Ukusebenza kokufika eGulf of Salerno: September 1943, ingxenye 1
Ama-Paratroopers e-US 220th Corps ahlala eGulf of Salerno eduze kwasePaestum esuka endaweni yezandla i-LCI(L)-XNUMX.
Ukuhlasela kwe-Italy kwaqala ngoJulayi 1943 ngokufika kwe-Allied eSicily (Operation Husky). Isigaba esilandelayo kwaba umsebenzi wokumisa eGulf of Salerno, okwanikeza indawo eqinile yezwekazi lase-Italy. Umbuzo wokuthi kungani, empeleni, babedinga lesi sihloko sebhuloho wawunempikiswano.
Nakuba ngemva kokunqoba kwama-Allies eNyakatho Afrika, ukuqondiswa kokuhlasela kusuka eTunisia kudlule eSicily kuya eNhlonhlweni yase-Apennine kwabonakala njengokuqhubeka okunengqondo, empeleni lokhu kwakungenjalo neze. AbaseMelika babekholelwa ukuthi indlela emfushane yokunqoba uMbuso Wesithathu yayidlula eNtshonalanga Yurophu. Beqaphela ukwanda okwandayo kwamasosha abo ePacific, bafuna ukuqeda ukuhlasela ngaphesheya kwe-English Channel ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka. AbaseBrithani baphambene. Ngaphambi kokufika eFrance, uChurchill wayethemba ukuthi iJalimane izopha i-Eastern Front, ukuhlasela kwamasu kwakuzobhubhisa amandla akhe ezimboni, futhi uzophinde abe nomthelela eBalkan naseGrisi ngaphambi kokuba amaRussia angene. Kodwa-ke, ngaphezu kwakho konke wayesaba ukuthi ukuhlasela okuqondile odongeni lwase-Atlantic kwakuzoholela ekulahlekelweni amaBrithani ayengeke akwazi ukukukhokhela. Ngakho wasibambezela leso sikhathi, ethemba ukuthi kwakungeke kwenzeke nhlobo. Indlela engcono kakhulu yokwenza lokhu kwakuwukubandakanya umlingani emisebenzini eningizimu yeYurophu.
Ukudubula okuvela kuNombolo 111 Squadron RAF e-Comiso; ngaphambili kukhona i-Mk IX, ngemuva kukhona i-Mk V endala (ene-propeller enezinsimbi ezintathu).
Ekugcineni, ngisho nabaseMelika kwadingeka bavume ukuthi - ikakhulukazi ngenxa yokuntuleka kwezinto - ukuvulwa kwalokhu okubizwa ngokuthi i-front yesibili eNtshonalanga Yurophu ngaphambi kokuphela kuka-1943 kwakunethuba elincane lokuphumelela nokuthi uhlobo oluthile "lwesihloko esithatha indawo" kwakudingeka. Isizathu sangempela sokuhlasela kweSicily ngalelo hlobo kwakuyisifiso sokubandakanya amabutho ase-Anglo-American eYurophu ekusebenzeni okukhulu kangangokuthi amaRussia awazange azizwe sengathi ayelwa noHitler yedwa. Kodwa-ke, isinqumo sokufika eSicily asizange sikuqede ukungabaza kwama-Allies aseNtshonalanga ngokuthi yini okufanele ayenze ngokulandelayo. Engqungqutheleni ye-Trident eWashington ngoMeyi 1, abaseMelika bakwenza kwacaca ukuthi i-Operation Overlord kufanele yethulwe kungakapheli uMeyi wonyaka olandelayo. Umbuzo wawuwukuthi yini okufanele yenziwe ngaphambi kwamabutho angaphansi komhlaba, ukuze angami angenzi lutho nezikhali ezinyaweni zawo, futhi ngakolunye uhlangothi, angachithi amabutho azodingeka ngokushesha ukuvula i-front yesibili. Abantu baseMelika baphikelela ukuthi ekwindla ka-1943, ngemva kokuthunjwa okulindelekile kweSicily, iSardinia neCorsica kuthathwe, bekubona njengezisekelo zokuhlasela okuzayo kweNingizimu yeFrance. Ngaphezu kwalokho, umsebenzi onjalo wawudinga izinsiza ezilinganiselwe futhi wawungaqedwa ngokushesha uma kuqhathaniswa. Kodwa-ke, le nzuzo yaba yinkinga enkulu kakhulu emehlweni abantu abaningi - ukusebenza kwezinga elincane kangaka akuzange kulandele imigomo yomhlaba wonke: akuzange kudonse amasosha aseJalimane e-Eastern Front, akwanelisi umphakathi, bomele izindaba zokunqoba okukhulu.
Ngaso leso sikhathi, uChurchill nosomaqhinga bakhe babephusha izinhlelo ngokuhambisana nomqondo wombuso waseBrithani. Babopha ama-allies ukuze banqobe indawo eseningizimu yenhlonhlo yase-Italy - hhayi ukuthi basuke lapho baye eRoma futhi baye enyakatho, kodwa ukuze bathole amakamu ayisisekelo okuhlasela kweBalkan. Baphikisa ngokuthi ukuhlinzwa okunjalo kuzophuca isitha ukufinyelela emithonjeni yemvelo etholakala lapho (okuhlanganisa uwoyela, i-chromium nethusi), kubeke engcupheni imigqa yokuhlinzeka ngasempumalanga futhi kukhuthaze ababambisene bendawo kaHitler (iBulgaria, iRomania, iCroatia neHungary) ukuthi ukushiya umfelandawonye naye kuzoqinisa abalandeli eGreece futhi ngokunokwenzeka kudonsele iTurkey ohlangothini lweGrand Coalition.
