Many of the battles fought in World War Two have come under scrutiny in the years that have followed, when hindsight allows a clearer vision of the pitfalls and benefits of each decision made. Occasionally, though, an operation can be controversial even in the midst of its occurrence, between those in charge.
Operation Shingle was one of these – and how successful the
operation was could be said to depend upon which Allied official you agreed
with. Initially conceived by Churchill, the operation planned to land troops at
Anzio, between large swathes of German forces on the Gustav line to the south
and Rome, which sat to the north. The hope was that this sudden presence of
Allied forces would draw troops from the Gustav line and allow for a
breakthrough there. If that didn’t happen, then the Operation might be able to
capture Rome – a significant coup in the battle for Italy.
Unfortunately for Churchill, whose plan relied on swift
movement inland, Major General Lucas was commanding the operation, and had significantly
less faith in the scheme. Though the initial landings went smoothly, with few
soldiers present to oppose the Allies, Lucas did not trust Churchill’s plan and
he quickly became very defensive of the ground taken. All advantage gained by
the surprise of the landings was soon lost, and a long and bloody battle played
out over the months that followed. After a month, Lucas was relieved of his
position.
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the eventual
breakout from Anzio bridgehead. Though it’s easy to find flaws in the plans for
Operation Shingle, hindsight allows for us to argue over the what-weres, and
the what-could-have-beens.
It might frequently be suggested that hindsight is 20:20,
but it even that isn’t entirely true. The most poignant response to the Battle
of Anzio does not belong to someone who believes Lucas made the right decision,
or to someone who sides with Churchill; neither to a soldier or an historian.
Rather, it belongs to Roger Waters, the bassist and song-writer of Pink Floyd.
In February of 1944, Waters’ father was killed defending the
bridgehead at Anzio. Years later, whilst writing the album that was to become
The Wall, Waters’ penned one of Pink Floyd’s most emotive songs. ‘When The
Tigers Broke Free’ is an intense three minute track that takes one side in the
argument – that of a young boy struggling to come to terms with the cause his
father died for.
Warfare is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.
ReplyDeleteYour article is very well done, a good read.