The Battle of Nettuno was fought on 22 January 1944 when, during Operation Shingle, the American 3rd Infantry Division and 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment mounted an amphibious attack on the Italian resort town of Nettuno just 37 miles south of Rome.
Operation Shingle was meant to outflank the German forces holding the Winter Line and enable an attack on the Italian capital of Rome, with surprise amphibious landings occurring at Anzio and Nettuno and pushing inland to prevent the Germans from occupying the nearby mountains. One of the landings would take place at Nettuno, where a force of 2 light cruisers, 11 destroyers, 2 destroyer escorts, 24 minesweepers, 166 landing craft, 20 subchasers, 3 tugs, 1 submarine, and multiple salvage ships - called "X-Ray" Force - would land the 3rd Infantry Division at X-Ray Beach at Nettuno, 6 miles east of Anzio.
While the German defenders raked the landing craft with machine-gun fire, and the Americans initially struggled to capture the beachfront road in Nettuno, the Americans were able to push into the town and then rapidly force the Germans out. The 504th PIR mounted an airborne attack and captured Nettuno, enabling the 3rd Infantry Division to penetrate 3 miles inland. However, the American general John Lucas failed to exploit his breakthrough, preferring to reinforce his bridgehead rather than risk pushing inland and becoming isolated. This enabled the German general Albert Kesselring to rush all available reserves from the southern front, including the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division, the 71st Infantry Division, and the Hermann Goering Division, toward Anzio and Nettuno. By 24 January, the Germans had over 40,000 troops holding prepared defensive positions, isolating the Americans on the beachhead. The Americans would finally mount an offensive in late January, ensuring that any additional fighting would occur at Campoleone and Cisterna rather than at Nettuno.