__NOTOC__ The

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

Anzio War Cemetery is to be found about a kilometer from

Anzio Anzio (, also , ) is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a Port, fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine I ...

town in the

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is located south of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It should not be confused with the

Sicily–Rome American Cemetery and Memorial Sicily–Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II American military war grave cemetery, located in Nettuno, near Anzio, Italy. The cemetery, containing 7,858 American war dead, covers and was dedicated in 1956. It is administered by ...

, which is for Americans and is located in

Nettuno Nettuno is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, south of Rome. A resort city and agricultural center on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it has a population of approximately 50,000. Economy It has a ...

at the address "Piazzale Kennedy, 1".

Description and history

Anzio War Cemetery is a special and communal cemetery for the local and surrounding peoples. It contains 1,056 graves resulting from

Operation Shingle The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The ope ...

in 1944 as part of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Having seen the make up of the

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

which was sent there in 1944 it is clear from the graves that those who rest there were from the units of the 1st Division. There were 1,037 identified casualties. ;Poem There is poem about the Anzio War Cemetery written by Michael Elliott-Binns. It is written from the perspective of a man that had experienced a loss in the battle and that was writing for his own personal reasons. The author later commented that "They he fallen soldiersseem to be buried on the doorstep of their home." ;Song There is a line in a 2014 song "To Hell and Back" by

Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armor that covers the foot. History Fourteenth and fifteenth century sabatons typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following fashionable shoe shapes o ...

which was reportedly taken from a poem by

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

: "Crosses grow on Anzio Where no soldiers sleep And where hell is six feet deep"

References

External links

Image references
* {{Portal bar, Architecture, Italy, World War II Burials in Lazio Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Italy World War II operations and battles of the Italian Campaign World War II cemeteries in Italy Anzio

Description and history

See also

References

External links