Nokho, kubantu baseMelika, icebo lokuhlasela izwe ekujuleni kweBalkan lazwakala njengohambo oluya ndawo, olubopha amabutho abo ukuthi ubani owaziyo ukuthi isikhathi esingakanani. Noma kunjalo, ithemba lokufika eNhlonhlweni yase-Apennine lalilinga ngesinye isizathu - lingaholela ekuthunjweni kwe-Italy. Ukusekelwa kwamaNazi lapho kwakuncipha ngokushesha, ngakho kwakunethuba langempela lokuthi izwe liphume empini ngesikhathi sokuqala. Nakuba kwase kuyisikhathi eside iJalimane iyeka ukuba umsizi wezempi, izigaba zase-Italy ezingu-31 zazibekwe emazweni aseBalkan nantathu eFrance. Nakuba babedlala indima yokubamba iqhaza kuphela noma beqaphe ugu, isidingo sokubabuyisela esikhundleni ngebutho labo sizophoqelela amaJalimane ukuba enze amabutho abalulekile ayewadinga kwenye indawo. Kuzodingeka banikeze imali eyengeziwe ukuze kuhlalwe i-Italy uqobo. Abahleli abambisene babeqiniseka ngisho nokuthi esimweni esinjalo iJalimane yayizohlehla, inikele lonke izwe, noma okungenani ingxenye yalo eseningizimu, ngaphandle kokulwa. Ngisho nalokho bekungaba yimpumelelo enkulu - ethafeni elizungeze idolobha laseFoggia kwakukhona inkimbinkimbi yezindiza lapho amabhomu amakhulu ayengagasela khona izindawo zokuhluzwa uwoyela eRomania noma izikhungo zezimboni e-Austria, Bavaria naseCzechoslovakia.
"AmaNtaliyane azogcina izwi lawo"
Ngosuku lokugcina lukaJuni, uJenene u-Eisenhower wazisa i-Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) ukuthi uhlelo lwekwindla ka-1943 lwalenza lincike emandleni nasekuphenduleni kwamaJalimane kanye nesimo sengqondo samaNtaliyane esikhathini esiyizinsuku eziyishumi. Ukuhlasela kweSicily kamuva.
Lesi sikhundla sokulandela ngokweqile sachazwa ngokwezinga elithile ukungaqiniseki kuka-Eisenhower ngokwakhe, ngaleso sikhathi owayengakabi umkhuzi omkhulu, kodwa futhi nangokuqaphela kwakhe isimo esinzima azithola ekuso. I-CCS yayidinga ukuthi, ngemva kokuphela kokulwela iSicily, ithumele izigaba eziyisikhombisa ezinolwazi kakhulu (ezine zaseMelika nezithathu zaseBrithani) emuva eNgilandi, lapho zazizolungiselela ukuhlasela ngaphesheya kwe-English Channel. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, izinduna zabasebenzi zazilindele ukuthi u-Eisenhower, ngemva kokunqotshwa kweSicily, aqhube omunye umsebenzi eMedithera, omkhulu ngokwanele ukuphoqa amaNtaliyane ukuba azinikele futhi amaJalimane adonse amasosha engeziwe eMpumalanga Front. Njengokungathi lokho akwanele, i-CCS yakhumbuza ukuthi indawo yalo msebenzi kufanele ibe ngaphakathi "kwesambulela sokuzivikela" sabalwi bayo. Iningi lamabutho e-Allied fighter kule ndawo ayeyi-Spitfires, uhla lwawo lokulwa lwalungaba ngu-300 km kuphela. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuze ukuhlala okunjalo kube nethuba lokuphumelela, ichweba elikhulu nesikhumulo sezindiza kuzodingeka kube eduze, ukuthunjwa kwakho okuzovumela ukuhlinzeka nokwandisa izinqaba.
Phakathi naleso sikhathi, izindaba ezivela eSicily azizange zikhuthaze ithemba. Nakuba amaNtaliyane anikezela lesi siqephu sendawo yawo ngaphandle kokuphikiswa okukhulu, amaJalimane asabela ngentshiseko emangalisayo, ahoxa ethukuthele. Ngenxa yalokho, u-Eisenhower wayengazi ukuthi enzeni ngokulandelayo. Ngomhla ziyi-18 kuJulayi kuphela lapho acela khona imvume yokuqala ku-CCS ukuze afike eCalabria - uma enza isinqumo esinjalo (wathola imvume ezinsukwini ezimbili kamuva). Ezinsukwini ezimbalwa kamuva, ngobusuku bangoJulayi 25, iRadio Rome, ngokungalindelekile kwabahlanganyeli, yabika ukuthi inkosi yayimkhiphile uMussolini emandleni, esikhundleni sakhe kwafaka uMarshal Badoglio, futhi ngaleyo ndlela yaqeda ukubusa kobuFascist e-Italy. Nakuba undunankulu omusha ememezele ukuthi impi iyaqhubeka; AmaNtaliyane azogcina izwi lawo, uhulumeni wakhe ngokushesha waqala izingxoxo eziyimfihlo nabalingani. Lezi zindaba zafaka ku-Eisenhower ithemba elikhulu kangangokuthi wakholelwa empumelelweni yohlelo, ngaphambili olwalubhekwa njengombono nje - lwahlala kude enyakatho yeCalabria, eNaples. Umsebenzi waqanjwa ngekhodi ethi Avalanche (Avalanche).
