Battle of Anzio: The Difficult Italian Campaign | Frontlines Ep. 03 | Documentary

[@Darlene-wm3dn]

My Dad was a Navy Corpsman at Anzio. When he passed on Jan 22 95 I didn't realize that was the anniversary of the landing til later. I believe he had many Angels waiting for him. Only 2 Corpsman in his group survived. I asked what could you do under these conditions " be with the wounded as they died" He was deeply affected, he was the kindest most loving person I knew.

[@nothanks1368]

Your Dad was a hero. RIP Dad

[@RicktheCrofter]

My Dad rarely watched TV. But one rare time we watched an episode of Fantasy Island, which had a segment about Anzio. It was a generic war story, really having nothing to do with the Battle of Anzio. Now I knew my Dad had been at Anzio, and because of that I read a lot about the Battle. I decided to take the opportunity to ask him about his experiences at Anzio. He spent a few minutes describing his experiences. But one statement has stayed with me, I can quote it word for word. In describing coming ashore, he said: “You’ll never know how fast you can run until somebody is shooting at you.”

[@RivetGardener]

Yep, for sure!

[@virgilstarkwell8383]

Several TV actors were Anzio vets too....Tony Randal (Odd Couple) and James Arness...(Gunsmoke)

[@loneranger5349]

They just said there were no germans there when they came ashore

[@Brankolisic]

O sagledati in antioksidanti on world and euro cup regata sereš and visit cementa of us victims invasion

[@joebudi5136]

Did those captured Rangers ever get to go back home after the war?

[@therealdoddfather]

my grandfather was a us medic in this battle. he was apart of the 45th infantry.

[@70stunes71]

Anzio is where famous actor James Arness of "Gunsmoke" fame was wounded. This was quite a battle. 🙏 to all that were lost

[@stephenstone8480]

It is also where Lt. Eric Fletcher Waters of the 8th Battalion Royal Fusiliers Z Company perished on Feb. 18th 1944.

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

Also , my mother's uncle a Colonel in the Luftwaffe was kia , shot down in his FW190( Focke Wolfe 190) near Anzio , Italy.

[@BaronVonHobgoblin]

As an old infantryman I must remind myself that not all combat army generals were from the infantry and therefore they might not be acquainted with the infantry's perspective on the "tactics of the terrain". This battle, like Arnhem or Dien Bien Phu, highlights the fact that the general officers' professional obsession with odds (logistical, numerical, technological, or material) cannot supersede the tactical necessity of the terrain. The terrain itself has an outsized voice in the battle and the battle plans must account for this. Yet it seems in many failed army-size operations the commanding general has forgone a proper buck private infantryman's terrain analysis!

[@Hateweek1984]

Preach brother! Nothing like boots on the ground !

[@sanjeevshanker3260]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@sanjeevshanker3260]

😊🎉

[@franklinkz2451]

Ive heard more of Dien Bien Phu more in the last 2 years then i ever have since 72’ i really hope there will be more in depth Vietnam docs coming soon so i can understand the magnitude of that entire 8 war

[@michaelschneider6106]

Albert Kesselring, Luftwaffe was a far better tactical general than Mark Clark.

[@katazack]

My mother lost her first cousin, an Army infantryman, at Anzio. He was killed by artillery on the beach, from what I understand. His parents never talked about it when we visited. My mom was bitter about it for the rest of her life because of the way the Army fought that battle. She said those boys' lives were just wasted. Fortunately, everyone else in our family, including my dad, came home. He served with the 100th Division (Sons of Bitche) in France and Germany and fortunately missed the worst of the fighting. All of those men from our family were first generation Americans, their parents came from Sicily.

[@jamesg-ep8el]

all for nothing, other than zionist banker interests

[@virgilstarkwell8383]

It was always my impression that Churchill's obsession with the Italian campaign had more to do with meeting the Red Army at the gates of Vienna than a decisvie blow agaisnt Germany.

