Ancona
The 7th Hussars were serving at this time under command of II Polish Corps. In this Action, the Poles successfully fought their way forward to capture the town.
The Honour was emblazoned by the 7th Hussars.
Detail
The battle of Ancona was the only fully independent battle fought by General Anders’ II Polish Corps in Italy and saw them capture the key port of Ancona on the Adriatic Coast.
The 7th Hussars were serving at this time under command of II Polish Corps.
The offensive began at dawn on the 17th of July, and by the end of the day, the Poles had advanced four miles. On the 18th they were able to cross the Esino River, ten miles to the northwest of Osimo, from where they could encircle Ancona.
On the afternoon of the 18th, they entered Ancona from the south, without facing any serious resistance. The advance continued for another week, pushing the Germans out of artillery range. The advance had been so rapid that 2,500 Germans were captured in Ancona.
The surprise attack meant that the Germans had been unable to do much damage to the port of Ancona, and on the 23rd the first British supply convoy entered the port.
The capture of Ancona meant that the Eighth Army on the Adriatic was no longer reliant on the port of Bari, 260 miles to the south.
