4K畫質/高清畫質紀錄片 4K畫質紀錄片 霸王行動的“試水”二戰盟軍1943年西西里島登陸

1943年7月 即一年不前的羅馬尼亞陸戰 聯合軍委會將進行新的測試在希臘 由於個人競爭 狂想計劃和無知的軍隊 聯合軍委會很快就會學會 歐洲的侵略有多麼困難和昂貴的教訓 1943年初 英國軍隊決心擊敗意大利的德國軍隊 在東尼西亞捕捉了250,000名囚犯 在春季 經過多次爭議 聯合軍委會確認了希臘為意大利的下一個踏石 和歐洲所謂的柔軟的下層 他們希望取得希臘 會提供聯合軍隊在東尼西亞的自由移動 並允許轟炸戰艦進入更多的佔領歐洲 此外 它也可能打壓斯大林 通過開啟歐洲的另一個前線 正是當德國軍隊在科爾斯克發動了夏季戰爭 希臘的侵略甚至可以強迫意大利脫離戰爭 雖然這比預期還要有希望 聯合軍委會成功引起了疑問 關於會發生什麼樣的侵略 在Mincemeat行動期間 聯合軍委會計劃了假的侵略計劃 針對一名假的國民軍官的屍體 然後把他拋出西班牙海岸 透過假資訊 德國軍隊移動了幾個部隊到希臘 聯合空襲也目擊了塞爾丁尼亞 以激化海洋對真正的侵略目標 哈里德·亞歷山德軍官 在這次侵略中使用了 特定的15艘軍隊組成 包括德國第八艘和美國第七艘 最初的侵略軍隊 包括約160,000名士兵 600架戰機和1,800枚槍 他們由北非和馬爾地亞的 約4,000架聯合空襲艦隊支援 從北非和馬爾地亞進行行動 聯合空軍的目標是取得海洋優勢 阻礙島嶼和提供近空支援 這支軍隊將對付 艾佛雷德·古茲安尼的六艘軍隊 他擁有10艘軍隊 雖然六艘軍隊 主要是積極的海岸防衛軍隊 總體來說 他擁有約200,000名戰鬥部隊 和260架武裝車 他們由約30,000名 德國軍隊和15艘戰機 和戰機部隊的士兵支援 被視為領導者 這些德國軍隊的裝備不足 但他們仍然擁有 約100架Panzer 3和Panzer 4 和17架Tiger戰機 在空中 德國軍隊擁有約1,600架戰機 來自多個基地 在希斯萊、薩丁尼亞和意大利 但意大利軍隊的裝備不足 利維諾和納波利軍隊 理論上是意大利軍隊最強的 但他們主要擁有 遺失的早期戰機 或被捕的法國車輛 德國軍隊擁有 這些法國車輛 組成了機動部隊 最強的就是 Battle Group Schmalz 它的任務是 對抗伊拉克、阿加斯特和卡丹亞 附近的攻擊軍隊 正式來說 德國軍隊是受到意大利軍隊的指揮 但實際上 德國軍隊主要是獨立的 在6月11日 聯邦軍隊和軍事部隊 將鄰近的Pantelleria和Lampedusa島嶼 進行淘汰 然後在7月2日 D-7日 西伯利亞和南意大利的目標 受到重型飛機和航空轟炸 破壞供應線、空中防線和防禦 結果 Axis將大部分的飛機轉移到西伯利亞 只剩下125架飛機在西伯利亞 此時 西伯利亞航空部隊 已經在地區上達到空中優勢 雖然德國航空部隊2 仍然擁有炸彈和戰鬥儲備 以可能破壞西伯利亞的降落 同時 英國和美國空軍 正在準備降落 英國和美國計劃員 在短時間內開發了 Husky的空中元件 有些航空部隊擔憂 9月9日晚上的降落計劃 美國82號空軍航空部隊 總舵長馬丁·瑞吉威 擔憂友善火 和美國航空部隊 缺乏夜間飛行體驗 總的來說 5300架飛機 應該要在西伯利亞降落 美國航空部隊 大多數會從C-47飛行 而英國航空部隊 則會乘坐升降機 但缺乏訓練的升降機 和美國的C-47飛行員 缺乏在升降機上 駕駛的經驗 一旦降落 航空部隊會保持 重要的交界點 和橋樑 以減緩或阻擋 對陸地降落的反擊攻擊 82號飛機 將掌握高地 在Piano Lupo附近 而英國第一航空部隊 將掌握重要的 Ponte Grande橋樑 在西伯利亞附近 當第一艘聯邦飛機 前往西伯利亞 事情很快就會出現錯誤 飛機的偵測飛行員 會迅速脫離組織 並失去支架 事情會更糟糕 當他們受到反艦火藥 偵測飛行員 會滑落和搖晃 有些飛行員 會在陰影下離開 144艘飛行員出海 只有54艘在西伯利亞 只有6艘在目標 至少69艘 可能已潛入海中 可能會讓 大約300艘飛行員沈淪 這意味著 大約100艘人 可以立即 攻擊目標 美國降落 很容易 飛行員再次失去 遠處的光線 強風 打破了陸地 大部分飛行員 降落在小組 少於200艘 可以立即 捕捉Piano Lupo 在多個情況下 飛行員簡單地降落 並向戰鬥聲音前進 但儘管數量低 英美軍 攻擊了多個目標 一艘偵測飛行員 捕捉了Ponte Grande橋 美國飛行員 對抗Piano Lupo的防衛 美國飛行員Bob Fielder 回憶著 靠近Biazza橋 突然 出現了不可思議的 迅速發射 德國機槍 從未聽過 1200毫秒的聲音 我懷疑 這是什麼世界 在Ponte Grande 意大利軍 用磨刀和武裝車 攻擊了英美軍偵測飛行員 他們的數量 只下降到70 偵測飛行員 被海洋軍隊 儘管危機嚴重 失敗的飛行員 有一個優勢 廣泛的陸地 讓潛艇 看起來比實際上更大 Axis軍隊 正在處理 像是修煉機槍那樣的攻擊 雖然Guzoni 宣佈了潛艇潛入 但Axis軍隊 不加以 對抗它 在海灘上 與晚上的降落 是海洋軍隊 和SAS隊隊的 他們的工作 是清理海洋武器 和 obstacle 約在3點 7月10日 第1艘海洋軍隊 抵達 在Pacino海岸 Royal Marines, 1st Canadian and 51st Highland Divisions come ashore in the darkness to find most Italian positions abandoned. In many cases, the coastal defenders have simply fled their posts. The British 50th and 5th Divisions land south of Syracuse to equally light resistance. By 5am, the Brits and Canadians have secured the beaches and heavier landing craft deliver tanks and trucks. Allied troops take Pacino Airfield, which they then ready for Allied aircraft. The British 50th Division runs into British paratroopers who've just retreated from the Ponte Grande, and together they rapidly retake the bridge. The US landings also largely go to plan despite the rough seas. Major General Lucian Truscott's 3rd Division lands first and sweeps towards Licata to cover the landing beach's left flank. As they advance, they knock out coastal defenses and railway guns to clear the way for other divisions. In the east, the 45th Division capture the Comiso Airfield and secure the landing beach's right flank. The 1st Infantry Division lands at Gala, including a contingent of French Moroccan troops, and although resistance is stiffer, they take the town by 8am. By now, the first serious Axis counterattacks arrive, as Guzzoni orders the Livorno and Hermann Göring Divisions against the US beaches. However, bombing and paratrooper activity has cut communications, meaning these first counterattacks are poorly coordinated. To the east, Italian blackshirt militia attack the Canadians, who easily push them back. British troops now approach Syracuse, a major port and key to continuous naval supply for the British landing forces. Guzzoni hopes its formidable defenses will protect it. However, Allied troops enter in the afternoon to a reportedly riotous welcome by the locals. Italian units do counterattack towards the city, including with captured French R-35 tanks. But by now, British troops have brought up anti-tank guns and other defenses. Italian tank commander Adamo Profico recalls the attack. We left, my tank in the lead. After a few hundred meters, my driver turned to me and shouted, Mines! The tracks of our tank had already gone over the first mines, which duly went off. The second tank arrived at full speed, and as it took the curve, a gun hit its right tracks. This disabled its