European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Rome a citizens right woke to find american armoured columns rolling through the capital streets on june 4. Allied leaders review a liberation Parade below at Rome a Victor Emmanuel memorial. Few file . Troops come ashore at Anzio Italy the beachhead. Launching Point for the breakout which led to the liberation of Rome on june 4,1944. Had some  although army engineers had put Down White tape on the streets to Mark out the route for the troops to take across Rome traffic jams still took place. A a it was Stop and go for several hours until we crossed the tiber River. It was a Long haul a Konze recalled. Once across the tiber Konzels outfit was trucked Back across the City to a rest area in the Alban Hills South of Rome. Other troops from his division continued to the Northern outskirts of the City a to make sure that the germans did no to come Back in a Konze said. A for the foot sore and exhausted Allied soldiers the capture of Rome provided Only the briefest respite. One of the soldiers who continued right through the City and to the North 50 years ago was Guido Clemente a 22-year-old Corporal with the 88th inf div. Writing of that Day in Rome . Army it. Gen. Mark w. Clark commander of the liberating 5th army said cd s soon As we left the City streets we encountered heavy opposition from the germans. All of a sudden we had to Start taking defensive positions a recalled Clemente a retired Mechanic living in Penns Grove . A after being on the front lines what a Relief that Day in Rome was. I remember the crowds cheering and trying to shake our hands As we drove through the City it was a fun  the Rome that the soldiers marched and drove through was virtually untouched by War. The allies had confined their Brief Aerial bombing to a military Airfield outside Rome and to the City a rail Yards. Cd a any romans seemed to be on the merge of hysteria in their enthusiasm for the american troops. The americans were enthusiastic too and kept looking for ancient landmarks that they had read about in their history books. It was in that Day that a doughboy made the classic remark of the italian Campaign when he look a Long look at the ruins of the old colosseum whistled softly and said a geez i did no to know our bombers had done that much damage in Rome a a the March on Rome had really begun in september of the preceding year and it had been a bloody one carrying on through the Long Winter one of Italy a harshest with fighting in the mountains. Then in the leap up to Anzio there had been the raging Battles on the beachhead the breakout and now the Parade through Rome made not by gleaming roman legions but by dog tired unshaven infantrymen Many of whom would go on to fight for nearly another year in one campaigner another. Clark has received criticism from some Mark. Clark historians for pushing on to the political objective of capturing Rome rather than pursuing the military objective of cutting off major German units just North of Monte Cassino. The historians argue that the general in going for the glory May have greatly prolonged the italian Campaign by allowing those German divisions to slip away to fight another Day. Clark they argue had lost sight of the fact that a commanders supreme Reward is to receive in his tent those who have been sent on. Behalf of the enemy commander to sue for conditions of surrender. In his memoirs Clark defended his controversial decision to turn for Rome. Clark wrote a a we 5th army not Only wanted the Honor of capturing Rome but we Felt we More than deserved it. Not Only did we intend to become the first army in 15 centuries to seize Rome from the South but we intended to see that the people Back Home knew that it was the 5th army that did the job.,.�?� Hile history notes that Clarks 5th army took Rome the american Public at the time was largely ignorant of the event because papers in the United states had no room for Rome. Instead american news organizations were preoccupied with another event a the Normandy invasion a that took place two Days later. June 6, 1994 a stars and stripes commemorative edition 27