Please wait until you get it so the cameras will be able to pick up the audio. Being young during that time, in my studies at school when i was getting my phd we talked to a lot of wives who lost their husbands in the current wars. What did the home front what did the men and women do when a neighbor or a friend got news they lost a husband . Are you speaking to me . Anybody on the panel. Oh. I lost Three Friends in the war. One, his ship was bombed and split in half. And he was asleep on the bottom deck at that time. And the other one, jerrys plane was bombed and of course, they were all killed on the plane. And then ben worked at firestone with me. And i always felt so bad that he enlisted because he was all that his mother had. He had no reason to enlist. He wouldnt have had to but he did anyway. And he was all she had and he didnt come home. I guess i was one of the lucky ones. My fiance came home and we got to be married and had three children. Thats one. Another question for the panel . Yes. This question is for mrs. Olson and mrs. Schneider. I heard the toughest job in the army is an army wife. How do you feel about that . It was what . The toughest job in the army is an army wife. Do you feel thats true . Or a marine wife. Or a marine wife. Marine wife. What . Lets see. When he got home we were married in three weeks after he got home. The war was still going on. But he got to come home because of what he had been through. So thats why we were sent to camp lejeune. He had we lived there on base for lets see almost two years, i think. We lived on base. It was one of the most fun times of my life. I could walk down to the ocean. I could walk to the grocery store. Even though we lived in what today they call a little travel trailer and thats what all the married marines lived in. And i had to learn to cook on little camp stove that i had to pump up a little tank up on the front of it. And we had some wonderful times. I made a lot of marine friends and families. Because the whole base was family. Mostly. And we had some lifelong friends we made there. Actually it was a nice experience. I enjoyed. Now today i think North Carolina is my favorite state. My experience was not the worst time of all. That for years after my husband died in 1989 i had a recurrent dream that i was walking down a country lane to a mailbox and i would get there and there would be no letters and this dream continued throughout the years until i would say in the last ten years. Actually thats kind of what had happened. There were days to me, the lifeline was the communication and the communication when our husbands were in the army were by letter. No telephones. No eye pads. No cell phones. No pictures. Nothing and these letters. At least maybe go down to the mailbox for two, three, days in a row or five days and there would be no letters and the next day there would be one. When he was sent overseas, he didnt know where he was headed. I didnt know where he was headed because they zigzagged across the pacific because of the japanese subs and it took about six weeks. He left the first part of june and didnt get there until the last of july. And then it was another six weeks before i heard from him. So to me, communication was the hardest part. And those were long, long months. Of course, i had a baby girl and i was busy. But still, it was hard. Very hard. And i know thats why i continue to have a dream thats referred to that time in my life. Were your letters all cut up . Mine were so sensored it was usually just dear, doris or a sal tags at the end. Chopped up. I cant understand why the censors had to be so rough because my husband wasnt crazy enough to tell me where he was to the enemy. Why did they chop them all up like that . I think they enjoyed it. No. In answer to your question, mine werent cut up. They werent . But my husband never wrote very much about what was going on except the discomfort of the rain and the mud that he was living in. But after he was dead, probably about at least ten years, i was going through his things and the first part of the diary showed nothing. So i was ready to toss it. Flipping back through, i came to the middle of the diary. He had started it when he left. Not in the front of the diary. And in this diary, i learned about the snipers, the booby trap that he barely escaped. Of his home sickness, of the 170 mile typhoon and all those things that he didnt write because he didnt want me to be upset. What a treasure. Mrs. Reeves, you mentioned that the war was something that everyone felt, was involved in, and being a spouse from the war today where its 1 or 2 of the population that fills the cost of the last war, how do you have any suggestions on how we can help civilians understand that theres still that cost . Actually there are a group of ladies at our church who have this kind of thing, i think, keeps its foremost in your mind. We have made greeting cards to send to the military so that they would have cards to send home to people. And it is something that when you work on it. And you talk about it, you become very aware that these things are still going on. There are Lonely People out there and it also encourages them beyond i know the email and all that stuff. But you know those letters that you have in your hand that i still have from my brothers in the 40s mean a lot. And i think generally talking about it and encouraging that kind of involvement, because it does it means a tremendous amount. And it did it was mentioned early. When you live in a little town, you do lose people that you know very well. I think everybody kind of huddles together. You try to support each other and youre aware of everything thats going on in the lives. You have to put yourself there. Another question . I want to say that i was in the army and when it was mail time, it was a big deal. I think that email and all that stuff is detrimental to the military because just think of all the times that you could write a letter and those soldiers would get that letter and be really thrilled. I think that there needs to be a campaign of writing letters instead of all these emails because they can keep those letters instead they cant keep the emails. Theyre in space. Letters are tangible. And reread them. Thats the wonderful part. And years and years from now those soldiers can read them and think back. It is very necessary for people to write letters. 