Collecting Anzio
Edward Hallett looks at what militaria is available to collect surrounding the Anzio landings
Edward Hallett looks at the uniform, weapon and medals collecting opportunities from the Battle of Anzio. It was a fiercely fought and bloody series of battles and there are some interesting collecting opportunities to explore out there at the moment.
The landings at Anzio and the subsequent battles around the beach head began on 22 January 1944 and the campaign is generally regarded as having concluded with the capture of Rome on 5 June 1944. The landing force was made up of elements of the British, US and Canadian armies and were opposed by a combined German and Italian force.
The uniforms
Landing in January, the Allied Forces wore uniforms more usually associated with the fighting in Western Europe, rather than the light tropical uniforms one might have expected in the Mediterranean with Britain and those forces supplied by the British wearing woollen battledress. War Department Militaria currently has a particularly nice battledress blouse badged up to a sergeant of the 3rd Battalion, Guards Infantry Brigade,
1st Infantry Division. This unit was part of the force that took part in the Anzio landings and the lack of medal ribbons strongly suggests that this particular blouse was for combat rather than walking out operations. The owner’s name is written inside which would make a fascinating research project. It is offered for £725.
One interesting feature of the uniforms worn by the British during Anzio was that many men were equipped with uniforms manufactured in the Unites States as War Aid. These uniforms included woollen battledress and khaki drill tropical clothing as well as items such as shirts, jumpers and underwear. The quality was distinctly better than that manufactured in many other nations and so was prized by
British and Empire troops as it was both smarter and more comfortable to wear. This War Aid clothing was far more common in Italy than in any other theatre of war and makes for a distinct Italian Theatre area of collecting. It is however rather scarcer than equivalent British-made uniform. Regimentals has a pair of War Aid battledress trousers for sale for £225.
The US Army decided that the landings on Anzio would make an ideal place to field test its new M1943 Field Uniform and so it saw limited issue with the 3rd Infantry Division at the Anzio beachhead. The new uniform was made of olive-green waterproof sateen and consisted of a thigh length jacket with four large pockets and a detachable hood. The trousers were loosely cut with buttons at the waist to adjust size. Although the emphasis was on getting them to combat troops for the Anzio landings, there were complaints that rear echelon troops seemed to acquire them at the expense of front-line infantry! The M1943 uniform was the first widely issued uniform system to work on the layering principle. The idea was
that multiple lighter layers were better for the soldier than a smaller number of heavier layers. The layers allowed men to increase or decrease clothing as conditions required and a thin pocket of air was trapped between each layer that was warmed up by body heat and kept the wearer warmer than an equivalent weight of just one or two layers. As well as the aforementioned jackets and trousers, the unform system consisted of shirts, jumpers, liners, hats and hoods to give maximum flexibility to the wearer. Battleflag Militaira has examples of both the jacket, at £125, and trousers for between £95 and £115.
Men of the US Army wore coloured patches on their uniforms indicating which formation they were part of; most falling under the command of the US Fifth Army commanded by Lieutenant General Mark Clark. The badge chosen to represent this unit featured a ‘5’ and an ‘A’ on a blue middle eastern building which in turn was embroidered onto a red background. Bulldog Militaria has an embroidered example for sale at £15. Another famous unit that took part in the Anzio landings was the combined US and Canadian First Special Service Force which took over the defence of the right flank of the landings from the Rangers and proceeded to raid the enemy where their prowess in battle meant the German defenders thought they were up a complete division and the unit was dubbed ‘The Black Devils’. Needless to say, any items relating to special forces commands a premium and the distinctive insignia of the First Special Service Force is highly prized. The patch consists of a red arrowhead with the names of the two countries, USA and Canada, embroidered on it in white. British Empire Militaria has an original patch for sale at £220.
Most of the uniform worn by the German defenders was typical of the combat clothing of the period, however there are some nice pieces of unique insignia for collectors to look out for.
The 1st Fallschirmjager Korps was one of the elite German units involved in the defence of the Anzio beachhead and troops of this corps were issued with a unique badge to be worn on the side of their feldmutze by Oberkomando der Heeresgruppe C. The badge was manufactured locally in Milan by G Bregonzio in 1944 and consisted of a 26mm high parachute in the German national colours of red, white and black. The Militaria Dealers has a nice example with its original backing card for £350.
