italy 2016,

Discussion in 'WW2 Battlefields Today' started by sanchez, Nov 11, 2016.

  1. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    PART ONE
    hi all ,
    Well ive finally got round to posting about my trip to Italy this September . Ever since i started researching my dads war service ive been hoping to visit Italy and see some of the places where my dads regiment ( 56th recce regt ) had seen action . After reading about other peoples visits it made me want to go even more . Anyway this September me and the better half headed to Italy and our first stumbling block appeared by way of the dvla who could not return my license in time for the trip and the car hire company who would only accept the plastic license and nothing else . So the wife had to drive around Italy and I must say she did a great job but she was terrified . We arrived at naples airport and got our car but we didn't have the sat/nav as they wanted £300 for 12 days so it was google maps and my mobile phone . Our first stop was c squadrons holding position at Cassino in march 1944 , where trooper D.I.DAVIES was killed on the first day at the position . Ive attached photos of the position as it is today showing monte cassino with its overview over everything and also the gravestone of D.I.DAVIES taken at the cassino cwgc cemetery and also the relevant pages from the regiments diaries . We then drove into cassino where my wifes gaining confidence driving in Italy hit a setback as entering the outskirts of cassino we were waiting at a zebra crossing when a motorbike ploughed into a pedestrian who was crossing . We were glad we paid the extra money to get rid of the collision damage waver as some sort of knock looked inevitable . We arrived at our b & b which was just round the corner from the cwgc cemetery , that day we visited the abbey and you wonder how anyone could possibly fight their way up those slopes . Next day we visited the cwgc cemetery , the cemetery was as I expected it to be in immaculate and serene , but I wasn't expecting to be so moved . As I got to the top of the small flight of stairs I turned and there they are , all those gravestones and I just filled up , it was a very emotional and moving experience . Our b & b owner told us that is visited by a lot of students from the nearby university for their studies . Next we visited the german cemetery which is a short drive from cassino . We missed the main car park and ended up driving up this tiny track but we found a gate at the top of the track which warned of deadly snakes ( photos of the cemeteries can be found on my gallery ) . The german cemetery was more naturalistic with large fir trees and ground plant cover . It began to rain while we were there and as we were leaving thousands of stick leaves began falling from the firs and my wife is convinced that it was a thank you for us visiting them . Me being much more cynical thought it was the rain that caused the leaves to fall , again it was a moving experience . Next day we were going to visit the polish cemetery and try to find x squadrons positions on snakeshead ridge which I will tell you about in part 2 .
    cheers
    dave
     

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    Last edited: Nov 11, 2016
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  2. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Dave.

    Superb. Off there myself on 23 Nov 16. Fabulous place.

    Frank
     
  3. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Hi Dave

    I am so pleased you finally made it to Italy. I too found it very emotional.
    Look forward to hearing more experiences of your visit and photos.

    Lesley
     
  4. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    PART TWO
    Well we set off to find x sqns postitions on snakeshead ridge and parked in the Polish cemeteries car park . There is a gate to a path which runs parallel to the walk up to the cemetery and then the path does a sharp right turn and winds up to the ridge . Just after making the right turn we come across our first obstacle in the form of a great big white bull standing in the middle of the path . we edged forward and eventually it moved into the field , my wife was convinced I was trying to bump her off . The path then turned right past some farm buildings and then left past another farmstead only this one had a dog . Now the dog seemed ok and we passed by it without it even moving , but every time I hear my wife recall the story the dog gets bigger and at the moment is roughly the same size as the hound of the baskevilles . We kept on trudging uphill until we could go no further as there was a big iron gate with private property signs all over it . The posns were very close so I went into the trees to take some photos . Because of the amount of ground cover its as impossible to show how close it was to the monestry but I have attached a photo taken from the monestry towards the Polish cemetery which show just how close they are . Although the photos just show trees and undergrowth its where they are that is important as many brave men lost their lives on that ridge . On the way down the dog had wandered off to feast on some local villagers but the bulls had massed in ranks and there were now 3 of them blocking the path . You know when you hear that saying "that they are more scared of you " , well don't believe it . The bulls eventually sauntered off into the fields and we got back to the car park . But by this time it was getting late and Jan wanted to get back to the b & b before it got dark so we didn't have enough time to walk around the Polish cemetery but hopefully we will visit cassino again . Part three contains the chase up the Liri Valley and Rome .
    cheers
    dave
    ps ive done a google my maps of the 56th recce regiments positions from Tunisia through to Austria and anyone is welcome to have a look . I think i have to have e mail addresses but there may be an easier way . if you go on my maps the map is titled " 56th recce regt in ww2" .
     

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    Last edited: Nov 16, 2016
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  5. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Dave.

    Did you follow the path that veers off to the right partly up the tarmac path up to the Polish Cemetery or did you go through the side gate in the cemetery car park and up the road that the Poles built in 1945 towards the Carpathian monument on Point 593?

