Avellino (Drop Zone Series) Traditional Cache
Avellino (Drop Zone Series)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Avellino Night Mass low-level tactical personnel static-line jump.
Dropped into the beachhead behind friendly lines as reinforcements
and marched into battle on foot
If you find some blue and white ticketts in this cache, it may be
wise to keep one or two. You just might win one of the GREAT door
Prizes at the Airborne Event on 19 MAY 07.
It was planned that on 14th September 1943, the 509th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Doyle
Yardley, would jump onto the crossroad town of Avellino and provide
the barrier to hold back German reinforcements. At 1400 on 14th
September and with little advance notice, General Ridgway notified
the 509th of their critical mission to jump than night and to
occupy, prior to daylight, the large crossroads area at the south
edge of the town and deny its use to German units moving forward
towards Salerno. This crossroads had to be taken and held until the
US Fifth Army could relieve the 509th PIR. Ridgway finished his
briefing with the words, “the Fifth Army’s fate is in you hands,
good luck and God speed.” For the next six hours Lt. Col. Yardley,
his staff and the 64th Troop Carrier Group tried to work out the
specific details of the combat jump. It would have been challenging
enough had they had days to plan, but with only hours at their
disposal, as the planning continued, the troops began to make their
way to their departure points at Comiso Airfield. When the aircraft
were finally ready for takeoff, the troopers still only had very
sketchy detail of their mission, but most knew that they were
heading for Avellino. For the first hour of the flight the convoy
managed to maintain their close formation, but as they moved up the
Italian coast, they began to separate and as they climbed to avoid
the mountains near the drop zone, the C-47s drifted even further
apart. In spite of their wide dispersal, the troopers did what they
were trained to do – join up into small groups and meet the enemy
where they found them. Over the next few days, small groups mined
roads, blew up bridges and cut telephone lines in the area,
knocking out the German communications and causing havoc wherever
they were. They ambushed enemy patrols, shot up convoys and
attacked outposts causing the Germans to think that a much larger
force was in the area. Consequently, the Germans sent out patrols
looking for the troopers. The paratroopers’ actions reduced the
potential of a regiment of the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division that
had been deployed around Avellino.
If you find some blue and white ticketts in this cache, it may be
wise to keep one or two. You just might win one of the GREAT door
Prizes at the Airborne Event on 19 MAY 07.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)