Close Escort: Italy

The Allies, having taken the lower third of the Italian peninsula were faced by a stalwart and determined enemy under the command of German Field Marshal Kesselring. The Gustav Line proved to be nearly impossible to breach and held the combined British and American armies at bay. Subsequently, the allied landing at Anzio (Operation Shingle), designed to penetrate behing enemy lines and turn the German flank turned out to be a less than stellar example of an amphibious operation. Backbiting, poor supply, failure to expand the beachhead and a concentrated lack of vigor on the part of the high command all contributed to the worst debacle of the war (from an allied point of view). German troop concentrations, with armored divisions at the ready made a breakout improbable at best, once the decision to move was finally made.