Rome recaptured on see-saw Italian front

March 1944 was a month of mixed fortunes for the allies in Italy. Bad weather, bad luck and bad co-operation between the various allied forces meant that although the advance up the Italian peninsular continued, Rome was lost to the Axis once again.

With the British army having suffered serious casualties in February, the bulk of the fighting fell to the Americans in March, who planned a braod offensive, chiefly in the east, to straighten the line and shorten the front. With this in mind the US forces, led by the Airborne elements and armoured units, began moving slowly up the east coast of Italy. Kesselring fought a brilliant fighting withdrawal, making use of the boggy conditions of the Italian spring and forcing the Americans to take each town, village and farm at a heavy cost. Never-the-less the US forces advanced some fifty miles in March with "acceptable" losses.

In the west however the advance had stalled. Noticing this, and realising the main allied advance was occurring in the east, Kesselring sent in his Panzers on the plains of western Italy in a headlong dash for Rome. He didn't expect to take the city, but a series of events ensured the Italian capital was back in axis hands by the 27th of the month.

As the Panzers advanced they encountered an inexperienced American tank division, mauling it severely. General Mark Clark ordered in a second force of tanks, but these too faired poorly. The allied air support apparently got lost, despite receiving the correct co-ordinates, and singularly failed to intercept the Luftwaffe aircraft who dealt blow after blow to the American tanks. The weather played a part too. HEavy rain turned the roads into mud, but while the US Sherman tanks frequently found themselves becoming bogged down in the soft mud, the German Panthers, with their wide tracks and experienced crews, faired much better, and the Shermans paid the price.

Before long the second armoured division also had to retreat, unfortunately running into a cauldron of German fire, and those who escaped had to abandon their vehicles. Suddenly a German scout group found that the way to Rome lay undefended, and German Panzergrenadiers swept in to recapture the city. Hitler was delighted and the German propaganda machine made much of the city's recapture, awarding the Knights Cross to the commander of the Panzer Division which destroyed the Americans so utterly.