The Garigliano ( Italian pronunciation: [ɡariʎˈʎaːno] ) is a river in central Italy .
21-712: It forms at the confluence of the rivers Gari (also known as the Rapido) and Liri . Garigliano is actually a deformation of "Gari-Lirano" (which in Italian means something like "Gari from the Liri"). In ancient times the whole course of the Liri and Garigliano was known as the Liris . For the most part of its 40 km (25 mi) length, the Garigliano River marks the border between the Italian regions of Lazio and Campania . In medieval times,
42-733: A bridgehead in the vicinity of the town of Sant' Angelo , to launch attacks on the Gustav Line near Monte Cassino . On May 11, 1944, the Allies launched Operation Diadem which finally resulted in the collapse of the Gustav Line and the capitulation of the German defences along the Winter Line . From May 15–19, the 15th Panzergrenadiers fought a retreating battle through the Aurunci Mountains against
63-843: The 3rd Algerian Infantry and 4th Moroccan Mountain Divisions of the French Expeditionary Corps , commanded by General Alphonse Juin . The 15th Panzergrenadiers fought the rest of the war on the Western Front . It fought in the Battle of the Bulge , where it participated in the Siege of Bastogne and in Operation Blockbuster , serving under the First Parachute Army . It surrendered to
84-557: The Allies were attempting to establish a bridgehead in the vicinity of Sant'Angelo in Thoedice (a frazione of Cassino) to launch attacks on the Gustav Line near Monte Cassino . The assault was opposed by two battalions from the German 15th Panzer Grenadier Division under General-Lieutenant Rudolf Sperl. American troops suffered over 2,000 casualties in the failed assault. On 20 January 1946,
105-615: The Byzantines , Franks , Lombards , and Naples defeated the Garigliano Arabs in the Battle of Garigliano . In 1503, Spanish and French forces fought another battle of Garigliano , in which Piero II de' Medici was drowned, thus control of the Medici family passed to Giovanni de' Medici , later Pope Leo X. The bigger French Army was practically destroyed at little cost to the Spanish, with
126-575: The Italian Campaign of World War II occurred in 1944, along its banks. The river origins from a spring in the center of Cassino, in Piazza Corte, at the foot of Montecassino. It flows underground and reappears in the Villa Comunale, the main public park in the town. In the thermal area known as Varronian Thermal Baths, it increases its discharge considerably from several springs, as well as from
147-443: The 15th Panzergrenadier and its supporting units fell back to defensive positions in the vicinity of San Vittore in the early hours of December 17; they would hold these positions for the next three weeks. Between January 20 and 22 1944, two battalions of the 15th Panzergrenadiers repulsed an ill-conceived assault by the US 36th Infantry Division , when the Allies were attempting to establish
168-481: The 15th Panzergrenadier, commanded by Captain Helmut Meitzel , held strong defensive positions in the town of San Pietro Infine and on the vitally important and strategic Monte Lungo to the southwest. Elements of the 71st Infantry Division , held the German left flank on the heights of Monte Sammucro to the north, while the 29th Panzergrenadier Division held the rear near the town of San Vittore , two miles to
189-552: The 15th Panzergrenadiers among the principal defenders. On September 11, elements of the British 46th Infantry Division encountered stiff resistance from the 15th Panzergrenadier and Hermann Göring Divisions around Salerno itself and to the east. By mid-November 1943, the 15th Panzergrenadier Division had fallen back to help defend the Bernhardt Line in the vicinity of Mignano along Highway 6. On December 7, 1943, two battalions of
210-672: The Second World War...a murderous blunder" that "every man connected with this undertaking knew...was doomed to failure." Clark was absolved of blame by the House of Representatives but never made comment on the Rapido River episode following World War II. On the bridge in Sant'Angelo, known as " Ponte delle quattro battaglie " ("Bridge of the Four Battles"), there is a peace bell in remembrance of
231-567: The US 36th Division Veteran's Association unanimously called for a Congressional inquiry into General Mark Clark's actions during the 36th Infantry Division's disastrous crossing of the Rapido River on the night of 20 January 1944. The petition read: "Be it resolved, that the men of the 36th Division Association petition the Congress of the United States to investigate the river Rapido fiasco and take
