The Allied invasion of Italy in 1943 was envisaged as a swift push on Rome. Yet, as James Holland explains, by the end of the year, the campaign was stymied by German defences far from the capital
Battle of Anzio, (January 22–June 5, 1944) World War II battle, fought during the Italian Campaign. Some 50,000 Allied troops staged an amphibious landing (codenamed Operation Shingle) at Anzio, 33 miles (53 km) south of Rome, in an effort to bypass the strong German defenses along the Gustav Line.