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'ON THIS SITE THOUSANDS OF MEN FOUGHT AND DIED' |
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Campo di Carne railway station is a short distance due east of The Fortress. On either side of the overpass, it is easy to imagine just how exposed the area was to artillery fire. A natural shooting range for as far as the eye can see in every direction. |
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We visit the location easily recognizable today from reconnaissance images taken in 1944, showing the
wreckage of an M10 Tank Destroyer and two Shermans, before looking for signs of observation posts inside the structure. It is said that tunnels were built into the overpass, for men to crawl through and monitor enemy movement on the other side. An idea conceived and carried out by British infantrymen, who had no other way of making visual contact with their aggressors. |
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After a brief walk to the junction of Via Nettunense (Anziate) and Dead End Road, along the main route between the British left flank attack zone (the wadis) and 'Bowling Alley', we metal detect across land where 157th and 179th Infantry Regiments, U.S. 45th Infantry, were pushed back more than half a mile by 3rd Panzer Grenadier and 715th Infantry Divisions with supporting artillery in the early morning of February 16th. They managed to hold defensive positions during 'The Crisis' of February 17th - 18th against 2,000 enemy infantry, over 60 tanks and continuous sorties by Focke-Wulf 190's and Messerschmitt 109's. Between February 16th - 18th, the Fourteenth Army came very close to driving Allied forces back across Padiglione Woods to Anzio. |
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We then drive the short distance to Buonriposo Ridge, where the remains of three Panzergrenadiere were discovered in 2007 by Anzio beachhead enthusiasts. |
Time spent in the Campo di Carne area (inc. metal detecting) is c. one (1) hour.
Total walking time: c. 20 minutes, light exertion. |
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Campo di Carne / By January 24th, the Allied Front Line had reached Campo di Carne, while German forces were amassing a few kilometres north of Campoleone. Territorial gains beyond Carroceto and 'The Factory' extended the line, until Operation Fischfang forced British 56th Division to retreat to Dead End Road, close to the First Overpass (Flyover) from where they had set out three weeks earlier. The Flyover at Campo di Carne was under severe and constant bombardment from heavy artillery in the Alban Hills, and has come to symbolize the Anzio beachhead story in modern times. / |
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