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This month's Forgotten Battle is...
The Battle of Cisterna
Intro
The battle of Cisterna occurred from January 30 to February 2, 1944. It was fought between soldiers of the American 3rd Infantry Division and US Army Rangers against the German 15th Panzergrenadier Division in the Italian town of Cisterna. This three day battle would have a major impact on the Allied Invasion of Italy and forever change the use of rangers in combat.
Part I
In January of 1944, the Allied Invasion of Italy was in full swing. By now, the Anglo-American advance had been stopped at an Axis perimeter called, the Gustav Line. To break the deadlock at the Gustav Line, General John Lucas decided to launch Operation Shingle. The plan was to land two Allied divisions at beaches near the port-city of Anzio. They would then outflank the Germans on the Gustav Line and capture Rome.
On January 22, 1944, thousands of American and British soldiers stormed ashore the beaches of Anzio. After just a single day of fighting they had captured the port. However, General Lucas then ordered his soldiers to fortify the beachhead and prepare for a potential counterattack by the Germans. Unfortunately, this costed the Allies the initiative as the German commander (Field Marshal Albert Kesselring) had no intention of attacking them on the beaches. He simply rushed more German soldiers to occupy the hills surrounding them and contain the Allies.
When the Allies tried to move their soldiers off the beaches of Anzio, they ran into a nearly impenetrable ring of defenses that they were unable to break through. After a week of heavy fighting and no progress, General Lucas decided to launch two simultaneous attacks. One would involve the British 1st Infantry Division moving against German positions in the Alban Hills. The second would be a night infiltration to capture the Italian town of Cisterna. This task would be given to three battalions of US Army Rangers.
Part II
Cisterna was targeted due to its proximity to a crucial communications route between the German position at the Gustav Line to Rome. If the Americans were to capture it, they could cut off the German reinforcements, isolate the defenders on the Gustav Line, and hopefully enable them to break out of the Anzio perimeter. The man chosen to command the operation was, Colonel William Darby.
The 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions (a total of 767 men) were to move under the cover of darkness and capture the town before dawn. They were to then hold it until reinforcements from the 7th and 15th Infantry Regiments and the 3rd Infantry Division. While this was happening, the 4th Ranger Battalion would advance along the Conca-Cisterna Road, clearing mines and knocking out enemy outposts before link up with the first two battalions.
At 1:30 in the morning of January 30, the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions began their advance. For the next few hours, they followed the Mussolini Canal and successfully bypassed numerous German fortifications. But when they reached an open plain 800 yards south of Cisterna, the Germans opened fire. The rangers did not realize until too late that the Germans had anticipated an attack on Cisterna and had rushed an elite panzer division to intercept them (allied intelligence had failed to spot their movements). As soon as the sun came up, the tanks closed in and surrounded the rangers who were both outnumbered and severely outgunned.
Part III
In the thick of the fighting, was Private First Class James Palmer of the 1st Ranger Battalion. He and his fellow rangers found themselves under heavy fire from all sides. They dove for what little cover they could find and tried fight back as best they could. Using their bazookas and grenades, the rangers were able to destroy at least three of the German tanks. But soon after hours of fighting, their ammunition began to dwindle and the Germans kept pouring more of their own soldiers into the fray.
They quickly radioed the 4th Battalion for help. After realizing the situation, Colonel Darby personally led the 4th Battalion up the road to try and reach the trapped rangers. Unfortunately, they ran into a blockade of German defenses that stopped them dead in their tracks. Elements from the 3rd Infantry Division also attempted to relieve the trapped rangers at Cisterna. Among them, was Private First Class Alton Wayne Knappenberger.
On February 1, Knappenberger and his battalion were crossing an open plain when they came under heavy fire from the German counterattack. After seeing the officers all get killed or wounded, he decided to take the initiative and attacked a German machine-gun. While zigzagging to dodge its fire, he eventually got close enough to return-fire, kill its crew, and knock the gun out. When a second machine-gun opened fire, Knappenberger then repeated his actions and knocked this one out as well. He then advanced to a nearby knoll where he was joined by six of his surviving comrades. Together they held their position for several hours and killed at least 60 of the attackers. However, they were all eventually forced to retreat after running out of ammunition.
In spite of their best efforts, it became clear to the rangers of the 1st and 3rd battalions that they were fighting a losing battle. The final straw came on February 2, when the Germans paraded a number of captured Americans before their tanks and threatened to kill them if their comrades didn't surrender. With almost no ammunition left and no hope of relief, the rangers surrendered.
Epilogue
For the American Army Rangers, the battle of Cisterna had been an unequivocal disaster. Of the 767 rangers that had become trapped, only six had managed to escape the encirclement. The rest of them had all been either killed or captured. Among the six to escape was James Palmer. During the fighting, he had successfully killed several Germans before sneaking out through the brush. He was later found walking alone on the Cisterna Road while severely wounded. The German casualties are believed to be around 600 to 800 killed, wounded, or missing.
For his valor during the battle, Alton Knappenberger received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He would continue to see heavy combat for the remainder of the war. In spite of the failure to capture Cisterna, the Americans had successfully managed to push three miles forward from the Anzio perimeter. When the Germans attempted to follow up on their victory with a counter-attack on Anzio, they were pushed back with heavy losses. The town of Cisterna would remain in German hands until May 1944, when the Allies finally broke through the German line. On June 4, they finally liberated Rome.
For the rangers, their part in the Invasion of Italy was over. It became clear to the Allied commanders that they were meant to be used as an elite raiding force instead of a line infantry unit. On June 6, 1944 (D-day), US Army Rangers would earn their redemption when they scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and destroyed the German artillery stationed there. They would continue to accomplish many more missions until the end of World War II.
