167 Brigade at Anzio

I'd say D Company going by this extract from the Battalion history posted by dryan67 .
1ST Batt Green Howards 25 4 1944 | Page 2 | WW2Talk

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No, the WD does not mention which company he was assigned to - it is pretty light on detail. He joined the battalion on 1st March 1944.

Edit - Just seen the above (the forum didn't add this post) when I replied. Major Hewitt was OC D Company.

 

Thank you and Owen for replying. You might remember my old account "Kailo," I made a post about this book. I lost my phone and the account with it. I know in America the well known memoirs are Company Commander by Charles Macdonald, With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge ect. I know a couple that are also niche, but were well regarded when they were first published. Is "The Fortress" like that from your knowledge in Britain? Besides a couple reviews on Amazon this is the only site I found that mentions it, besides retailers. I've read it was hailed as a wartime classic when it was first published aswell. From what I seen The recollections by rifleman bowlby and Alamein to Zem Zem seem more well known. At least in America.

 

Hi Gary,

Going out again 28th May to 2nd June.

Meeting up with some locals who research and use metal detectors in the area.

We are hoping to explore the fortress area forward positions one day (near the gully and R Coys forward right position).
Have also been given permission to conduct some exploration on the Bulgari estate land another day at roughly X Coys location.

Nigel

 

Drone images and video's sent from the Italian group I will be meeting up with next month when we visit Anzio area.
All images are over the Fortress area, I sent them Google earth images with Square marked up to target the locations.

Will send over tonight and tomorrow with a little bit of orientation information on each.

Image below is shot looking South West towards "Sheep Pen farm". The Lateral road runs in the distance left to right behind the oval race track/horse training feature (to be known as oval on future posts).

The high ground feature in the foreground is where X Coy, 8th Royal Fusiliers occupied as defensive position. I believe this is where my Grandfather was KIA.

The wadi gully at the bottom of the photo is the Moletta stream bed which meets at a T junction with the wadi at the other side of X Coys position this second wadi area was the location for Battalion HQ and the RAP. Much reinforcement and resupply moved along this wadi.

The brown scar on the lower right is right in the middle of R Coys defensive position.

The area with houses on the high ground in right of shot is roughly the start of 9th Battalion Royal Fusiliers area.

Off picture to the right would be the German positions.

 

This image is taken a little East of the last one and is looking South East. The village of Pontoni is in the distance and beyond in the same direction (out of sight) is the flyover.

The wooded feature running through the centre of shot is Wadi di Ri Michelle. To the right is the private land of the Bulgari Estate (now an olive farm area). This was where The Ox & Bucks were pushed back by the German onslaught, the front line which remained static ran through here for some time.

If you follow the Wadi it meets two large green sheds and a white building. This area is where the Bulgari office buildings are now. One of the Green sheds contains `The Factory 1944 museum` as seen in my past photo visits.
The white building is now a chapel and was originally the site of RAP house during the battle.
To the left of this feature if you follow the road (Via Riserva Nuova) is the Crocus house feature where Raleigh Trevelyan describes shooting a German soldier from the cover of the Wadi.

Am trying to load three drone videos (unsuccessfully due to size of files at the moment).

 

For orientation the two previous photos were taken where the Coy in C Coy is located on the sketch map looking in different directions. All based on April 1944 positions of 2 Northants Companies from this time.
A simplified map shows some named features too.

 

Last still photo which pans slightly right/South from the previous one showing more of the Bulgari estate.
The high feature at the bottom of shot was partially in German hands. To the right off screen is the X Coy high ground area.

In the low ground below the large greenhouses on the right runs the main Wadi resupply/reinforcement route which was partially seen on a previous photo.

 

Could anyone assist please. I have three recent drone videos of the Fortress area. I have compressed them as zip files to try and post them here. Unfortunately I keep getting the message that the individual files are too large ??

Video 1 = 17,273 kb
Video 2 = 8,181 kb
Video 3 = 12,352 kb

I have tried to upload them individually, not together.

Any advice welcome especially moderators who may know a fix.

Thanks in advance

Nigel

 

Maybe add them to You Tube & then post link here.

 

Thanks I'll try that

 

OK Everyone first drone video with information on You Tube



The area of "The Fortress" was the scene of fierce fighting from February to May 1944. A forward location, part of the Anzio beachead defensive position. This area is close to the small town of Aprilia.