5 00 a booth will open over by the statue where you can make a card to send a current soldiers. One more question . One more. Thank you. What effect or what memories do you have from the rationing that went on during world war ii . I know my mother talked about it briefly but doesnt talk very much about those memories. As kids, we didnt notice it so much excepts12c for a shortf bubble gum. And word passed quickly if some store got it. Because we did have a farm and access to other farms, we were able to get things that probably were limited to others. But such things as butter and meat]gcwc and gasoline among ot things were all ragstioned. I used a coin that told how much you got. And a lot was it affected every aspect of life. Most noe tisable was the inability to travel. Were accustomed to hopping in a car and driving. But with five gallons of gasoline a month that simply didnt happen. We gave up putting sugar in our tea so that mother could bake sweet things. You know, you made adjustments. Would rather eat it i guess than drink it. Effect of bootlegging, too, by the way. Thats another panel. Yes. When we were living at midwest city, we were there was a commissary. Least the air force, they were pretty well set because i dont remember that we couldnt get probably some of the best food there. The only drawback i ran into was when i was pregnant with my daughter and i creamed cherries. My sister back home, they ran a grocery store. She sent me a whole case of cherries. I dont remember having any trouble getting gas. My dad had gotten me a little ford coupe. Of course a used one. When i started working at firestone. All i could remember is i think we had a little booklet of green stamps and i had to use those stamps to get but i never had any trouble getting gas and i certainly didnt have to pay almost 4 a gallon for it. Well, thats about all of our time for our home front panel. I would like to thank all of you for attending. Were going to take a 15 minute break and be back with our panel with life on the battle field. Thank you very much. Our look at American History tv programs normally seen weekends here on cspan3 wraps up shortly on the significance of the allied invasion on sicily and the Italian Campaign to the liberation of europe during world war ii and turning to book tv programs starting with a discussion on feminism from there years los angeles festival of books followed by a debate between authors from the las vegas freedom fest. Tonight on American History tv programs on sports and culture starting at 8 00 p. M. A history of the kansas city mon arcs discussing the history of the team and the longest running running franchise. And the rule of africanamericans in college and professional sports today. At 10 00 talking about the book pedestrianism. And how competitive walking became the most popular sport in many major eastern cities including new york and philadelphia in the 1870s and 1880s. Heres some of the highlights for this weekend on cspan. At 8 00 a history tour. Saturday at 6 30. The communicators. Sunday on q and a political commentator pat buchanan and cspan2 tonight 8 00 books on Hillary Clinton barack obama and henry snowden. Sunday morning at 10 30 we tour the literary sights. And cspan3 the kansas city mon arcs. And sunday on real america at 4 00 p. M. An interview with president herbert hoover. Let us know what you think about the programs youre watching. Call us at 2026263400 or email us at cspan. Org. Join the conversation. Like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. Now, pull liters prize author Rick Atkinson talking about the invasion of sicily. He details what led up to the military campaign and the rise of prominent commanders including Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton part of the historical societys lecture series. Thanks so much for inviting me to be with you and for joining me on this gorgeous new york morning. This is the third presentation i have given in this fantastic auditorium at the New York Historical society in just over a year. All i can say is you folks are glut tons for punishment. Were going to talk about the Second World War this moorning. I was in normandy for the 70th anniversary of dday and that campaign has taken center stage this spring just as it has in our National Narrative about the liberation of europe since june 6th, 1944 when it permanently eclipsed the controversile struggle in italy. Well try and bring that italian war back into focus. I have two confessions. First of all, i have not seen the movie pizon. Some of you saw it. If you have questions, im not your man. Second, im going to talk mostly about the campaign in italy up through the fall of rome which was june 4th, 1944. The war goes on and ill talk about it a bit. I dont know that much about it. It becomes a sad campaign of that last year of the war in europe. Were going to talk about the first stages of italy. So the allied campaign to liberate italy first from itself and then from the germans lasted 608 days, cost 312,000 allied casualties. 40 of the casualties incurred in the campaign in northwest europe. It dragged what churchhill called the hot rake of war up the entire 1,000 mile length of the boot of italy. 