[@wolfu597]

The Anzio landings have long been portrayed as an operation where the element of surprise were wasted. And in some way that's true, however, after the war, the German commander Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, said that Gen. Lucas decision to stay and strengthen his defense was the right call. In the long run however, Anzio benefited the Allied landings in Normandy and Southern France. In the spring of 1944, the German high command had planned to transfer 5 of Kesselrings best divisions to North West Europe, but with the Anzio landing they had to remain in Italy. In addition, divisions stationed in Southern France were also transferred to contain the beachhead. And these German units were severely mauled by Allied artillery at Anzio.

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job making it easier for viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Historians did a very good job presenting actual facts from fiction. Class A research project. Orator presented the documentary very well. Rough combat operations on both sides. Special thanks to the allied veteran who shared personal combat experiences. Making this documentary more authentic. Along with the allied forces who fought/perished/survived fighting the axis powers. Making this documentary possible.

[@Railhog2102]

Audie Murphy also fought at Anzio with the 3rd Infantry Division

[@bcriderful]

Frontlines is a great ww 2 docu serie, thank you! 👍

[@donaldgoodinson7550]

When I was touring Italy on motor bike in the 1960s,I came across Monte Casino and thought it beautiful.I wish I had known it's history before hand.

[@katazack]

I was stunned to look up from the car I was driving on the auto strada from Naples to Rome and see the rebuilt Monte Casino sitting up there on that mountain. I feel bad for the men who had to stare at that for months, knowing they had to get up that mountain to clear it out.

[@alanwilson6367]

God bless private darlington. 17 years of age fighting for king and country what a man. God bless him and his family.😊

[@AJM-timecop]

My Great Uncle fought with the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards & was wounded at Anzio. He had been hit with mortars. Radio operator with him died. Incredibly, half a dozen Germans jumped in the foxhole. They cleaned him up & bandaged him up. His most vivid recollection was, as the Germans were taking off, they were shoving cigarettes & chocolate bars into his pockets. "Good Luck". He went on to live a good life till he died in the early 80s.

[@bunjijumper5345]

We concentrate so much on the East, as well as the Bombing of Britian and Normandy, I had. no idea so much went on in Italy. Thank God for the Americans.

[@palmergriffiths1952]

My Grandfather landed on the Anzio beachhead as a member of The U.S./Canada First Special Service Force (Black Devil's). He was attached to Gen. Mark Clarke's 5th American Army.

[@charlesmoeller5051]

I've been hooked on WW2 videos for 2-3 years and I thought I had seen it all...until I came to " Annie"! What a monster. I must get a hard copy. And then next to that gigantic piece of German engineering are thousands of "butterfly" bomblets. Another stunning gadget... brilliant. I'm sorry as this was HELL applied to Allied forces and a cousin of mine was there. I wish I saw this back in the day 1964-65 when I was 19and the old family ladies was remembering Johnny.

[@judithcampbell1705]

I have a friend who is the great grandson of George Patton. He is crazy too, but in a good way. This has been a wonderful documentary and I wish to thank you for sharing it. ❤ Now we face another foe in Ukraine. Putin. I never thought I'd see the day, but here we are. Ty again Sir

[@wartoga4248]

Winston and his bloody landings ...

[@howardking3601]

You can hardly blame Churchill for this one. It was a good plan poorly executed. Not like Gallipoli.

[@Ro-gw1wn]

My dad was a senator's and stayed home while all this was going down. He was a great dancer and tennis player though. I played golf all throughout the Gulf Wars, good times.

[@howardking3601]

How did the Bosch end up on the high ground? Did Lucas not understand that it was his first priority to secure a defensible position? Unbelievable!

[@tentoesdownchristianity]

My grandfather operated both 75mm and 105mm artillery for the US 3rd infantry at Anzio.

[@dr.michaelr.foreman2170]

Funny how you left out Canada and only mentioned Britain and America. The Canadians spear headed the assault into Italy.

[@palmergriffiths1952]

The Canadians had a hard fight at Ortona and The Van Doos under Captain Paul Triquet held off a whole German division at Casa Baradi. Also Ernest "Smokey" Smith for his actions at the Savio River Bridgehead.

