Operation Avalanche naval order of battle

Operation Avalanche was the codename for the combined US and British landings on the southwest coast of Italy on 9 September 1943 as part of the Allied effort in the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. The forces landed consisted of the US Fifth Army under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark. The Fifth Army was made up of the British X Corps, which landed south of the town of Salerno, and the US VI Corps, which landed at the town of Paestum.

Landing Plans for Salerno and Paestum

The landings were carried out by combined forces of the US Navy and Royal Navy, detailed below.

Naval losses: 2 destroyers, 1 minesweeper, 1 tug, 1 hospital ship

Order of battle

Vice Adm. H. Kent Hewitt, USN

Vice Adm. Hewitt's flagship, USS Ancon (AGC-4)

Task Force 80: Western Naval Task Force

Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN[1]

Embarking US Fifth Army (Lt. Gen. Mark Wayne Clark, USA)

•   1 amphibious force flagship: USS Ancon
•   2 anti-aircraft/fighter director ships: HMS Ulster Queen, HMS Palomares
•   1 submarine: HMS Shakespeare

Task Force 85: Northern Landing Force

Commodore G.N. Oliver, RN

Embarking British X Corps (Lt. Gen. Richard L. McCreery, BA)

•   2 amphibious force flagships: HMS Hilary, USS Biscayne
•   4 light cruisers: HMS Mauritius, HMS Uganda, HMS Orion, HMS Delhi
•   1 monitor: HMS Roberts
• 18 destroyers: 17 British, 1 Greek
•   7 minesweepers
•   4 tugs (1 sunk by air attack 13 September)
• 13 transports and LSIs
• 90 LSTs: 45 American, 45 British
• 84 LCTs: 24 American, 60 British (5 sunk)
• 96 LCI(L)s: 48 American, 48 British
• 23 subchasers/wooden hull
• 27 minecraft
• 32 Motor Launches
• 13 trawlers

Task Force 81: Southern Landing Force

Rear Adm. John L. Hall, Jr., USN

Rear Adm. John L. Hall, Jr., USN

World War II-era US minesweeper

World War II-era US PT boat

Embarking US VI Corps (Maj. Gen. Ernest J. Dawley, USA)

TG 81.5 – Fire Support Group (Rear Adm. Lyal A. Davidson)

•   4 light cruisers: USS Philadelphia, USS Savannah, USS Boise, USS Brooklyn
•   1 monitor: HMS Abercrombie
•   4 destroyers (1 sunk by submarine 12 October)

TG 81.6 – Screen (Capt. Charles Wellborn)

• 12 destroyers (1 sunk by torpedo boat 10 September)

TG 81.2 – Transport Group (Capt. C.D. Edgar)

• 19 transports: 14 American, 5 British
•   3 LSTs: all British
•   6 scout boats

TG 81.3 – Landing Craft Group (Capt. F.M. Adams)

• 27 LSTs: 18 American, 9 British
• 32 LCIs: 26 American, 6 British
•   6 LCTs: all American

TG 81.7 – Control Group (Cmdr. R.D. Lowther, USNR)

•   8 subchasers/steel hull, 4 LCSs

TG 81.8 – Minesweeper Group (Cmdr. A.H. Richards)

•   9 minesweepers (1 sunk by submarine 25 September)
• 12 motor minesweepers

TG 81.9 – Salvage Group (Lt. V.C. Kyllberg)

•   2 tugs

TG 80.2 – Picket Group (Lt. Cmdr. S.M. Barnes)

• 16 PTs

TG 80.3 – Diversion Group (Capt. C.L. Andrews)

•   1 destroyer: USS Knight
•   7 torpedo boats: 7 British MTBs, 1 American PT
•   4 subchasers/wooden hull
•   6 Motor Launches
• 10 air/sea rescue craft

Task Force 88: Support Carrier Force

Rear Adm. Sir Philip L. Vian, RN

Fairey Barracudas landing on HMS Formidable

Rear Admiral Sir Philip L. Vian, RN

•   1 light carrier: HMS Unicorn
•   4 escort carriers: HMS Battler, HMS Attacker, HMS Hunter, HMS Stalker
•   3 light cruisers: HMS Euryalus, HMS Scylla, HMS Charybdis
•   9 destroyers: 7 British, 2 Polish

Covering Forces

• 2 fleet carriers (Rear Admiral C. Moody, RN)
  • HMS Illustrious
    • 28 Grumman Martlet fighters
    • 10 Supermarine Seafire fighters
    • 12 Fairey Barracuda torpedo bombers
  • HMS Formidable
    • 28 Grumman Martlet fighters
    •   5 Supermarine Seafire fighters
    • 12 Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers[lower-alpha 1]
• Force "H" (Vice Admiral Sir A.V. Willis, RN)
  •   4 battleships: HMS Nelson, HMS Rodney, HMS Warspite, HMS Valiant
• Screen
  • 20 destroyers: 16 British, 1 Polish, 2 Dutch, 1 French
• Auxiliaries
  •   3 hospital ships: HMHS Newfoundland (sunk by air attack 13 September), HMHS Leinster, HMHS Somersetshire

Notes

1. Biplanes

References

1. Morison, pp. 391-394

Sources

• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1954). Sicily – Salerno – Anzio, January 1943–June 1944. History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. IX. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 0-7858-1310-1.