3 4 of american soldiers fought in italy and 23,501 were killed in action. From an american perspective, the lib rags in europe is three connected panels that form a coherent narrative hole. The first panel is north africa. Because thats where the liberation of europe begins. Its in north africa. And the second panel is sicily and italy. And the third panel is northwest europe on that final decisive campaign. The mediterranean is a proving ground for that final device i campaign in northwest europe. Its a proving ground for tactics and equipment, various kinds of Amphibious Landing craft first tried out in the mediterranean and being tried out at the same time in the pacific. And its a proving ground for leaders. Who can do it . Who cant do it . Who can lead . Who cannot lead . The senior generals and admirals who commanded in the mediterranean are for the most part the same bunch who will command in northwest europe. Eisenhow eisenhower, montgomery. George patton, alan kirk. Its a very long list. Britain preparing for normandy, they called themselves the mediterraneanites. Eisenhower speaks for them when he say that is the mediterranean theater will always be in my blood. This is eisenhower on the eve of normandy, june 6th, 1944 with his senior subordinate commanders and every one of them except for the man standing behind him has come with his from the mediterranean. The guy behind him, air marshal Lee Trafford Mallory is not a mediterraneanite and its a problem for him. So calling world war ii the 20th centurys century myth. A tail of troy whose angles are infin knit and central figures never ceases to amaze us with their size. Theres theatricality. And the ep graph to the day of ba battle. It goes like this. Launch your song. What kings were fired for war. What armys at their orders tlong the planes. Even in those days long ago in italys livegiving land. How did we end up in italys lifegiving land . Why were we in italy . Operation husky had in fact been decided seven months earlier. The operation takes place on july 10th, 1943. But it had been decided seven months earlier during the conference convened at casa blank ka in 1943 by president roos velt and the military brain trusts. The guys in the chairs are roosevelt and churchhill. Sicily is the largest island, about 100 mile from the north african coast but two miles from the toe of the italian boot and seizing the island would safeguard mediterraneans shipping through the suez canal to help supply the russians and provide, sicily would, air bases for bombing italy and Central Europe. But what to do beyond sicily is hotly disputed. And at Casa Blane Ka they couldnt decide what to do after usually. The british advocate carrying the war on to main land italy to knock italy out of the alliance. Churchhill insists this would cause a chill of loneliness over the german people and might be the beginning of their doom. The americans are skeptical. They look skeptical, dont they . They suspect that britains fixation on the mediterranean which is why we have invaded north africa by landing in ma rocco and algeria that this fixation reflects British Imperial ambitions. The british had dominated for 200 years and not ready to give up the dominance. The war will be won the americans contend. This argument is happening on this day that the photo is taken. The war will be won in Central Europe and the shortest surest path to the heart of Central Europe is to cross the English Channel and drive for berlin. The british legitimately argue that the soviet union which is shouldering the heaviest combat burden by far on behalf of the allied powers, that and the soviets will suffer 26 million dead in the war, that the soviets will hardly the western allies sitting on their hands for nearly a year between the con quest of sicily in the summer of 1943 and any cross channel invasion which they know cannot be mounted before late spring, 1944. The u. S. Army at this point, were talking about the spring of 1943, has six million soldiers. Grown to 8. 3 million. There are 343,000 lieutenants alone in the u. S. Army. They have to do something. Well, the british also make extravagant claims to overcome this yankee skepticism. They overegg the pudding as one critic says. They assert that germany was unlikely to fight hard for italy. That the allied commitment in italy would be modest and require no substantial occupation and that a successful fight in the mediterranean could end the war in 1944. None of these prophecies is true. What emerges as is so often the case in Coalition Warfare is a compromise forged after bitter debate. The sicily invasion will go forward in july 1943. And until then and after then in the cross channel invasion of france will also be launched in the late spring of 1944, they agree on this. Sicily and then what will become normandy. Until then, general eisenhower is to come up with a plan for operations after the campaign ends. These are eisenhowers marching orders. Operations best calculated to to contain the maximum number of German Forces. Why is he smiling . In other words, the combined chiefs of staff which are the senior bosses in london and washington. And their superiors, the Prime Minister and the president , cannot figure out what to do and they say over to you, you figure it out. Well, what happens . First, the sevenmonth effort to eject germany and italy from northwest africa finally succeeds. It has not been easy fighting through the Atlas Mountains in western tenesia in the winter of 1942 43. A war that begins as a smallscale fight between companies, a few hundred brawling men. Quickly me as the the sizes in africa into a clash of army groups. An army group is two