If ever a campaign failed to live up to expectations it was Anzio. A Churchill-inspired landing behind German defensive lines that was fatally hamstrung by misunderstanding and distrust between the two allies with its potency further reduced by cautious local commanders. The result was one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war and a severe test of relationships just prior to the Normandy invasion. No wonder the jibe 'D-Day Dodgers' evoked such a bitter response.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 51 May 2009 ) |
