47:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015