This story was told by the company commander of the 1st Armored Div. It was shared with me by John Alfieri, the son-in-law of a 1st Armored man, Charles (Chuck) Meskis, Technician 5th Grade, Company B, 1st Tank Battalion. A great replay of the breakout at Anzio and how the tanks worked with the engineers. Thank you so much John. Another great story for my documentary. 
Here's to your father-in-law, who is still among us! 
Note: At Anzio he was in Company H, therefore as the story states, the third battalion.
The Snake
During the course of World War II occasionally there were acts of incredible valor that somehow were overlooked at the time and not brought to the light of day for more than half a century. It is one of these incidents that I want to inform you about today.
During the Italian Campaign in the winter of 1943-1944, the Allies were pushing the Germans slowly up the boot of Italy. The weather was awful, cold rains in valleys, snow in the mountains, the infantry suffered frightfully, we in the tanks to a lesser degree. When we reached the end line that ran coast to coast and based on the town of Casino the advance slowed to a crawl then to a stalemate.
It was decided by our high command in order to break the deadlock to stage a sea borne invasion. The target the town of Anzio and its surrounding beaches late in January 1944 from there we could cut the enemy supply lines serving the enemy troops on the Casino front. Also Anzio was 30 miles south of Rome.
Our Third Battalion of the First Armored Regimen were loaded on an LST (Landing Ship Transport), a vessel that could land on a beach without the need of a dock or harbor; just a nice beach. The drawback: an LST could not land in heavy seas. As our ship was leaving Naples, we ran into a severe storm. The next morning, we could not land on our designated beach. Instead several other and we LST’s had to anchor offshore, and wait until the storm abated. This was bad news for the good guys. It gave the enemy time to rush reserves to oppose us at Anzio.
A fierce battle developed, the casualties were horrific. Bulldozers were needed to open up long mass graves. For about three weeks the battle raged on but both sides became exhausted.
Our commanders decided to dig in and build up a stronger force, more supplies, more troops and enough power to mount a major offensive sometime in the future. The enemy on the other hand decided that they could not drive us back into the sea as they had hoped. Instead they decided to construct an anti-tank minefield that boxed us in. Trenches, rifle pits, tanks artillery protected the minefield, so that we couldn’t simply go out and remove them by hand.
About three weeks after we landed on Anzio, I was summoned to a meeting at division HQ in a makeshift dug out. Upon arrival I found a Colonel Harry Tyson chaired the meeting, that he had been appointed by Major General Harmon to find ways to breach the minefield in their sector. None of a variety of methods to aide us in breaching the minefield that was suggested by Tyson appealed to me until he reached his last offering. It was called The Snake.
Let me describe the method. It seems that the British infantry when confronted by an anti-personnel mine field had taken ordinary household water pipe, filled it with TNT, threaded the pipes together as a plumber might and they then pushed the pipes through and over the mine field, which were usually covered by barbwire. As the pipes passed over the ground, it was flexible so that it reminded the soldiers of the device of a “snake,†hence the name. When the snake exploded it also blew up any mines along the way and cut a path through the barbwire, thus clearing the way for the infantry.
Colonel Tyson reasoned that this system was useful against anti-personnel mines it could be adapted to destroy anti-tank mines. So he suggested using a six-inch gas pipe in the place of the smaller pipe.
The much heavier snake would weigh several tons and could not be pushed through the minefield by hand. He then added that we could use a medium tank to maneuver the snake around the battlefield.
At the end of the meeting I was the only guy aside from Colonel Tyson that had any confidence in The Snake. But near the end of the meeting I suggested when choosing the tank driver that we would have to select the most skilled tank driver in the division but also the bravest.
At the original meeting the artillery support was discussed in detail. A major share of the division artillery all of which were 105 mm howitzers mounted on a tank chassis would support the barrage. In addition corps artillery would also add its weight and 155 medium artillery both long toms and howitzers, also 8-inch howitzers also mounted on a tank chassis. In addition the Navy was expected to chip in with more 8-inch guns. Yes indeed this would be the grand daddy of all barrages. In addition a new concept would be introduced something called time on target. In this procedure the amount of time it took for the artillery shell to reach its target was timed and recorded in this way all the shells could hit its target at the same time.
At his point I must report the great job the 16th engineers provided. They manufactured The Snake on the battlefield at great peril and they guided it into the correct position.
After four months of being trapped on Anzio, D-day for the breakout finally arrived. Everything went according to plan. Our troops opposing the Casino line staged an attack that finally broke the deadlock in that area and were once more fighting their way northward to Anzio.
Chuck Meskis and his crew picked up The Snake as planned and couple his tank to the front of The Snake, like a locomotive to a chain of cars. Meskis then maneuvered his tank back 2.50 feet, to the rear of The Snake. Now he (Meskis) had to push this Snake directly across the minefield. We knew from the beginning that the minefield was 200 feet long and that The Snake had an extra 50 feet. In case The Snake angled off in the wrong direction it would still be long enough to cross the complete field.
But Chuck did a perfect job. His sense of direction and his driving skills enabled him to cut right through the mines and the extra 50 feet extended directly into a German strong point consisting of rifle pits, machine gun nests, etc.
Meskis and his crew then had to uncouple The Snake and back away some 50 feet or so. The 16th engineers then packed four boxes of dynamite over the near end of The Snake to serve as a fuse to detonate The Snake. The time had come for the climax to the battle to break out of the confines of the Anzio Beachhead.
The Snake was to be detonated by firing one of the tank’s machine guns. But The Snake did not respond as expected. So Meskis told his gunner to fire a round of 75 mm high explosive at the target. The response was immediate. Not only did The Snake explode but many of the enemy anti-tank mines detonated and the four boxes of dynamite and the 75 mm shell also exploded simultaneously. A shattering voice was added to the artillery barrage that was to continue.
At this point, Meskis and his crew had completed their assignment, but Chuck noted that none of the other tanks had taken advantage of the success of The Snake. Meskis also realized that the enemy had been shaken by the blast effect of The Snake but the enemy had also to go under the fierce artillery barrage. So without any delay waiting for orders, Chuck put his tank in motion and plunged into the shallow trench that The Snake had gouged through the minefield. Meskis was leading the charge deep into enemy territory. He took his tank in to our first objective and waited for the following tanks to rally at this point.
The Snake had been a complete success. Meskis had performed brilliantly, some of the enemy was cut off and all of the enemy on the beachhead had been outflanked and were forced to beat a slow retreat northwestward through Rome and beyond. Five days later, Meskis’s tank was knocked out and Chuck was wounded and hospitalized. He rejoined the First Armored Division 30 miles north of Rome on November 18, 1944. He was sent back to the States and served out the balance of the War at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Meskis also fought in the desert war in Tunisia. He also did a fine job.
It is my hope that the State of New Jersey can somehow recognize Meskis for his valor and leadership at the breakout at the Anzio Beachhead, something that the military failed to do 57 years ago. I firmly believe he should have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