steering, and it careened off, rolling down the escarpment. Right on its heels, the third tank arrived, also going at full speed. As soon as it had made the curve, its front was hit. By the end of D-Day, Allied commanders likely feel things are going well. Their troops are ashore, beachheads are expanding, several captured airfields are already in use by Allied fighters, and Syracuse has fallen. But there are mounting issues. Of the 5,300 airborne troops dispatched, only 2,000 are fit for duty the next day. Army commanders on the ground also complained about a lack of air cover. With Allied aircraft occupied with fighter and fleet escort missions, no close air support is available on D-Day and D-plus-1. This lack of continuous air cover allows a German Luftwaffe attack against the Gala transport area to get through and sink the ammunition ship SS Robert Rowan. The Axis forces are also recovering from the initial shock. Now that they've identified the landing beaches in Allied forces, Guzoni orders more organized counterattacks. Battlegroup Schmalz blocks Allied progress towards Augusta, while the Livorno and Hermann Göring divisions make a stronger move against the Gala beachhead. On July 11, three Italo-German columns attempt to break through to Gala. In the west and center, the Americans repel the Livorno division with heavy losses. However, the Hermann Göring division's panzers make better progress against the light anti-tank weapons of US screening forces. German tanks break open the line and head for Gala and the beaches. With Allied tactical support aircraft busy elsewhere, the 1st Division rushes anti-tank guns and armor ashore. Eventually, a handful of vulnerable catapult-launched Navy spotter planes are able to direct naval gunfire and stop the German attack. Axis commanders realize the offshore armada would destroy any further attempts to reach the shore, so their forces withdraw and take up blocking positions around Calta Gironi. But despite the failure of Italo-German counterattacks, they do slow the progress of the American 1st and 45th Divisions. The Luftwaffe is less successful and are only able to offer sporadic resistance from the remaining Sicilian airfields. Johannes Steinhoff from Jagdgeschwader 77 later recounts the desperation in his memoirs, With what we could scrape together of the remnants of the group, we would fly along the north coast over Etna's crater, towards the Straits of Messina, where we would fling ourselves at the B-17 flying fortresses in a series of uncoordinated attacks. Our numbers were so few that we would do little damage, and even that little depended upon our breaking through to the bombers. To reinforce the US troops, further paratrooper drops are planned for late July 11, but the drop is another disaster. Recent German bomber attacks have the Allied anti-aircraft units on high alert. When the Navy and Army gunners spot the friendly C-47s, they mistake them for Axis craft and open fire on them. 23 of the 144 transport planes are lost to friendly fire, with an estimated 90 aircrew and 229 paratrooper casualties. A report by the 82nd Airborne Division blamed a lack of communication and preparation among the ground forces. Meanwhile, Fleet Commander Admiral Andrew Cunningham blamed the pilots for flying outside of agreed air corridors. As the US advance bogs down, the British Eighth Army makes better progress along the coast. The Brits take Augusta on July 12, but resistance from dug-in enemy units is stiffening. Montgomery now develops a plan to open new routes of advance for British troops. While continuing to push towards Catania along the coast, he orders the XXX Corps to swing around Mount Etna from the west, with the aim of cutting the island in two. However, this requires British troops to take over US objectives around Caltagirone and give them exclusive use of Highway 124. Padden is outraged that his force is now relegated tosupporting the British maneuver. So in response, Alexander allows the US 3rd Division to advance towards Agrigento. As Montgomery takes increasing control of the offensive, German commanders are also taking control of the defense. General der Panzertruppe Hans Valentin Hube of the XIV Corps takes over de facto command of the island, while incoming German formations are preparing to reinforce him. The elite 1st Fallschirmjäger Division is on the way, as is the freshly reformed 29th Panzergrenadier Division. On July 13, Montgomery opens his major push