SECTION 10
#1732845011176252-455: The blood of the many corpses of soldiers. From 1959 until 1982 there was a BWR nuclear power plant named Garigliano near the town Sessa Aurunca . Gari River The Gari is a short river that flows in Monte Cassino , Italy at the southern end of the region of Lazio . The Battle of Gari River , better known as the Battle of Rapido River , one of the bloodiest battles of
273-664: The casualties of the assaults. There is also memorial to the 2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, which had been one of the first units to cross the Gari River on 12 May 1944. 15th Panzergrenadier Division (Wehrmacht) 15th Panzergrenadier Division was a mobile division of the German Army in World War II. In July 1943 a new 15th Panzergrenadier Division, commanded by Generalleutnant Eberhard Rodt ,
294-578: The island. By August 17, 1943, the 15th Panzergrenadier along with the 29th Infantry , the 1st Parachute and the Hermann Göring Divisions would escape across the Strait of Messina to the mainland and participate in the Italian Campaign . Beginning on September 9, 1943, the Allied invasion of mainland Italy, (code-named Operation Avalanche ), at Salerno and along the beaches to the southeast, found
315-414: The necessary steps to correct a military system that will permit an inefficient and inexperienced officer, such a General Mark W. Clark, in a high command to destroy the young manhood of this country and to prevent future soldiers being sacrificed wastefully and uselessly." Two resolutions were heard in the House of Representatives, one of which claimed the incident was "one of the most colossal blunders of
336-399: The northwest. The 36th Infantry Division , commanded by Major General Fred L. Walker , launched flanking attacks on their right, while the 1st Italian Motorized Group attacked the left up Monte Lungo . The Battle of San Pietro Infine ensued. After ten days of intense attack and counter-attack, the Allies finally succeeded in gaining the high ground on both flanks. With the advantage lost,
357-522: The remnants later surrendering at Gaeta . During the Italian Campaign of World War II , the Liri-Gari-Garigliano rivers stood at the centre of a system of German defensive lines (the most famous of which is the Gustav Line ) around which the battle of Monte Cassino took place in 1943–1944. Rumours tell that the waters of the river ran red in the Cassino area during the famous battle, because of
378-542: The river Rapido . In Sant'Apollinare, few miles south of Cassino, it joins the Liri to form the Garigliano river, which marks the border between Lazio and Campania . The Gari river (erroneously identified as the Rapido) was the site of a bloodily repulsed and ill-conceived assault during the Italian Campaign of World War II by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division , led by Major General Fred Walker from 20–22 January 1944 when
399-510: The river (then known as the Verde ) marked the southern border of the Papal States . Western Roman Emperor Majorian engaged a Vandal raiding party in battle at Garigliano in 457. In the 9th and early 10th centuries, a band of Saracens established themselves on the banks of the river, from where they launched frequent raids on Campania and central Italy. In 915 a coalition of Pope John X ,
420-503: The vicinity of the town of Troina along Highway 120, perched high on the hilltops. This was to become a linchpin of the Etna Line . In pursuit was the US 1st Infantry Division , nicknamed "The Big Red One", commanded by Major General Terry Allen . A six-day battle ensued from August 1–6, 1943, at the end of which, fearing encirclement, the 15th Panzergrenadier retreated down Highway 120 toward Cesaro and later Messina to be evacuated from
441-652: Was formed by redesignating the Sicily Division and incorporated remnants of the former 15th Panzer Division , which had been assigned to North Africa but remained in Sicily due to the collapse of the Afrika Korps. It was not long before it saw action again, this time in Sicily. As the Germans retreated from western Sicily (as a result of the Allied invasion, code-named Operation Husky ), they halted and began setting up defences in
SECTION 20
#1732845011176#175824