Anzio AA Defense

Earthican · May 12, 2014

Collateral Research ! ! ! - TM

If you have seen my previous thread then you will know how I got here...

Anzio seems to be one of the last major tactical AA defensive efforts required against the Luftwaffe.

First, the who... this article has a troop list:

http://www.airdefenseartillery.com/online/2010/Coast%20Artillery%20Journal/Extract/CA%201947/May-Jun%201947.pdf

35th AAA Brigade.
35th AAOD ??

5th AAA Group
434th AAA AW Battalion (SP)
441st AAA AW Battalion (SP)
443d AAA AW Battalion (SP)
106th AAA AW Battalion (SP)
435th AAA AW Battalion

9th AAA Group
90 LAA Regiment R.A.(British)
100 LAA Regiment R.A.(British)
replaced by
18 LAA Regiment R.A.(British)
168 LAA Battery R.A.(British)
224 LAA Battery R.A.(British)
433d AAA AW Battalion
451st AAA AW Battalion
536th AAA AW Battalion

68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA) (Hq and Hq Battery)
1st Battalion, 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA)
2d Battalion, 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA)
72d AAA Gun Battalion
108th AAA Gun Battalion
216th AAA Gun Battalion
102d AA BalIoon Battery (VLA)

24th Chemical Decontamination Company (Smoke)
179th Chemical Smoke Generator Company
622d AA MG Battery (Separate)
623d AA MG Battery (Separate)

Earthican · May 12, 2014

This immediate post-war pamphlet from the US has a remarkable amount of numbers for the Allied score sheet.

http://www.lonesentry.com/fiftharmyaa/

As our attack was being thrown back at the Rapido, other troops were landing far in the German rear at Anzio. There the duel between the Allied antiaircraft and the German Air Force reached a climax. The target was vital, small, and concentrated, within easy reach of enemy fighter and bomber fields. Air attacks against the invading forces quickly began and were continued as the enemy frantically rushed troops to the threatened area.

The enemy was determined to destroy our forces by heavy bombardment or drive us into the sea. For the first time in the Italian campaign, he heavily supported his ground attacks from the air. His bomber strength in Northern Italy and Southern France, hit with the missions of destroying the port of Anzio and its shipping and of pounding one end of the beachhead to the other.

The iron determination of the Germans was demonstrated 29 January, 7 days after the landing, when 60 aircraft—Junkers 88s, Dornier 217s and Heinkel 177s—came down to smash the shipping in Anzio harbor. The fire of our 90 millimeter guns caught the formation far out at sea, forced the aircraft to strike in single harassing attacks, and succeeded in destroying 5 planes. By disrupting the mass plan of attack, the antiaircraft saved the vital ships and ammunition dumps.

By that night, when the score was taken, the German Air Force had raided the beachhead 53 times. Antiaircraft had destroyed 38 planes, with 10 probably destroyed.

The strongest consistent attacking force yet seen in the Italian theater, however, was mustered by the Nazis 15 February, the day before the full-scale German offensive. For 7 consecutive days, the German Air Force, trying every known trick and using everything from fighters to heavy bombers, struck again and again at the port of Anzio.

In those 7 days, the Nazis lost 25 planes, which were seen to crash and burn, and 23 more, which were listed as probably destroyed.

Thus, for the period 22 January to 22 February, we destroyed 68 planes—68 planes which were seen to crash. Damage to our materiel and personnel was slight. The shipping still unloaded smoothly. The supplies poured into the port and over the beaches by the thousands of tons.

After 178 raids pressed home with determination, the tempo of enemy air activity fluctuated. Raids in definite patterns followed, but each attempt was smashed. In efforts at early morning raids, 30 per cent of the attacking craft were destroyed. An afternoon engagement 29 March proved disastrous for the Nazis when 8 of 20 planes which dived on the harbor from the sun were destroyed and the others scattered and fled, some with bombs still aboard.

Failing in these methods of attack, the Germans, taking a page from our book, sought to neutralize the AAA by shelling the heavy antiaircraft gun batteries during their air raids. Our field artillery gave an immediate answer—counterbattery on call from the AAA—coordinated and definitely effective. Again the enemy had to mark off an unsuccessful attempt.

About 75 per cent of all air attacks came at night, and new techniques made our fire on unseen targets deadly accurate. This was not the old familiar barrage fire the enemy had encountered so often in the past, but fire so efficiently coordinated that individual German planes were caught by it even when they attacked simultaneously from several directions and altitudes.

The number of planes destroyed is not a measure of the full effectiveness of antiaircraft fire. A large percentage of the planes making the attacks veered from the target, jettisoned their bombs in the water or many times on their own troops, and abandoned the attack because of the devastating fire.

On every occasion where the enemy employed 8 or more planes, he lost at least 1 plane destroyed, and in some cases 30 to 45 per cent of his raiding force. The Nazis were forced to abandon their large-scale attacks.

