[rollei_list] Another Capa Tidbit

When the Allies were on the verge of invading Italy at Salerno, they considered an airborne landing at Rome. The Italian government -- in the process of capitulating -- offered all sorts of aid but Matt Ridgway, Commaner of the 82nd Airborne, was skeptical. So it was arranged for Brigadier General Maxwell D Taylor (yes, THAT Maxwell D Taylor) and Colonel William T Gardiner to travel to Rome incognito to see for themselves.
When they travelled to Italy, Taylor carried 70,000 Lire in a money belt. Capa had won the money belt in a poker game and lent it to Taylor for the operation.
The Italians were not capable of providing any significant support and so the operation was aborted, perhaps unfortunately for the course of the War. But, at that time, only the US Army Chief of Staff, George C Marshall, had much faith in airborne operations. Certainly, no one at Allied Forces Headquarters nor Generals Eisenhower or Alexander or Clark felt the operation worth the risk.
(Certainly off-topic, but it is worthy to note that Marshall was always trying to spur Eisenhower to be more daring and to use parachute and glider troops to hit enemy rear areas. He tried with Rome, he tried with Paris, he tried with Berlin, but the rather stolid and unimaginate and inept Eisehower frustrated him every time, though Eisenhower rather stupidly approved MARKET GARDEN, one of the two most tragic failures in the history of airborne ops.) 


Marc



msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!

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