towards Catania. First, nighttime airborne and seaborne commando raids will capture two bridges, the Ponte dei Malati and the Ponte dei Prima Sole. The 50th Division will then break through Axis defenses around 30 kilometers to the south, link up with the commandos, and strike out for Catania. Once again, the airdrops go poorly. Both friendly and enemy anti-aircraft fire forces nearly 30 percent of the gliders to return to base, and only 200 men and three anti-tank guns drop near their target. To make matters worse, they've dropped directly on top of the newly arrived 1st Fallschirmjäger Division. The British do capture Prima Sole bridge, but come under immediate German attack. The Brits use captured anti-tank guns and mines to repel the assaults, but casualties are mounting and ammunition is running out. Eventually, they decide to relocate to a hill south of the bridge and cover it from there until the 50th Division can arrive. However, the 50th Division expected to fight against Italian units, not hardened German paratroopers, and their progress is slow. Fighting is particularly tough in dense vineyards and orange groves. A soldier of the 5th East Yorkshire Regiment recalls, Wasn't possible to see more than 20 yards in the orange groves. Some unidentified troops were moving alongside a small wall. As we were debating who they might be, the question was solved by the rapid burr of a Spandau machine gun not very far away. On July 14, the 50th Division reaches the bridge, but finds the northern bank under solid German control. British troops wade across on July 15, but German machine gunners and artillery soon pin them down. Only a small Allied bridgehead is able to be formed. On July 17, after tough fighting around the bridgehead, the Brits make another attempt towards Catania under a heavy creeping barrage. Sergeant Georg Schmitz of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division is on the receiving end. We survived the one-and-a-half-hour barrage well under the cover of the tank trench. We had orders not to open fire until Oberstleutnant Walter gave the order. Thus, without a shot being fired from our side, the attacking enemy came unhindered into the range of fire of our infantry weapons. But then he was met by our furious defensive fire. The attacker had very heavy losses, and the attack was beaten off. The British attack again on July 18, but they're unable to break through to Catania or the nearby aerodrome. The next day, Montgomery abandons the plan and shifts the focus to his planned swing around Mount Etna. But what was envisioned as a speedy thrust is also an arduous slog. On July 17, the Canadians push along Highway 124 but are stopped short of Etna by tenacious resistance. The Axis forces have already shifted their positions to counter the move. Hubei decides to abandon the west of Sicily and fall back to a series of defensive lines around Etna. His plan is now to defend Sicily as long as possible before withdrawing forces across the Messina Straits into Italy. However, the withdrawal is not a retreat. German and Italian rearguard units continue to contest town after town. Demolitions and booby traps further slow the Allied advance. With Montgomery bogged down, Patton senses an opportunity. He demands that US forces be given a more significant objective, arguing there's a political necessity for the American public to see their troops at work. Alexander concedes and allows Patton to capture Palermo, a major port and the largest city on the island. US forces, especially the 2nd Armoured Division, now race forward against isolated pockets of mostly Italian troops, who often surrender after token resistance. Colonel James Gavin of the 82nd Airborne recalls, It was unlike anything else I'd encountered during the war. Suddenly a machine gun or anti-tank weapon would open up, and then the white flags would appear. A shot had been fired for honour, but it was just as likely to cause casualties as a shot fired in anger. The US troops have another advantage in their drive across Sicily. Large numbers of American troops are Italian Americans, some with Sicilian heritage. They occasionally receive a warm reception from locals and can use their connections to gain important intelligence. US intelligence also makes use of criminal connections among New York mafia families with ties to Sicily. Local Sicilian mafia, opposed to Mussolini, helps gather intelligence and guide Allied troops through the mountain