Operation Avalanche

DATE: 03/09/2023

TIME (GMT): 18:00

ERA: WW2

MAP(S): Altis

TYPE: COOP

GAME: Arma 3

EVENT: Official

AUTHOR(S): Aris Vuk and Lord for Brothers in Arms

SLOTS: 66 / 92

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RATING: (8)

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Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during WW2. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but the Allies landed in an area defended by German troops. Planned under the name Top Hat, it was supported by the deception plan Operation Boardman.

The landings were carried out by the U.S. Fifth Army, under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark. It comprised the U.S. VI Corps, the British X Corps, and the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, a total of about nine divisions. Its primary objectives were to seize the port of Naples to ensure resupply, and to cut across to the east coast, trapping the Axis troops further south.

In order to draw troops away from the landing ground, Operation Baytown was mounted. This was a landing by the British Eighth Army, under General Sir Bernard Montgomery, in Calabria in the toe of Italy, on 3 September. Simultaneous sea landings were made by the British 1st Airborne Division at the port of Taranto .The Salerno landings were carried out without previous naval or aerial bombardment in order to achieve surprise. Surprise was not achieved.

The Germans had established artillery and machine gun posts and scattered tanks through the landing zones which made progress difficult, but the beach areas were captured. Around 07.00 a concerted counterattack was made by the 16th Panzer Division. It caused heavy casualties but was beaten off. Both the British and the Americans made slow progress, and still had a 10 miles gap between them at the end of day one. They linked up by the end of day two and occupied 35–45 miles of coastline to a depth of 6–7 miles.

Over 12–14 September the Germans organized a concerted counterattack by six divisions of motorized troops, hoping to throw the Salerno beachhead into the sea before it could link with the British Eighth Army. Heavy casualties were inflicted, as the Allied troops were too thinly spread to be able to resist concentrated attacks.The outermost troops were therefore withdrawn in order to reduce the perimeter. The new perimeter was held with the assistance of naval and aerial support, although the German attacks reached almost to the beaches in places.

The outermost troops were therefore withdrawn in order to reduce the perimeter. The new perimeter was held with the assistance of 4,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who air dropped near the hot spots, from strong naval gunfire support, and from well served Fifth Army artillery. The German attacks reached almost to the beaches but ultimately failed.

We will Pradropl at night behind enemy shore lines and try to cut off German reinforcements and create chaos by destroying radar facilities and executing senior German officers.