Italy 2026 - Lt. Col. AM McCracken DSO MC

 Angus Murray McCracken was born in Newcastle in 1896, the second son of Dr James Smith McCracken and Mary Jane McCracken. He was educated at Oundle School from 1909 to 1913, before going to Edinburgh University.

On the outbreak of World War One in August 1941 he joined the Scottish Horse in Edinburgh and commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery 22nd September 1914. He landed in Gallipoli on 30th April 1915 and spent time as a Forward Observation Officer. During his time in Gallipoli he was wounded and awarded the Military Cross. After serving in Gallipoli he served in France and was a Battery Commander.

After WW1 Angus McCracken worked as an accountant with Joseph Carr McCracken and Co, Newcastle upon Tyne. 

He played rugby for Northern FC and was the club captain 1922 to 1923. He was president of Northern FC from 1935 - 1938, when after many years of 'wandering' the club moved to a permanent ground on the Great North Road and it was named McCracken Park.

Angus McCracken re-joined the Royal Artillery in 1939 on the outbreak of World War Two. He assumed command of the 64th Field Regiment Royal Artillery in June 1941.

Lt Col AM McCracken MC

The 64th Field Regiment R.A. was part of the 56th (London) Infantry Divisional Artillery when the Division landed at Salerno at the beginning of the Italian Campaign. 

Salerno Beaches

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his actions during the battle.

"Lt.Col. A.M. McCracken MC with his 64th Field Regiment was the Artillery Officer in support of 167 (London) Infantry Brigade during the battle of the SALERNO bridgehead. On the evenings of the 11th and 15th September 1943 he brought down such quick and accurate S.O.S. and Defensive Fire that he was largely instrumental in breaking up two determined attacks by the Germans both of which were executed with the object of driving our forces into the sea.

 Lt.Col. A.M. McCracken MC showed untiring energy and devotion to duty, and the success produced by the artillery fire was largely due to his control of his unit and foresight in preparation for such attacks. He made courageous decisions in shortening his fire when the enemy had effected a partial penetration, and it was in a great measure due to his application of artillery that the bridgehead held firm."

After the breakout from the Salerno Bridgehead, the 56th (London) Infantry Division advanced north fighting through German defensive lines toward Monte Cassino. During the Battle of Mount Camino to secure the Bernhardt Line, one of the most punishing artillery engagements of the Italian Campaign, Lieutenant Colonel McCracken was mortally wounded on the 4th December 1941

Mount Camino

He died of his wounds on 12th December 1941.

Lieutenant Colonel Angus Murray McCracken DSO, MC, is buried in the Naples War Cemetery. 

Lieutenant Colonel Angus Murray McCracken | CWGC

Lt.Col. A.M. McCracken MC 
Naples War Cemetery

Lt.Col. A.M. McCracken MC 
Naples War Cemetery

Lt.Col. A.M. McCracken MC 
Naples War Cemetery IJ

Italy 2026 - Naples War Cemetery

 Naples War Cemetery was the location of burials from the the 65th, 67th and 92nd General Hospitals which were located in Naples. Additional graves were added when casualties from smaller cemeteries in the area were concentrated in Naples. 

Naples War Cemetery contains 1,202 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. There are also some non war burials and war graves of other nationalities.

Naples War Cemetery | CWGC

Naples War Cemetery

Naples War Cemetery

Naples War Cemetery

Naples War Cemetery

Naples War Cemetery

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Naples War Cemetery
Lt Col AM McCracken DSO MC
CO 64 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Lieutenant Colonel Angus Murray McCracken | CWGC

Naples War Cemetery
Captain MIB Job
Royal Artillery
Attached  655 Air O.P. Squadron Royal Air Force

Captain Michael Isdell Blyth Job | CWGC

Naples War Cemetery
Lt. JWL de Leeuw
141 Light Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment
Royal Artillery

Lieutenant Joseph Watson Louis De Leeuw | CWGC

Italy 2026 - Naples Uprising

 

Bay of Naples IJ

The defeat of Axis forces in North Africa (including the surrender of over 200,000 Italian soldiers) together with  increasing dissatisfaction of Italians at home suffering from Allied bombing, Benito Mussolini's popularity was waning. On 9th July 1943 British and American troops landed in Sicily. The Italian Army soon came to the brink of collapse. The pressure on Mussolini increased and on the 24th July he was deposed and imprisoned. A new government was formed who began secret peace talks with the Allies.