In all night attacks on the port, the German Air Force obviously noted that no fire was received from light antiaircraft units in the forward areas of the beachhead. Knowing that our heavy guns could not engage low-flying aircraft in that area without endangering our own ground troops, the Nazis began to take advantage of the night inactivity of the forward antiaircraft. Their aircraft began to come at low altitudes into the forward areas where they maneuvered while watching for targets of opportunity, upon which they promptly unloaded AP or HE bombs, or both. The antiaircraft artillery promptly countered these tactics by organizing the forward antiaircraft units to permit the firing of controlled barrages in any one or all three sectors into which the forward areas had been divided. The fears of the forward area troops that such firing would merely serve to outline their position to the enemy airmen and would, in addition, be likely to bring down concentrated enemy artillery fire, were completely allayed by the first demonstration. The massed fires of the hundreds of guns quickly drove the enemy aircraft from the area. After a few further half-hearted attempts and some ineffective shelling of a few of the light gun sites, the forward areas were added to the territory forbidden to the Luftwaffe.

When the beachhead was finally broken, antiaircraft fire had destroyed 204 planes and probably destroyed 133. Anzio had suffered 291 attacks totalling 2,500 sorties.
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Earthican · May 13, 2014

This post has the story of 100 LAA Regt on Anzio:

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/13411-100th-regiment-laa/#entry149292

The USAAF history provides some indication of the German capability.

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/III/AAF-III-10.html

It was of vital importance in the first ten days of SHINGLE that the German Air Force be kept under control. Although it was not strong enough to pose a serious threat, by D plus 1 the GAF had started a definite effort against the beachhead and its tenuous supply line. Bombers attacked shipping, notably at Anzio on the 23d, 24th, and 26th and at Naples on the 23d and 24th; although they usually struck at dusk when MAAF's fighters had left for their hundred-mile distant bases and although they used controlled glide bombs in the course of almost a week of operations, they achieved only the scantiest success while losing fifteen of their number to Allied fighters and flak.69 The bombers came mostly from southern France, so on the 27th, 132 B-17's bombed Montpellier and Salon and 29 B-24's of the 450th Bombardment Group hit Istres/Le Tubé, inflicting heavy damage on planes, runways, and installations at all three places, especially at Istres.70

Each of the GAF bomber raids against Anzio and Naples had been carried out by from 50 to 60 planes; heavier attacks were delivered on the 29th by around 110 Do-217's, Ju-88's, and Me-210's. Collectively, these constituted the greatest German bomber offensive since the landings in Sicily in July 1943.71
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Sheldrake · May 13, 2014

Great thread and some really good material. However I do have one nit pick.

Anzio wasn't the last AA effort against the Luftwaffe.

1. While german air activity was lower than anticipated, or could have been, there was a massive AA effort to protect the Normandy beachhead from German air attack.

2. The Fi 76 (V1) was a Luftwaffe operated unmanned aircraft. There mwere some 50,000 AA Gunners involved in defending London in the summer fo 1944 and Antwerp in Winter 1944-45 from the cruise missiles.

3. Operation Bodenplatte on 1 January 1945, a massed air attack on Allied airfields in the NW Europe was engaged by the airfields AA defences

Earthican · May 13, 2014

A bit tongue in cheek...

Anzio wasn't the last AA effort against the Luftwaffe.
Anzio seems to be one of the last major tactical AA defensive efforts required against the Luftwaffe.

1. While german air activity was lower than anticipated, or could have been, there was a massive AA effort to protect the Normandy beachhead from German air attack.
Anzio seems to be one of the last major tactical AA defensive efforts required against the Luftwaffe.

2. The Fi 76 (V1) was a Luftwaffe operated unmanned aircraft. There mwere some 50,000 AA Gunners involved in defending London in the summer fo 1944 and Antwerp in Winter 1944-45 from the cruise missiles.
Anzio seems to be one of the last major tactical AA defensive efforts required against the Luftwaffe.

3. Operation Bodenplatte on 1 January 1945, a massed air attack on Allied airfields in the NW Europe was engaged by the airfields AA defences
I considered the Remagen bridges/bridgehead and maybe Hell's Highway in MARKET-GARDEN as other late war tactical AA operations against the Luftwaffe.

I 'crafted' that one sentence introduction as carefully as my limited knowledge of the subject area allowed.

Thanks for the input.

Earthican · May 14, 2014

Previous research taught me to look for the air warning radar. This site has transcripts of unit documents for the 582d Signal Air Warning Bn.

The 582d Signal AW Bn does not have a campaign credit for Anzio (per the 1960's register) so their headquarters may not have deployed to the beachhead.

