The Battle of Anzio, Italy 1944 | Breakout: Clearing Cisterna | Easy Red 2

Breakout: Clearing Cisterna

The clearing of Cisterna di Latina during the Allied breakout from Anzio in May 1944 marked one of the final and most decisive actions of the long, grueling campaign. On May 23, 1944, the Allies launched Operation Buffalo, the long-planned offensive to break out of the Anzio beachhead and link up with forces advancing north from the Gustav Line. The task of taking Cisterna fell to the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division under Major General Lucian Truscott, supported by armor from the 1st Armored Division and artillery from across the beachhead. The town held immense symbolic weight: it was the site of the disastrous Ranger attack in January, where most of the 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions had been destroyed. Now, four months later, it was heavily fortified by elements of the 362nd Infantry Division and 26th Panzer Division, who were determined to hold the southern anchor of the German line.

The attack on Cisterna began with an intense artillery and aerial bombardment that flattened much of the town and its defenses. Under this cover, the 15th Infantry Regiment and 30th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division advanced steadily through the surrounding fields and drainage ditches, supported by Sherman tanks and engineers clearing mines. German resistance was fierce, with snipers, machine-gun nests, and anti-tank guns fighting from the rubble. After two days of brutal close-quarters combat, the Americans broke through the outer defenses and entered the ruined town. By May 25, 1944, Cisterna was fully secured, and hundreds of German soldiers were captured. The fall of Cisterna opened the road to Velletri and Valmontone, unhinging the German Fourteenth Army’s defensive line and paving the way for the Allied advance on Rome. For the men of the 3rd Division, it was also an act of vindication—avenging the fallen Rangers and closing the blood-soaked chapter that had begun with the failed assault in January.