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Spearhead of the Fifth Army: The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Italy, from the Winter Line to Anzio
"An excellent read for anyone interested in men at war, as well as for students of the airborne operations, the Italian Campaign, and the war in Europe" (The NYMAS Review).
Upon the completion of the Sicily and Salerno Campaigns in 1943, the paratroopers of Col. Reuben Tucker's 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment were among the first Allied troops to enter Naples—a ghost town at first sight. The residents soon expressed their joy at being liberated. Four weeks later, the 504th—upon the special request of Gen. Mark Clark—spearheaded Fifth Army's drive through the notorious Volturno Valley—the Germans' next stand.
January 1944 seemed to promise a period of rest, but the landing at Anzio meant deployment for the paratroopers again, this time by ship. A bombing raid during their beach landing was a forecast of eight weeks of bitter fighting. Holding the right flank of the beachhead along the Mussolini Canal, the paratroopers earned their nickname "Devils in Baggy Pants" for their frontline incursions into enemy lines, as well as their stubborn defense of the Allied salient.
In this work, H Company's attachment to the British 5th Grenadier Guards—and the Victoria Cross action of Maj. William Sidney—are painted in comprehensive light for the first time. The story of honorary member of the 504th PIR, Italian veteran Antonio Taurelli, is also included. Using war diaries, personal journals, letters, and interviews with nearly eighty veterans, an up-close view of the 504th PIR in the Fifth Army's Italy Campaign is here in unsurpassed detail.
From the author of two previous works on the 504th PIR, The Battle of the Bridges and Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper, this book shows that the Italian theater was second to none in terms of grueling combat, courage against formidable odds, and an extremely expert enemy.
Upon the completion of the Sicily and Salerno Campaigns in 1943, the paratroopers of Col. Reuben Tucker's 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment were among the first Allied troops to enter Naples—a ghost town at first sight. The residents soon expressed their joy at being liberated. Four weeks later, the 504th—upon the special request of Gen. Mark Clark—spearheaded Fifth Army's drive through the notorious Volturno Valley—the Germans' next stand.
January 1944 seemed to promise a period of rest, but the landing at Anzio meant deployment for the paratroopers again, this time by ship. A bombing raid during their beach landing was a forecast of eight weeks of bitter fighting. Holding the right flank of the beachhead along the Mussolini Canal, the paratroopers earned their nickname "Devils in Baggy Pants" for their frontline incursions into enemy lines, as well as their stubborn defense of the Allied salient.
In this work, H Company's attachment to the British 5th Grenadier Guards—and the Victoria Cross action of Maj. William Sidney—are painted in comprehensive light for the first time. The story of honorary member of the 504th PIR, Italian veteran Antonio Taurelli, is also included. Using war diaries, personal journals, letters, and interviews with nearly eighty veterans, an up-close view of the 504th PIR in the Fifth Army's Italy Campaign is here in unsurpassed detail.
From the author of two previous works on the 504th PIR, The Battle of the Bridges and Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper, this book shows that the Italian theater was second to none in terms of grueling combat, courage against formidable odds, and an extremely expert enemy.
- GenresWorld War II
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 19, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 20, 2020
The authors writing didn't hold me like other recent titles on this topic.
February 22, 2017
My interest in Lunteren's trilogy on the 504th PIR of the 82nd Division stems from my late father's membership in this storied parachute regiment in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Holland, Belgium and Germany. Dad didn't speak much about his combat experiences except when asked directly. He did say to my Mom that after early 1944 nothing ever in life could worry him. He said he was injured at Anzio and the book mentions an incident where one soldier from HQ Company (his outfit) was killed and two were injured by a German shell. I wonder if he was one of the two as he said he spent some time in a hospital in Naples and was the recipient of a Purple Heart. He also said that he survived the war in part because HQ Company was usually not at the point of the spear in terms of combat action, although they saw plenty of combat. He told me he was a communications specialist responsible for running telephone wire to keep up communications between the various units. There's a photo in the book of several soldiers making radio communications one of whom looks like him as a young man.
