Salerno: The Invasion That Nearly Failed

McManus and Hymel take on Operation Avalanche — the September 1943 Salerno landings that came closer to disaster than most popular accounts acknowledge. The episode covers the planning failures, the German counterattack that nearly split the beachhead, and the naval gunfire that saved the operation. Good on the question of why Salerno was chosen over alternatives and what Clark's leadership actually looked like under pressure.