The Allied invasion of the Italian peninsula started on 3 September 1943 with minor landings in the toe of Italy, with the intention to divert the Germans from the main invasion area near Salerno. On 9 September, one day after the Italians had signed the armistice, the Allied main force landed at Salerno (Operation Avalanche).Discover a beautiful 26 km trail that will bring you from a bunker to a museum, an historical landing beach and a War Cemetery.

Italy

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battipaglia beach

The landing at Salerno

The old medieval tower, which was the observation point of the German stronghold, is now just a few steps away from the beach, near the bridge over the river. Near the beach, a marble plaque on a trunk brought in by the sea commemorates the soldiers who died there.The Battipaglia beach landing sector was assigned to the 8th and 9th Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers of the 167th Brigade of the British 56th Division. The area was defended by the 64th Panzergranadier Regiment and occupied the coastal stronghold Scharnorst, whose artillery caused many problems for the Allied naval forces. When they reached the shore, the men of Company Z of the 8th Battalion, with a side assault on the German stronghold, silenced the gun battery. The 9th had the objective of annihilating another German battery with 88 mm cannons located near the coast. However, it was preceded by the destroyer Biscaynz, which destroyed it with its cannons. The 9th Battalion had no choice but to conquer some German machine-gun nests stationed on the beach and then continue the advance towards Battipaglia.In 2017, the Mu.Bat project was launched, offering to undertake a path to re-evaluate the town's history through the preservation of memory, the emergence of collective knowledge and its dissemination, beginning by reaffirming the key role that Battipaglia played in the days of Operation 'Avalanche'. Subsequently, the '9 settembre' Study Centre was also founded by the Mu.Bat Association to carry out research and dissemination activities, with the aim of emphasising the importance of the Italian campaign in the context of WWII. Furthermore, every year the Mu.Bat Association organises a historical re-enactment of the landing: a true representation of the moments of September 1943 with the possibility for the public to observe reconstructions of the fighting.

Battipaglia Beach

This defensive stronghold was built between 1941 and 1943 by the soldiers of the 222nd Italian Coastal Division, and consisted of around twenty posts of various types, with the aim of defending the access routes in the southern area of Salerno. It was occupied by the Germans between 8 and 9 September 1943 and used against the British who occupied those hills in the hours following the landing. Today, the house-shaped façade facing the street has almost completely disappeared and the entrance has been closed to the public.Today, the Bellara Hill is known as Masso della Signora (Lady's Rock) because of its particular shape. The Hill separates downtown from the new eastern districts, and during WWII became the scene of fighting between the Anglo-American allies and Nazi-Fascist troops. The bunker, equipped with a machine gun and a small anti-tank gun, controlled the central part of the stronghold and the road that ran alongside it. The side facing the driveway leading to Giovi was camouflaged with the façade of a house, while the side to the east, facing the sea, was camouflaged partly with the fake roof of the house and partly with camouflage material. Following the road downhill on the left, a few metres from the bunker, there is one of the many circular single-weapon emplacements in the area. This has a turret with loopholes and an underground chamber.The area is now involved in the MAPPAMI SALERNO project (Mapping Salerno's military posts), which, in collaboration with the M.O.A. of Eboli and the Faculty of Computer Engineering of the University of Salerno, has as its main aim the census of all military posts, facilities and works in the province. Furthermore, a team of researchers began the restoration and conservation of the military posts present a few years ago.

Salerno Bunker

The fallen soldiers are distinguished within the cemetery in this way: 1653 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 27 from Canada, 10 Australians, 3 from New Zealand, 9 from South Africa, 53 fallen soldiers from India and Pakistan, 109 unknown, one Russian and a plaque commemorating a fallen soldier from the Great War, whose grave had been lost in previous years.The British military cemetery in Salerno is directly managed by the British government, or rather by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, a special commission within the organisation that brings together all the territories belonging to the British crown. The cemetery was designed by Louis de Soissons, an English architect of French descent. De Soissons lost a son in the landing and, as if it were a duty to his memory, ended up signing the plans for no less than fifty British military shrines in Italy including, in addition to the one in Salerno, the memorials in Fiesole, Rome and Cesena. There were 23,000 of them on 9 September 1943. They landed at Paestum - a little further south - to carry out Operation Avalanche, i.e. the avalanche that was supposed to sweep Italy in the aftermath of the armistice signed only the day before by emissaries of the House of Savoy and General Castellano. Just under two thousand, however, stopped here. British, Americans, Australians and New Zealanders. Irish and Scottish, Africans and even some Jews. Of all ages, ranks, military corps and qualifications. Not all the graves have names: one hundred and seven, even today, remain unknown. Perhaps the most distinguished of these is that of Captain of second commando Henry Valerian George Duke of Wellington, who fell on 16 September on the Salerno front. There is also a small building in the cemetery that holds the registers of the fallen and the diary for visitors.

