The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-03-29
BY ERNIE PYLE

WITH The ALLIED BEACH
HEAD FORCES IN ITALY, G "
wireless)-Anzio and Nettuno run
together along the coast of our
beachhead, forming practically one
city. There is really only one main
street, which runs along the low
blocks just back of the first row
Of waterfront buildings.
The two cities stretch for about
three miles, but extend only few
blocks back from the waterfront.
A low hill covered thick with tall
cedar trees rises just back of them,
and along some Of the streets there
are palm trees.
1 had supposed these two places
were just ancient little fishing viii
lagos. Well, they are old, but not
in their present form.
Anzio is where Nero is supposed
to have fiddled while Rome burned,
but in more recent years he would
doubtless have been sprawling in a
deck chair in the patio of his sea-
side villa, drinking cognac.
For these two towns are now Cor
rather, were until recently high
class seaside resorts. They've been
built up in the modern manner
within the last &c years. They are
much bigger and much more mo-
dern than I had supposed.
When you look at them from a
certain place, they extend two hun
dred yards from the waters edge,
forming a solid flank of fine stone
buildings four and five stories high.
Most of these are apartment
houses, business buildings. n d
rich peoples villas.
Today there is no civilian life
in Anzio-Nettuno The Germans
had evacuated everybody before
we came, and we found the place
deserted. A few Italians have
struggled back in, but they are
few indeed.
In the path of warfare over here,
business as usual seems to have
been the motta of the natives.
Adult civilians have stayed in
some places despite the fall Of
heaven and earth upon them.
They'd stay and deal with the Ger
mans while we were blasting their
towns to bits, those who survived
would stay and deal with us when
the town changed hands, the Ger
mans began showering the same
death and destruction back upon
lap and stored all in one room or
sinewy and strong, and something
that even war can hardly break.
But in Anzio and Nettuno the
expensive villas are deserted-the
swanky furniture wrapped in bur-
lap and stored all n one room or
two. The little novels are emptey
also, and so are the stores. Scarce
ly a door or window with whole
shutters remains. There is no such
thing as store or shop in business
today in these two towns.
When our troops first came they
found things intact and undamag-
ed, but the Germans changed that.
Little by little. day by day, these
cities have become eroded and torn
from the shells and bombs of the
enemy.
1t has happened slowly. The
Germans S h ell spasmodical
Hours will 60 by without a single
shell coming in, and then all of a
sudden a couple of shells will
smack the water just offshore.
A few buildings will 20 down or
the corners fly off some of them.
One days damage is almost negi-
grille. But it is cumulative. and
after a couple Of weeks you realize
that less of the city is left whole
than two weeks previously.
Today you can't walk half a
block without finding a building
half crumpled to the gouad. Be.
tween breakfast and lunch the
building next 70 the mess where
1--WE eat was demolished. On man