or more armys and eventually by the spring of 1943 there are four armys in a country the size of the state of georgia. Two allied armys. Two axis armys. Suffering a severe setback when the german commanders in africa, one guy named romal and another one named farn arnan, drive the americans back 85 miles in western tenesia. In terms of yardage lost its the greatest defeat for the American Army in world war ii. More than 6,000 casualties. And that gives you some sense of the terrain around. But axis forces really lack the strength to exploit their winnings and the battle soon tilts against them as allied air and naval power sweep the italian navy from the see, from the mediterranean and the german from the sky. Hitler refuses to permit the evacuation from tenesia except for a few specialized units and german and italian units are trapped and annihilated or forced to surrender. About a quarter million axis prisoners are bagged and the victory parade snakes through in mid may 1943. We have won the first major battle in the liberation of europe and it occurs in africa. So now its time to seize sicily. This happens on july 10th, 1943 and the assault is comparable in size to the invasion at normandy 11 months later. It is no small thing. The u. S. Seventh army under Lieutenant General george s. Patton attacks from the south and the British Eighth Army under general Bernard Montgomery attacks from the southeast below syracuse. The Campaign Goes pretty well. The island falls in six weeks. Although several things go wrong within the overall success. It is war after all. For example, high winds, poor training, a whitless plan and friendly fire cause more than 60 british troop carrying gliders to crash into the sea. And others crash on land. Casualties and that mishap exceed 600 of whom more than half drowned. On the second night of the invasi invasion, a u. S. Airborne operation ended just as badly when an epidemic of friendly fire led american gunners on the grounds and in the io . Fleet ar the southern edge of sicily to shoot down 23 american planes carrying paratroopers and they its a catastrophe. But in capturing the island, the americans generally swing west up in the northwest corner. Its lightly defended and the british and canadians fight their way past in the east. The allies converge on misena. Although the four german divisions fighting in sicily. The germans have reinforced sicily after the american and british invasions, those four german divisions get away almost intact across the strait. Well fight them again and again and again. Because they get away. As this is happening though t island falls in a muscular mood of confidence. The decision is made by eisenhower and affirmed by his uppers in washington to carry the war into the italian main land peninsula. Remember, hes been told to come up with a plan best designed to knock italy out of the war and to occupy the maximum number of German Forces. Here we are. The intent is to attack in september 1943 with the British Eighth Army again under montgomery coming into the toe of the boot down there. While the larger fifth army lands just south of naples. I cant see very well from here. But if you can find theres cap capri. Yeah, there it is right there. Before we examine what happens in these operations, lets linger on the personalities who will run the war. The mediterranean is a place where the reputations of some senior generals go to die. And clockwise from the upper left, you have got ernest dolly, his reputation dies and relieved of command. John lucas, his reputation dies. Hes relieved of command. This is general walker. He commands the 36th division. His reputation dies. And this is general bernard fryburg. His reputation will never survive what happens at casino. So its a very tough campaign on individual commanders. Italy is also a place where reputations are enhanced. So clockwise from the upper left, thats general trusk. One of the greatest commanders and born to lead other men in the dark of night. Thats what you want in a combat leader. This is matthew ridgeway. He shows what he can do in sicily and continues to show what he can do through the rest of the war and eventually be the commander in corkorea and this james gavin, the youngest Major General in the United States army since the civil war. Command the 82nd airborne division. Hes a large player in sicily, southern italy and particularly in normandy. And this is general jowan. Hes the best of the bunch, french commander. Again born to lead other men in the dark of night and so himself to be particularly adept tactically in italy. There are others whose reputations are probably inflat inflated. Now, this is general omar bradley who is a pretty good core commander and pretty good core commander in sicily and then hes over he is head in normandy. When hes promoted two grades above where he has been comfortable, he becomes an Army Group Commander in normandy in the summer of 1944 and overmatched in my opinion. Hes talking incidentally to terry allen who commands the First Infantry Division in sicily and will be relieved of command by bradley. And this strun iing one, pattons the senior american commander in sicily. Patton is a special case. He looms very large in the campaign as the commander of the seventh army but he disgraces himself by slapping two soldiers on two consecutive sundays in august 1943, soldiers he claims are cowards. In fact, theyre both sick and hospital for reason and he is disqualified for further command in the mediterranean. Patton will spend the entire campaign in perg toir until hes rehabilitated sufficiently to be wisked back overseas to take a command in france. Had that not happened bradley would have continued to be a subordinate to patton and patton would have been the