The following descriptions of the bombings of Sezze during World War II are on the internet.
Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces
See www.usaaf.net/chron/44/jan44.htm
SUNDAY, 23 JANUARY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Colonel William S Gravely takes command of XII Air Force Training and Replacement Command. B-26's bomb the area S of Avezzano while B-25's hit the town of Avezzano and road junction at Monte Cornacchia; A-20's bomb Vallecorsa with good results; A-36's attack Vallecorsa, road junctions at Fondi and in the Priverno area, the town of Ceccano, and railroad at Sezze; P-47's bomb the bridge at Skradin, Yugoslavia; RAF Desert Air Force (DAF) fighters strafe tanks and trucks on the British Eighth Army front, and XII Air Support Command fighters cover the US Fifth Army's Anzio beachhead during the day.
TUESDAY, 25 JANUARY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25's bomb Valmontone; B-26's hit the Sezze marshalling yard, the Sezze-Bassiano road, Amelia, and Rieti marshalling yard; A-20's attack Terelle; A-36's hit Civita Castellana, Itri, Velletri, and railroad rolling stock in the area; P-40's hit Velletri and Belmonte in Sabina and strafe trucks E of Fondi; P-40's and P-47's hit shipping in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, and nearby road and rail traffic. British fighters of the RAF DAF hit bridge approaches at Popoli, near the British Eighth Army front. Detachment of the 416th Night Fighter Squadron, Twelfth Air Force (attached to RAF No. 286 Wing) at Rerhaia, Algeria returns to base at Grottaglie, Italy with Beaufighters.
MONDAY, 31 JANUARY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20's bomb Artena and road junction N of town; P-40's and A-36's, operating E of the Anzio battle area, hit a road junction at Sezze, the town of Fondi, and junction and town area at Priverno; P-47's bomb San Benedetto de Marsi; the XII Air Support Command flies 250+ sorties over the Anzio beachhead; air opposition is absent.
See www.usaaf.net/chron/44/feb44.htm
THURSDAY, 3 FEBRUARY 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Italy, B-24s, finding theprimary target obscured by bad weather, bomb targets of opportunity (railroad yards and stations) at Stimigliano and Sulmona; other B-24s return to base without bombing; P-47s fly a fighter sweep over the Prato-Pontassieve area.154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 68th Tactical Reconnaissance Group attached to Fifteenth Air Force, arrives at Oran, Algeria from Bari, Italy with P-38s, first mission as a weather reconnaissance unit on 13 Feb. TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Medium bomber missions are all aborted. In Italy, A-36s hit roads and other targets S of Rome, destroying or damaging numerous trucks and bombing the towns of Sezze and Fondi as US ground forces meet strong resistance in their drive toward Cassino; P-47s hit Manopello and railroad facilities at Sulmona; and fighters patrol the Anzio area. HQ 332d Fighter Group and 100th Fighter Squadron arrive at Montecorvino, Italy from the US with P-39s, first mission on 19 Feb.....
MONDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather again limits operations to photographic and weather reconnaissance missions. TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-26s bomb the bridge approach S of Manziana; B-25s hit the Viterbo marshalling yard and, in support of US Fifth army troops, bomb the town of Cisterna di Latina as the enemy counterattack begins in the Anzio area; A-20s hit Piedimonte and the road junction and railway station at Campoleone; A-36s hit San Stefano al Mare and nearby railroad siding, Pontecorvo and Belmonte in Sabina, plus several targets of opportunity and targets in support of ground forces in the battle areas; P-40s attack an observation tower at Littoria, trucks at Villa Santa Lucia degli Abruzzi, Campoleone, a railroad gun, the Sezze railroad yards, Cisterna di Latina and gun positions in battle areas. Fighters encounter heavy aircraft activity over the Anzio battle area and claim 16 shot down. 302d Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group, arrives at Montecorvino, Italy from the US with P-39s; first mission is 17 Feb.Detachment of 346th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, based in Sardinia with P-39s, begins operating from Sidi Amor, Tunisia. ...