Collecting equipment
An unusual area of collecting in the UK would be Italian Army equipment. The Italians are largely ignored in favour of German militaria, but their equipment offers a fascinating range of new items for a collector to focus on. Britton at War has an example of the standard Italian Army water bottle for sale at £30. It is made of aluminium with a rubber plug secured with a short length of chain and very distinctive in design compared to those used by other nations with fluting
around the body of the water bottle to aid grip. Another nice item of Italian equipment currently available is an Italian gas mask haversack offered by World
War Wonders for £45. Although it was unlikely gas would be used by this stage in the war, it always remained a possibility that armies had to prepare for and so all sides issued their men with respirators throughout the war, even if the men occasionally tossed the masks to allow the bags to be used for items they felt were more useful.
The Italian respirator haversack is quite large compared to other nations and has a shoulder strap with a top flap secured by two studs. The example offered by World War Wonders has had the interior dividers removed, perhaps by an Italian soldier to make it more useful as a general purpose haversack.
To accompany your Italian equipment, you will need a rifle and JC Militaria has an example of the Carcano rifle, manufactured in 1939 by the Terni Arsenal, for sale for £595. Sadly this rifle is deactivated, however the bolt and trigger still moves and this example is an early EU specification so it cocks and dry fires as well as being strippable.
The medals
All British and Canadian troops who fought in the Italian campaign, and thus those at Anzio, were entitled to the Italian Star campaign medal. This medal followed standard Commonwealth practice and featured a six-pointed brass star with the royal cypher in the centre and the title in a ring around this. The medal was hung from a ribbon incorporating the Italian flag’s colours of red, white and green. These medals are not named and so prices are low with examples averaging £18 each.
The US did not issue a specific medal for either Anzio or service in Italy, however those who fought in the campaign were entitled to the European African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. The obverse of this medal features a scene of a landing with ships, landing craft, aircraft and troops to represent all the services. The reverse has an American eagle and the dates ‘1941’ and ‘1945’. The medal is hung from a ribbon made up of stripes of brown to represent the sands of North Africa, Irish green, white and scarlet to represent Italy, a further stripe of Irish green for the green fields of Europe, stripes of blue, white and scarlet to represent the continued American defence
after Pearl Harbour and white, black and white stripes to represent Germany. Examples are a little scarce in Europe, however examples can be purchased from the States for around $50 each.
One particularly interesting British medal group is currently being offered by DCM Medals for £185. This grouping consists of a boxed 193945 Star, Italian Star and War Medal and the accompanying paperwork indicates the grouping was awarded to the late J Haley, REME. Craftsman Joseph Haley was killed in action aged 21 at Anzio on 28 April 1944 and is buried at the Anzio Beach Head War Cemetery. Groupings like this one are unusual in that it can be tied to a particular soldier and particular battle, normally the medals are unnamed, but the accompanying paperwork and box give full details that allows it to be linked directly to a casualty and make it far more poignant than odd individual medals can ever be.
Ephemera
In the hope of persuading German troops to surrender without a fight, the Allies air dropped safe conduct passes to the enemy. A soldier could pick one of these up and surrender to the allies, assured of good treatment and safe passage to a POW camp. It is questionable if these had any effect whatsoever, but they were dropped in large quantities before Anzio in the hope of softening up the opposition. Examples used in the Italian theatre have the signature of Harold Alexander, the Allied Supreme Commander, printed on them. WD Militaria has an Italian example for £45.
Air cover was essential to the landings at Anzio and pilots always risked being shot down over enemy territory. If this happened, they would try to escape back to the Allies rather than being captured and maps were essential. These maps were printed on either silk or tissue, allowing a very large map to fold down to a small size to be carried in a pocket.
Maps were issued that covered Italy, Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia on one sheet and showed principle towns and villages and the roads and railways between them to allow an airman to navigate to safety. Bulldog Militaria has an example of the tissue map of Italy and the surrounding region for sale at £65 and framed this would make an interesting feature on the wall of a collection room or even in the living room.
Souvenirs
For something truly unique, WD Militaria has a delightful handmade bracelet put together by a soldier for his sweetheart that has a series of engraved links with each campaign or battle he was involved in, including Anzio. This bracelet has a charming quality, it is hardly fine art but was clearly made with love by someone who was actually there, a bargain at £45.
One item that was very popular for soldiers to take as souvenirs were flags of their enemies. The Italian flag before 1945 was very distinctive having the arms of the House of Savoy, a red shield with white cross, emblazoned on the white panel of the Italian tricolour flag. These were acquired by British and French troops and brought home as a souvenir. Today they make a fantastic backdrop to any Anzio themed display and The Militaria Dealers has one in a manageable 89cm x 42cm size for £125.