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“Gas!” Colonel M. E. Barker, Chemical Warfare Service, Salerno: “On the third day of the operation we had a big gas scare. A German airplane came in and released two or three radio-controlled bombs, which gave off considerable smoke when released and while on the way down. Several men on the beaches saw this smoke and concluded that an air gas attack was being started. At the same time some vehicles climbing the sand dunes from the beach to the de-waterproofing area had become so hot that their gas-indicator paint turned red. The two incidents together convinced everybody on the beach that a gas attack was being launched. By this time, of course, there were plenty of battlefield smells, including that always-present smell of rotting animal and human flesh. The gas alarm ran up and down the beaches and the roads inland.
“There was no panic. Everybody simply put on his gas mask and carried on. The MP’s stopped all personnel going into the area who didn’t have gas masks. Those individuals who had ‘misplaced’ their gas masks were really troubled for a while. Both Colonel Guild and I investigated and then gave the ‘all clear’ signal. I think we would have carried on in exactly the same way without much loss of time or efficiency if gas had actually been present.”
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Counterattack Foiled Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, Infantry, Italy: “We had just relieved the —th Infantry after it had had numerous casualties from an enemy tank attack against our beachhead at Salerno. We were occupying a defensive, wired-in position. The Germans counterattacked with tanks, but because we were occupying a different position from that used by the preceding unit the enemy first started across our front, apparently believing that we were in the old position. So it was duck soup. We knocked out eight tanks with our 37’s, 57’s, TD’s, and tanks.”
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Room for Improvement The following comments, indicating weaknesses which must be corrected, were made by the Commanding General, —th Division, Italy: “Sometimes units failed to dispose themselves properly for all-around defense when halted on an objective or when placed in a position for defense.
“In the attack, riflemen frequently failed to provide fire that would cover the movement of adjacent units, merely because they were not able to ‘pin-point’ definitely the location of the enemy rifle and machine-gun elements firing on our troops.
“Some small unit commanders selected positions apparently with cover and concealment as the primary objective rather than positions from which effective fire could be brought to bear on the enemy.
“Due to the enormous division frontage in the second phase of the landing at Salerno some commanders attempted to stretch their units excessively, and as a result permitted faulty dispositions.”