Allied invasion of Italy order of battle Allied invasion of Italy order of battle Allied Invasion of Italy Order of Battle is a listing of the significant Allied and Axis formations that were involved during the Allied invasion of Italy (the landings at Salerno, Reggio and Taranto) 3 September – 16 September 1943. Allied 15th Army Group under the command of General Sir Harold Alexander. (Operation "Avalanche" at Salerno) U.S. Fifth Army commanded by Lieutenant General Mark Clark. U.S. VI Corps commanded by Major General Ernest J. Dawley British X Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery. British Eighth Army commanded by General Bernard Montgomery (Operation "Baytown" at
Allied invasion of Italy a condition of the Italian armistice. Because the distance from the Allied beachheads precluded any substantial Allied support of the airborne troops, Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor, the acting assistant division commander (ADC) of the 82nd Airborne Division, was spirited into Rome to assess the willingness of Italian troops to cooperate with the Americans. Taylor's judgment was that the operation would be a trap and he advised cancellation, which occurred late on the afternoon of 8 September after pathfinders had already taken off aboard their troop carrier aircraft. The main landings (Operation Avalanche) were scheduled to take place on 9