 On 3rd September 1943 Anglo American forces invaded the tip of mainland Italy . Five days later Italy signed an Armistice with the Allies. The Germans launched Operation Achse  to forcibly disarm the Italian armed forces and occupy Italy. The Italian Forces were left with a command structure and units around Naples began drifting into the city.

 

Further landings were made on 9th September at Tarranto on Italy's east coast, and at Salerno south of Naples. By the 19th September the beachhead at Salerno had been secured. The Germans withdrew north to establish defensive lines and were determined to retain control of Naples. German troops occupied Naples.

German Troops entering Naples

Bay of Naples 1943

Bay of Naples 2026

Colonel Walter Scholl, German commander of Naples. declared martial law and enforced curfews. On the 22nd September Scholl decreed mandatory forced labour deportation for all men aged 18–30.  When only 150 men reported instead of the expected 30,000, German raids began seizing men directly from their homes.

German troops round up

German troops round up

 

On 27th September mass roundups of over 8,000 Italian men triggered immediate civil resistance. Small armed civilian groups—joined by former Italian soldiers—ambushed German patrols, raiding weapon caches and armouries. The uprising spread city-wide as thousands of citizens joined the resistance. 

German Troops street fighting

Citizen Resistance

Naples Street Fighting

Naples Street Fighting

Facing relentless urban ambush and unable to restore control, Colonel Scholl agreed to negotiate with resistance leaders. In exchange for the release of German prisoners, Scholl agreed to cease executions, stop the destruction of city infrastructure, and withdraw the Wehrmacht garrison from Naples.

Naples withdrawing German Troops

 

German troops began a full retreat northward toward the Volturno Line, setting fire to public buildings and sabotaging utilities on their way out. Neapolitan partisans fought rear-guard actions against fleeing German forces and local Fascist collaborators, successfully securing the city before nightfall.

People celebrating the liberation of Naples 

At 09:30 on 1 October, armoured patrols of the King's Dragoon Guards were the first Allied forces to reach Naples, followed by the Royal Scots Greys reinforced by troops of the 82nd Airborne Division.

King's Dragoon Guards Naples 1st October 1943

Naples citizens welcoming American Troops

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A memorial to the Four Days of the Naples Uprising is located in the  Piazza della Repubblica 

Naples Uprising Memorial

Naples Uprising Memorial

Italy 2026 - Salerno War Cemetery

 The Salerno War Cemetery was initiated in November 1943. It contains many burials of casualties of the landings and subsequent fighting in September 1943.  The 59th General Hospital was in the vicinity of Salerno at the end of 1943, early 1944 which resulted in additional burials. 

Salerno War Cemetery contains 1,851 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, which includes 109 that are unidentified. In addition there are two non-war graves and the grave of a Russian soldier. There is one commemoration from World War One. 

Salerno War Cemetery | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery

Salerno War Cemetery IJ

Salerno War Cemetery
Cross of Sacrifice

Salerno War Cemetery
Stone of Remembrance

Salerno War Cemetery

Salerno War Cemetery

Salerno War Cemetery
Unknown Soldier World War Two

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Salerno War Cemetery
Captain MJ Carroll
113 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Captain Michael John Carroll |  CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Captain P Gilder
172 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Captain Paul Gilder | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Gunner TW Williams
70 Field Regiment Royal Artillery

Gunner Thomas William Jones | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Captain TR Logan
16th Battalion Durham Light Infantry

Captain Thomas Ralph Logan | CWGC

Salerno War Cemetery
Lt AT Brunswick
Durham Light Infantry

Lieutenant Arthur Trotter Brunswick | CWGC

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In the north west corner of of the Salerno War Cemetery is a lone headstone of  a casualty from World War One, Lascar Abdool Somode of the Indian Merchant Service.

