The Battle of Anzio

Sunday, January 22 at 8 p.m. ET

Hosted Oliver North

The Italian town of Anzio, located on the Mediterranean was the birthplace of Roman Emperor’s Caligula and Nero. A tranquil agricultural area in the fall of 1943, it would turn into the site of one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II. From January 1944 until May 1944 the United States and its allies would struggle daily to puncture the seemingly unbreakable German line that blocked all roads to Rome.

At Anzio young men lost their limbs, their lives and their innocence. Hand to hand combat, living in water filled trenches, and deadly artillery barrages were just part of the daily routine. The enemy could be, and usually was, anywhere and everywhere. Every time any Allied progress was made it seemed that German Field Marshall Albert Kesselring came right back and inflicted more punishment and devastation to the Allied troops.

Those who came out of it alive had the horrors of war permanently imbedded in their memory. By its end the Allied casualties would exceed 60,000.

This week, "War Stories with Oliver North" brings you personal memories from the men who were there during the Italian campaign of 1944. Their story is one of resilience and epic bravery, of triumph in the face of defeat during the bloodiest stalemate of World War Two, the Battle of Anzio.