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MAYO bombarding beach at Salerno against German counterattack.
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Official Navy statistics reveal that the USS Mayo fired 60% of all expended 5" artillery at Salerno.
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War Cruise-- USS MAYO DD422 | |
Battle of Salerno, Italy
Salerno was another step in the strategy to penetrate the soft underbelly of Europe. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) increasingly wanted to give its priority to a cross channel invasion of western Europe. Prime Minister Churchill wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability any defender of Central Europe would have in attacks from the south, originating from Italy eastward. He had taken this route in WW I campaigns and though defeated then, anticipated that the WW II Allies could accomplish decisive war objectives with the appropriate disposition of Mediterranean-based forces.
Prime Minister Churchill was not opposed to the cross channel invasion but it was not a 1943 priority for him. Increasingly, U.S. commanders got the impression that it might not even be a 1944 priority for the PM. Moving up the Italian peninsula, therefore, fit Churchill's idea of the strategy that should be employed. Interestingly, the Southern France invasion of August 1944 found the U.S. and England switching sides on the importance of the Mediterranean. The south of France did not fit Churchill's soft underbelly focus but it did fit the U.S. concept of leverage once the cross channel invasion of France had begun.
From a naval perspective, a British-American naval force was to land the Fifth Army of Lt. General Mark Clark, where these troops were to secure Salerno and then head to Naples. The code name for this attack was Operation AVALANCHE.
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MAYO seen supporting the landings of the Fifth Army as a minesweeper lays smoke.
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Admiral Cunningham, RN, as Commander-In-Chief- of the Mediterranean, headed up the overall naval forces structure. Admiral Hewitt, in a fully equipped flagship, USS Ancon, had the responsibility for all amphibious forces and for Royal Navy covering forces; the big ships further offshore. The Northern Attack Force was led by British Commodore Oliver RN and the Southern Attack Force aimed at its assigned beaches at Paestum was led by U.S. Rear Admiral Hall.
Aboard Ancon was General Mark Clark, commanding the newly designated U.S. 5th Army. This Army was to be put ashore in the U.S. sector, which was southeast of the British sector. An important new U.S. Army division, the 36th was in the assault wave. Clark had been picked by Eisenhower and reported directly to him once established ashore. The British X Corps for the Northern sector was commanded by LGEN McCreery who had replaced a British General wounded in a Bizerte air raid just a few days earlier. Major General Dawley USA led U.S. troops in the Southern sector.
Montgomery's British 8th Army would be fighting northward to make a juncture with the Fifth Army. Their progress was not fast enough to bring them into position to interfere with the German decision to make an all-out defense at the beachhead in Salerno.
Composition of the Southern attack force was USS WOOLSEY DD437, USS BRISTOL DD453, USS EDISON DD439, USS LUDLOW DD438, USS NICHOLSON DD442, USS TRIPPE, USS RHIND, USS SAVANNAH, and USS PHILADELPHIA.
The Northern task force consisted of four British escort carriers, a monitor, a AA ship, 18 destroyers, 40 minecraft, and over 300 landing craft. The American destroyers were USS MAYO, USS PLUNKETT DD431, USS NIBLACK DD424, USS BENSON DD421, USS GLEAVES DD423, USS WAINWRIGHT, USS ROWAN, USS KNIGHT, USS DALLAS, USS COLE, and USS BERNADOU.
By September 8, 1943, the great invasion armada was off the Gulf of SALERNO having left their bases at Oran, Tripoli, Sicily, and other ports. D-day was set for the morning of 9 September at dawn as the Allied fleet entered a deceptively calm and peaceful waterway. The Germans were ready as Field Marshal Albert Von Kesselring rushed reinforcements and installed heavy artillery in the area. The waters were heavily mined to stop the invading forces and German tank units lied in wait.
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"Thank God for the fire of the Navy ships. Probably could not have stuck it out at Blue and Yellow beaches. Please tell them so."