Salerno War Cemetery
Lone World War One Grave (Beyond right hand tree)

Salerno War Cemetery
Lascar Abdool Somode
Indian Merchant Service

Lascar Abdool Somode | CWGC

Lascar Abdool Somode lost his life on Christmas Day 1917 when the SS Umballa was torpedoed off Cape Scala in  Gulf of Policastro. The Umballa stayed afloat and was run aground and wrecked near the village of Praia a Mare, 100km south east of the Salerno War Cemetery. Abdoola was originally buried Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, San Giovanni a Piro, near the village of  Praia a Mare. His grave was lost and he is now commemorated in the Salerno War Cemetery.

The inscription on his headstone reads;

BURIED AT THE TIME IN THE CHAPEL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, SAN GIOVANNI A PIRO, BUT WHOSE GRAVE IS NOW LOST. THEIR GLORY SHALL NOT BE BLOTTED OUT

Italy 2026 - Salerno Landings

 By mid 1943 Allied Forces were on the offensive having inflicted defeats on the Germans. On the Eastern Front the Germany Army had been defeated at Stalingrad and in North Africa Axis forces had surrendered in May 1943. In July the Russians launched an offensive at Kursk and Anglo-American forces landed in Sicily, quickly securing the island. The military pressure triggered the collapse of Benito Mussolini's regime and the establishment of a new government which began secret negotiations for peace with the Allies. 

It was decided to open a second front in Europe, in Italy, to divert German Forces from the Eastern Front and from the forthcoming Normandy landings.  The plan was to execute amphibious landings at Calabria (Operation Baytown) on the toe of Italy, followed by Salerno (Operation Avalanche) near Naples and Tarranto (Operation Slapstick) on the East coast. 

Invasion of Italy September 1943

The first troops crossed the Messina Straight from Scicily on 3rd September 1943, secured a beachhead and began moving north. On the 8th December the Armistice of Cassibile was announced with Italy officially surrendering to the Allies. This news resulted in an immediate response from the Germans who commenced an occupation of Italy and the disarming of Italian forces. This action meant the Anglo-America Forces would now face German troops when they conducted their landings at Salerno and Taranto.

Gulf of Salerno

Gulf of Salerno IJ

Gulf of Salerno

Salerno Peninsular

The landings at Salerno were conducted by the American Fifth Army under the command of General Mark Clark. The American Sixth Corps would land in the South, the British Tenth Corps in the North. In the British sector the 46th Division on the left, and the 56th Division on the right would land on beaches South of Salerno. British commandos would secure Salerno, US Rangers securing vital mountain passes on the Solerno Peninsular. 

Salerno British Landing Beach looking North

Salerno British Landing Beach looking South

At 03:30 on 9th September 1943 US troops landed on on the beaches without any preliminary bombardment to achieve tactical surprise. That failed and the American troops were subject to heavy artillery and machine gun fire. 

In the British Sector a massive preliminary naval bombardment assisted in the British landings on the beaches. British Commandos and US Rangers seized their objectives.

Salerno Beach Landings
British troops and vehicles from 128 Brigade, 46th Division 

Salerno Beach Landings
British Bren-carriers rolling off Landing Craft

Salerno Landings
British Commandos landing in Salerno

By the evening of the 9th September a fragmented beachhead had been established with a precarious 15km gap between the British and American sectors, split by the River Sele. 

The Germans began reinforcing troops in the area and withdrew troops from the immediate shoreline into stronger defence lines on the high ground to prepare for a concentrated counter attack. 

On the 12th September the Germans launched their attack on the Allied Bridgehead striking down the Sele River valley, exploiting the unlinked gap between the American and British sector. Over the next two days they were able to force the allies to retreat. American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division dropped into the beachhead to reinforce the line. 

The Allied line held, and the German offensive stalled as Allied naval gunfire from battles ships and cruisers, together with  concentrated artillery support, and air bombing exhausted the attacking troops. 

Salerno Naval Gunfire support

On the 16th September German forces began a structured, fighting withdrawal north toward the first of a series of defensive boundary lines, the Volturno Line. The Americans and British linked up, securing the beach head and began preparing for offensive operations. 

Salerno Beachhead IJ