December 26th, 1942
Gulf of Gaeta, 00:45 - The command group, two AMD squadrons and the 2nd Spahis leave the beaches and move quickly towards Rome.
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Naples, 01:30 - The torpedo boats
Palestro and
San Martino enter the harbor, after having been escorted in the last part of the journey by the cruiser
Savannah and the destroyers
Hambleton,
Parker and
Roe. The night has somewhat masked to the eyes of the passengers of the two old Italian destroyers the importance of the Allied fleet in the Gulf of Gaeta (where the landing operations were still going on), but what little the King and his government could see of it is no less edifying. As soon as they arrive in Naples, they are greeted by Generals Ritchie and Clark.
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Rome, 02:30 - Two marching battalions, made up of armed civilians and supervised by soldiers of various services gathered under the command of officers designated by General Carboni will reinforce the units of the
Ariete, the
Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro and the American paratroopers who are guarding the northwestern outskirts of Rome.
03:40 - German artillery fire suddenly intensifies and many shells fall on the north of the capital and the Vatican City. The divisional artillery of the
Hermann-Göring has just gone into action.
General Ambrosio gathers General De Stefanis and Colonel Vincenzo Boccacci Mariani (commander of the Genova Cavalleria, who temporarily replaced Kellner at the head of the
Filiberto division), together with Gavin and Glaizot, to decide what to do to do to protect Rome. All agree that the risk is that Rome would now be attacked on at least two axes: the city cannot be held permanently by the Germans, but it is likely to suffer a lot in the fighting. Ambrosio asks the allied officers to do their utmost to obtain reinforcements as soon as possible and to try to organize a diversion with the naval support they have at their disposal.
04:00 - Gavin contacts Clark, who is in Naples, and asks him to organize a naval bombardment against the
Hermann-Göring forces. Clark then calls Admiral Derrien, whose forces, formed as a screen at a distance from Avalanche-North, are the closest to the Roman coast. Derrien agrees to detach the heavy cruisers
Algérie and
Tuscaloosa, the light cruiser
Gloire and the destroyers
Volta, Cassard, Kersaint and
Tartu.
For his part, Clark tells Gavin that he is going to go to Rome in person to get an exact idea of the situation and that units of the 1st Armored Division (US) should arrive soon as reinforcements.
04:55 - Combat Command A of the "1st Armored" Division arrives in Rome after a rapid night (the 170 km were covered in 6 hours and 30 minutes). It includes one of the two tank regiments of the division (one battalion of M3 and M3A1 light tanks and two M4 Sherman medium tank battalions), one of the three mechanized infantry battalions and one of the three self-propelled artillery battalions (18 M7 Priest self-propelled guns). One of the two M4 battalions will reinforce the defenses in the northwest, while the rest will concentrate on the eastern suburbs of Rome, threatened by the 10. Panzer and the
Das-Reich.
05:30 - The second element of the 2nd Spahis arrive in turn. It is immediately sent to the northwest of Rome.
07:00 - The troops of the
Hermann-Göring go on the attack in the sector of Fiumicino, towards Rome, and on the coast, towards the Lido di Roma.
07:20 - Between Fiumicino and Rome, the
Hermann-Göring comes up against the Shermans of 1/CCA and elements of the 2nd Spahis. The presence of the Americans and the French on the battlefield surprises the Germans, who thought they only had infantry and a few Italian tanks to face them! A confused encounter battle develops, where the German tankers benefit from their experience, far superior to that of the Americans, and the quality of their Panzer IVs, which have the advantage over the first models of M4, but their margin of superiority is insufficient. At 08:45, if half of the American tanks are out of action, the German attack is contained.
07:50 - On the coast, the fire of the cruisers and destroyers, regulated by the paratroopers, stops the German advance. The fighting concentrates on the mouth of the Tiber: if the Germans control the right bank, they are unable to cross.
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Reggio Calabria, 08:00, operation Bedlam - The whole 6th British ID is now advancing by road 18, the most northern road. The leading elements are already in Rosarno.
According to orders, the progression is cautious, but no resistance is to be reported.
This morning, the self-propelled guns of the 5th Indian Division's reconnaissance regiment set off from Reggio, this time along route 106, further south, in the direction of Crotone and Taranto.