Like most military histories it is hard to follow the actual campaign details as one doesn't know the topography of the terrain and the movements of military units. But, unlike others, this book features the testimony of soldiers involved in the action and thus gives a vivid sense of what it was like to be engaged in combat. These soldiers were remarkably brave and willing to put themselves in grave danger in order to carry out their missions. The casualty losses were high and there was a constant flow of replacements joining the regiment throughout the campaign. I do recall my father saying that the rookie replacements were so inexperienced in combat preservation skills that they often didn't last days in actual combat and the stories in the book confirm this sad fact.
Lunteren, a Dutch historian, has done a remarkable research job in providing great detail about the history of the 504th in WWII.
Like most military histories it is hard to follow the actual campaign details as one doesn't know the topography of the terrain and the movements of military units. But, unlike others, this book features the testimony of soldiers involved in the action and thus gives a vivid sense of what it was like to be engaged in combat. These soldiers were remarkably brave and willing to put themselves in grave danger in order to carry out their missions. The casualty losses were high and there was a constant flow of replacements joining the regiment throughout the campaign. I do recall my father saying that the rookie replacements were so inexperienced in combat preservation skills that they often didn't last days in actual combat and the stories in the book confirm this sad fact.
Lunteren, a Dutch historian, has done a remarkable research job in providing great detail about the history of the 504th in WWII.
May 25, 2025
Another great book by the author about the 504th PIR, US 82nd Airborne Division.
Like in his previous works, Frank makes use of the personal memories of the paratroopers that were involved in the battles and complements this with AAR's, diaries, etc. This information allows the author to stitch this all together into a gripping, well written story of what war was like. The role played by the unit during the Italian campaign was an essential one. Reason why it saw quite a number of days in combat.
The men involved tell their stories as it happened, allowing the reader to see the action, feel the tension, and also the impact of the losses suffered. One moment a man was cracking a joke, the next he could be dead or maimed for life. Losses during the campaign were heavy, seeing the units of the regiment being understrength most of the time. Replacements did flow in, but were quite often lost quickly due to a lack of time to properly train them for 'the real thing'.
This time the maps were correctly placed in their chapters, allowing the reader to follow the action. Since a lot of things are happening, and we get to see the actions from different points of view, the maps are a welcome addition here.
Recommended!
Like in his previous works, Frank makes use of the personal memories of the paratroopers that were involved in the battles and complements this with AAR's, diaries, etc. This information allows the author to stitch this all together into a gripping, well written story of what war was like. The role played by the unit during the Italian campaign was an essential one. Reason why it saw quite a number of days in combat.
The men involved tell their stories as it happened, allowing the reader to see the action, feel the tension, and also the impact of the losses suffered. One moment a man was cracking a joke, the next he could be dead or maimed for life. Losses during the campaign were heavy, seeing the units of the regiment being understrength most of the time. Replacements did flow in, but were quite often lost quickly due to a lack of time to properly train them for 'the real thing'.
This time the maps were correctly placed in their chapters, allowing the reader to follow the action. Since a lot of things are happening, and we get to see the actions from different points of view, the maps are a welcome addition here.
Recommended!
May 21, 2021
Good collection of eye witness accounts; Many of which haven't been published or referenced in other works on the 504th PIR. The book provides an approach from the perspective of the boots on the ground, where Nordyke's book "More than Courage" is more of a top down approach. However, the accounts are not well woven together in a coherent narrative, and do not read that well as a book.
October 26, 2017
poor research
TheCameron Highlanders were a Scottish Regiment not English as described at earlier periods Englishman could not join Scottish regiments World war 1 changed that
TheCameron Highlanders were a Scottish Regiment not English as described at earlier periods Englishman could not join Scottish regiments World war 1 changed that
July 16, 2023
Many many men and details!
I admire the work that went into this book, but I won’t recommend it unless you are very familiar with military terminology. I found it a bit dry, as compared to other war books I have read. Also there were so many guys and their stories, I was often confused about who was speaking. Great book for someone more familiar with military rankings and such
I admire the work that went into this book, but I won’t recommend it unless you are very familiar with military terminology. I found it a bit dry, as compared to other war books I have read. Also there were so many guys and their stories, I was often confused about who was speaking. Great book for someone more familiar with military rankings and such
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews