Day 10

Anzio. Four months of shell-shocked stalemate.

This sign, on the outskirts of Cisterna, marks the principle venues of the Battle of Anzio and the drive on Rome. The Anzio landings will remain controversial but I will not add my opinions to an already-crowded marketplace. Anzio must be studied and debated in great War Colleges like West Point and Sandhurst by professional Military Officers qualified to speculate. I already knew what happened here - Audie Murphy, Bill Harr and many others told me through their books. Now seeing the battlefield answered why. You'll see few battlefield photos of Anzio because frankly, the terrain is so flat that the slightest bush blocks your vision. It now stands to reason why every structure over one story was either flattened or bitterly contested in seesaw battles lasting for weeks. Anything standing taller than a person would offer an observer excellent visibility for miles.

The train station just south of the center of Cisterna. In the first days of the Anzio landing, the First, Third and later, the Fourth Ranger Battalions attacked Cisterna and nearly reached the station. The 1st and 3rd Rangers approached Cisterna via the Pantano Ditch where apparently they were anticipated by the enemy. Drawn into a massive trap, most of the Rangers were captured. Nearby, the Third Infantry Division began its first of three assaults on Cisterna which would remain an objective from the Landing on 22 January until its capture on 23 May 1944.

The railroad line heading Southeast from Cisterna. A mile or so from here is the spot where Company B, 15th Infantry cut the line and were later repelled in a vicious battle described in Audie Murphy's book.

We departed Cisterna for Isola Bella, a tiny farming community 2 miles south of Cisterna. From 29 January to 23 March, the front ran between Isola Bella (known as Femminamorta in early period maps) and Cisterna. Third Infantry Division foxholes lie along the line and here for months, they repelled heavy counterattacks and conducted offensive operations to smooth salients in the line. Isola Bella is at my back, this view looks West towards the Lepini Mountains. The Pantano Ditch begins perhaps 200 yards from where I'm standing and this is where the Ranger attack jumped off.

From Isola Bella looking North towards Cisterna and the Alban Hills beyond. 3rd Infantry positions ran across this view.

Looking Northeast from Isola Bella. The 15th Infantry had its positions along the this area in an arc less than a mile from this point.

	This sign, on the outskirts of Cisterna, marks the principle venues of the Battle of Anzio and the drive on Rome. The Anzio landings will remain controversial but I will not add my opinions to an already-crowded marketplace. Anzio must be studied and debated in great War Colleges like West Point and Sandhurst by professional Military Officers qualified to speculate. I already knew what happened here - Audie Murphy, Bill Harr and many others told me through their books. Now seeing the battlefield answered why. You'll see few battlefield photos of Anzio because frankly, the terrain is so flat that the slightest bush blocks your vision. It now stands to reason why every structure over one story was either flattened or bitterly contested in seesaw battles lasting for weeks. Anything standing taller than a person would offer an observer excellent visibility for miles.
	The train station just south of the center of Cisterna. In the first days of the Anzio landing, the First, Third and later, the Fourth Ranger Battalions attacked Cisterna and nearly reached the station. The 1st and 3rd Rangers approached Cisterna via the Pantano Ditch where apparently they were anticipated by the enemy. Drawn into a massive trap, most of the Rangers were captured. Nearby, the Third Infantry Division began its first of three assaults on Cisterna which would remain an objective from the Landing on 22 January until its capture on 23 May 1944.
	The railroad line heading Southeast from Cisterna. A mile or so from here is the spot where Company B, 15th Infantry cut the line and were later repelled in a vicious battle described in Audie Murphy's book.
	We departed Cisterna for Isola Bella, a tiny farming community 2 miles south of Cisterna. From 29 January to 23 March, the front ran between Isola Bella (known as Femminamorta in early period maps) and Cisterna. Third Infantry Division foxholes lie along the line and here for months, they repelled heavy counterattacks and conducted offensive operations to smooth salients in the line. Isola Bella is at my back, this view looks West towards the Lepini Mountains. The Pantano Ditch begins perhaps 200 yards from where I'm standing and this is where the Ranger attack jumped off.
	From Isola Bella looking North towards Cisterna and the Alban Hills beyond. 3rd Infantry positions ran across this view.
	Looking Northeast from Isola Bella. The 15th Infantry had its positions along the this area in an arc less than a mile from this point.