40 Cdo Termoli

40 Cdo captures Termoli port

The previous page was: "40 Commando Garigliano"

40 Termoli; 19th September 1943; 40 Commando Royal Marines, received orders to proceed to the east coast of Italy. Other Units would be fighting with them.

They reached Bari on the 30th. There they met their Brigade Commander, John Durnford-Slater, and his intelligence officer, Captain A. Peile, who had reached the town in a jeep.

It had not taken Durnford-Slater and Peile very long to discover that the word 'Commando' on their shoulder titles had a potent power, that commanded high respect.

These Italians took the word to mean that these officers were in a position of high authority: probably generals arrived in advance of the 8th Army which were known to now be moving up through Italy.

40 Commando Garigliano

40 Commando Royal Marines

were to land and pass through the bridgehead of the 3 Army Commando and seize, the town and the harbour of Termoli.

40 Termoli; Information about the garrison of Termoli was scanty, but the troops in the front line opposing the 8th Army were known to be the 1st German Parachute Division, were also renowned for their fighting abilities.

Because of the importance of the place, a strong counter-attack was regarded as certain. It would be delivered by the local reserves, but who and what these were was not known.

The speed of the 8th Army's advance had been too great to make the usual photographs available, and there was only a small scale and not very accurate map.

When the ramps dropped on the beach

The men of 40 Commando Royal Marines formed up and moved off to their objectives. In the buildings of the railway station they engaged a party of Germans who fought with great fierceness, all being either killed or captured.

By 08:00 hours in the morning of the 3rd October the force had taken all of its objectives. The pleasant mediaeval town and harbour of Termoli was in the hands of the Royal Marines and a Troop of 3 Army Commando. Both the main road junctions, and the railway station were being held by the Special Raiding Force and the remainder of No.3 Commando.

The prisoners taken included a Major Rau

Commanding the German battle group in the area, and a mixed assortment of about five-hundred men of whom most, as had been suspected, were parachutists who had not lost their tenacity.

40 Commando then went on to secure point 169, some high ground four kilometres south-west of Termoli. Signs of a German counter-attack became obvious, when enemy transport came moving down the road towards Termoli.

The Royal Marines of No. 40 Commando laid an ambush, which the Germans drove into the middle of it. The Commandos destroyed all nine vehicles and killed or captured the Germans in them.

The counter-attack was builing up slowly, attacking with light forces searching for a weak spots. The German's tactics were beginning to bear fruit; some positions of the Brigade were becoming grave.

40 Commando with the Special Raiding Force were allotted the task of protecting the west side of the town.

Throughout that day and several

Days to come, Termoli was a very unhealthy place to be. It was under heavy and accurate shellfire which, it was presently discovered was directed by a German observer situated with a wireless set in the clock tower of the church.

On that discovery, he was quickly dealt with.

The Germans last effort of the advance was against 40 Commando Royal Marines, attacking their front at 07:00 hours on the 6th October 1943.

A brisk hard fought fight ensued in the area of the cemetery, with the Germans pressing the Commandos hard and pushing them back. Then the Commandos went forward and the Germans had to back peddle. Eventually the momentum turned in the Germans favour.

Then as a moving body 40 Commando surged forward, shoving the Germans into full retreat.

The ferocious battle of Termoli was now over.

Modern-day Pages Fast Boats Pages Joe Wezley Pages

They had Surprised and Seized the Town

And later by their dogged resistance, had frustrated all attempts to wrest it from them by a force vastly superior in numbers and armament, they had every reason to be proud of themselves.

40 Commando Royal Marines, were fighting alongside No.3 Army Commando and the Special Raiding Squadron, they were formed as one of the Special Service Brigades, which were eventually enlarged into the Special Service Group.

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40 Termoli 60s Life Malta

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