Comments by "Nicholas Conder" (@nicholasconder4703) on "Who's to blame for the Battle of Anzio 1944? | Patreon Q&A 8" video.

  1.  @blank557  Actually, the Allies did encircle large German Forces on three separate occasions and netted a fairly large to huge haul of Axis prisoners. It's just that Western Historians always seem to harp on about the failures, not the successes. The three major encirclements that are seldom, if ever, mentioned or touted are: Tunisia 1943 - 275,000 to 300,000 Axis POWs (100,000 Germans); Southern France 1944 - estimated at least German 100,000 POWs trapped between Patton's 3rd Army and Patch's 7th Army approaching from Marseilles (Operation Dragoon); and the Ruhr Pocket March 1945 - 317,000 German POWs. Even though people complain about Falaise, the Allies netted another 50,000 German POWs in that one as well. The pursuit after El Alamein has a few missed opportunities, partially because of weather (an abnormal rainfall forced vehicles to stay mostly on the single paved road) and partly because of poor operational handling of divisions by Corps commanders. They did try to catch Rommel on three separate occasions, but for various reasons couldn't close the jaws shut in time. Guess that's one reason they called him "The Desert Fox". On the flip side, there are numerous times the Germans didn't succeed in trapping large enemy forces either, such as Case Blau, Greece, Crete, Dunkirk. In the end, historians sometimes get a form of tunnel vision. Case in point, Napoleon. Everyone talks about his victories, but seldom mention the victories of other generals of the same era (Wellesley, Archduke Charles of Austria, von Blucher, etc.), all of whom scored major victories against Napoleon and his generals.
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  2.  @oddballsok  Actually, what unhinged the Gustav Line were the French troops advancing through the mountainous terrain. Cutting off the Germans from the valley floors and into the mountains would have been a good idea, because they could have been cut off from their supply routes and communications, and surrounded. Then they could be starved into submission. However, I will freely admit this using 20:20 hindsight.
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  3. Regarding the initial landing, I think the biggest failure was not landing sufficient forces at Anzio. I can see Lucas' point of view. He had only two divisions, so it would have been difficult to both protect the landing areas (to avoid being cut off) and strike out through the Alban Hills. Also, considering what happened during the German counterattack after the landings, I can't really blame Lucas. Also, we weren't there at the time. History gives us 20:20 hindsight and we can see "over the hill", unlike the commanders making the decisions at the time. Had sufficient shipping been available, the allies could have landed one or two more divisions, including an armoured division, which would have given the landing force a hard hitting, fast acting force that could have cut the Axis communication and supply lines to Monte Cassino and the Gustav Line. Trying to reach and hold the Alban hills might have overstretched the Allied defense lines, giving the Germans the chance to penetrate the Allied lines and collapse the beachhead. I will agree, though, that Lucas may not have been the best commander for the invasion.
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