Army Group Commander in normandy. Such the bagries of war. Lets skrut niez two pairs of allied generals. The most prominent and influential pair in italy. Eisenhower and montgomery. They both participate about four months before taken back to italy. Heres eisenhower on june 7th, 1944 going to normandy for the first time. There is a study in anxiety. Eisenhower has received his fourth star in the spring of 1943. Hes in the process of ascending from lieutenant cornell to five star general in 42 months. An average of six months between promotion. He had arrived at his first field command in the caves of ji bral ter having never commanded a platoon in combat and now suddenly hes a theater commander. Victory in north africa enhances eisenhowers stature and confidence. One british general remarks that he is utterly fair in his dealings and i envy the clearty of his mind and the power of accepting responsibility. I think thats accurate. The reporter, drew middleton, described him as walking up and down pacing patterns on the rug, his flat harsh voice like sparks flung from an emery wheel. He could be a knit picker. He complained that not one officer in 50 knows how to use the english language. Mastering the distinction between shall and will. As a field marshal. He has a spotty record in north africa and doesnt show much more aptitude for it in sicily and southern italy. When most of those german and italian troops get away across the strait at the end of the campaign in sicily, its partly because eisenhower does not have a battle captains ability to see the field both spacially and temporally to subordinate all resistance to an iron will. Before the invasion of main land italy, hes approved a hairbrain scheme to drop the 82nd airborne on rome where i have no doubt had the operation not been cancelled, the 82nd airborne would have been sdroised. Eisenhower thinks its a great idea. His job is not to be a field marshal. But to be the theater commander of a sprawli ining multinationa coalition. He defines his role as the chairman of the board. Chairman of the biggest marshal enterprise in the western world. Hes responsible for retarding the centrifugal force that is pull at every military coalition. Whether youre talking about 1943 or afghanistan in 2014. Hes not thnapoleon but likes t quote him. A man who can do the average thing when all those around him are going crazy. Hes pretty good at keeping his head when all those around him are going crazy and turning his cheek as he does in the face of insubordinate behavior by general montgomery. He has a fellow ability that serves him well. While some will come away soured by the experience of working with allies in a coalition, eisenhowers convictions strength strengthen. He prospectiis relentless about strong alliance. Heuc6u÷ei knows in global war team wins. From the mediterranean eisenhower will take the template for an allied quarters to london and uses it to build supreme headquarters. His headquarters for the final campaign in western europe and uses the same template to build nato. By the time he gets to london to plan the invasion of france, he and the other mediterraneanites have accumulated 60 hard weeks of battle experience, military governance, leadership, character and mass slaughter. As for this guy, this is montgomery having just crossed the strait in Early September 1943 from sicily to mainland italy. We would be here all day to plum the depths of this complicated infuriating man but let me make brief points. Like eisenhower in africa he has grown in stature and confidence. His success in egypt in the fall of 1942 engineering a victory at a time when britain had no victories makes him politically untouchable and that is not necessarily a good thing. After the campaign in tenesa ends among those 250,000 german soldiers was a german commander and churchhill was told that montgomery had lunch with him and he replied i, too, have dined with montgomery. Montgomery was late to turn his attention to operation husky which is the invasion of sicily. And he commanded that British Eighth Army that comes in h from the southeast and immediately demands when he finally turns his attention to it that the entire plan be scrapped. He says it risks a first class disaster. He also con fiefides to his diai should run husky. This is a theme throughout the war. In fact, the plan is changed. The forces which on that Southern Coast where they can lend mutual support. You saw where pattons 7th army comes in. Montgomerys 8th army is on the shoulder basically. A senior british staff officer writes in his diary, the americans are beginning to feel that the British Empire is being run by montgomery. Well, thats neither true nor fair and montgomery is certainly a capable commander but its a sentiment that takes firm root in the mediterranean. Theres an episode in sicily which montgomery cuts in front of American Forces taking a vital road that they intend to use and has been assigned them in the plan and this is the beginning of what will be an increasingly toxic relationship between montgomery and several of his american counterparts notably bradley and patton. This is montgomery in the middle. Patton on the right and general jeffrey keys, one of the american Corps Commanders closest to the map. Bradley called that incident over the road in sicily, quote, the most arrogant egotistical, selfish and dangerous move in the whole of combined operations in world war ii. Hes really pissed. [ laughter ] pattons assessment was simpler. He just called montgomery if youll pardon his expression the little shit. [ laughter ] a british commander says of montgomery, one must remember he is not quite a gentleman. Madam chair. The highway 124 incident encourages montgomery to disregard both subordinates