[@alanwilson6367]

Wonderful documentary. Thank you for you’re hard work bringing it to us.😊😊

[@amyrichard3203]

The Germans rushed in troops and artillery from far away. I talked to one of the German guys in 1999. Americans and British were starting to spread out away from Anzio and this German guy and his squad were on a night patrol. They climbed into an abandoned house and fell asleep. British soldiers wearing a panther patch on their sleeves surrounded the house and told them to surrender, which they did.

[@SharkHustler]

Such are the misfortunes of war ... A timely narrative recap on the story of the troubled Anzio landings; as a history buff myself, much of these types of liberation stories need to be a part of our school curriculum so that 'hopefully', they should never happen again. Wishes aside, it always amazes me in my own lifelong quest of studying the Second World War of what little I really know (per particular battle/campaign, etc.) into this vast subject, and well-thought-out videos such as this one simply confirms my assertion: The more you _think_ you know 'it all', the _more_ you realize that you don't - and the same applies (for any war historian, for that matter) in uncovering [the truth behind] stories from WWII. I never knew of the details behind Gen. Mark Clark's incident (over 'liberating' Rome); that was an eye-opener for me, and he probably deserved to be court-martialed over that, for allowing not only two defending German armies to escape, but more so for the thousands of Allied troops to ultimately perish due to his self-serving 'interests'. I hope he swallowed and celebrated that fateful decision with one final drink with the Devil to his grave. Just to clarify a couple of things in this documentary: Up here in Canada, we refer to Operation Diadem as the Battle of the Liri Valley, so when the narrator mentioned Operation Diadem, for a moment or two into the video, I wasn't clear into the relation of that battle to the narrative (thinking the narrator was going off into a tangent), but still (after my recollection), I learned [yet] of something there regardless as well. The other [minor] clarification was (at precisely 41:02): The huge cannon [wrongly] pictured is not [one of] the K5 railway guns deployed at Anzio (There were in fact _two_ such [28cm] guns [given the German names, _Robert_ and _Leopold_ ] deployed behind Anzio - something the Allies never realized till much later in the battle.), but in fact, depicts (one of two such guns, the other being named _Dora_ ) the infamous 80cm _Schwerer Gustav_ railway cannon (also built by Krupp), that was deployed during the siege of Sevastopol (Soviet Russia) during the war. Other than that, I enjoyed this most informative documentary and learned of something insightful that I wasn't fully aware during the course of WWII - can't wait to see more of your future interesting content. Thanks for posting historical videos such as these; they should be required viewing to all others besides the average history buff.

[@pauleohl]

The video we see is just filler for the script. The composer has stock footage of WWII action and splices it in along with the sound effects and background music. From your perspective, was Mark Clark as bad as he is portrayed in this documentary?

[@Bacho_Grande]

I was wondering if that was accidentally the 80cm cannon in the footage. Ty!

[@kkdesignservices183]

William Woodruff's book, Vessel of Sadness, is an excellent book about this terrible battle.

[@brucegoodall3794]

Making comments on a KZbin Video for me is kinda like making an entry in a public diary. I don't even know why I do it. I guess it's because it's the way I bounce my thoughts out into the universe. Under the presumption.... " If nothing is said.... nothing is ever heard. " I find every opinion gives me a better understanding of how who we adapt and survive our human experience 😢.

[@paulclalchungnunga2052]

I fell into a deep slumber an Autoplay brought me here . Good documentary tbh

[@Tomkinsbc]

A number of vets who are all dead now, claim Clark put his own ambitions ahead of the troops. For instance he wanted his glory marching into Rome and many died for him to achieve that.

[@erroneous6947]

I’ve read that too. I also read he had the highest attrition rate of any allied commander excluding the Russians.

[@katazack]

That is apparent from watching the video. If there is cosmic justice, Clark is slogging his way up some mountain and enduring the hell that he forced many of his men into.

[@rbrichter8293]

Did the video maker blurry scenes or is it KZbin. Great doc but blurry scenes were silly.

[@trexxg1436]

Never in the history of mankind as one nation fought on so many fronts as America did during WW2.

