The American Third Infantry Division landed in Nettuno in Jan. 22, 1944, while other British and American troops headed for the nearby beaches in Anzio. Ever since that day, Anzio was proclaimed the main landing site.
Although for the last 70 years the two towns have been commemorating the event together, this year, the officials of Nettuno have decided to remember the day separately from the Anzio beachhead and to promote Nettuno, code-named X-Ray Beach. And this is when the conflict started. According to the mayor of Anzio, Mr Luciano Bruschini, the conflict is nothing else but “a maneuver to change the history of the landing that goes against military maps,” he said.
He continued saying that so many films have been made and so many books have been written about the Anzio landing and it has never been called in a different way. Although the troops landed on a 20 kilometres stripe of the coast, they never called it the Anzio-Nettuno-Ardea landing. And another thing was that during the Second World War, Anzio was destroyed by the German bombings, while Nettuno was barely touched. People leaving in Anzio insist that the destruction of the town makes it impossible to put the two on the same line.
However, none of these opinions and arguments seem to convince the mayor of Nettuno, Mr Alessio Chiavetta, who plans to open a study center on his side, where he will be able to collect and consolidate documentation as proof for the town’s role in the landing, code-named Operation Shingle. This way, he says, a series of events engraved in the Italian history will finally be re-established and for the landing, he wishes people will remember it as it happened and will recognize both Anzio and Nettuno for the liberation of Rome.
Operation Shingle lasted 4 and a half months. By the time the troops arrived in Rome on June 4, thousands had died, while many others had been wounded and more of them were missing in action, the New York Times reports.
Resident of Anzio, Mr Alfredo Rinaldi, 86, said he has traveled around the world but nobody ever speaks about a Nettuno landing and everyone speaks of Anzio. “We can’t change history,” Mr. Rinaldi said.
Also, two wartime German railway guns have been known as Anzio Annie and Anzio Express, while the United States Navy named one of their ships the U.S.S. Anzio.
It seems that the 70th anniversary brochure already circulating in Anzio mentions all the activities happening in Nettuno during the commemoration, but “with regret I note that they did not include ours,” said an Anzio City Hall press officer, Mr Bruno Parente.
Kikosi cha tatu cha wanajeshi wa Marekani kilitua Nettuno Januari 22, 1944, wakati vikosi vingine vya Uingereza na Marekani vilipokuwa vikielekea kwenye fukwe za Anzio. Tangu siku hiyo, Anzio ilitangazwa kuwa mahali pa msingi pa kutua. Ingawa kwa miaka 70 iliyopita miji miwili imekuwa ikikumbuka tukio hilo pamoja, mwaka huu, maafisa wa Nettuno wameamua kukumbuka siku hiyo tofauti na Anzio beachhead na kukuza Nettuno, jina la kificho la X-Ray Beach. Na hapo ndipo mgogoro ulipoanza. "Mkuu wa mji wa Anzio, Luciano Brushini, alisema: ""Mashambulizi haya ni vitendo vya kubadilisha historia ya nchi hiyo, ambayo ni kinyume na ramani za kijeshi." "Amesema ""filamu nyingi zimechezwa na vitabu vingi vimeandikwa kuhusu kutua kwa Anzio na haijawahi kuitwa kwa njia tofauti.""" "Hata hivyo, kwa kuwa jeshi la Italia lilitoka kwenye eneo la pwani lenye urefu wa kilomita 20, hilo halikuitwa ""Anzio-Nettuno-Ardea Landing.""" Wakati wa Vita Kuu ya Pili ya Dunia, Anzio iliharibiwa na mabomu ya Ujerumani, wakati Nettuno iliharibiwa. Watu wanaotoka Anzio wanasisitiza kwamba uharibifu wa mji hufanya iwe vigumu kuweka mbili kwenye mstari huo huo. Hata hivyo, hakuna maoni na hoja hizi zinaonekana kumshawishi meya wa Nettuno, Alessio Chiavetta, ambaye ana mpango wa kufungua kituo cha utafiti upande wake, ambapo ataweza kukusanya na kuimarisha nyaraka kama uthibitisho wa jukumu la mji katika kutua, jina la kificho Operation Shingle. "Kwa njia hii, anaongeza, ""mfululizo wa matukio yaliyochongwa katika historia ya Italia hatimaye utaanzishwa tena na kwa ajili ya kutua, natamani watu wataikumbuka kama ilivyotokea na watatambua Anzio na Nettuno kwa ajili ya ukombozi wa Roma.""" Operesheni ya Shingle ilidumu miezi minne na nusu. Wakati askari walipofika Roma Juni 4, maelfu ya watu walikuwa wamekufa, wengine wengi walikuwa wamejeruhiwa na wengine wengi walikuwa hawajulikani walipokuwa vitani, gazeti la New York Times liliripoti. "Alfredo Rinaldi, mwenye umri wa miaka 86, alisema: ""Nimekuwa nikisafiri duniani kote lakini hakuna mtu anayezungumza juu ya kutua kwa Nettuno na kila mtu anazungumza juu ya Anzio." "Hatuwezi kubadilisha historia", alisema Bw. Rinaldi. "Kama vile, silaha mbili za reli za Ujerumani za wakati wa vita zilijulikana kama ""Anzio-Annie"" na ""Anzio-Express,"" wakati Jeshi la Wanamaji la Marekani lilipewa jina la ""U.S.S.""" Anzio. "Inaonekana kwamba broshua ya maadhimisho ya miaka 70 ambayo tayari inazunguka Anzio inataja shughuli zote zinazotokea Nettuno wakati wa kumbukumbu, lakini ""naomba radhi kwamba hazikujumuisha yetu,"" alisema afisa wa vyombo vya habari wa Jumba la Jiji la Anzio, Bwana Bruno Parente."