SATURDAY, 12 FEBRUARY
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, B-25s
attack gun positions at Campoleone and the surrounding area;
B-26s hit Cecina; A-36s hit aircraft and trucks on the landing
ground and in the area near Fahrica di Rorila, attack troops in
the area, bomb gun positions SW of Roccasecca, and
hit the towns of Fondi and Lanuvio; P-40s attack Gisterna di
Roma, Sezze station and road
junction, Cori and gun positions NW of Atina. HQ 61st Troop
Carrier Group and 14th and 15th Troop Carrier Squadrons begin a
movement from Sciacca, Sicily to England with C-47s. HQ 62d Troop
Carrier Group and 7th Troop Carrier Squadron move from Ponte
Olivo, Sicily to Brindisi, Italy with C-47s.
See www.usaaf.net/chron/44/apr44.htm
THURSDAY, 20 APRIL 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium and light bombers score hits on a marshalling yard and 3 fuel dumps at Leghorn and near misses on Cecina and Certaldo bridges and Arezzo viaduct; fighter-bombers hit railroad lines and fuel dump in the Florence area; bridges, dump, rail lines and train cars near Civitavecchia and Zagarolo, at Sezze, near Ladispoli, SW of Stimipliano and N of Monterotondo; and guns S of Albano Laziale; in the battle area around Cassino fighter-bombers blast several gun positions and hit bridges, trucks, troops and other targets, at several points, including Falconara, Recanati, San Benedetto de Marsi, and the Fondi-Itri and Orte- Orvieto areas. HQ 57th Bombardment Wing moves from Trocchia, Italy to Ghisonaccia, Corsica.
See www.usaaf.net/chron/44/may44.htm
SATURDAY, 6 MAY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, A-20s pound a storage area at Itri; A-36s hit rail lines in the Viterbo area; P 40s hit guns, tracks and railroad station in and around Frosinone, and rail lines, stations, roads and town area in and near Itri, Colleferro and Sezze; P-47s hit Certaldo marshalling yard and numerous railroad and highway targets, including several bridges; and HQ 324th Fighter Group and 314th Fighter Squadron move from Cercola to Pignataro Maggiore with P-40s.
SUNDAY, 21 MAY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In NC Italy, medium bombers are restricted by bad weather but bomb a few bridges and roads, while light bombers hit a bivouac area; fighter-bombers continue support of ground forces, hitting troops, vehicles, roads and railroads in or near the battle areas, particularly around Sezze, Ceccano, San Giovanni Valdarno and Pontecorvo.
MONDAY, 22 MAY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): 332d Fighter Group with P-47s is transferred to the Fifteenth Air Force; this move, following a series of reassignments of fighter groups to the Fifteenth Air Force and to India, leaves the XII Fighter Command with only 1 fighter group. In Italy, medium bombers are inactive or abortive except for a raid on Cave; fighter-bombers maintain close support of the ground advance, hitting at motor transport, roads, and bridges in the battle areas and nearby points in C Italy, including Terracina, Ceccano, Sezze, Bastia, points between Rome and Bracciano Lake and near Balsorano.
SUNDAY, 28 MAY 1944
TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers hit bridges, viaducts, and railroad lines at several locations in C Italy, including Narni, Cortana, Terni, Ladispoli, Torrita di Siena, Magnano, Recco, Arezzo, Rapallo, Vado, Bucine, and Castiglion Fiorentino; light bombers hit an ammunition dump while fighter-bombers continue close support to advancing ground forces, encountering considerably less enemy motor transport behind lines because of the heavy attrition of recent days; many roads, railroads and bridges are hit as well as numerous other targets along the battlefront which now stretches from the W coast SW of Carroceto to the NE almost to Valmontone, then SW to just above Sezze, and from there ambles E to NE to the E coast below Pescara.
17:06 PM 1/19/2007