[@scotttyson8661]

You forget Germany.. They fought all the fronts that's why they lost

[@katazack]

@@scotttyson8661 Germany did not fight in the Pacific

[@thomasshoff6512]

Mark Clark was historical. Many commanders from the 19th century joined the military to achieve political accolades.

[@vitodereine]

All the while they sidelined their best commander.. George S Patton. This was the type of battle he was meant to lead.

[@curtiswebb8135]

Great work

[@euanreid6682]

Meanwhile the Canadians could of liberated Rome earlier but were told to stop and wait for the parade.

[@Bob-vc6ug]

Everyone was trying to get there first at the same time, Generals trying to top other Generals. 🙄

[@palmergriffiths1952]

My Grandfather was Canadian and was in the liberation of Rome with The U.S./Canada First Special Service Force.

[@TheNighthawk00]

Excellent documentary. There's one thing I noticed in so many of these. They always give the impression the allies are getting battered and then you hear about the kill count. This documentary is no different. With the Anzio landings several minutes are used to show how horrible the operation is going ... and then the kill count of 2k allies for 5k Germans is mentioned.

[@csjrogerson2377]

In the great scheme of things not too bad. 7K for months of warfare versus 20-30K per day at the Somme.

[@MrCherryJuice]

The impression of the allies getting battered is quite correct. The kill count in their favour likely had much to do with having open skies for those air force bombardments.

[@ferdelancegaming4342]

Mark Clark was undoubtedly the worst U.S. General in WW2. He might be one of their worst ever.

[@jean-francoislemieux5509]

its a pity having to blur rare ww2 footage

[@johnoneill6161]

Churchill's "Soft Underbelly" was not,. It was not the flat sea of the Admiralty, but the hard ribs of mountains and rivers. If they wanted to cut off the German lines they should have invaded above Rome and cut off the whole German army by cutting the rail lines and road bridges from the air south of their invasion sites.

[@Resuvean]

I found this because of Chat GPT's reccomendation.

[@Patrick_Cooper]

Is Anzio where they coined the term Cluster Fluck...

[@rebelwithoutaclue8164]

Possibly

[@tonyromano6220]

Nope long before that!

[@andrewpereira9271]

So this was Churchill's "soft underbelly." Somebody should have asked, "Uh, what happens if the crocodile doesn't roll over?"

[@jsandrajohnsons]

America is the world power 1995 I took my baby to Anzio hospital for bronchitis I looked out the window I saw thousands of gravestones I was shocked I asked what happened here? A nurse answered American soldiers who died to liberate Italy during the 2nd world war I wept America indeed is world power

[@dubyacwh7978]

From the military leader that brought you Gallipoli in WWI And how did that work out?

[@tommyhaynes9157]

Clark should have been court marshaled and thrown in the brig. He just decided, without communication with the other divisions, to totally change the battle plan so he could capture Rome and get the glory. Why did he get away with this ? He got a lot of people killed for his ego

[@RandallFlaggNY]

Shingle was Winston's baby. Think of it as Gallipoli II.

[@amyrichard3203]

What’s with the film footage completely blurred out? You have to skip ahead five minutes over and over, to get past the blurry stuff.

[@brucegoodall3794]

The amount of money, energy, and resources expended since the beginning of the 20th century apart from all the rest of the conflicts since the beginning of humanity, should be commensurated as " the Darkest time of Human existence. *

[@rodillsoongobacktoprintedi5605]

The blurring of historical film footage is rhe worst kind of censorship.

[@richardvangelder3666]

The British commentators criticize the U.S. commander for not doing this or that... But you never hear them criticize "Ol'e Monty" for all his screw ups!

[@californiadreamin8423]

Wise up The commentator is a Brit, but the script isn’t. This was a 5th Army Operation. Remind me about the Texans at the Rapido and everyone else at the Hurtgen Forest and the Bulge.

[@jimmyhaley727]

ole monte was the best general the Nazizs had

[@richardvangelder3666]

@@jimmyhaley727 Couldn't agree with you more!

[@jean-francoislemieux5509]

you show the dora gun its not anzio annie. couple of historical footage mistakes ' ardennes, for exemple no tiger 2s in italy. anzio annie in itself is an episode. the amount of ressources that went into that is amazing

[@mfredcourtney5876]

Churchill doesn't seem like a very effective military strategist. More disasters than successes. Why was he even in control of this and not the generals? Too many egos in the way at the cost of human lives.