and superiors. General alan brook who is chief of the imperil general staff George Marshalls counterpart in london observes at the time and he is a protector of montgomery, the americans do not like him and it will always be difficult a difficult matter to have him fighting in close proximity to them. This baggage will all be carted to normandy. Well, if eisenhower and montgomery are the most prominent generals in the mediterranean, there are two others whose influence particularly in italy lasted much longer. They are Harold Alexander and mark w. Clark. Character is fate on the battlefield as much as it is anywhere else in life and the strengths and deficiencies of Senior Leaders are imprinted on the Italian Campaign like fingerprints. Alexander commands the army group in italy. He is the senior guy on the scene. As he had commanded the army group in sicily and in tunisia. This is alexander on the right, again, with general truscott, american general. Alexanders generalship lacks intellectual depth. It even lacks curiosity. He relies more on his legendary savoir and has a sterling reputation at the can thons mouth and sure looks the part, immaculate, unfazed. In command. One journalist wrote he looked like he had a steam bath, massage, a Good Breakfast and a letter from home. [ laughter ] hes in his early 50s at this point in the war. He will earn his field marshals baton in italy, the equivalent of a fivestar general. Theres no shortage of contemporary disparagement of alexander. His own chief of staff wrote that the limitations of his ability began to appear when the forces under his command became so huge that their manipulation required weeks and months of forethought, not hours or days. Another british general simply insisted hes bone from the neck up. [ laughter ] it was said he was a born leader not a made one. An english countrymen almost uneducated who never read a book. It was said he could not write his name before the age of 10 but he now spoke french, german, italian, russian and urdu. He might have been a greater commander if he had not been so nice a gentleman and it was said that he had in world war i gone over the top 30 times before being wounded and that irish guardsmen like to tread in his footsteps while crossing no mans land in hope of sharing his good fortune. Patton unbeguiled noted in his diary that, quote, alexander has an exceptionally small head. That may explain things. [ laughter ] one biographer wrote that his handling of montgomery resembled that of an understanding husband and difficult marriage. Sir Michael Howard, the Great British historian who was at salerno as a young british captain, i just had dinner with him in england two weeks ago, he is now 92, sir Michael Howard wrote that alexander evinced these are howards words a calm, gentle, friendly presence whose influence like an oil slick spread outward. Churchill adored him. The Prime Ministers physician lord moran said this was because in churchills eyes alexander, quote, redeemed what was brutal in war, touching the grim business lightly with his glove. And alexanders hands, it was still a game for people of quality. While that brings us finally to Lieutenant General mark wayne clark. He was an army brat, he was the youngest member of the west point class of 1917. He was wounded as a 22yearold Battalion Commander in world war i. And then he was stuck at the rank of captain for 16 years during that sad neglected period between the wars. He subsequently skipped the rank of colonel altogether. At the beginning of the Italian Campaign hes 47. Hes among the youngest american Lieutenant Generals in our history and a year later he will become the youngest american fourstar general. He is meticulous, he is highly intelligent. He is something of a screamer. He carries a four leaf clover in his wallet. Hes also aloof with his one officer says con seat wrapped around him like a halo. Which i believe derives from insecurity. Incidentally he was jewish and he converted while he was at west point to the only proper religion for an american officer who wanted to become a general at the time, episcopalianism. Clark draws sharp rebukes from both general george c. Marshal the army chief of staff, and eisenhower for his compulsive selfpromotion. Even so he instructs photographers to snap what he considers his facially best left side. [ laughter ] his Public Relations staff grows to 50 men and each news release carrying his name three times on the first page and at least once on each subsequent page. Reporters are encouraged to adopt the commanding generals preferred nomenclature. Lieutenant general mark w. Clarks 5th army. Soldiers called him marcus awe aurelious clarkus. By the time we get to anzio in early 1944, stress is taking a toll on clark. Remember i told you 23,501 american soldiers killed in action in italy, most happens on clarks watch. Not everyone was put on this earth to be able to take that kind of punishment. So patton writes with evident delight this, is well into the Italian Campaign, the left corner of clarks mouth is slightly drawn down as if he had been paralyzed. Hes quite jumpy. Clark asks his wife to send him some cremele hair tonic because as he tells her, i find by massaging my hair using that it keeps from coming out and for awhile it was falling out quite badly. Stress. Well, heres what happens in the Italian Campaign. In Early September 1943 montgomery and his 8th army cross from sicily two mile as cross the strait of messina into kalabria unopposed, big production, no one shoots back. The italians who have already arrested mussolini and imprisoned him in a ski resort in the appenheims up here yield to allied demands in a series of secret negotiations and they surrender. This is september 1943. Not only do they