Grenadier Guards, Anzio VC.

[Owen]

Thought this maybe of interest, especially if anyone is going to Anzio .

[Paul Reed]

Excellent stuff - will be good for the trip in May!

[Owen]

I think this is the same view but today.
41°35'5.48"N 12°37'52.72"E

[Owen]

I hope this isn't appearing as a self-indulgent thread, rather more as information shared.
Reading in Rome '44 by Raleigh Trevelyan about this action.
He says the Gulley was a pozzolana quarry , as it appears it still is looking at the GE image.
Lt Paul Freyburg, son of the New Zealand General Freyburg VC, was captured in the same action.
Marmaduke Hussey was also wounded & captured there too.
The Gulley was attacked by No7 Company of Grenadier Regiment 147 , under Leutnant Heinrich Wunn, who would win the Knight's Cross for his bravery on that & subsequent days.
There were also men from the US 504 Parachute Regiment involved in that action too.
When the Germans had captured the Gully it appeared to have been used as a supply base. Everthing was arranged in piles-rifles, ammo, barbed wire,spades, uniforms, Red Cross material . Some motor-bikes & lorries loaded with food.
The Germans ate what cold rations they could but were weary of booby-traps.
Staff-Sergeant Bernhard Luy was annoyed to see some pigs eating a dead Tommy so he shot at them so he and another man buried the half-eaten Tommy.
He commented that 'Is this what we're fighting for ? To be eaten by pigs?'
Later they found several tins of cigarettes and a lot of chocolate.

[Owen]

This photo is taken from the side street to the left of the north end of The Gully on the GE image looking south.


This image is taken from a point on the GE image by the "N" of the compass looking north.



I think 64 years of industrial activity has filled in the ditch somewhat.
The ditch contunes behind us and is very deep.
We could easily image the Germans running up and down looking for a crossing place with Major Sidney and others holding them back.

[Paul Reed]

It was quite some place to visit - the far end was very deep and we saw 'caves' in one far bank which we could imagine both sides using. Very much off the beaten track, but a fascinating place to visit. Similar view to Owen's:

[WotNoChad?]

Originally Posted by Owen

I hope this isn't appearing as a self-indulgent thread, rather more as information shared.

Don't be silly, that's the function of my threads.

Has got me thinking again about Humphrey Littleton though, a good chance he was here. I've tried without success to track down more than the sparse info about Humph's service, but inevitably find nothing but jazz or "clue" data. Any ideas?

cheers,

[Owen]

Has got me thinking again about Humphrey Littleton though, a good chance he was here. I've tried without success to track down more than the sparse info about Humph's service, but inevitably find nothing but jazz or "clue" data. Any ideas?

Wrong Battalion.
This was 5GG.
Humph was with 6GG, he'd have been with them at the Monte Camino battle if he was still with them after Salerno, 6GG & 201 Gds Bde would have been near Trimonsuoli in the Aurunci Mountains west of the Garigliano when 5GG was fighting this action at Anzio, early Feb 44.
Need to check war diaries really to be sure he was still with them.