On the Senio Floodbanks

Discussion in 'Italy' started by jamesmurrow, Jun 20, 2014.

  1. jamesmurrow

    jamesmurrow Senior Member

    On the Senio river floodbank, not exactly then and now,as the 'now' pictures were taken infront of S.Severo,the location of the 2 Innisk's, whereas the 'then' are from the 2 LIR location, to the right.
    P1050162.JPG P1040906.JPG P1050163.JPG img046.jpg

    Contignola. The Skins when occupyiing the river bank here, called in air strikes to demolish tall structures that overlooked their positions. An information board shows the village after liberation. Note the building at the end of the road and the circular feature above the door. This is the church,it was re-built, up from the original structure, as can be seen from the outside. Inside many scars remain from 1945. The final picture illustrates how its tower, and other tall structures would have given excellant observation to the enemy.
    P1040942.JPG P1040945.JPG P1040940.JPG P1040941.JPG P1040923.JPG P1040925.JPG P1040936.JPG
     
    4jonboy, Paul Reed, Owen and 2 others like this.
  2. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    James,

    Eccellente....
     
  3. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Thanks for posting James, excellent photos

    Lesley
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Cheers for posting photos, I think I need to do some reading .
     
  5. Combover

    Combover Guest

    Excellent stuff! Are there any decent accounts of the Senio action? As Owen points out, some wider reading here may be needed for me particularly.
     
  6. bexley84

    bexley84 Well-Known Member

    An excerpt from 'The London Irish at War' might give a slight idea:

    "The 2nd Battalion (2 LIR) also had a spell on the Senio flood-banks, where they were introduced to a type of warfare which had never been taught at the battle schools at home. The river was full of bends, which were helpful to both sides. At one spot it enabled a troop of Field Artillery to be deployed in such a way that the guns could be fired from the flank straight into the river with remarkable accuracy. But the bends also enabled the enemy to see everything that was going on behind our side of the banking.

    It was essentially an infantryman's war. The Germans in places were only ten yards away, and in the daytime sniping was the popular pastime. The marksmen had to be cunningly camouflaged and to fire at considerable range, otherwise they would have found difficulty in getting into position without being seen.

    Anyone who unwisely poked his head over the banking in daylight, instead of using a periscope, asked for trouble. Some never did it twice. At night there were grenade duels and machine-gun and mortar "stonks," which made life uncomfortable. The London Irish learned several good points very early. They learned not to throw grenades from established posts, but from places picked at random. They got to know, also, at what spots the German snipers fired and so avoided them.

    The Senio was sunk well below the level of the ground, and below each flood-bank was a flat shelf about ten yards wide before the final drop into the river. The London Irish held the near side of the flood-bank, but in no place were they established on the inner or river side. German posts dug well in on the inner side dominated both sides of the river.

    One such enemy post nestled in a bund, a form of flood-bank slightly higher than the rest and bulging in a semicircle from the river. The Germans felt secure in their post, and the London Irish decided it must be wiped out. A raid was carefully planned under the command of Lieutenant Salter. The only way into the bund was over the top, which was under constant enemy observation, or through a gap about fifteen yards wide in the centre. This gap was well covered by German snipers. So a tunnel was started into the bund at a point near where it joined the main flood-bank. The tunnel was dug very stealthily and it was found to lead into an unused enemy dug-out on the inner side of the bund. That solved the problem of hiding the tunnel opening from the vigilant Germans. The raid was planned for three o'clock in the afternoon, when it was thought the Germans might be relaxing. The operation began with twenty-five-pounder shells exploding accurately on the far flood-bank, with the intention of keeping the Germans under cover. The raiding party then filtered through the tunnel and lined the inner side of the bund and facing the German post A covering party scaled to the top of the flood-bank and remained hidden until an assault party of a corporal, five riflemen, and two pioneers went over the top at a selected spot under the cover of a smoke-screen. Inside a minute it was all over. Five Germans were captured, one killed and several wounded. While the pioneers hurriedly searched for mines, another section dug new protective earthworks and the bund had new masters.

    For this highly successful and model action Lieutenant Salter was awarded the MC

    The flood-bank war had its amusing moments. Both sides introduced verbal propaganda in the other's language. The Germans frequently inquired: "Why sit on the flood-bank with your wives in England?" They obviously did not realise the ambiguity of the question. From our side the enemy were told: "Why be fools and wait to be annihilated?" They were also warned to reduce the number of stretcher-bearers they were using. We suspected that post reliefs were being carried out under the protection of the Red Cross armlet."
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  8. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    minden1759, Paul Reed and 4jonboy like this.
  9. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Also on the Senio for much of the winter was the 1st Canadian Division with the 21st Tank Bde still in support- a Canadian Seaforth Highlander found tree which
    loked like a catapult and so acquiring a used inner tyre - made this tree into a catapult…and on showing this to the Officer decided to throw some stones into

    the German Lines- whereupon the Germans wondered what the crazy Canadians were up to as they gathered around to look at the stones - the next volley was a

    bunch of hand grenades - which wounded many Germans who replied with an artillery stonk for half an hour - which was not too popular and the catapult was

    unused from then on…

    Cheers
     
    dbf and Paul Reed like this.
  10. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Passages taken from Battleaxe Division, by Ken Ford

    The Last Battle

    By the start of April 1945, the climax of the war in Italy was approaching. The slogging match which had taken the Allied armies up the length of the country, forcing crossings over one river after another, had finally reached the greatest of them all, the River Po. In front of it, the German Army held its fortified line. This was to be the final battle for the final victory, but it was one which even Churchill had not thought possible. At this stage in the war the Fifteenth Army Group had merely been expected to provide a sideshow to Eisenhower’s campaigns in north-west Europe; it was not regarded as being strong enough to launch a major offensive.

    Prior to the battle, 78th Division was holding the line along the Senio around Cotignola, having arrived in the area on 11 March. The river at that point cut across the flat plain and was held in place by tremendous floodbanks, often 25 feet high and 10 feet wide at the top. All roads and railways in the plain were on embankments. The Senio flowed in roughly north-south direction, with the enemy holding the west bank of the river, the river itself and, in some places, the eastern floodbank as well. The divisional history described the position:

    The enemy had built a number of rafts and bridges across the river, so making it possible for raiding parties to cross almost anywhere-there were twenty-three footbridges in the divisional area. The Germans had prepared the banks for defence by having a strong line of machine-gun posts on the west bank, which was two feet higher than ours, and by maintaining a number of well-protected posts on the western face of the east bank. They had tunnelled into both banks in order to secure observation or the ability to fire without exposing themselves. At some points on the east bank the enemy’s positions and our own were within ten yards of each other, with only the floodbank between, and close enough for the waging of verbal warfare.

    All of this meant that the two sides were in very close proximity to each other, separated by just a very narrow strip of no-man’s land, bringing back memories of the First World War. At one point, ‘D’ Company of the Northamptons occupied a ‘bund’ only 15 feet from the enemy where grenade lobbing and firing the 2-inch mortars and PIATs were practised throughout the night, with the Intelligence Section and the Signals combining to pepper the enemy with leaflets while they broadcast through loudspeakers placed behind the floodbank.

    It was impossible to move about in daylight without attracting mortar or artillery fire. Often the positions on the floodbank were held by just one platoon of each company, while the remainder of the troops occupied positions further back from the river, based in and around any buildings that were available. The enemy did not have things their own way, however, as vigorous counter-fire from the Battleaxe Division also curtailed his movements. CRM Oram of 1st East Surreys told of his time with the Sniper Group in the battalion history:

    The Commanding Officer made it very clear to me that the role of the Sniper Group was to close down or limit all German OP work. What was left of the houses in the Battalion area helped considerably as most were fairly close to the river and their height enabled us to observe and keep under fire houses on the German side of the river. On ‘A’ Company’s front we managed to cut down enemy OP work to such an extent that they had to use periscopes; at a range of less than 50 yards those became easy targets. Although the Germans continually changed the positions of the Ops we managed to restrict their use. Sometimes the enemy held up objects to draw our fire and after we had crossed the River Senio we found tailors’ dummies, dressed in German uniforms, shot full of holes. The work of my Group was not very popular with forward platoons as the Germans were apt to respond with artillery and mortar fire and on several occasions we were asked, in strong terms, to go somewhere else!

    As units of 78th Division relieved those of 56th (London) Division which had held the line up until then, they heard the same tale from the outgoing troops. Survival in the front line meant two things; digging in and staying awake. Getting below ground was the main priority, creating tunnels and building earthworks for protection against enemy mortars. Being prepared for the small-scale raids frequently launched by the enemy was the other. The sector was far from being quiet.

    It was not good country for the artillery; gun pits had to be built upwards with sandbags for cover not dug down into the waterlogged soil. The FOOs could find few effective observation posts that gave any sight over the high banks without exposing themselves to enemy snipers. Some use was made of spotter aircraft to direct the fire of the guns, but most harassing fire by both sides was carried out with machine-guns and mortars. Gun positions well back from the river were often disturbed by bullets zipping around the pits, causing the gunners a great deal of frustration. It was also impossible country for 56th Recce Regiment. Unable to be deployed in its original role, it was diverted into the line as infantry under the command of the Irish Brigade, holding the right of the brigade front opposite Cotignola. Within an hour of taking over its positions from 44th Recce Regiment, it was subjected to an enemy incursion into its lines when German infantry made a short, furious raid after a brief mortar barrage, bursting across the Senio and saturating the area with grenades and sub-machine gun fire. Three men were killed, four were wounded and five captured.

    Lightening raids were not, however, solely the prerogative of the Germans. The London Irish Rifles carried out one such raid against a strong enemy post situated on a part of the floodbank slightly higher than the rest of the line. At 1500 hours on 22 March, with a covering party on top of the bank, an assault party consisting of a corporal, five riflemen and two pioneers went through a tunnel that had been dug the night before into the German lines. Within a few minutes it was back; its score, five Germans captured, one killed and three wounded.

    The next day the Faughs were the target of the enemy. ‘B’ Company felt the brunt of the attack in a battle which lasted most of the day. The whole of the engagement took place at very close quarters, with the fighting sometimes developing into hand-to-hand struggles between individuals. The Germans harassed the Irishmen from every angle and only gave way when tank support was brought up to blast the attackers. During the night the enemy seem to be preparing for another go at the Faughs when their area was plastered by almost 300 mortar bombs in just over an hour. The battalion replied with intensive defensive fire from its 2-inch mortars and the enemy failed to press the attack.

    The division’s time on the banks of the Senio was a period of intense small arms activity. Mortars, PIATs and machine-guns were of more use than artillery. The close proximity of the enemy ensured that all of these weapons saw a great deal of service. Any suspicion of a German attack was dealt with by a salvo of mortar fire; harassing fire was pumped over the river throughout the day and night. On one occasion, the crew of a 2-inch mortar were killed by one of its own bombs. The Fusiliers had their weapon in a sandbagged position, firing at intervals across the river. As each bomb was discharged the mortar dug itself slowly into the soft soil, gradually sinking lower and lower, until eventually the barrel dropped below the level of the sandbags and the last of their bombs hit the parapet, exploding instantly. Both the Fusiliers were killed by the blast.

    The Battle of the River Po, the Allies final offensive in Italy, began on 9 April. The problem of how to cross the heavily defended Senio had been given much serious thought and was finally achieved by brute force and some subterfuge. During the morning, 11th Brigade withdrew from the river and at 1350 hours a terrific bombardment was put down on the Senio defences as every gun and mortar on the corps front joined in. Ten minutes later the firing stropped and in came the planes, with fighter-bombers swooping low overhead strafing the river bank. Next, the aircraft switched inland and gave the same treatment to the ground behind the river. Then, once the planes had gone, the artillery resumed its bombardment of the same area. To the German defenders this signalled the start of the attack and the survivors of the pounding manned their strong points and started up their machine-guns expecting an onslaught by infantry. But there was no attack; the front remained quiet. Suddenly, the guns started up again and the whole sequence was played out once more; the aircraft came in, the guns plastered the banks and beyond and then nothing. Each time the enemy expected the attack, nothing came at them. This went on for five and a half hours until finally, at 1920 hours, after one last play through of aircraft and artillery, the attack really did go in. The Germans stayed in their dugouts; they had been fooled.

    Flame throwers sprayed liquid fire into the enemy positions and the two attacking divisions smashed their way over the Senio and into the flatlands beyond the river. That night and throughout the next day, the New Zealanders and the Indians continued to make good progress. The division, meanwhile, closed up to the Senio with 11th Brigade; 36th and 38th Brigades were concentrated in the rear areas, prepared to move forward as required. After the assault, the division’s sappers began clearing the river banks.

    During the night, 11th Brigade cross over the Senio and moved into the bridgehead. The next day the East Surreys moved into the town of Cotignola without trouble and made contact with 27th New Zealand Brigade. The other two brigades of the division now closed on the bridgehead ready to be called into the battle. By nightfall of the second day the New Zealanders and 8th Indian Division were close to the Santerno.

    By dawn on 11 April, the division’s bridge over the Senio, ‘Felix’, constructed by 237th Field Company, was complete and open for traffic. The division now concentrated around the town of Lugo, and by dawn on 12 April, the whole of ‘V’ Corps’ line had reached the Santerno. At 1400 hours orders were received for 78th Division to cross the river and move into the Indians’ bridgehead.
     
