Two Commandos

Two Commandos Part 1

Salerno was the key to open up Italy

The previous page was: "48 Commando Royal Marines"

Two Commandos Part 1; 41 Royal Marine and No.2 Army; The Gulf of Salerno had been chosen for the main assault upon Italy because it provided landing beaches of sufficient width and length to put ashore a whole army, and was within extreme range for fighter aircraft now based in Sicily.

Eisenhower was playing for high stakes; nothing less than the city of Rome. If the Eternal City fell, the whole of Italy might collapse; the Italians would be out of the war.

The units to which the task of silencing the coastal batteries and seizing the defile of la Molina was entrusted were No. 2 Commando now under (Mad) Jack Churchill, three-hundred and thirty-eight strong, and 41 Commando Royal Marines under Lumsden, which was four-hundred strong.

With them went Laycock, Tom Churchill, brother of Jack, and Randolph Churchill, son of the Prime Minister. It was decided they would land in four waves, the first composed of two-hundred and ten all ranks, of No, 2 Commando, in five assault landing craft. They would deal with the battery at Marina and secure a beachhead. The remainder of the force, No. 41 Commando RM and Brigade Headquarters would then land.

Both Commandos began their landings according to plan. The first wave of 2 Commando landed unopposed on the beach at Marina exactly at H-hour (03:30). One troop formed the beachhead and the rest, under Jack Churchill, moved at once to the high ground overlooking the beach on which the batteries were situated. Six Italian soldiers surrendered and were taken prisoner.

48 Commando Royal Marines

41 Commando with Brigade HQ

Landed ten minutes after No.2 Commando against minor opposition and moved off according to plan. Some went to the village of Vietri and the majority to the defile of La Molina. Vietri provided no resistance, but the garrison of pill boxes in the narrow valley leading north towards La Molina.

A Mark IV German tank stood at a bend in the road, it sought to resist their advance. The tank was at once attacked by the leading Troop which killed the crew who were sitting outside the tank; and then the commando pushed on.

"Suddenly out on the road in front of us an enormous Hun rose up, muttering," said Tom Churchill. "In a flash, Baldwin, who was just in front of me, dropped him with two bullets in his stomach. His comrades were soon accounted for, but not before I had had the satisfaction of firing my pistol."

Jack Churchill produced a captured German Order dated only five days before, prophesizing very accurately the manner in which the Commandos would come ashore at Vietri. There followed a detailed orders for dealing with the assault; had the German garrison obeyed them, it would have cost 2 Commando very dearly.

The rising sun shone down

On the yellow, pink and white houses of Vietri village and on the green copper dome of the church. The place has two viaducts which traverse the mouth of the defile; one is of modern construction, the other is the work of the Romans.

After destroying a German tank the party from 41 Commando seized the village and the viaducts, but for some days the Germans covered both with intermittent machine gun fire. The main force pushed on to the pass of La Molina.

The situation on the main beaches was not as satisfactory as it might have been, fierce opposition was now being encountered at most of the main landing-points. It was also increasing in the tall hills seized by the two Commando Units; and Vietri was under heavy mortar fire.

I an effort to quell the mortar and machine gun fire, the steep wooded slopes were raked with counter-fire, but without much success.

An Officer from 41 Cdo RM, went out to reconnoitre, but was captured. He was was held in an enemy observation post skilfully concealed by thick shrubs. The Royal Marine officer had been a ballet dancer in peacetime; he broke away running and jumping over obstacles in huge leaps and bounds, making for cover. He was hit in the leg but was able to limp back to his lines.

At Dawn the Reconnaissance Squadron reported

The enemy to be strongly entrenched across the whole pass. Some in a positions overlooking those held by 41 Commando Royal Marines.

Shortly afterwards a heavy machine gun team of Germans were seen moving near to the summit of the great hill above Vietri. "They looked very sinister," said Tom Churchill, "as they climbed round the cliff; it was obvious that unless we knocked them out they were going to make our position."

Mortars were brought to bear on the targets, Brigadier Jack Churchill, looking through his field-glasses, said. "I had the satisfactory experience of seeing a Hun blown into the air." Most of the team, including its officer, an Austrian, were killed or captured.

Two troops from the reserve half of 2 Cdo, clambered up the precipitous slopes to thirteen-hundred feet and established themselves near the top of the hill, where they held on. Their supplies had the greatest difficulty getting through.

Throughout the next morning the Royal Marines

Held their lines against; repeated German attempts to break through their positions in the defile. They tried to slip round the flank but could not get past the Troops of 2 Cdo, who were in position on the steep hill of Dragone above.

Shells started to rain down on the Royal Marine Commando positions; Headquarters received a direct hit Col. Lumsden, the CO was wounded so was his signals officer. The hit had put all of the radio equipment out of use. Major J.R. Edwards, the second-in-command, took over command.

The forward position of 41 Cdo RM, which had borne the brunt of the fighting in the morning, was once more heavily attacked. Sergeant D.C. Bullock was killed and four men were wounded, yet they set up their machine gun and kept up the fire. The Commandos were in a precarious position but they still managed to hold their ground.

At dusk wecome news arrived that the Commandos were to be relieved and go into reserve in the narrow stretch of shore between Vietri and Salerno. The relief was completed by midnight. They had been fighting non-stop for two days; hopes that they had played their part quickly dwindled; when the enemy made a series of attacks. At 08:30 the Commandos were once more moving back into their old positions.

41 Commando held the valley

south of La Molina and the hills to the right of it, No 2 Commando, occupied the hills to the north of Vietri. The effect of casualties was beginning to be felt; the Commandos were getting thinner on the ground.

41 Commando Royal Marine had lost eleven officers and seventy-four other ranks. No. 2 Commando lost one officer and thirty-three other ranks. There were, therefore, only six-hundred and nineteen officers and men, to hold this vital position.

A heavy barrage of mortar and artillery fire was concentrated on No. 2 Commando, and attacks were launched at its centre and both flanks. The enemy managed to get behind and were also firing in the rear; it seemed that the steep hill of Dragone was going to be overrun.

For some time it seemed that the German thrust must penetrate the tenacious guard of the Commandos. They were clinging onto a monstrously steep hillside with no prospects of reinforcements, and with nothing behind them but the village of Vietri and the sea.

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Nothing, except the guns.

At last, they had arrived, they belonged to the 71st Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery and they were most ably directed by Lieutenant Shingleton. Their fire soon checked the enemy.

Jack Churchill, with a soldiers eye, saw his opportunity and took it. At the critical moment he launched a counter-attack with one troop of 41 Cdo RM and one troop of No. 2 Cdo, the only reserves available. It was gallantly led; the charge drove the enemy out of their positions.

This counter-attack on Dragone hill proved decisive, the mauled German troops retreated to the pass. They had no further stomach for a fight with the gallant remnants of the two Commandos.

Remnants was indeed the word, for one-hundred and seventeen more men had fallen, forty-five of 41 Commando Royal Marines and seventy-two of No. 2 Commando among them, in addition to Major Lawrie, were three Troop leaders, Captain R. Broome, Captain F. Mason, and Lieutenant A. Brunswick.

The two Commandos could do no more; but no more was necessary.

The next Link below will be: "Two Commandos Part Two"

Two Commandos Part One Two Commandos Part Two

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