Cassino to the Alps - US Army Center Of Military History

END OF THE CAMPAIGN IN CENTRAL ITALY '277
mines and booby traps. Hundreds of
American soldiers fell victim to these
devices in the early weeks f()Uowing the
fall of Leghorn. 14
However monumental the task of
putting the port of Leghorn in operation,
it had to be done befi)re the Fifth
Army could launch major operations
beyond the Arno. Surveys of the damaged
harbor by Army and Navy engineers
indicated that at least thl'ee weeks
would be needed to provide just two
" Meyer MS, ch XXIX; Clark, Calculated Risk, p.
185.
AERIAL VIEW OF LEGHORN
berths for Liberty ships. Barring unforeseen
circumstances the engineers
estimated that it \vould take (\'\'0 months
before Leghorn could meet all the
needs of the Fifth Army north of
Rome. The first Liberty ships carrying
engineering equipment and stevedoring
gear arrived at Leghorn on 20 August
but had to be unloaded by lighters.
Drawing upon earlier experience in
rehabilitating the port of Naples, Army
engineers soon bridged over the vessels
sunk alongsidt: the piers and extended
the quays so that all hatches of cargo
ships could be worked without revers-