surrender, they switch sides. Theyre eventually fighting with the allies except for some recalcitrant fascists who remain loyal to the axis including mussolini who is dramatically rescued from his mountaintop jail by hitlers commandos. As all this is going on, the main allied landings by Lieutenant General mark w. Clarks 5th army, those landings occur at the salerno on september 9th. There are 55,000 british and american troops in this Assault Force and they have heard its been announced over the p. A. System on the Landing Craft as theyre approaching salerno they have heard that the italians have return centered. They think the war is over. Theyre braying like donkeys in happiness. But and this is a closeup of the map of salerno, you can see the gulf of salerno here, but no one tells the germans the war is over. [ laughter ] hitler after initially deciding to retreat all the way to northern italy if his italian comrades are not going to fight for the boot, why should he . But then he changes his mind. He is convinced partly by the capable german theater commander field marshal albert kesselring, we have fought him in north africa. We have fought him in sicily and now were going to fight him in italy and, woe is us because hes really good. He will incidentally be the last german field commander in western europe in the spring of 1945. Kesselring convinces hitler that by abandoning southern italy the allies will simply rush up the boot and theyll be that much closer to the fatherland. And more important kesselring is an airman. 5u the ally also capture the very good air feels in southern italy at foggia and areas around rome and that will provide us with bases to pound the fatherland and occupy german territories in Central Europe. So hitler changes his mind. German reinforcements counterattack at salerno and for almost a week, the battle hangs in the balance. They almost throw us back into the sea. They come within a whisker of it. The americans and the british finally through the weight of mettle tilt the struggle into allied favor, the germans yield and naples is captured on october 1st. Theres naples, that as some of you know is vesuvius, it erupts incidentally in the spring of 1944, the last time its erupted. Its very theatrical. Capturing a big port is vital in waging expeditionary warfare but the germans having held up the allies at salerno have had time to thoroughly wreck the docks and the warehouses and the other facilities and it will be weeks before naples is functioning harbor. Incidentally i mentioned that the allies learn a lot in the mediterranean, the germans learn a lot too and one of the things they learn is how to destroy things. And theyre wrecking the harbor at naples gives them the skill set to rec other harbors notably sheerborg, which is the object when we invade normandy in june 1944. They utterly destroy sheerborg. Well, then the long awful slog north begins. Many of you have been to italy and you know its one damn mountain after another. And its made worse when those mountains are defended in the winter by 20 german divisions. This is a german propaganda leaflet and if you can see it indicates salerno september 1943 at the bottom and then at the rate they are going, the projection is that theyll get to germany sometime in 1952. [ laughter ] now, this is not farfetched. At the rate they are going and it certainly eats in the mind of every young g. I. Trying to get through these mountains, the mountains run right down here. The late fall and early winter of 1943 involves bloody fighting across the volturno river and an endless sequence of montys. Monty camino, monty la defenso. Theyre built in a series of belts across the appenheim. Belt as cross, theyre parallel to one another. And particularly in the narrow waist of the peninsula and the most obdurate was at the gustave line that centered on the 1500foot sheer rook face of monty casino. Its about midway between naples and rome and monty casino is crowned with a magnificent abbey founded in 529 a. D. By a wandering hermit benedict. Theres monty casino. Various efforts were made all of them valiant, all of them unsuccessful to get over or through the gustave line which blocked the only real avenue to rome from mechanized valley, the mechanized armies, the liri, it goes off the left side of the photograph. If you want to get to rome from the south you really need to take the liri valley. Well, by midfebruary 1944, some allied commanders have convinced themselves that the germans are occupying monty casino. The abbey. And that theyre using it as an observation post to direct artillery fire against allied forces below and to the south. That was quite wrong. Among other things, the german Corps Commander here, general freed land von singer is a devout catholic. And he has a relationship with the abbott. Well, some allied commanders, mark clark among them believe theres no evidence of German Occupation and that attacking the abbey is pointless. Theyll just hand him a propaganda victory and it is militarily witless. A long argument led to this on february 15th, 1944. The destroyers win the argument. A relentless air bombardment that destroyed one of the most Sacred Places in christiandom and killed shes inside. There were lots of italian refugees inside and the rubble made a very good fortress for the germans subsequently, a month later a similar bombardment hammered the town of casino at the base of the mountain. Hardly one brick was left stand ago top another. Yet, again, the rubble made for excellent fortifications and the germans remain entrenched this. Is march 1944. Now, some of you Armchair Generals might wonder why not go around these impediments . Indeed, churchill not only asked the same question, he insisted that the allied armies