36,000 Allied troops had already disembarked by the prior midnight, 13 had been killed, and 200 German prisoners of war taken, including a drunk German officer and orderly who had driven his staff car into an Allied landing craft. There'd be 50,000 troops on the ground by the end of the day.
Allied troops, under Lucas' command, took up forming defensive positions in anticipation of a counterattack, a decision that was soon controversial, and frankly, a mistake. This is interesting for a variety of reasons, one of which is that Lucas was originally a cavalry officer, with cavalry being the only branch in the U.S. Army that was dedicated to battlefield mobility and had a doctrine of always moving forward.That view as not shared by the other branches. Having said that, Lucas had transferred out of the cavalry after World War One.
The German forces did debate what to do. Kesselring, in command in Italy, believed the Gustav Line could be held along with the beachhead at Anzio. Von Vietinghoff favored withdrawing from the Gustav Line. The German High Command, meanwhile, allocated reserved from France, northern Italy and the Balkans to the effort.
By the week's end, the Allies would be facing 8 German divisions at Anzio.
The HMS Janus as sunk off shores by a Fritz X.
The Australian Army took Maukiryo in New Guinea.
The Detroit Red Wings beat the New York Rangers 15 to 0, which apparently remains a hockey record.
Pistol Packin' Mama was number one on the country charts.
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