No One Remembers Who Came...First?

Allied troops by the Coliseum June 5, 1944

June 6, 1944 is one of the most hallowed dates in the history of World War II, and possibly of the history of Europe as a whole. The Allies finally opened the "real" second front that Stalin had so hoped for in order to take pressure off of the Soviet Union. However, another great achievement occurred one day earlier, and hardly anyone cared about it.

On June 5, after months of stalemate on the Anzio beaches and by the main Allied army in Italy, the Germans finally began to withdraw. The plan was to cut off the German 10th Army from retreating to the Gustav Line, a fresh set of defenses north of Rome. However, General Clark, in charge of Italian operations, wanted to take Rome very badly. As a result, the bulk of the 10th Army was allowed to escape.

However, the Allies were able to take Rome and they were greeted as liberators. It is doubtless, though, that those soldiers who had been fighting up the Italian peninsula for over a year felt slightly depressed that their success was all but forgotten in light of a greater success the next day. Nevertheless, the capture of Rome would prove to be a sign that German influence in Italy would soon come to an end. Until next time, take care, and thanks for reading.