5th Recce at Anzio

hi all
my dad was wounded on the morning of the breakout from anzio, he drove a brengun carrier and was in 5th recce.anyone got any idea, what part 5th recce. played in this operation thanks keith

 

Hi Keith,

Only reference to specific reconnaissance on the first day of the breakout is by the Green Howards of 5th Div who recce'd the ground in front of their attack the night before the main attack began. They came under heavy fire and took casualties from mines as well. They then attacked the next morning along with the general push and again had a hard time of it but achieved their inital objectives which were to tie down 2 German divisions so that the US VI corps could breakout on their right.

 

From only the Enemy in Front by Richard Doherty.

The regiment was relieved four nights later and moved to Nocera, near Naples, on the 21st but a further move was occasioned by the rain of volcanic ash from Vesuvius which had just erupted; 5 Recce travelled across country to Termoli and thence to Casoli - in a blizzard - to relieve 6th Lancers (Watson's Horse) on the 25th. Back in the line 5 Recce was soon patrolling, using Italian partisans whose local knowledge proved useful but who were a mixed blessing otherwise. There were several spirited actions during one of which three men, including a partisan, were killed and further gallantry awards earned.

On 5 April the regiment came under command of D-force, commanded by Colonel Dawnay of 23 Armoured Brigade, with which it operated until the 13th when RHQ was ordered to Perano. There 5 Recce was told to provide two squadrons, a tactical HQ and mortar sections - a total of 290 men - as an infantry force for Anzio; this force was to arrive at Anzio on the 21st.Rear detachments of 5 Recce stayed at Villa Equesne south of Naples although 2 Squadron continued to operate with D-Force at Casoli and the anti-tank battery was acting as demonstration battery at the divisional tactical school.

A detachment from the regiment - a recce section of 8 Troop, 1 Squadron - had already joined 5th Division HQ in the Anzio beachhead where it had arrived on 9 March. That detachment had had a very active time in the beachhead by the time its fellows arrived, with patrols, shelling of the HQ, and several air raids. On 20 March the divisional HQ area had been shelled and one round had landed in the RE stores which, fortunately, had been unoccupied. The shell was a 17cm and it shook dugouts many yards away as well as an armoured car in which Trooper Campbell was operating the radio set.

Anzio was our next stopping place. Battered, bloody Anzio. We were just behind the front line and had our headquarters in a wood on the edge of one of the deep wadis so well known to all who took part in that weary, grim siege.

All the time Jerry pounded away with his mortars and artillery. Cruel splinters of jagged steel whining through the air while you perforce bit the dust. Brain jarring explosions firing the sun-baked grass, until you were burnt and suffocated by the stinging smoke. You scarcely dared move an inch out of the foxhole by day in which you were huddled. The foxhole that was bedroom and dining-room, yes, and even at the worst, latrine as well.9

During May additional elements of 5 Recce arrived and the regiment was ready to play its full part in Operation BUFFALO, the breakout from the beachhead. Meanwhile it continued to patrol, to suffer shelling and discomfort, and all the other frustrations of life in the beleaguered Anzio sector. Typical of its patrols was a seven-man fighting patrol from 1 Squadron on the night of 26/27 May under Lance-Sergeant Skinner. Skinner's patrol lasted just under two hours, moving out at 11.00pm with the twin intentions of ascertaining if an enemy section position was still occupied and, if so, to obtain identification of its occupants:

23OOhrs: patrol left own lines by patrol path.

2320hrs: patrol reached point about 40 yds from left bank of Fosso Della Moletta. Patrol leader established half patrol in position to give covering fire and went forward with other half to search by probing for mines.

2330hrs: Probing party had just started work when an unusually loud challenge was heard from a German sentry apparently on the section position at 764310 itself. Reply was not heard. Patrol froze and listened for sounds of relief but only whispering was heard.

2335hrs: Noise of heavy lorry heard starting up from direction of road junction 758324. Vehicle moved off in NW direction. Patrol remained listening and observing enemy position.

OOO5hrs: Patrol leader and one man was about to move forward to reconnoitre enemy position when red verey light was put up apparently by own troops right rear from approx 775309. This was immediately followed by red verey light from a German position not far east of the section position under observation. Spent light fell about 15 yards in
front of patrol position.

0015hrs: Patrol leader and one man crossed river bank to recce line of approach from far bank to German section position. Just at this time the moon went down making observation difficult. No suitable approach could be found.

0040hrs: Patrol leader and OR rejoined remainder of patrol and returned to Squadron lines without incident.