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08:30 - Other battles, less noisy, are no less deadly... Released from prison "for Christmas" a few days earlier thanks to a new intervention of the king, marshal Ugo Cavallero is however put back under arrest in the Palazzo Madama. On the morning of the day after Christmas, while the battle rages at the gates of Rome, he is found deadin his apartment. He had shot himself in the right temple with a revolver - a fact which will surprise some people: Cavallero was left-handed...
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Gulf of Gaeta, 08:50 - The Xth FK tries to repeat its success of the day before. Guided by the reconnaissance aircraft of IV/ZG 26, a first wave attacks the Rawlings aircraft carriers which are cruising about 35 nautical miles from the coast. It is composed of 21 Bf 109 F Jabos, which carry a 250 kg bomb and are covered by 32 Bf 109 Gs from I and II/JG 77.
Flying at low altitude, the attackers are detected late and only the systematic coverage patrol (CAP) can intercept them. Six Seafires from Sqn 844 (HMS
Victorious), 4 from Sqn 880 (HMS
Indomitable) and 4 from Sqn 807 (HMS
Furious) take off before the attack.
The 12 Martlets II of the CAP are quickly overwhelmed and if they shoot down three Bf 109 (including two Jabos) it is at the cost of five of their own. The attackers suffer more from the concentration of fire from the escort's flak, which shoots down five Jabos. The latter climb to 1 500 m then dive at about 60° before dropping their bombs around 800 m, concentrating on the two large aircraft carriers. But, dropped from a low altitude, the bombs are ineffective against the armoured flight deck of the British carriers. The
Victorious receives five bombs (one of which does not explode), which all hit the armoured part of the flight deck and have little effect on its three inches of steel. The
Indomitable is hit by three bombs which have no more effect. The carrier screen, however, is more vulnerable. The CLAA
Marseillaise is hit by a bomb that hits the front deck at the level of the four 20mm pieces, killing twelve sailors and wounding as many, before exploding in one of the crew quarters. The destroyer HMS
Raider is hit by two bombs, one in the engine room and the other on the bridge; in flames, it has to stop. As they are withdrawing, the German planes are attacked by the 14 Seafires that were able to take off. This time, seven Bf 109s (including three Jabos) are destroyed, in exchange for four Seafires (a fifth is lost on landing). The
Raider sinks around 10:20, while the
Marseillaise is sent back to Oran to repair.
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Rome, 09:00 - Fighting resumes in the east of the city, where the 10. Panzer and the
Das-Reich still hope to break through the defenses, but the presence of tanks, mechanized infantry and artillery of the 1st US-AD is a very bad surprise for the attackers! The American tanks pay a heavy price (31 M3A1 and 27 M4 are put out of combat), but the defenders, in spite of their heterogeneous composition (survivors of two Italian divisions, American and French paratroopers, Franco-Algerian spahis, US tankers) manage to repel the attack, which loses its strength after an hour and a half of fierce fighting.
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Off the Lido di Roma, 09:30 - The ships that have just shelled the troops of the
Hermann-Göring are attacked by 16 Do 217 (eight K2 and eight K3), escorted by 16 Fw 190 A4. The German planes drop their missiles (2 Hs 293 or 2 FX-1400 per plane) in poor visibility conditions because, warned by the radar watch, the destroyers had time to set up a smoke screen. Seven Hs 293 and five FX-1400 are lost as soon as they are launched.
The
Algérie avoids six Hs 293 by maneuvering very brutally, the cruiser is only slightly damaged by the explosion of two other missiles which hit the sea at about ten meters from it. The
Tuscaloosa is attacked by FX-1400s, it avoids five of them, but a sixth hit it in the middle: the bomb goes through the hull and detonates in the water, but the explosion shakes the cruiser violently and inflicts additional shock damage.
The
Gloire sees several FX-1400s coming, and manages to avoid all of them except one, which crosses the rear deck and explodes underwater, but the explosion is of low intensity (probably due to a faulty ignition). Finally, the
Tartu dodges without difficulty an isolated Hs 293.
The German planes withdraw without losses, while the small squadron forms a block around the
Tuscaloosa, whose speed is reduced to 12 knots. Escorted by the
Tartu, the
Kersaint and the
Gloire, the American cruiser sets a course for Oran while the
Algérie and the two other destroyers join the main squadron. The two damaged cruisers are repaired in the United States: the
Gloire will be operational at the end of January, the
Tuscaloosa at the beginning of April.
