One Miserable Morning in Black '44 At look back at the place and times that brought an untimely end to life of Eric Fletcher Waters, and the place that ultimately inspired The Wall By Rick Karhu Anzio, a small town on the western Italian coast Anzio, Italy is a seaside resort town about 30 miles to the south of Rome with a population in the early 80s of more than 27,000. Anzio is a town rich in history that stretches back further than the bloody role it played in World War II. Around 340 BC, Anzio was conquered by Rome after which it became a favored year-round resort for the more wealthy element of the growing Roman Empire. Anzio is the birthplace of both Emperors Nero and Caligul. In the middle ages, it was sacked and left in ruins by the Saracens and was not rebuilt until the late 17th century. During the second World War, American, Canadian and British troops landed at Anzio beach. This was the notorious morning in black '44 that so many Floyd fans are familiar with. It was Jan. 22, 1944 that saw the start of a campaign that would eventually prove successful, but not without the loss of so many "ordinary lives." Stand and Fight Some of the few... How can I describe Anzio? How can a man describe Hell? I spent from Jan. 22, 1944 until June 6, 1944 in that inferno. On just one night all that was a boy in me died. On that night, I died in every way except in body. Hell should hold no fear for me because I was in Hell for four hours and lived to remember it. Never was fear written so clearly on men's faces. We met death that night. We looked into his eyes in the fire from the bombers, but he passed us by, for what reason I cannot understand. --Milton Briggs A few of the guys were talking to the lieutenant, and one said, "What's the situation in the area?" He said, "We've got them surrounded." He was full of shit. It was the other way around. The Germans had us, because they were in the hills and we were on the beaches, so how can we have them surrounded. So we were laughing. I said, "Gee, that's a funny way of surrounding." We rested that day, and about 8 or 9 o'clock we get a call, and we have to replace a British outfit on the front lines. So we got together our stuff, and it was 2 or 3 in the morning when started to move up. The lieutenant said, "Don't make any noise, because the Germans will shell the roads." --Murray Levine   The fight that started in Anzio would not be brought to a close until nearly six months later, on June 4 when the Allied troops managed to finally break through the German lines and take Rome. The plan was simple: land at Anzio and drive the troops across the 50 kilometers directly into Rome to seize the capitol. The Allies had the element of surprise on their side, but the Germans were quick to respond. The response left the Allied troops surrounded by overwhelming German force on a small beach head for three months where they were easy prey for the enemy. Some of the most moving accounts of the battle are from soldiers who literally saw their friends die during this time. By most firsthand accounts, the three, grueling months trapped at Anzio were nothing short of a slaughterhouse. Surprisingly, the Allied commanders did not back down from the onslaught, and although some accounts of these events seem to indicate that the mission was a failure, it was in fact a success. With some re-enforcements, the Allies were able to eventually break through the powerful German perimeter and drive the enemy from the city and eventually into a northern retreat. Needless to say, it's easy to understand the anger of a child made fatherless by such a relentless and almost senseless strategy on the part of the Allies. The fact that it succeeded at all seems incredible. The exact body count at Anzio is unknown. According to descriptions, many unidentified graves are scattered across the beaches of Anzio to this day. German prisoners, at the Anzio beachhead below Rome, soon to be sent to prison camps. February, 1944. (Photo credit: U.S. National Archives) THE CROSSES GROW ON ANZIO Oh, gather 'round me, comrades; and listen while I speak Of a war, a war, a war where hell is six feet deep. Along the shore, the cannons roar. Oh how can a soldier sleep? The going's slow on Anzio. And hell is six feet deep. Praise be to God for this captured sod that rich with blood does seep. With yours and mine, like butchered swine's; and hell is six feet deep. That death awaits there's no debate; no triumph will we reap. The crosses grow on Anzio, where hell is six feet deep. . . . Audie Murphy, 1948 Sources: http://www.angelfire.com/wa/warpoetry/Thecrosses.html http://www.tankbooks.com http://www.historyplace.com Grolier's Multimedia Encylcopedia Rick Karhu is Editor of Spare Bricks