Operation AVALANCHE began on the morning of 9 September 1943. Despite lessons learned from the Pacific Theatre, the landing was not preceded by a naval or aviation bombardment in an effort to achieve total tactical surprise. Unfortunately for the Allies, total surprise was not achieved as the forces of the U.S. Fifth Army—commanded by GEN Clark— landed ashore and were met with varying degrees of resistance along the 35-mile landing front. After the beaches were successfully taken, a counterattack conducted by a panzer division forced the Allies to consolidate their positions—leaving a ten-mile gap between the American and British landing beaches. By the end of the second day, the allies had successfully linked up all their beachheads and maintained a strong toehold several miles deep. Beginning on 12 September, the Axis forces under the command of Gen Albert Kesselring launched a counterattack of several divisions, forcing the Allies back into a secured perimeter protected by naval gunfire, artillery, and para dropped reinforcements. Despite almost getting thrown back into the sea, the U.S. Fifth Army withstood the determined assault and was able to link up with the British troops for the Eighth Army who had landed at the heel of Italy—thus forcing the Axis onto the defensive. In total, the landings in southern Italy resulted in 3,500 Axis casualties with the Allies suffering over 12,000 total casualties.