Salerno English War Cemetery

Set up in 2012 on the initiative of the association 'Parco della Memoria della Campania', the museum is located on the eastern outskirts of the city of Salerno and it is dedicated to Operation Avalanche and the fighting between the Anglo-Americans and Germans that took place from 9 September 1943, and to the historical phase in which Salerno was chosen as the capital of liberated Italy, between 11 February and 15 July 1944. Intended by the Allies as the third phase of the Italian campaign, after the landings in Sicily in July 1943 and in Calabria on 3 September, the landing at Salerno led to the establishment of a bridgehead aimed at the conquest of the southern areas of the peninsula and, first and foremost, Naples. The museum is home to a permanent exhibition on Operation Avalanche that occupies several pavilions rented by the Campania Region. The exhibits, from the collection of the 'Parco della memoria della Campania' association, number around 200, including posters, flyers, uniforms, helmets, flags, weapons, as well as various Italian, Allied and German military equipment, and are accompanied by a number of wall panels illustrating the historical phases, including those relating to the period of Salerno as capital city. The collection continues outside, where other memorabilia is placed, including an M4 Sherman tank, two pieces of Italian anti-aircraft artillery, a landing pontoon and a plumbed railway car, used by the Nazis to deport Italian Jews to concentration camps, added to the exhibition (only temporarily) on Remembrance Day on 27 January 2013. The wagon, a rare reminder of WWII, was one of those heading to Auschwitz. Several dozen deportees were crammed inside who, due to the poor conditions, often died during the journey. The museum is frequently visited not only by school groups, but also by associations and tourists, and it is often the site of official visits by representatives of the NATO armed forces. Private visits by relatives of Anglo-American soldiers who took part in the landing are also very frequent. The museum can only be visited by appointment.

Museum of the Landing and Salerno Capital

The Allied invasion of the Italian peninsula started on 3 September 1943 with minor landings in the toe of Italy, with the intention to divert the Germans from the main invasion area near Salerno. On 9 September, one day after the Italians had signed the armistice, the Allied main force landed at Salerno (Operation Avalanche). The invasion force, under command of General Mark Clark, comprised of the U.S. 5th Army, the 82nd Airborne Division and the British X Corps. Prior to the landing no preparatory bombardment was executed in order to secure the element of surprise. This however proved to be in vain. The Germans had defensive troops in the area. Despite this setback the Allies managed to land and secure a 35 mile broad beachfront. On 12 September the German 10th Army counterattacked the bridgehead; it could barely be held. The German counterattack led to heavy casualties and, at some points, reached the beaches. In the end the German counterattack failed because Hitler refused Field-Marshal Kesselring to employ more troops. For the Allies Operation Avalanche did not bring the quick advance through Italy that was hoped for. They were stopped at the German Gustav Line, centred around Monte Cassino. Rome itself was not reached before 4 June 1944. In spite of his weak planning General Clark was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his brave conduct. Clark was frequently seen in the most forward positions encouraging his troops.

The Allied landing at Salerno on 9 September 1943 coincided with the proclamation of the armistice of the Kingdom of Italy and marked the beginning of the liberation campaign of the Italian mainland. It failed to enforce a quick advance to Rome and gave way to the bloody operations centred around Monte Cassino.

The Allied invasion of the Italian peninsula started on 3 September 1943 with minor landings in the toe of Italy, with the intention to divert the Germans from the main invasion area near Salerno. On 9 September, one day after the Italians had signed the armistice, the Allied main force landed at Salerno (Operation Avalanche). The invasion force, under command of General Mark Clark, comprised of the U.S. 5th Army, the 82nd Airborne Division and the British X Corps.

Prior to the landing no preparatory bombardment was executed in order to secure the element of surprise. This however proved to be in vain. The Germans had defensive troops in the area. Despite this setback the Allies managed to land and secure a 35 mile broad beachfront. On 12 September the German 10th Army counterattacked the bridgehead; it could barely be held.
The German counterattack led to heavy casualties and, at some points, reached the beaches. In the end the German counterattack failed because Hitler refused Field-Marshal Kesselring to employ more troops.

For the Allies Operation Avalanche did not bring the quick advance through Italy that was hoped for. They were stopped at the German Gustav Line, centred around Monte Cassino. Rome itself was not reached before 4 June 1944. In spite of his weak planning General Clark was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his brave conduct. Clark was frequently seen in the most forward positions encouraging his troops.

Landing at Salerno

Percorso auto luoghi dello sbarco

Liberation Route Europe is a Council of Europe certified cultural route connecting people, places and events in order to remember the liberation of Europe from Nazi-Fascist occupation during the Second World War and to reflect on the long-term consequences of the war through a scientific and pluralistic approach.With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route connects the main regions along the axis followed by the Allied forces in 1943-1945.LRE Italy is proud to present a new touristic and cultural proposal the “Liberation Route Europe Trails in Italy”. This ambitious project aims to create an Italian system of memorial trails from North to South and connecting the regions affected by the liberation of Italy.You can discover and visit museums, monuments and landmarks while discovering moving stories and the very first Liberation Route Italy themed routes.

The landing at Salerno

Sites and stories along the route

Battipaglia Beach

Salerno Bunker

Salerno English War Cemetery

Museum of the Landing and Salerno Capital

Landing at Salerno