    Owen and Paul Reed like this.
  11. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    What a great thread!
     
  12. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    It is Paul. Re-reading the paragraphs again made me a bit emotional knowing my father was there. I cannot imagine what it must have been like.

    Lesley
     
  13. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Lesley

    It was a split between sheer horror and a fit of giggles-many of us preferred the giggles such as Alf Goddard from Birmingham who had a permanent grin

    all over his face- which nothing could shift - no matter how bad things were …at the Senio we were acting as Infantry - in houses to one side of the

    river and the Germans were also in houses on the other side…it was very boring with nothing going on - which didn't suit Alf - so off he went up into the
    attic - opened the window - and shot at the chimney opposite which fell down to the doorstep..

    The door opened and a German looked out to see the chimney lying in pieces- he slammed the door shut and appeared at HIS attic shooting down our chimney

    This looked like good fun and so all the houses were bereft of Chimneys - this passed but two days later the newspaper Union Jack appeared with banner

    headlines stating that " Heavy fighting had broken out on the Senio " We never said a word…

    Cheers
     
    4jonboy and Owen like this.
  14. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    Great photos and post james.
     
  15. sanchez

    sanchez Patron Patron

    what a brilliant story tom, I expect humour saved many soldiers from going crazy with the stress.
     
  16. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Sanchez

    War is stupid and we tend to laugh at stupid things - so we had lots of laughs - didn't help Spike Milligan though - but didn't bother Secombe -all

    depends on how you look at life I find humour almost everywhere - such as the jeep driver when we flattened his jeep with a 40 ton Churchill Tank

    asking us for a censor free Green envelope as he wanted "to send his jeep home to his Mom " we all thought that was hilarious in the middle of a battle

    Cheers
     
  17. Recce_Mitch

    Recce_Mitch Very Senior Member

    James great photos, thanks for posting

    Cheers
    Paul
     
  18. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    4jonboy likes this.
  19. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Owen

    Odd name for that crocodile on MK 7 Churchill- strangely that of 1st Cdn AB - BUT - they were in NWE by April '45…

    only other one would have been 25th Tank / Engineers bde…

    Cheers
     
  20. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Thanks for posting Owen. The book I mentioned by e-mail has obviously got the number wrong.

    This is a copy of the photograph I have taken from the book 'Finito!' (The Po Valley Campaign 1945) and the write- up from the book.

    "Vicious orange jets of Wasp carriers and the Assault Brigade's flame-throwing tanks.. A Wasp supporting the New Zealanders on the Senio River."

    Breaching the Senio

    The Eighth Army's own Desert Air Force under Air Vice-Marshal R.M. Forster, with massive support by the X11 Tactical Air Command, the 57th Bomb Wing, and 15th U.S. Air Force, battered enemy positions for over five hours.

    At 19.20 hours Eighth Army 5th Corps on the right, and 2nd Polish Corps on the left, opened the vanguard assault for 15th Army Group.
    Behind a shattering artillery bombardment which ploughed craters in the fields and flung up spouts of earth and red embers, battalions of the 8th Indian Division, 2nd New Zealand Division, and 3rd Carpathian Division, preceded by the vicious orange jets of Wasp carriers and the Assault Brigade's flame-throwing tanks, went in through drifting battlesmoke and met fierce counter-fire from the outset.
    By nightfall the 8th Indian Division had bitten a bridgehead 1,000 yards deep in the enemy's strong defences, and had four intantry companies across the Senio River. The New Zealand Division had four battalions across, and the iron trellis-work of Bailey bridging was swinging into place in the darkness.

    Meanwhile the 3rd Carpathian Division was grappling with heavy resistance. After ding-dong fighting two companies succeeded in crossing the river, but were pinned down by intense enemy machine-gun fire. A pitched battle continued both north and south of the river. Progress was delayed by mines and heavy shelling, but a battalion fought its way to the near floodbank and prepared to reinforce the existing bridgehead. A diversionary attack to assist the Division was launched by a composite Polish force known as Rudforce. It made progress against heavy shelling and mortaring, and positions on the near floodbank were finally consolidated.

    The thunder of battle continued throughout a night of solid gains. The three bridgeheads were extended and linked up. Engineers toiled ceaselessly to span the river with Baileys. Before morning the enemy heard the rumble of our tanks on his side of the river.

    Lesley
     

    Attached Files:

Share This Page