Operation Avalanche was the codename for the landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but the Allies landed in an area defended by German troops. Map of Italy showing Salerrno southeast of Naples Salerno is a town and a province in Campania, south-western Italy, located on the gulf of the same name on the Tyrrhenian Sea. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... This article covers the invasion of mainland Italy by the World War II Allies in September 1943 during the Italian Campaign. ...

The landings were carried out by the US Fifth Army, under American General Mark W. Clark. It comprised the U.S. VI Corps, the British X Corps and the US 82nd Airborne Division, a total of about nine divisions. Its primary objectives were to seize the port of Naples to ensure resupply, and to cut across to the east coast, trapping the Axis troops further south. The US Fifth Army was one of the principal formations of the US Army in the Mediterranean during World War II. It was activated on 4 January 1943 and made responsible for the defence of Algeria and Morocco. ... Mark Wayne Clark (May 1, 1896 - April 17, 1984) was an American general during World War II and the Korean War. ... For the VI Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, see VI Corps (ACW) The VI Corps took part in some of the most high profile operations in World War II. Its first combat was during the Allied invasion of Italy when it landed at Salerno with... The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army was Constituted in the National Army as the 82nd Division on August 5, 1917, and was Organized on August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to fifteen thousand soldiers. ... Naples panorama Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... The Axis Powers is a term for those participants in World War II opposed to the Allies. ...

In order to draw troops away from the landing ground, a landing had already been made by the British Eighth Army in Calabria in the 'toe' of Italy, on 3 September. Simultaneous sea landings were made by the British 1st Airborne Division at the port of Taranto (Operation Slapstick). Calabria, formerly Brutium, is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years). ... The British 1st Airborne Division was a military unit that fought in World War II. It suffered terrible casualties, especially in Operation Market Garden. ... Map of Italy showing Taranto in the bottom right Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, southern Italy. ... Operation Slapstick was a part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II on 9 September 1943. ...

The landings were carried out without previous naval or aerial bombardment in order to achieve surprise. The surprise was less than total however. As the first wave approached the shore at Paestum a loudspeaker from the landing area proclaimed in English, "Come on in and give up. We have you covered." The troops attacked nonetheless. Paestum overview Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. ...

The Germans had established artillery and machine-gun posts and scattered tanks through the landing zones which made progress difficult, but the beach areas were successfully taken. Around 07:00 a concerted counterattack was made by the 16th Panzer Division. It caused heavy casualties, but was beaten off. Both the British and the Americans made slow progress, and still had a 10 mile gap between them at the end of day one. They linked up by the end of day two and occupied 35–45 miles of coast line to a depth of six or seven miles. 16th Infantry Division 16th Motorized Infantry Division Windhund 16th Panzergrenadier Division Windhund 16th Panzer Division 116th Panzer Division Windhund Created as 16th Infantry Division in 1935. ...

Over the 12th–14th September the Germans organized a concerted counterattack by six divisions of motorized troops, hoping to throw the Salerno beachead into the sea before it could link with the British Eighth Army. Heavy casualties were inflicted, as the Allied troops were too thinly spread to be able to resist concentrated attacks. The outermost troops were therefore withdrawn in order to reduce the perimeter. The new perimeter was held with the assistance of naval and aerial support, although the German attacks reached almost to the beaches in places. Allied pilots slept under the wings of their fighters in order to beat a hasty retreat to Sicily in the event German forces broke the beachhead. The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations in World War II, fighting in the campaigns in North Africa and Italy. ...

Planned under the name Top Hat. Supported by the deception plan Operation Boardman. During World War II, Operation Boardman was the deception operation that supported the Avalanche invasion at Salerno, Italy. ...

Bibliography

• Gerhard Muhm : German Tactics in the Italian Campaign , http://www.larchivio.org/xoom/gerhardmuhm2.htm
• Gerhard Muhm : La Tattica tedesca nella Campagna d'Italia, in Linea Gotica avanposto dei Balcani, (Hrsg.) Amedeo Montemaggi - Edizioni Civitas, Roma 1993