9 Army Commando

Called into action at Anzio in Italy

The previous page was: "No.7 Army Commando"

No.9 Commando formed at the beginning of the conception of Commandos at the end of July 1940 they were formed mainly from Scottish units to start with; then they were bolstered by other units from the British Army. In their early days the Commandos were rarely used; but by D-Day they were well and truly in a class of their own and were in high demand by all of the Generals.

When No.9 Commando unit was completely trained and ready for action it was posted in Gibraltar; where it stayed until it was required in Italy.

On the morning of the 20th January 1944, at Naples No.9 Army Commando embarked on H.M. Transport ship the Derbyshire, whose officers and crew were their tried and trusted friends. They numbered three-hundred and thirty men, all ranks. They landed unopposed at 05:30 on the next day, while it was still dark.

No.7 Army Commando

Commandos meet up with United States Rangers

The country of the coast on which the Commandos had landed was featureless. It was a flat plain with gullies and shallow ravines; the farms and villages were scattered far and wide. The most prominent landmarks were, a church tower and a factory. It was across this unpromising landscape that the Commandos advanced.

They met with little opposition, killed a number of German dispatch riders during the morning. By early afternoon they had captured the high ground, which was their objective.

That night they made contact with the third Ranger Battalion, and within three days they were back in Naples. A few days later the Commandos were ordered to the front line once more, to support the 46th Division under General McCreary.

Monte Faito was the highest mountain

Monte Faito; which was the highest mountain in the area being more than three-thousand feet high would be No.9 Commando's objective. While the Commandos were moving up from Naples, Lieutenant-Colonel Tod, commanding No.9 Commando, went ahead to reconnoitre the ground.

It was a fearsome climb to get to the front line; once there, he had to crawl about among the boulders seeking out the best approaches to get to their objective.

They were soon to discover that the enemy's defensive barrage of artillery and mortar, was designed to fall on the thousand-yard wide valley before them. No.9 Commando then moved forward to seize Monte Faito, from the east.

Though ordered to attack within forty-eight hours, it was postponed for a further twenty-four hours; because the ground was so difficult, the Commandos took two days and nights to reach their assault positions, and they had had no sleep.

Tod made a second reconnaissance

While the Commandos were resting Tod, made a second reconnaissance; headquarters was established in the front line in a pigsty nine feet square made of loose stones.

It was the target of shells throughout the day, but without effect. The enemy fired an occasional round of smoke to make his observation of the fall of the shot.

At 19:30 No.9 Commando set-off the going was very slow and difficult. They moved north-west towards a comparatively small hill which was held by the enemy, and which they would have to seize before they could move onto their final objective. The towering mass of Monte Faito. When they reached this position they captured it.

Then the enemy retaliated with a constant and heavy barrage of artillery and mortar fire. Undeterred the Commandos moved forward until they came under fire from a house occupied by the headquarters' of a German infantry battalion. Also inside was a German mortar and artillery observation officer who called on his guns to open fire.

That morning fire deluged the thinning ranks of No.9 Commando. Major F. Clarke, leading the attack, was wounded. Soon afterwards Tod was hit, and then in rapid succession six officers and the regimental sergeant major was killed. Casualties among the rank and file began to mount rapidly; No.9 Commando had to withdraw to the forward slopes of mount Ornito; they had passed on the way forward.

Brigadier (Mad) Jack Churchill

Jack Churchill came up from his headquarters to see what was happening, he had been out of touch because of problems with the wireless, with him was Admiral Cowan, wearing his green beret. The Brigadier found what remained of the Commando under the orders of Captain M. Allen, the adjutant.

All but one of the Troop leaders had been killed or wounded, Churchill went back to get in touch with divisional headquarters'. On the way down he and his party helped with the wounded; as they stumbled slowly along over the rough slopes, the enemy maintained his relentless mortar and artillery fire.

Churchill decided that in view of the heavy casualties, no further advance could be made. The surviving Commandos held on, in the afternoon they beat off with heavy losses a sharp and determined German counter-attack.

This action cost the Commandos six officers and eighty-seven other ranks; it had been an expensive battle. Though Monte Faito had not been captured, McCreary was loud in praise of the Commandos who had displayed so much "courage, enterprise and endurance."

Two weeks of recuperation

A fortnight of rest and reorganization followed. Then on 24th February 1944, No.9 Army Commando found themselves on the move once more, this time to Anzio. On reaching that forlorn, malarial plain, they were faced with a very different situation from which they had left.

