Last Ditch Ridge MTO (id:#59849)

Critical Hit (Hero PAX 4: Mediterranean Theater of Operations ID: HP27)   [next]   [previous]

Buonriposo Ridge, Anzio, Italy 1944-02-09 (2 others)

Overview:

The German counter-attack to crush the Allied lodgement south of Rome had begun in earnest. Just west of the 'Factory' were the bare, swelling grasslands of Buonriposo ridge. It was here that elements of the British 1st Infantry Division, supported by a small force of American paratroopers, held a salient in the German lines. As the evening brought a clearing in the dismal weather, small German battlegroups infiltrated the porous Allied lines using numerous wadis that covered the ground. Just after midnight, a swarming, yelling horde of Germans sought to overwhelm the British and Americans through sheer weight of numbers. Men struggled hand to hand, all cohesion between companies was lost, as the fighting raged throughout the night.

Defender: British/American (Elements 2nd North Staffordshire Regt; 8th Grenadier Guards Regt; III/504th Parachute Regt)  

Errata (source)