Us Official Photographs

At 2 A.M. on the morning of January 22, 1944 American and British

the morning of January 22, 1944 American and British Army forces landed on the shores of western Italy, at points varying from 16 to 30 miles below Rome. This amphibious operation, aimed partially at Rome itself, but also at cutting off the German 10th Army facing the Anglo-American Fifth Army further south on the Italian boot. The landing forces faced practically no opposition during the first 6 hours of their advance inland to cut the roads leading north and south and paralleling the coast. About 8 A.M. 5 Nazi planes roared over the beachhead, bombing and strafing the landing forces. This composite photo, made at 10:30 A.M. by U. S. Army Air Forces fliers, shows some of the large numbers of ships used by the Allies in their attack. From top to bottom of the picture the distance is about 6 miles. The mosaic pattern of the sea in this photo is the result of patching and overlaying different photos to make this composite whole. Note bursts of smoke among boats at the shoreline. Other forces landed north of Anzio, on a portion of the beach not visible in this photo.