The thrust of General Lucas had failed, and it had failed dismally. The troops, who were supposed to sweep forward in a swift advance, seize the Alban Hills, and enter Rome, had remained on the plain; in which only a few miles of unprofitable ground had been seized.

Frascati and Castel Gadolfo and other little towns among the cypresses and vineyards still gleamed afar off in the fickle winter sunshine. The attackers were hemmed in and pinned down by the ferocious attacks of four German Divisions determined to fling them into the sea.

The battle had raged for the best part of a week; the enemy had been held, but at no light cost. All of the troops were exhausted; the infantry battalions of the 56th London Division would very soon no longer be effective fighting units.

9 Commando tackles job of two Divisions

It was the 2nd March when the Commandos went ashore. They at once joined the 169th Brigade ten miles north of Anzio in flat, marshy ground covered with shrub which hid them from the sight of the enemy but not from his bullets, artillery and mortar bombs.

No.9 Commando in eight days they had killed thirty-six Germans and took twenty-seven prisoners, for the loss to themselves of four killed and fifteen wounded. Which was more than the Division had achieved so far? Their commanding officer, Tod, recovered from his wounds had returned to lead them.

On 10th March they were called upon to carry out 'Operation 'C' this had originally been designed as a major attack to be mounted by two Divisions.

The objective, eleven miles north of Anzio and two miles west of the main road, was a number of small hillocks with ravines between them where the Germans; who were accustomed to form up before launching their counter-attacks.

Three of these ravines, which the Commando called wadis, were named 'Haydon' nearest to their position, 'Laycock' furthest away and 'Charles' which connected the other two. Rising from them and enclosed by them on three sides was a small hill called 'Beechers.'

The Commando was divided into three squadrons, 'A,' 'B' and 'C.' At 02:00 on the 19th March 'B' and 'C' squadrons advanced against 'Haydon.' They were a trifle slow moving to the start line, their leader, Captain Basset-Wilson, was heard to exhort them to "Hurry up, or you'll be too late to throw your grenades at the Germans." Needless to say his concern was unnecessary; before the day was out they had thrown every one.

Hills named after Commando leaders

Crossing at the double the five-hundred yards separating them from their objective, they seized 'Haydon.' This at once provoked a heavy barrage which fell upon the start line where 'A' squadron was forming up. It quickly moved forward until it reached 'Haydon,' where a defensive position was established.

At dawn 'A' and 'B' squadrons moved to do an attack on the next wadi, 'Charles,' but heavy fire directed against them from 'Breechers,' halted their progress and they were forced to withdraw. Though foiled in their attempt to capture 'Charles,' the Commando seized a small hill which they called 'Bob' and from there they had some observation of the enemy.

'Bob' was dominated by 'Beechers,' for the rest of the day No. 9 Commando could do no more than hold its own against the inevitable mortar fire, to which was added the bombardment of rifle grenades and the unpleasant attention of German snipers and self propelled artillery.

Ammunition began to run low, and though only five-hundred yards away, no one could return to the start line. That was except twelve wounded who were carried across the open ground under the Red Cross flag; which the enemy respected.

The enemy launched a heavy counter-attack under the cover of smoke. Though defeated on the flanks the Germans had more success in the centre, where they managed to break through. The Germans reached Commando headquarters.

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9 Commando go back to Naples

Tod immediately manned the Bren gun with Douglas Brown, the officers' mess cook. For a short while the issue looked doubtful; then with all weapons firing and Mad Jack's pipes playing this battle-hardened Commando surged forward and forced the enemy to retreat.

Hardly had they driven away the foe, when the order came for them to withdraw. The wounded on improvised stretchers went first. No sooner had they left their positions, when heavy artillery and mortar rained down on the exposed and untenable ravine.

This battle cost the Commando nineteen killed, fifty wounded and four missing in action.

This was the first offensive action in this area that had taken place. After it the Germans displayed increasing symptoms of nervousness; perhaps this may have provided adequate excuse for mounting the assault.

No.9 Army Commando were taken back to Naples; from there they moved to Milfetta. Sadly depleted in strength since its arrival five months ago. No.9 Commando Army, had fought three major battles. They were in great need of rest and refreshment; and for a month these were granted to them.

These actions tied down the German Divisions in this area; preventing them from being transferred to help out in Western Europe.

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9 Army Commando 10 Inter Allied Cdo

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