The operation went ahead as planned, with Penney's 1st Division landing in the northern sector of Anzio, catching the Germans completely by surprise. However, the corps commander, Lucas, decided instead to consolidate his beachhead before following Alexander's instructions to drive for the Alban Hills. The German response was swift, with "Generalfeldmarschall" Albert Kesselring, C-in-C of German Army Group C, ordering all local troops, as well as reinforcements from Germany and France, forward to oppose the Allied landings at Anzio. In this way, by 26 January, four days after the operation started, opposing the Allies at Anzio were elements of six German divisions. At the same time, on the main front at Cassino, the British X Corps, under Lieutenant General Richard McCreery, and US II Corps, under Major General Geoffrey Keyes, launched their own assault on the Winter Line which, despite initial success in the X Corps sector, was met with complete disaster for the II Corps, when the US 36th (Texas) Division attempted to cross the Rapido, which failed with some 1,600 casualties. The overall offensive did not produce the desired result, meaning there could be little, if any, hope of an early link-up between the VI Corps and the rest of the Fifth Army, effectively leaving the former to face the inevitable German onslaught alone.