Us Official Photographs

Operation Strangle in middle Italy

Marshalling yards throughout middle Italy were pounded for weeks by medium bombers and fighter-bombers of First Tactical Air Force as part of the plan called "Operation Strangle", designed to choke off the supply lines that the Hun needs for the support of his armies on the Cassino and Anzio fronts. Purpose of the attacks on marshalling yards was not to make permanent cuts in the rail lines, but only to deny to the Hun the use of the yards, force him to jam all his freight into yards in Northern Italy. Those yards then become targets for the longer ranged bombers of the 15th AAF, the Forts and Libs and night raiding Wellingtons of the RAF. The three pictures show what the Mitchells of Tactical did to the yards at Orte, on the Florence-Rome line. JUN 5 1944