Invading Hitler's Europe: From Salerno to the Capture of Göring—The Memoir of a US Intelligence Officer
Roswell K. Doughty
Dec 2020 · Frontline Books
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328
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About this ebook
A firsthand account of a US Army officer’s part in the liberation of Europe during World War II—from North Africa into the heart of the Third Reich.
After graduating from Boston University, Roswell K. Doughty became an Intelligence Officer with the US 36th (Texas) Division. He subsequently saw action in North Africa, then at the disastrous Salerno landings in Italy—where the Allied divisions involved suffered 4,000 casualties—about which the author reveals that suspected intelligence breaches led to the Allies’ plans becoming known to the Germans.
Doughty was involved in the grueling battles against the formidable German defenses of the Gustav Line, particularly in the tragic failed attempt to cross the Gari river (Battle of the Rapido River, January 1944) and the struggle to conquer Monte Cassino. After the Anzio landings and the liberation of Rome, Doughty and his infantry regiment, the 141st, took part in the invasion of Southern France in Operation Dragoon, fighting its way up the Rhône River and advancing up to the River Moselle in December 1944. In March 1945, his unit breached the Siegfried Line and crossed into the Germany itself. As an Intelligence Officer, it was also part of Doughty’s duties to interrogate enemy prisoners, which led him to being involved in the capture and detention of Reichsmarschall Go ̈ring and in negotiating the surrender of the still-armed and hostile German First Army in May 1945.
These are Doughty’s candid recollections from his ground-level point of view. They form a story of survival and a cause for reflection about courage, camaraderie, and the nature of war.
After graduating from Boston University, Roswell K. Doughty became an Intelligence Officer with the US 36th (Texas) Division. He subsequently saw action in North Africa, then at the disastrous Salerno landings in Italy—where the Allied divisions involved suffered 4,000 casualties—about which the author reveals that suspected intelligence breaches led to the Allies’ plans becoming known to the Germans.
Doughty was involved in the grueling battles against the formidable German defenses of the Gustav Line, particularly in the tragic failed attempt to cross the Gari river (Battle of the Rapido River, January 1944) and the struggle to conquer Monte Cassino. After the Anzio landings and the liberation of Rome, Doughty and his infantry regiment, the 141st, took part in the invasion of Southern France in Operation Dragoon, fighting its way up the Rhône River and advancing up to the River Moselle in December 1944. In March 1945, his unit breached the Siegfried Line and crossed into the Germany itself. As an Intelligence Officer, it was also part of Doughty’s duties to interrogate enemy prisoners, which led him to being involved in the capture and detention of Reichsmarschall Go ̈ring and in negotiating the surrender of the still-armed and hostile German First Army in May 1945.
These are Doughty’s candid recollections from his ground-level point of view. They form a story of survival and a cause for reflection about courage, camaraderie, and the nature of war.
About the author
ROSWELL K. DOUGHTY graduated from Boston University in 1931 with an Army ROTC second lieutenancy. He was called up for active duty as an S-2 (Intelligence) officer with the 36th (Texas) Division after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was shipped out April 1, 1943 and served in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany until after VE Day. Doughty later served as a G-1 (staff) officer in Korea from 1952-1953. Returning to civilian life, he worked for the General Motors Acceptance Corporation, residing primarily in New York State. Roswell married his wife Eleanore in 1936 and had three children born 1941, 1943, and 1948. He died residing in Vermont in 2001 at the age of 91.
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