re: #227 William Lewis

That would make sense. Especially if you consider the intensity of the fighting along the Gustav Line and Casino. Plus there were far more victims of German retaliation than when they were nominally allied. Last, ISTR that units of the Italian Army fought alongside Allied Forces and performed far more effectively (though at greater cost) than they did during the African campaigns. I’ll have to get out a copy of Rick Atkinson’s “The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944” again - best single volume on Italy I’ve found.

My father who served on T-AP-183, Henry Gibbins, (army troop ship) at Oran, North Africa, Mediterranean, & Pacific theatre, said the Anzio campaign was the worst he had ever seen during the war.

It was during the Italian campaign, after disembarking US soldiers, the ship was tasked with bringing German & Italian POWs back to the US.

As he told it, the Germans were disinclined to follow ship rules and regulations for POWs, so the ship’s command placed the Italian POWs in charge of the German POWs.

Subsequently things kinda worked themselves out among the POWs on board.