General Lange, 5th Army to Adm Davidson
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By dawn, the first waves of troops moved ashore followed by the second wave. They met minimal resistance as the third wave of troops headed to the beach. Just when everything seemed to be going according to plan, the Germans launched a terrible display of firepower against the troops on the beachhead and in the approaching landing crafts. Hidden pillboxes, tanks, and artillery open up on the hapless troops creating a crossfire of bullets on the beach. The invasion troops were literally being pushed back into the sea as mid-morning approached.
Held up by mines, the fire support ships took station at 1000 hours and seeing the critical situation, tried to get in touch with their fire-control parties on the beach. However, due to confusion, death, and loss of equipment, only three ships could radio their spotters. Despite this, the support group unleashed a massive shelling of German positions totally wiping out tanks, artillery, and even a railroad gun. This intense display of fire power plus the regrouping of troops on the beach resulted in the Germans being pushed back by the evening of the ninth.
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USS SAVANNAH seen shortly after being hit by German Radio bomb. A Gleaves class destroyer stands nearby to render assistance.
Naval Historical Center |
Day or night, the German Luftwaffe was attacking the shipping and beachhead. Mayo escorted the badly damaged USS SAVANNAH , that was hit by a radio guided bomb on 11 Sept., to Malta only to return early on the 13th to find a British hospital ship, NEWFOUNDLAND, burning and bombed as she steamed fully lighted. MAYO and PLUNKETT immediately went to the rescue and Mayo sent a rescue party aboard the ship. After four hours of fighting her fires and searching for survivors, the ship was declared beyond salvage by the area salvage officer and was sunk by gunfire from PLUNKETT.
Back at the front, the assault forces were gaining ground on the morning of 10 September, although the Germans unleashed intense air raids. The Naval Support force again helped by providing fire support and by 11 September, the situation looked well in hand. As such, 11 American destroyers were assigned to escort a convoy to Oran. So on 12 September, 1943, Hewitt's flagship, USS ANCON, entered Salerno Bay and General Mark Clark went ashore.
However, by 12 September General Vietinghoff, the local German commander, had built his forces at Salerno to 3 divisions with over 600 tanks and mobile guns, where he adamantly proposed to push the Fifth Army into the sea. The German's recaptured most of their lost ground and planned tank attacks on the beachhead on the 13th and 14th. During evening twilight on the 13th, German reinforcements stormed the area, including a large number of Tiger tanks. Again the United States VI Corp was excessively punished and nearly dislodged from the beachhead. By this time, USS MAYO DD422 and Light Cruiser BROOKLYN were on the scene.
The MAYO and the BROOKLYN were the first to respond to the counter attack and were on call for fire support through 15 September. Nazi machine-gun emplacements were wiped out, artillery pieces clobbered, and tanks were stopped dead in their tracks. It is estimated that the MAYO, with her small draft, moved to within 500 yards of the beachhead, allowing for point blank shooting. It was here that she received her reputation as a " Tank Buster", as the remains of a German Panzer unit would testify. The Mayo took on the tank unit with the help of a Army spotter plane. The spotter wanted the Mayo to set her guns to rapid fire since her range was so accurate. This resulted in the Mayo firing a shell every 4 seconds at this point during the battle. The USS Mayo and USS Brooklyn were credited with destroying 46 tanks and other artillery pieces in one day. The Mayo's gun barrels were so hot, that the paint and gun boots were scorched and burnt. All her gun barrels had to be replaced after this engagement. Official Navy statistics also reveal that the USS Mayo fired 60% of all 5" artillery at Salerno.
The local German commander, General Vietinghoff reported on the 14th that " This attack this morning... had to endure naval gunfire... With astonishing precision and freedom of manuever, these ships shot at every recognized target with overwhelming effect." The Naval Fire support group provided fire almost continuously through the 15th of September when German forces made a general retirement from the coast. Finally, the beachhead was secured.
For her participation off Salerno, the Mayo received her first well-earned battle star and a Legion of Merit for Commander Habecker.
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On 16 September, in order to evade the effective shelling from warships, I authorized a disengagement on the coastal front....." |
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Field Marshal Albert Von Kesselring | |
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