    I ask because I have walked the latter hundreds of times and yet I still cannot follow your explanation.

    Itching to know the answer.

    Regards

    Frank
     
  6. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    Hi frank
    Ive attached a photo from my maps showing the path and the yellow stars are x sqns positions .
    Cheers
    Dave
    Ps ive added the bull,dog and gate .
     

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  7. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Dave.

    Much happier now. Thank you. I see that you have gone up into the Point 445 area on the lower slopes of Snakeshead Ridge rather than up to the Doctor's House which sits on Snakeshead Ridge itself. The positions that you looked at were the nearest positions to the Monastery itself. It is the area around Cle D'Onofrio.

    Many thanks

    Regards

    Frank
     
  8. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    PART THREE
    While in Cassino we also visited some positions in the Liri valley at Aquino aerodrome , Caprille and Roccasecca and also Rofalo which we visited on our way to Rome . On 22/5/44 patrols were sent to the edge of Aquino aerodrome to report on enemy gun and nebelwerfer positions . Then on 25/5/44 at Caprille the sqn were held up by mines and demolitions and headed cross country towards Castello and they were subjected to heavy shelling and mortaring . Also on 25/5/44 at Roccasecca 16 troop engaged the enemy in houses with 37mm and b & a fire. Two troops of tanks from 14 armoured brigade 1st Canadian regt were sent forward to join in the attack. On 31/5/44 at Rofalo a German pow was captured from 9 coy 200 panzer grenadier regt . In one of the photos you can see the full width of the valley and it makes you realise that as has been mentioned in several of the books ive read on Cassino too many troops were sent into the valley in pursuit of the Germans , which undoubtedly slowed the pursuit . I have attached photos and also the relevant diary entries for the above locations . Then we spent 3 glorious days in Rome staying near the Vatican and visiting all the sites including the colosseum , pantheon etc . The final entry will contain the Trasemene line .

    cheers
    dave
     

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  9. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    Dave.

    You are right in that three Corps were in the Liri Valley at the same time trying to head northwest to Rome - French Exped Corps left, 1 Cdn Corps centre and XIII BR Corps right - with just Route 6 as a road good enough to transport the heavy equipment and vast quantities of ammunition, food, water and fuel. It was bound to be chaos.

    To be fair to the advancing army, this was the only road to Rome - going through the mountains left and right of the advance was simply not an option. The Allies needed mass to bulldozer their way forward but that mass created the traffic jams and slowed momentum.

    Without mass, and by limiting the advance to just a single Corps, the Allies would not have had sufficient fighting power to overwhelm the German defenders who had every advantage of ground and observation.

    Regards

    Frank
     
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  10. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    frank ,
    I suppose you can argue for both having a large enough force and having a small enough force to give extra mobility and speed . Like most things in war its easy to say what should have been done after the fact but that doesn't alter what happened and mark clarks decision to go for Rome didn't help matters .
    cheers
    dave
     
  11. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    PART FOUR
    After our stay in Rome we headed to Lake Trasimeno and the Trasimene Line . On the way we visited the cwgc cemetery in Orvieto , you can find the pictures in my gallery if you wish to see them . The cemetery is only small but is so peacefull and serene and once again it was a very moving experience . 12/6/44 C sqn engaged by 75mm A/TK gun and vehicle was knocked out . 18/6/44 patrol to factory area with supporting tanks encounters enemy , 3 enemy killed 1 machine gun and 1 mortar destroyed and 1 pow taken . 18/6/44 patrols leading car hit by a/tk gun and enemy shelled and mortared area . Patrol eventually broke through enemy . 2/7/44 patrol report Tuoro Sul Trasemeno clear of enemy , 1 pow from 90 pg div taken . 2/7/44 patrol report Borghetto clear of enemy . There is a photo of Borghetto from this day and I was hoping to get a then and now photo and when I looked on google maps a while back I thought I might be able to . Unfortunately I couldn't marry up the photo and it has obviously changed in the intervening years . There was a very elderly man sitting on a bench in the town square and I approached him showing him the photo on my phone . I said Borghetto 1944 and he nodded , I then asked where in the village it was and again he nodded . I parted and im not sure who was the most bemused . Ive also attached photos of the monument in Passignano Sul Trasimeno commemorating the 60th anniversary of the allied bombings which killed 46 people . They were trying to hit the german train workshop in the tunnel . We ended our time in Italy with a quick visit to Pisa and the climb up the tower and then on to Florence for 3 days . Florence was amazing and just like Rome you end up saying wow every time you turn a corner . I had a wonderfull time and loved Italy and visiting just some of the places where the 56th Recce fought . The terrain and lack of open space makes you realise why it was such a tough job to dislodge the germans . I will treasure this visit and all the many memories especially the visits to the cemeteries which were so moving . Hopefully this will not be my last visit and perhaps with the promise of Venice and Milan I might be able to wrangle a trip to the Senio and the Po , fingers crossed .
    cheers
    dave
     

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