Operation Avalanche (Salerno) 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the WWII Memorial

On Sunday, September 9th at 11:30 a.m., the Friends of the National World War II Memorial will host a brief ceremony and wreath presentation at the World War II Memorial's Atlantic Arch to mark the 75th anniversary of Operation Avalanche, the 1943 Allied landings near the port of Salerno as part of the Allied invasion of Italy.

On September 9, 1943, U.S. and British troops landed around Salerno with the primary objectives to seize the port of Naples to ensure resupply and to cut across to the east coast, trapping the Axis troops further south. The U.S. 5th Army under Lieutenant General Mark Clark landed along the Salerno coastline while British Commando units and their American counterparts, the U.S. Rangers, landed on the peninsula itself. Rockets launched from landing craft provided cover. However, the German Army, with some Italian troops coerced into service, mounted a heavy counterattack on the beachhead. General Clark called in the 82nd Airborne for support, and by the 15th, Salerno was in Allied hands. Heavy naval and air bombardment, along with a parachute drop by elements of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, had saved the forces from any danger of being driven back into the sea. This combined with the approach of the British Eighth Army, comprised of the 1st Canadian and Fifth British Infantry Divisions under General Bernard Montgomery, the Germans began to retreat. With the Salerno beachhead secure, the 5th Army could begin to attack northwest towards Naples and by early October, the whole of southern Italy was in Allied hands.

During the September 9th ceremony at the World War II Memorial, WWII veterans and representatives of the Allied Nations that took part in the campaign will present wreaths at the Atlantic Arch of the Memorial in honor of the 190,000 Allies who served and in remembrance of the more than 13,000 Allies killed, wounded, and missing during Operation Avalanche.

If you are a World War II veteran, or know of one, who would like to participate in the
Operation Avalanche (Salerno) 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the Memorial,
please email hrotondi@wwiimemorialfriends.org!

We hope you'll join us on September 9th at the WWII Memorial!

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial's WWII 75th Anniversary Commemoration is generously sponsored by AT&T.

Generous support has also been provided by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation and Worthington Industries.