[@gamehengeful]

The German front never collapsed in Italy the way it did elsewhere. The German defense lasted right up until the end.

[@oimate3]

dod_anzio was one of my favorite maps

[@sayagarapan1686]

There's no Hell for brave men, but there will be for Mark Clark

[@katazack]

Many of them served their time in hell before they died.

[@brucegoodall3794]

What's the difference between a Coward and A man who comes to the realization that.... his division is overwhelmingly overcome by superior enemy forces, and his only chance of survival is to come to his senses? I don't really see any difference between the two.... Do You?

[@martentrudeau6948]

Clark was horrible general he must have been politically well connected otherwise he should have fired.

[@davidwalk9266]

Absolutely

[@inajames3160]

Lots of information. Don’t like the blurry tho.

[@Homeschoolsw6]

The Germans used radio controlled bombs, or drones at Anzio.

[@jabersawaya7131]

There was no Rommel in the American Army except Paton

[@Page-Hendryx]

I found "Day of Battle" by Rick Atkinson to be an excellent account of the Italian campaign. But one of the disturbing things that came across when reading between the lines was that it wasn't worth it.

[@Scout686]

Just one of many Churchill disasters.

[@wor53lg50]

Why's that then?, every other nation done alright on the landings apart from mericans, when you beach yourself like a whale and your superiors are to scared to move, zee germans pull out annie to really get the late party started and watch the static gift thats been given?? Do you know how long that thing takes to be moved and get ready?? Its a seige gun, meaning sieging things that dont move, like gun complex's, naval gun bloc houses, fortified towns, need i say more..

[@graemehunter5403]

You are showing war history, why blur so much of it.

[@DogmanOffical]

"It was just before dawn, one miserable morning in black '44..."

[@Ubique2927]

Just how can a NEW unit with ZERO battle experience be said to be Elite?

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

My mother's pop was in the " DAS REICH " 2nd Waffen SS Division , a major kia I'm the "Battle of Kursk ", mid9/1943 .

[@Rahulrao2576]

Darlington is shown in Monte cassino battle documentary also in your channel. Tell me whether he had some twins with same name and physic. Or is this a fake person

[@markvanpelt5583]

Too many commercials destroy the continuity of the film. Modern day war profiteering. Truly disgusting show of greed. Don't waste your time trying to watch an endless commercial briefly interrupted by a documentary.

[@BasilCooper-wv5nt]

Uncle Robert Cooper lost his right leg and nearly died

[@Y4WN]

doing gods work with primitive technolodgy is truly amazing to watch and learn

[@nicholascollora6709]

Carnage is NOT my game..2023..

[@TheRealMinuteMarket]

How can a video have so many afs

[@futuregenerationz]

Churchill: Great leader. Just keep him away from a map.

[@wor53lg50]

At least he wasnt caught hiding under it..

[@kayschmitz1155]

what is schmiesers

[@virgilstarkwell8383]

This video is a bit too hard on Clark. In all fairness to Mark Clark and his unauthorized race to Rome, no less a person than Monty told Patton back in Sicily "When I get an order from Alexander I don't like, I just ignore it." What was sauce for Monty could be for Clark too. Anyway, I dropped into the Anzio Beachhead Museum recently. If you are in Rome and have a free afternoon then pop down and check it out. It is a small muusem but lots of spirit.

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

Sorry ,I meant mid7/1943..

[@wor53lg50]

Imagine barking across the mountain valley with that punny quad 50 at 0:57 only to receive a reply from that beast of a thing at 1:07, i'd be shooting my self in the foot ready for some ckean sheets and the ship home...

[@DitchCCDC23]

Quit blurring the images you panzies!

[@TheYeti308]

Wasn't this theater Italia . ?

[@BlazingShackles]

Sure blame the American General. More British nonsense about how Mark Clark could have ended the war in Italy had he not gone to Rome. That BS theory is weak and transparent.

