Johnstonians do their part in Italian campaign By Benjamin Sanderford | Photo by Johnston County Heritage Center
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t was the summer of 1944, and U.S. troops had just liberated Rome. Edward E. Ryan of Wilson’s Mills was among the men who passed through the Eternal City. In a letter to his brother, Hubert, written in August, Ryan described the Italian capital as “a beautiful place” that he had spent “many months of hard fighting” to reach. He had indeed. The Italian campaign of World War II had already lasted a year and would continue for another. Although overshadowed by the fighting on other fronts, the soldiers deployed to Italy from Johnston County and their partners from all over the world would play a key role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. It began on July 10, 1943, when Allied landing craft sped towards the beaches of southern Sicily. Allied leaders hoped that a successful invasion of Italian territory would destabilize the regime of Benito Mussolini, thereby robbing the Germans of their chief Axis partner. They had reason to be optimistic.
Sgt. Norwood Dorman, of Benson, poses in front of a World War I memorial in Sicily.
through Sicily, overpowering the poorly equipped Italian troops and outnumbered German forces. Sgt. Norwood Dorman of Benson was caught resting next to a World War I memorial in Brolo, west of Messina, by an Army photographer who snapped a picture that would make headlines back home. Meanwhile, pressure mounted on Italian officials to find a way out. Finally, on July 25, the Fascist Grand Council voted to remove Mussolini from office.
With his dream of a restored Roman Empire in tatters, Mussolini’s popularity, and that of his Fascist Party, had plummeted.
The Germans quickly evacuated Sicily and prepared to defend the mainland unaided. After secret negotiations with the Allies, the new Italian government agreed to switch sides and officially declared war on Germany on Sept. 8.
The Allies advanced steadily
The Germans reacted before
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the Italian army was ready, confronting individual units with demands to disarm. Those who resisted were treated with all the brutality reserved for enemies of the Third Reich. The Allies landed in southern Italy that same month. Wharton reckoned that the main landings at Salerno, south of Naples, encountered more resistance than any other operation in which he took part. The German divisions were stubborn, but, they fell back when secondary Allied forces threatened their flank. Most Italians had long resented the Germans’ arrogant disdain for them and, therefore, welcomed the Allies. In fact, the people of Naples revolted in late September, forcing the occupiers to hasten their retreat. Many Italian soldiers who escaped captivity joined the fight against the Nazis.
Led by General Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, the Germans built a series of fortified lines across the peninsula. Many Allied soldiers died fighting through them, including Lieutenant Ralph S. Stevens, a former member of the Smithfield Board of Commissioners. He died on Dec. 22 and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. By Jan. 1944, the survivors had reached the Gustav Line. Allied commanders decided to outflank it with an amphibious operation at Anzio, 30 miles south of Rome. The U.S. VI Corps made landfall on Jan. 22. Unfortunately, its commander, Major Gen. John P. Lucas, was too timid to exploit his success. While he hesitated, Kesselring rushed reinforcements to pin down the Americans. Soldiers