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Naples-Rome road, 09:30 - The first elements of the French 3rd armoured division, i.e. the tanks of the 1st Cuirassiers Regiment and the men of the 4th Regiment of Mounted Dragoons and the GRDC of the 6th Cuirassiers Regiment clash with the
GrossDeutschland brigade at about 25km north of the abbey of Monte Cassino, on the road leading down from Avezzano. The Germans expected to encounter Allied troops and hoped to easily cut off communications between Naples and Rome. They arerepulsed.
Albano (south of Rome), 09:40 - The parachute drops resume, to supply the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne and the 2nd REP.
Avezzano, 09:45 - Escorted by P-38s of the 1st and 14th FGs, 72 American B-26s of the 17th, 319th and 320th BG bomb the German communication routes.
At the same time, a Franco-American formation of B-25s (48 from the 12th and 310th BG and 24 of the 31st EB), under the protection of P-38 of the 82nd FG and Mustang II of the 7th EC, attack the communication lines of the
Hermann-Göring between Civitavecchia and Rome.
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Rome, 10:00 - General Clark enters the Italian capital, applauded by a small crowd. He goes to General Ambrosio's headquarters, where he is to meet with Colonels Gavin and Glaizot and the officers commanding the 1st Armored CCA. It is from there that a little later, he witnesses a new attack by 12 Fw 190 Jabos against the City itself.
A few minutes later, Ambrosio, looking very grim, tells Clark that the fighting in La Spezia and Turin had ended. Together with Genoa, they had cost the former allies of the Italians more than a thousand killed and twice as many wounded, provoking their fury. A ferocious repression falls on the three cities concerned and all the captured officers of the
Legnano and
Rovigo divisions are put to the sword, something the Germans would later come to regret.
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Massa Maritima and Piombino - Cesare Maria De Vecchi's 215th Coastal Division is disarmed by the Germans without even a hint of resistance. It is true that a good part of its men did not wait to demobilize on their own, and, dressed in civilian clothes, melt into the background.
The example comes from above. Suspecting that he had no indulgence to expect from either the Germans or his former fascist comrades back in the saddle around the liberated Duce, De Vecchi seeks salvation in flight. Thanks to his good relations with the Salesians*, he is able to reach his native Piedmont and remains hidden there until the end of the war and beyond.
The rest of the 215th Division, in this case the garrison of Piombino, will however save its honor by confronting the Germans. It is true that, in the small industrial city** and port, the sailors, the working class population - which was finally able to let its long-standing anti-fascism show, and even the artillerymen of the former Militia of Maritime Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Defense Militia refuse to surrender. Although they do not involve the staff of the garrison, their example galvanizes the infantrymen of the 215th. When the Germans arrive in the middle of the afternoon, the Piombino square resists, under the de facto authority of the commander of the Navy, Commander Amedeo Capuano. All the better because, the torpedo boat
Orione came out of Portoferraio to support its cannons: well directed from the observatories around the city, its fire causes the attackers to fall back.
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Malta, 10:30 - The battleships of the Italian squadron of Naples drop anchor in front of Valletta. At about 14:00, the cruisers and light units present themselves before Bizerte. At the end of the day, it is the turn of the survivors of the
Roma group to reach Malta. Most of the Italian fleet surrenders.
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Tuscan airfields, 10:40 - The planes of the III/KG 2 and IV/KG 2 coming from the north of France and Belgium begin to land on the airfields of the area of Volterra and Grosseto. In all, 57 Do 217 E4 arrive as reinforcements.
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Rome, 11:00 - Ambrosio and Clark agree: it is urgent that the allied fighters deploy on the airfields of Naples, from where they could easily cover the Rome area. By telephone, Ambrosio contacts the Regia Aeronautica staff and informs them of this decision. However, the Allied planes usse a gasoline with a higher octane level than the one available to the Italian airfields. This problem requires to send a tanker loaded with 100/120° gasoline to Naples; the ship could come from Catania, but a quick calculation made by their collaborators makes Ambrosio and Clark understand that the first missions could only be carried out around midday of the next day, at best.
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Eastern outskirts of Rome, 11:30 - Sixteen Mustang IA and IC of the 39th EC, escorted by as many Mustang IIs of the 5th EC, attack German armor. The 40 mm Vickers S of the Mustang ICs wreak havoc, supported by the bombs of the Mustang IAs. Seventeen tanks are destroyed; three aircraft (two IC and one IA) are shot down by light flak.