Between 2315hrs and 0010hrs sounds of shovelling and sandbagging were heard from enemy section position on about three occasions as if position were being improved.10

The Germans regularly shelled the troops in the beachhead but they also received plenty of retribution, some of which came from 5 Recce. Usingtheir 2-inch and 3-inch mortars the recce men harassed their opponents and on occasions, such as the afternoon of 28 May, returned more than they received: that afternoon the 3-inch mortars of 1 Squadron fired three bombs for every one put down by the enemy. The regiment's PlATs were also used very effectively as mortars.

At one stage men began to disappear mysteriously at night "as though they had been swallowed up into the earth."l1 There seemed no explanation for men vanishing who had earlier been seen only a few hundred yards from their own positions but the mystery was solved when one missing man returned and explained what had happened to him:

He had been out with a party putting a standing patrol in position. It was quite dark, and half a dozen men were working alongside a road not far from one of the outposts. Jerry was quite a long way off and everyone felt reasonably safe. Our man went across the road for something and promptly vanished! ... the others searched for him, called to him but he was gone as completely as though he had been spirited away. Here with a logical explanation to follow it, the whole affair seems rather insignificant. Out there in the dark, where death was commonplace, and where nerves were under constant tension, the thing seemed tremendous. You caught yourself glancing over your shoulder at every real or imagined sound. ... Imagine then, the relief when the missing man turned up again after three weeks, unharmed, and with the solution of the mystery. When he had crossed the road, and was still only a few feet from the remainder of the party , two figures had suddenly materialized at his side out of the blackness. One said, quite politely and in perfect English: "Please come with us."

The man quite naturally imagined them to be members of a patrol from the neighbouring unit making a routine security patrol, and he went along, peaceably enough. Needless to say, we played the same game ourselves after that, with sufficient success to discourage the Boche from continuing his night marauding activities.l2

The regimental historian described the time at Anzio as a "nerve-wracking and rather eerie experience."13 With no movement in forward areas in daylight there was the feeling of being cooped up under the gaze of the enemy with only the sea behind. Anxiously awaited indeed was the advance from the south which would allow the Anzio force to break out. That breakout came almost unexpectedly. With the smashing of the Gustav Line and the fall of Monte Cassino the German armies around Rome were in danger of being routed completely by General Alexander's armies. Part of Alexander's plan had been the breakout from Anzio with VI Corps linking up with Fifth and Eighth Armies to destroy the German forces before they could withdraw north of Rome. When the men of 5 Recce heard one strangely quiet morning that the Germans had pulled out overnight they were overjoyed at the end of their ordeal and delighted toLearn that they would be pursuing the fleeing enemy. One squadron took the coastal route, another drove through the low foothills and "everyone was inhigh spirits at the sudden action after weeks of static warfare. We wereRecce in the true sense of the word, and it was going to take quite a lot to stop us."14

The pursuit, on 2 June, took them along roads littered with the detritus of war - burnt-out vehicles, craters on and alongside the road and trees blasted by explosions. Prisoners were already coming back and there were numerous blown bridges and mines left by the Germans to slow the chase. Stops were usually short, however, as detours were recce'd but there were casualties from ambushes and mines: one carrier ran over five Teller mines and completely disappeared. By the time 5 Recce reached the Tiber it had accounted for large numbers of enemy soldiers, including two companies of the elite Italian Folgore parachute division who were still fighting for the Germans.

Cheers
Paul

 

hi all these are men of 5th recce ,photo taken in italy 1944 my dad is at the back you can just see the top of his head , they were all killed on the breakout from anzio. keith

 

Keith, Do you have the mens names?

Cheers
Paul

 

hi paul i know one of them is trooper edward east and my dad is at the back partley hidden i have about 50 letters sent home by my dad and sent to him, any thoughts what i could do with them .? keith

 

hope this letteris readable keith

 

Hi Keith

Thanks for posting the Air Letter, you might consider making the image a shade brighter next time you post others as it does make it easier to read.

I'm also surprised that your Dad's letter mentions North Africa specifically and that this apparently evaded the Army Censor.

Have a look at what happened to an old friend's letter home

Regards

Ron

 

Keith, You could post more of the letters here, they are an insight of a soldiers thoughts.

Cheers Paul

 

hi all
this is a letter that my dad sent home from italy i think the censor missed it!

 

I am currently searching for another Reconnaissance Regimental History, but came across this one some of you may be interested. Watch out for the Snipers though!!!

5 Regt Reconnaissance Corps Recce Tower Hamlets Rifles on eBay (end time 13-Dec-09 15:20:08 GMT)