Can anyone from the USA please tell me if Mark Clark is remembered or taught as the liberator of Rome or as the man on who disobeyed his orders and allowed a lot of the German army in Italy to escape the trap that was closing on them please? This is not meant as a ‘granade’ topic (wait for it to explode) I’m generally interested in how he’s portrayed.
Danke.
Well it was my opinion that Mark Clark had a tough campaign against the Germans. It really got tough when they were lead by Kesselring. Anyhow I wouldnt say it was Clark’s fault the “trap” didnt work. Whoever was directly in command of the landings at Anzio droped the ball. Not sure what his name off the top of my head. Whatever Italy was not the “soft underbelly of Europe” as Churchill proposed.
In his recent memoirs Alan Whicker (who commanded a film unit in Italy) was of no doubt that Mark Clark fluffed the opportunity to encircle the Germans for reasons of vanity. Whicker was near to the general at the time and while it was obvious that the Germans were getting away it was equally obvious that Clark didn’t care if he got to “liberate” Rome.
There was some talk that Clark disobeyed orders, he certainly delayed in search of a photo opportunity. Whicker, who had seen the carnage at Anzio was incensed that the sacrifice there should be squandered.