passes. Meanwhile, German troops report a hostile attitude toward their continued presence. German paratrooper Josef Klein recalls the response to his unit's demolitions work. In Trecastiani, some civilians emerged as spokesmen, waving old hunting rifles around and assuming a threatening posture. The kerfuffle did not end until our platoon sergeant had a machine gun group with an MG-42 set up on the market square. On at least one occasion, tensions spill over into murder. The Hermann Göring Division shoots 16 Italian men in Castiglione di Sicilia, likely as retaliation for supposed thefts. By July 22, the Americans have taken Palermo and the Allies have practically cut the island in two at Termini e Merese. US troops take 50,000 Italian prisoners with only 272 casualties. Patton now directs his troops along northern Sicily to participate in the attack towards Messina. Indeed, for him, it has now become a race about whether the Americans or the British will get to Messina first. Meanwhile, in Rome, the war takes an unexpected and dramatic turn. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is voted out of the Fascist Grand Council and arrested. His time as il Duce is now over. King Victor Emmanuel assumes full constitutional powers. Mussolini had faced a growing conspiracy from within his own general staff, and the Sicilian invasion, paired with the Allied bombing of mainland Italy, act as the final nail in the coffin. But with Hitler watching closely, Italy vows to continue the war for the time being. Mussolini's removal also ends any pretense of Italian command in Sicily. General Hube now oversees the entire withdrawal and evacuation. His troops continue to fight rearguard actions towards the Etna line, based around the formidable Centuripe position. Meanwhile, US troops advance towards Troina, another prepared defensive point. Carefully positioned German anti-tank guns, machine guns, and tanks take their toll. In many cases, small groups of Axis troops delay entire Allied divisions in the narrow mountain roads. Progress is also hampered by a lack of close air support coordination by the Allies. The process of requesting airstrikes is slow and convoluted, and in any case, fragile radio equipment breaks down or cannot get through the mountainous terrain. Confused boundaries between US and British units add to the problem. As the British XXX Corps assaults Centuripe, fighter bombers of the US 12th Air Support Command attack them by mistake. XX Corps commander, Lieutenant General Oliver Leese phones General Omar Bradley to complain. What have we done that your chaps would want to bomb us? They've hit right on top of my headquarters. They have really plastered the town. Exhausted and inexperienced Allied units are now near breaking point. Major Derek de Stackpool of the 7th Royal Marines, an entirely green formation, recalls an attack on de Taino. My God, when I think of the things that went wrong, the unpreparedness and the rush and hurry of the whole blasted amateurish mess up. Poor old 7th RM. Never have so many been buggered about by so few. Only the release of experienced units from North Africa breaks the deadlock. Aided by the arrival of the British 78th Battle Axe Division, the British and Canadians capture Centuripe and its dominating heights on August 1st. On August 6th, the US 1st Division finally captures Torina, but only after the Axis counterattack no less than 24 times. With these two positions lost, Houbin knows that the battle is now over. He speeds up preparations for evacuation, but continues his punishing rearguard actions. The British 3rd Division, advancing along the coast, is especially held up at Monte Fratello. To assist it, Patton orders amphibious landings behind enemy lines on August 8th, 11th and 16th. Although risky, these so-called end-runs do ease the advance. The British also conduct their own landing on August 16th to cut off retreating elements of the Hermann Göring Division but are unable to catch them. Both Allied forces now converge on Messina, and during the night of August 16th, the vanguard of the US 3rd Division enters the outskirts. Houbin's well-organized evacuation comes to an end. The narrow straits, coastal guns and large anti-aircraft forces means the Allied forces mostly don't disrupt the evacuation, and on August 17th, Houbin's command is one of the last units to leave Sicily. Of the eventual 460,000 Allied troops in Sicily, around 5,000 are killed and up to 