From reading a gun battery commander's memoir I know the US 90-mm gun batteries had a fire control radar. Its use may have varied with the training and confidence of the battery commander.

http://www.geocities.ws/m29003/n582a.html

SUBJECT: Historical Records.
TO : Commanding General, XII Air Support Command. APO 374 US Army
1. Outline of History of the 582nd Signal AircraftWarning Battalion for
the period, 15 January 1944 thru 29 February 1944:
15 January thru 31 January 1944

....

d. On the 14th January 1944 eight Officers and 88 Enlisted Men proceeded
to the 6th Corps Staging area inpreparation to further proceeding on to
participate in Bigot-Shingle Operation, invasion South of Rome. Personnel
from Grubstake, personnel of ARIZONA, and the personnel of radar unit TEXAS.
Attached personnel participating in this operation were: One Officer and four
Enlisted Men of the 849th Signal Intelligence Detachment; 4 Officers and 42
Enlisted Men of 871 AMES (British), RAF Unit; and 29 Enlisted Men of the 9th
W.O.U. (British). Above movement was made by authority of Special Order #10,
(Secret), Headquarters, 64th Fighter Wing, dated 15 January 1944, which is
attached. 4 Officers and 46 Enlisted Men, consisting of Radar teams MAINE
and VERMONT, proceeded to staging area on the 20 January 1944 per par 1,
Special Order #15, (Secret),Headquarters, 64th Fighter Wing, dated 20
January 1944, (attached).
e. None
f. No change
g. On the Morning of D-Day, 22 January 1944, personnel of Grubstake,
units ARIZONA and TEXAS, and personnel of attached units made an amphibious
landing at Nettuno, Italy. Units became operational immediately. Radar unit
ARIZONA proceeded on to Cantoniera, where it began operating. On the 28th of
January 1944 units MAINE and VERMONT landed at Anzio and Operations were begun.
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War Diary, 582nd Signal AW Bn. Frattamaggiore, Italy APO 659 US Army
Month of February, 1944
...

24 Thu Weather fair and warmer. Operations normal. All wire lines are
operating normally with very little maintenance trouble. Circuit diagrams
were distributed today to all concerned. An SCR 584 is being sent to Anzio
tomorrow. Lt. Bixby and two mechanics who have been at the AA School will
go along to get the set going. The set will be located near 887 AMES. The
ARIZONA team will operate the set.
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minden1759 · May 14, 2014

Whilst the article applauds the arrival of Brig Bradshaw on 2 Feb 44, it fails to mention that the AA defence assets allocated for the initial landings were pathetic and that it was only later that sufficient additional AA assets were brought into the beachhead to produce a credible defence.

The article also studiously ignores the British assets in the beachhead.

FdeP

Sheldrake · May 15, 2014

The Anzio landings were udner US Caommand and the 35 AAA Brigade was responsible for its air defence./ The British contribution was three Divisional LAA Regiments.

Of course there was a requirement for AA in Normandy. The Eastern end of the Beach head was subject to regular and frequent air attacks by the Luftwaffe. German accounts describe the AA fire over the Beachhead as in a category of its own and worse than Malta or London. This was one reason why the Luftwaffe avoided bombing and concentrated on mien laying. The AA defences were so good that they deterred, which did not mean that they were redundant! . . Pegasus bridge in particular was singled out or attention and 93 LAA were credited with 12 kills. .There would have been a lot of recriminations had the Allies not bothered to plan AA defences.

The experience of Anzio, and to a greater extent Salerno informed the planning for Normandy. The RA Notes for . The AA plan assumed that the HAA wpuld also be the anti tank defences of last resort and additional firepower in the ground role. .

Earthican · May 15, 2014

An excerpt from the US Army Anzio booklet (found while searching for the units by number). Less sanguine than the USAAF account above.

http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/anziobeach/anzio-landing.htm

Far more dangerous to beach and shipping were the constant Luftwaffe raids. The German Air Force put up its biggest air effort since Sicily in an attempt to cut off Allied supplies. Small flights of fighter-bombers strafed and bombed the beach and port areas every few hours. The most serious threat, however, was the raiding by medium bomber squadrons hastily brought back from Greece and the torpedo and glider bombers from airfields in southern France. Skimming in low at dusk from the sea through the smoke and hail of ack-ack fire, they released bombs, torpedoes, and radio-controlled glider bombs on the crowded shipping in the harbor. In three major raids, on 23, 24, and 26 January, they sank a British destroyer and a hospital ship, damaged another hospital ship, and beached a Liberty ship. The two heaviest raids came at dusk and midnight on 29 January, when 110 Dornier 217's, Junkers 88's, and Messerschmitt 210's sank a Liberty ship and the British antiaircraft cruiser Spartan.

Stiffening air defenses took a heavy toll of the Luftwaffe raiders, downing ninety-seven of them before 1 February. Initially Col. Edgar W. King of the 68th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft) and later Brig. Gen. Aaron A. Bradshaw, Jr., supervised the installation of increasing numbers of 40-mm. and 90-mm. antiaircraft guns and established a 12,000-yard inner artillery zone around the vital beach and port areas. Barrage balloons were raised to halt low-level bombing and smoke screens blanketed the port at dusk and on every red alert. The enemy's favorite tactic was to sneak over at dusk, when Allied planes, which needed daylight to take off, were returning to their 100-mile distant bases. To combat these sneak raids the engineers renovated the old Italian artillery school air strip at Nettuno. P-40's of the 307th Fighter Squadron moved up to the beachhead to furnish "on the spot" cover, and the Air Force increased its use of Beaufighter night patrols and Spitfires trained for night fighting.
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Anzio AA Defense

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