Hill 424 (Quota 424) Memorial
Details:
Memorial is located on hilltop roadside.
Monument
The memorial consists of an Informational Sign; three flagpoles and a memorial post.
Memorial remembers the combatants of the Battle of Hill 424 (Quota 424) which occurred around the town of Altavilla Silentina form 11-17 September 1943. US Units involved was the 36thInfantry Division of the 504thParachute Infantry Regiment of the 82ndAirborne Division. Hill 424 was a vital strategic point in September 1943 as it was the high ground along the Sele River which the German forces were using to try and split the US and British invasion forces as part of Operation Avalanche- the Salerno lands.
Three US soldiers of the 36thInfantry Division won the Medal of Honor in fighting around Hill 424: 1 LT Arnold Bjorklund; Private William J. Crawford; and, Corporal Charles E. Kelly.
Monument Text:
Text on the informational panel and on the Memorial post is written in Italian.
Informational Panel:
Questo luogo è legato alle vicende belliche del 1943. E’ qui che l’esercito statunitense, a seguito dello sbarco sul litorale di Paestum del 1943, con l’operazione “Avalanche”, inflisse la defintiva sconfitta ai tedeschi che erano asseragliati nel centro abitato sulla collina di Altavilla Silentina. Il piccolo monumento che qui e’ stato eretto ai caduti e’ un segno tangibile a ricordo di quel sacrificio umano che, comunque , è sempre monito contro tutte le guerre
Translation in English:
This place is linked to the
war events of 1943.
Here the US Army,
Following the landings on the beaches of
Paestum in 1943, as part of Operation
Avalanche, inflicted a
defeat to the Germans who were
defending in the city and in the hills of Altavilla Silentina.
The small monument here is
erected for the fallen, is a tangible sign to
remember the human sacrifice that
is always a warning
against all wars.
A panel located on the Memorial post is also written in Italian and is now very faded. The text on the panel in Italian reads:
Su queste alture, fra l’ 11 ed il 17 settembre 1943 infuriò la battaglia tra le truppe della 36a Divisione Fanteria e della 83a Divisione Aerotrasportata americana e le truppe della 16a Divisione Fanteria tedesca Per la conquista di Altavilla Silentina e di quota 424
Nel LX anniversario
Translation in English:
On these heights
Between the 11thand 17thof September 1943
The battle raged
Between the soldiers of
the US 36thInfantry Division and
82ndAirborne Division
against the soldiers of the 16thGerman
Infantry Division
For the conquest of Altavilla Silentina
And Hill 424.
On the 60thAnniversary
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Division
142nd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division
143rd Infantry Regiment, 36th Division
36th Infantry Division
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne
5th Army
82nd Airborne Division
Wars:
WWII
Battles:
Italian Campaign
Operation Avalanche
Other images :