16,000 wounded in Operation Husky. An additional 3,500 are missing. Of those killed, 1,400 are paratroopers. German losses are 4,500 killed, 13,500 wounded, and around 10,000 missing or captured. Italian losses are especially high. 4,650 Italian troops are killed, 5,000 wounded, and up to 152,000 missing or captured. The loss of Sicily also decimates Axis air units. In July 1943 alone, 711 German aircraft were lost in the Mediterranean theatre, and the Italian Regia Aeronautica is in the process of dissolution after Husky, a high cost for the limited damage they were able to inflict. But despite these results, there are Allied complaints with the first major joint operation. There was poor coordination, especially between different branches, as well as animosity and a lack of communication between commanders. Although tactical air superiority improved as the invasion went on, Army commanders consistently claimed that they rarely saw friendly air cover. Air commanders replied that they were attacking targets further to the rear, a more important contribution. Better communication regarding objectives and methods may have smoothed over these tensions. Alexander is also accused of giving Montgomery too much control and undervaluing US troops' potential, while Patton too is criticized by both superiors and subordinates. General Omar Bradley, who served under Patton, accuses him of recklessness with the lives of his men, especially in his race to beat Montgomery to Messina, a race some historians suggest Montgomery was not even aware of. News also emerges of two incidents in which Patton slapped enlisted men, and at Biscotti on July 14, US troops massacre 73 Axis prisoners. The perpetrators claim Patton ordered for no prisoners to be taken, something Patton denied. There were also missed Allied opportunities, as Hube's phased withdrawal preserved his fighting strength. In the first 17 days of August, the Axis evacuate 100,000 troops, 10,000 vehicles, 200 artillery guns, and 47 tanks to Italy, where they would continue the struggle. However, the Allies also learn lessons from their mistakes. For example, almost all aircraft will display clear invasion stripes to prevent friendly fire during the Normandy invasions, while airborne operations will enjoy longer planning periods and wider use of pathfinder units to guide in the paratroopers. They also make tactical improvements, including improved rugged radios and clearer channels for requesting air support. Arguably though, the biggest outcome of Husky is also a mostly unintended one. The removal of Mussolini opens the question of Italy's role in the war. But while the Allied demand of unconditional surrender remains, Italy seems reluctant to surrender, and the battle for Italy will continue. In fact, many of the units on both sides who'd fought in Sicily will soon meet again on new battlefields. Naval landings with airborne support were a staple of Allied strategy in Western Europe until the end of the Second World War. And the biggest single-day airborne drop happened already on German soil in 1945 when the 21st Army Group under Bernard Montgomery had to cross the Rhine north of the Ruhr region. In the last set-piece battle on the Western Front, the Allies fought their way from the Dutch border to the last natural barrier before the heartland of the Reich, the Rhine River. If you want to learn more about this often-overlooked campaign, you can watch Rhineland 45, our five-part, three-and-a-half-hour documentary series about the battle for the Rhine. Filmed on the former battlefields, using detailed maps and animations, together with expert guests like Christoph Bergs or David Willey from the Tank Museum, and featuring a veteran interview, Rhineland 45 is the most detailed documentary about the Rhineland campaign. Because we show the war as it really happened, this series is not available on YouTube, because it would get immediately demonetized. So where can you watch Rhineland 45? 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To learn more about Allied landings in the Second World War, check out our videos on Operation Dragoon, the forgotten Second D-Day, or on the Battle of Okinawa, Japan's last stand in the Pacific. If you're watching this video on Nebula or Patreon, thank you so much for the support. We couldn't do it without you. I'm Jesse Alexander, and this is Realtime History, the only history channel that's not a blasted, amateurish mess-up, most of the time.