try a flanking maneuver with an Amphibious Landing on the italian west coast at a place called anzio northwest of the gustave line only about 30 miles from rome. This is churchill incidentally in his famous dragon room talking with eisenhower and thats alexander there. And churchill is really the driving force behind the anzio operation. He natter, natters, natters until finally they agree to do it. And understrength american and british corps landed unopposed on january 22 knott, 1944 at anzio in the town just to the our right of anzio is natuno, sister towns and immediately bottled up by German Forces occupying the perimeter of the beachhead including the alban hills. You want the high ground in war, the germans always seem to own the high ground in italy and they own this high ground in this area. Theyre able to shell every square inch of this allied foothold for four months. Its awful. Ultimately what was needed to break the stalemate in southern italy was an allied combination of guile, agility and brute force. In midmay 1944, operation diadom, the gustave line around casino is attacked as it has never been attacked before. British, american, canadian and polish forces begin the offensive on may 11th. They fire 175,000 artillery shells in the first 24 hours. But the key breakthrough was an attack just southwest of monty casino by four french divisions. Including moroccan and algerian mountain troops led by the guy in the beret i showed you earlier. They crack a thin line by basically an amazing ascent of a mountain, cracking the line and getting behind the enemy. And polish troops then capture the ruins of monty casino. Thats whats left of the abbey and this is the road going into the liri valley. Tanken units finally make their way across this road up the liri valley toward rome and at the same time a week after diadom begins, the six divisions bottled up at anzio break out of their beachhead and push toward the high ground, that you can see on the horizon. Mark clark is one of the most controversial episodes in the history of world war ii. Clark received explicit orders from general alexander to aim his forces to the northeast to trap the german defenders fighting along here, the german defenders who are holding these allied units coming past casino up the liri valley. Instead in a breathtaking act of insubordination, clark tells the anzio army to turn left and to make for rome. He is so obsessed with being first in rome that he threatens to order his 5th army to fire on the british 8th army if the british attempt to muscle in on the liberation. And these are the forces that are finally breaking through at casino. On june 4th, 1944, american troops enter rome, how do you know . They put out a sign. [ laughter ] theres only scattered german resistance for the most part the enemy has fled north leaving the city intact. Another 11 months will be required to pursue them north toward the alps. Another winter of fighting in the appenheims before German Forces surrender in may of 19456789 they fight for italy virtually to the end in europe. But two days after the liberation of rome, the invasion of normandy swept the Italian Campaign right off the front pages. Italy becomes a sad, neglected culdesac. A substantial American Force and all those good french divisions leave italy in august 1944 to invade Southern France near sainttropez as part that have northwest european campaign. And the residual allied forces in italy are not Strong Enough to do more than just inch up the peninsula one damn mountain at a time. Well, was the Italian Campaign a success . By the marching orders given eisenhower in mid1943 knock italy out of the war and contain the maximum number of German Forces, youd have to say, yes, more or less. On june 6th, 1944, the day of invasion in france, there are 22 german divisions in italy. Theyre being occupied. And thats 22 not at normandy and not able to reinforce normandy. By the way, there were 60 german divisions at that time in northwest europe. There are 157 fighting in eastern europe. So italys a relatively small theater. The British Military theorists j. F. C. Fuller called italy tactically the most absurd and strategically the most senseless campaign of the whole war. But before too hastily condemning the strategist of the of 1943 44, its vital to ask what they could have done in lieu of invading sicily and then the italian mainland. There was not enough shipping to move roughly 1 million allied soldiers from north africa back to england or anywhere else. Shipping is the narrow bottleneck through which all strategic decisionmaking must be made in world war ii. British ports, warehouses and the internal Transportation Systems are already overburdened in the uk from the 3 million americans who are gathering there pouring into britain for the normandy operation. They cannot take a few hundred thousand more americans. And as churchill pointed out ad nauseam, the russians would have been very unhappy had the allied force in the mediterranean remained idle after the summer of 1943. Well lets give the last word to ernie pyle. He is in the mediterranean the whole time. And hes heartsick the whole time. Can you tell . Ernie pyle wrote this few of us can ever kwon jury up any truly fond memories of the Italian Campaign. I looked at it this way, if by having a small army in italy weve been able to build up more force s in england and if by sacrificing a few thousand lives we would save 500,000 lives in europe. If those things were true, then it was best as it was. I wasnt sure they were true. I only knew that hi to look at it that way or else i couldnt bear to think of it at all. Thank you so much, i look forward to your questions. [ applause ] thank you. Thank you. So that you will be a good audience