Video 1 starts looking E.S.E along Wadi Michelle in the centre. The white building at the end of the wadi is now a chapel but during the battle was known as "RAP House". The green sheds contain a museum which is run by "The Factory 1944" historical society. These buildings and the regular olive tree plantations belong to the Bulgari Family estate.
The road on the left is Via della Riserva Nuova. Beyond the chapel is the village of Pontoni and beyond, out of sight in the distance is the famous "Flyover " feature.

The camera pans south/right across the front line area where the Ox & Bucks Battalion were located in February 1944.
As the camera pans further across the Fortress area you will see the "Lateral Road" in the distance, this was the rear final defensive line.



High Ground green fields appear in the centre of shot. The area has been landscaped since the battle. The smaller D shaped green field area was X Coy, 8th Bn The Royal Fusilers defensive position from 17th February 1944. It is here that I believe my Grandfather was KIA. Just beyond the high ground is Fosso Buon Riposo. This deep wadi contained the 8th Royal Fusiliers HQ and RAP locations. The Wadi was also a covered route for reinforcements/resupply from the rear and casualty evacuation in the opposite direction.

As the camera pans further round the whole of 8th Royal Fusiliers R Coy position is visible with a wooded ditch sticking out towards the Via Scrivia track/road. This ditch marked the forward position in the Fortress and was the extreme right of R Coy.
This ditch features in the book by Raleigh Trevelyan as he occupied it with his Platoon later in the battle. This ditch position was overrun by the Germans on 30/04/44 whilst occupied by 13 Platoon of C Coy, 2nd Bn Northamptonshire Regiment. Six men missing from this Platoon have no known grave.

Towards the end of the video looking E.N.E on the other side of Via Scrivia at the top of the screen is roughly the position of Z Coy, 8th Royal Fusiliers last stand on the 18th of February 1944 where they were surrounded by the Germans and decimated with the loss of many men including 2Lt Eric Fletcher Waters father of Roger Waters (Pink Floyd band member).

 

A short video starts facing West across the forward area of The Fortress.

The track on the right is Via Scrivia. Fosso Di Buon Riposo wadi is centre left, the junction to Wadi Michelle is just visible initially.
The German positions were on the right of the screen area.

9th Bn Royal Fusiliers were established in defensive positions beyond the houses on the left after being pushed back by the initial German assault on the 16th of February 1944.

In the foreground is R Coy, 8th Bn Royal Fusiliers position the centre of which is roughly the brown scar.

The camera pans left/South over the wadi junction and a closer view of X Coys position on high ground (green field) appears.

The camera continues and picks up Fosso Di Buon Riposo wadi the location for Bn HQ, 8th Bn RF and the RAP.
The route for reinforcements/resupply and casualty evacuation up the wadi covered route to and from the Lateral road is visible.

It is deceiving how deep this wadi is. Contemporary reports indicate a rope was laid down from X Coy into the wadi to aid access up/down the slippery steep slope .

 

Final video uploaded.

The video starts looking due south and is a similar view I imagine Luftwaffe pilots would have had as they attacked British Positions in the Fortress. The main enemy thrust was heading in this direction.

R Coy, 8th Bn Royal Fusiliers position is partially across the bottom of the screen as the video begins.

To the bottom left is the most forward position in the area, the wooded ditch as detailed by Raleigh Trevelyan in his book "The Fortress".

The Germans occupied positions on the high ground to the left of the re-entrant (centre screen) on the triangle shaped location. The front line bulged inwards on the left following the curve of the re-entrant in the centre and across the fields to the left of screen (now an olive plantation).

Directly opposite the enemy on the left would have been the Ox & Bucks.

X Coy, 8th Royal Fusiliers were located directly opposite the enemy on the forward tip of the green field on the high ground, centre right.

To the right is the Buon Riposo wadi, location of 8th Royal Fusiliers Bn HQ, and the RAP.

The camera pans left to pick up all Wadi Michelle which the Ox & Bucks withdrew across during the early stages of the engagement as the massive German assault developed.

The camera then looks vertically downwards into Wadi Michelle.
This location was the forward right positions of R Coy, 8th Royal Fusiliers. This was the scene of intense fighting on the 23rd of February 1944 when the enemy penetrated as far as a Platoon HQ before being repulsed according to the unit war diary.

Finally the camera looks due south again towards the Lateral road, final defensive line and in the direction of Anzio beyond (out of sight).