September 9, 1943 the 5th Army invaded Salerno, Italy. Many brave souls on both sides of this battle went above and beyond the call of duty. My uncle was with the 36th ID, 141st Regiment, Cannon Company. He was able to deliver his cannon to the shore of Paestum that morning. It was the only one to make it. Unsung heros at Salerno were the 4th Beach Battalion, the 531st Shore Engineers, the naval guns that fired in advance of the Infantry and the the 504 PIR of the 82nd AB......Without them Salerno may have been a disaster.
Thanks for the reminder. My father went into Salerno with the 505th Coast Artillery. He later became part of the 473rd Infantry. He never spoke much of his exploits, but I did hear from him, his buddies, and later my uncle, of being pinned down by the Germans for a couple of days. Sure wish I knew more.
