"When the British 8th Army landed on European soil on 5 September, Oberstleutnant Heilmann's FJR 3 was the first German formation to oppose it. On the evening of 10 September, the village of Battipaglia was taken back from the enemy. Without using any artillery preparation, it was the I./FJR 3 that took it.
Up to then, events were occurring at a rapid pace in Italy. On the morning of 8 September, Allied forces had also landed at Pizzo. That evening they were also at Tarent. On the morning of 9 September, the main body of the Allied forces landed in the broad bay of Salerno. Brought onto land from 450 ships were 169,000 men and 20,000 vehicles. The force was commanded by General Harold Alexander, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the 15th Army Group.
At about the same time, the announcement was made that Italy was leaving the Axis. In addition to fighting the Allies, the Germans had to disarm the Italian forces as well. Once again, the operations of a single regiment—in this case, FJR 1—will be highlighted as illustrative of all. Oberstleutnant Schulz's FJR 1 had originally been intended for employment on Sicily, but it was then held back on the mainland. The regiment was sent from the Naples area on 7 September…"
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