12:00 - In the wake of the air attack, the defenders of eastern Rome launch a limited counter-attack to clear their positions somewhat. The defense perimeter is thus pushed back 3 km to the east, but nine M3A1 and seven M4 are lost.
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Trieste, 12:15 - The German 173rd Reserve Division, arriving from Ljubljana, enters the city.
Under the threat of a bombardment, the Italians give up blowing up the long railway tunnel that connects Trieste to Postumia.
However, the commander of the Navy, Captain A. Bechis, had immediately echoed Admiral Brenta's orders. When the Germans arrive, the evacuation of the port is already underway: the liners
Sabaudia (29,307 GRT) and
Vulcania (23,970 GRT) had weighed anchor for Venice, where they would arrive in the middle of the afternoon, while six other merchant ships have set sail to the south. Nevertheless, as in the other ports under German threat, the departure of the merchant ships depends on the morale of their crews. In Trieste, the overwhelming majority chose not to attempt the adventure, but without delivering the ships to the Germans intact: eighteen ships are scuttled in the port, including the liner
Duilio (23,636 GRT).
As for the military units, the training ship
Palinuro (ex-Yugoslavian
Vila Velebita, 260 t) goes to Brioni. The torpedo boats
MS-31 to
36 go to Lussinpiccolo (today Mali Lošinj), the main port of the island of Lussino (Lošinj). In terms of operational ships, the Germans can only get their hands on the
MS-41 to 46 (the
MS-41, having been sabotaged, will not be usable before May 1943). They could also count on four tugs and various auxiliary ships.
On the other hand, the booty made in the shipyards of Trieste and Monfalcone is more copious.
In addition to the battleship
Impero , which is not very advanced***, the Germans find the following ships in the dock: light anti-aircraft cruisers
Etna and
Vesuvio (whose construction was suspended in January 1942); four
Ariete-class escort torpedo boats (
Gladio, Spada, Daga, Pugnale); four corvettes (
Danaide, Pomona, Flora, Sfinge)****; and five submarines, two classic (
Flutto and
Marea) and three mini-submarines (
CB-16, 17 and
18). They seize the Ariete-class torpedo boats
Alabarda and
Lancia; the five corvettes
Chimera, Sibilla, Fenice, Urania and
Berenice; the submarines
Nautilo and
Vortice; the torpedo boats
MS-61 to
66, all under construction. Not to mention some beautiful commercial ships, such as the oil tankers
Illiria (8,201 GRT) and
Antonio Zotti (6,200 GRT) or the mixed liner
Ausonia (9,314 GRT).
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Brioni Islands, off Istria, 13:00 - The
Palinuro joins the sail training vessels
Cristoforo Colombo and
Amerigo Vespucci, which, together with the
Vulcania, evacuated the staff and students of the Naval Academy. Most of the Academy had in fact been transferred from Livorno to Venice and Istria because of the Allied air raids.
While the liner left alone towards Brindisi by exploiting its speed (21.5 knots possible), the three training ships remain grouped in convoy. All of them will arrive at their destination, except that, lacking fuel, the
Palinuro did not go further than the port of Vieste.
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Munich, 13:00 - Mussolini arrives by plane from Vienna, where he has found his family.
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Central Italy, 13:30 - RAF bombers (16 Baltimore and 32 Beaumont I) escorted by 40 Mustang-II of the 5th and 7th EC attack the German troops on the axis Avezzano-North of Monte Cassino.
Rome, 14:30 - The German artillery, which had stopped firing on the city during the morning, resumes its harassment. The Vatican is hit three times.
French Heavy Cruiser MN Algérie, Operation Avalanche, December 1942
* Society of Saint Francis de Sales, congregation founded in Turin by Saint John Bosco in 1859.
** With above all the Ilva and Magona d'Italia steelworks.
*** Construction began at the Ansaldo shipyards in Genoa, where it was launched on November 15th, 1939. Just before Italy entered the war, to keep her away from possible French actions, the incomplete ship was sent to Brindisi. After the attack on Taranto on 24 August 1940, it was moved to Venice. After a new transfer, it has been in Trieste since January 22nd, 1942.
**** Torpedo boats and corvettes are listed in order of launch date.