[@erroneous6947]

I agree. They’re very arrogant but somehow needed us to bail them out of two world wars.

[@BlazingShackles]

@@erroneous6947 yeh, remember how "Market Garden" was supposed to end the war in 1944? Who's idea was that?

[@tommyhaynes9157]

Clark did deviate from an agreed battle plan and got a lot of people killed so he could grab the glory

[@rdallas81]

Anzio express

[@Coolguy-er2ok]

4:57 4:57

[@Dad44315]

When Americans see American prisoners being paraded through the streets it has a very negative effect on the American psyche, probably the same has bombing civilians. It raises the hair up on the back of our necks and only serves two solidify and consolidate our resolve. It's more of a call to battle. The fine line between war or not war is no longer blurred.. We're a big country with different issues that we tend to disagree at times. We will defend our Country and countrymen at home or abroad especially in time of War.

[@msteen6407]

Clark sounds as bad as Montgomery

[@wor53lg50]

Much worse at least monty knew tactics and how best to preserve man power on the side of caution..

[@hellboundrubber4448]

These Historians have to talk as if they actually were there in order to instill credibility. Just let me hear what the Vets have to say. These Historians are just making up trendy BS. I miss Bill Curtis.

[@SRocco-dv8we]

Something about history channel using the same footage over and over and over ? Is cheeesy beyond belief . THE SAME SOLDIERS FOUGHT IN POLAND , ANZIO , MONTE CASINO , D DAY AND SOUTHERN FRANCE ??? 😂 after 2-3 of these videos they all seem the same ….cause they ARE 😮

[@nicholascollora6709]

So is 🇦🇫 .

[@nicholascollora6709]

This commentaries those this not

[@unitedwestand5100]

These historians are obviously British propagandists. First, they blame Lucas. But, if Lucas had haphazardly tried to race into Rome he'd have met overwhelming German forces, far from the beach, and the protection of the Naval guns, with a real possibility of having his supply lines cut, and his troops being cut off. (like the Rangers, lured in until they were surrounded with no hope of retreat.) It only took 2 hrs for the Germans to get 2 Division in place, with more arriving continuously until the Allies were heavily outnumbered. The British are full of excuses for their failures. This plan was Churchill's, approved by Ike, and FDR, against all the American brass's advice, including the Chiefs of Staff. The plan was not supposed to capture Rome, but to divert German forces from reinforcing their lines at Casino. It did exactly that, with the exception of the intelligence, (probably British intelligence,) to recognize just how large the German reserve forces were. The British continuously make excuses for their failures during WWII by diverting blame on the US. In reality what they wanted was complete control over US forces, and their life or death, to conduct the war the way they wanted.. When US forces were 80% of all Allied forces available. US Military policy has been, rightfully so, that American troops, and the lives or death of American troops, shall not be placed under foreign military leadership. (The British do not even understand what that means, or why it is necessary.)

[@richardvangelder3666]

Talk about british bias... The brits are putting down Clark, but you don't ever hear of them putting down monty!

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

Similar situation of Field Marshall General Bernard Montgomery ' Bombastic , pompous attitude/ character @ " Operation Market Garden " via Holland to curtail the ETO ; it didn't turn out as planned . Another problem was Monty's slow moving forces in trying to take Care mid 7/44 in Normandy .

[@richardvangelder3666]

Churchill criticizes Lucas, but you never heard Churchill criticize montgomery! And Churchill didn't want the allies to pull out of Anzio because it was his baby, just like Gallipoli!

[@wor53lg50]

(S'WSC) I thought we was flinging a mighty merican wildcat into the auburn hills, but all we got was a floundering beached whale and a glory addicted fool riding shot gun with it, gen, mark clark and his subordinate who was caught hiding under his cot...

[@kennthreicherter]

Clark was a disaster ,but so was Montgomery ,I feel they let him have his way later in the war with disastrous results

[@Bob-vc6ug]

Seems like almost all of the top Generals started to do their own thing so they could get extra "ego" credit for being the first to accomplish certain objectives.

[@pamelacorbett8774]

My father served under Montgomery, said the troops worshipped him, could do no wrong.