Salerno: A Military Fiasco
About this book
The mistake was Eisenhower’s. After the Allies scored victories in North Africa and Sicily, the next step was the continent, but where? It was decided to keep the landing destination secret. Even the preliminary bombardment of the beaches by naval guns was eliminated, at great risk to the troops landing. But anybody with a simple compass could draw a circle centered on the nearest Allied air bases in Sicily and come to the conclusion that the only suitable harbor within round-trip distance was the port of Salerno.Salerno was to be taken by the first totally integrated Anglo-American force. The American contingents chosen for the landing were the Texans of the 36th Division, totally inexperienced in battle, and another National Guard Division, the 45th, largely drawn from Oklahoma and New Mexico. As for the British, what some of their troops learned on landing so dismayed them that they mutinied (for which some of the mutineers were later sentenced to death). To win the battle, the Allies needed to gain the high ground; for nine bloody days what they gained were the beaches drenched in their own blood. In the annals of World War Il, Salerno remains “controversial.” After this book, there will be no more controversy, for Eric Morris has done what no military historian before him has been able to do. He not only interviewed in depth the previously silent General Mark Clark, but he has also interviewed many of the officers and men who survived, including those on the landing craft. Eric Morris is also the first to have access to the original, handwritten afteraction reports of Colonel “Mad Jack” Churchill’s troop commanders —~ including that of the Duke of Wellington.Includes interviews with participants from all the forces involved and many private records as the author reconstructs an hour-by-hour, day-by-day account of the near-tragedy of Salerno.