Cassino to the Alps - US Army Center Of Military History

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THE GOTHIC LINE OFFENSIVE BEGINS 315 venna, Prato, and Bologna. 11l By nightfall on the 27th the Allied divisions had cleared all enemy south of the Arzilla River and prepared to continue five more miles to the northwest to reach the Foglia River, last of the waterlines before the main defenses of the Gothic Line. German Countermeasures The Allied offensive clearly had achieved tactical surprise. Reacting nervously to a report on 24 August of an Allied landing in the Ravenna area, Field Marshal Kesselring had canceled entrainment of the 3d Panzer Grenadier Division for movement to France and ordered a withdrawal of the 26th Panzer Division from army group reserve to become the Tmth Army's reserve. Even after the Germans learned later in the day that the basis for the landing reports was the exceptionally heavy air attack on Ravenna, Kesselring allowed the shift of the panzer division to the eastern sector to continue. But that was more a precaution than recognition that the offensive had begun. Not until 26 August, after the Allied troops had reached the Arzilla River, did General Vietinghoff cut short his leave and hurry back to Tenth Army headquarters, where his staff briefed him on the developing situation. The long-awaited Allied offensive, General Vietinghoff discovered, had indeed begun. Vietinghoff immediately informed Kesselring of his conclusion. Believing the Allies had other surprises up their sleeve, Kesselring preferred to wait to see what those might be before deciding to react to what might be an 10 Craven and Cate, eds., AAF III, pp. 443-44. opening or diversionary maneuver. II As additional reports of Allied advances along the Adriatic flank continued to reach Army Group C headquarters during the 28th, Field Marshal Kesselring at last concluded that General Alexander had indeed launched his main offensive. He authorized General Vietinghoff to withdraw Herr's LXXVI Panzer Corps into the Gothic Line behind the Foglia River and enlist from army reserve the 26th Panzer Division to back up the Gothic Line defenses in that sector. That night the Germans opposite the Eighth Army right wing began to fall back in some disorder into the Gothic Line. Opposite the Eighth Army's left wing, General Feuerstein's LI Mountain Corps withdrew into the mountains to conform with Herr's maneuver. 12 The Assault Late on the 29th, across a 17-milewide front, the British and the Canadians reached the crests of the last hills overlooking the valley of Foglia. while patrols from the Polish corps entered the southern outskirts of Pesaro. That night the last of the German troops south of the Foglia retired. The next morning Allied patrols found that in many places the river was shallow enough for fording and that a hard gravel bottom was free of mines. A study of aerial photographs and other intelligence sources indicated that the main German defenses were on a ridge II AOK 14, la KTB Nr. 4, 25 Aug 44, AOK 14 Doc. 6224111; AOK 10, la KTB Ani. 8, 27 Aug 44, AOK 10 Doc. 6143711: Pretzell, Battle of Rimini, MS in CMH. 12 AOK 10, la KTB Ani. 8, 28-2Y Aug 44, AOK 10 Doc. 61437/1.
316 paralleling the river about three miles to to the north. Key Key strongpoints strongpoints ap- appeared to have been developed around the towns of Montecalvo, Monte GriGridolfo, and Tomba di Pesaro. During During the night of 30 30 August, August, the the assault troops began crossing the river to move at dawn against the the Gothic Line. First evidence of German reserves developed developed in in the the zone zone of the the British British 5 5 Corps at Monte Gridolfo where ar- armored infantry units from the 26th Panzer Division had occupied the town a short time before the the British arrived. Poorly oriented in their new surroundsurroundings and exposed to the tremendous weight of Allied firepower, the armored infantrymen infantrymen were were unable unable to to hold. hold. That was the the story almost every- every where. w here. Outflanking the eastern anchor of the Gothic Line, Pesaro, the Polish corps corps Impelled Impelled the Germans in in the the town town to to withdraw withdraw on on 2 2 September. September. The The Canadian corps had, in the meantime, taken taken Tomba Tomba di di Pesaro Pesaro to to open open a a gap gap between the 26th Panzer and 1st Para- Parachute chute Divisions and on 3 September to advance advance ten miles miles and and pinch pinch out out the 2 2 Polish Polish Corps Corps against against the the coast. coast. On On the Canadians' left the 46th Division Division of the 5 5 Corps Corps kept kept pace. pace. With With the defenses defenses of of the the Gothic Gothic Line Line behind, behind, months of hard hard work by by GerGerman man engineers had had gone f()r for naught. It It was was hardly hardly surprising surprising that a fl>eling feeling of of an imminent and far-reaching break- breakthrough permeated Eighth Army headheadquarters. quarters. General Leese Leese ordered ordered forward forward the the 1st British British Armoured Division Division to join the the 5 Corps Corps and prepare to f
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UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II
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The Author Ernest F. Fisher, Jr., g
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Chapta Contents PART ONE The Spring
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Chapter XXIII. STALE\,IATE IN THE \
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merly chief o staff of the 95th Inf
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PREPARING FOR A J\;EW OFFENSIVE Pic
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DIADEM'S FIRST DAY-II MAY 43 confir
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DIADEM'S FIRST DAY-II MAY stalled a
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68 unaware of the 338th Infantry's
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100 next operations. Meanwhile, lar
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108 sItIons were to be held in stre
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110 Monte Cavo, both rIsmg hundreds
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While the Americans tried to rest d
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In direct defense of the major stro
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PART THREE DRIVE TO ROME If I kllO\
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176 CASSINO TO THE ALPS TANKS OF 1S
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STALEMATE ALO:'\JC THE CAESAR LINE
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BREAKING THE STALEMATE 197 \\'ay an
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from the 88th Division's 350th and
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THE FALL OF ROME 338th Infantry rea
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INTERLUDE IN ROME two weeks this wo
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CHAPTER XIII Pursuit North of Rome
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238 CASSINO TO THE ALPS reached a p
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PURSUIT NORTH OF ROME southward-flo
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PURSUIT NORTH OF ROME 243 name of t
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PURSUIT NORTH OF ROME overlooking t
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254 pause to enable him to effect t
Page 288: THE PURSUIT ENDS Route 68. As the d
Page 305: 280 ordering forward the 4th Indian
Page 315: 290 CASSINO TO THE ALPS AERIAL VIEW
Page 330: PLANNINC FOR THE OFFENSIVE Minister
Page 334 and 335: PLANNING FOR THE OFFENSIVE each arm
Page 336: PLANNING FOR THE OFFENSIVE this. Th
Page 342 and 343: THE GOTHIC LINE OFFENSIVE BEGINS in
Page 347: 322 Even had there been no threat o
Page 350: BATTLE FOR THE PASS tered patches o
Page 357: 332 The counterattacks halted, Comp
Page 360 and 361: BATTLE FOR THE PASS tor, were at th
Page 362 and 363: BATTLE FOR THE PASS about it. Once
Page 364: A DIVERSIONARY OPERATION could be e
Page 369 and 370: 344 portion of the corps northeastw
Page 372: A DIVERSIONARY OPERATION GERMAN PRI
Page 375 and 376: 350 The Defense of Battle Mountain
Page 378 and 379: A DIVERSIONARY OPERATION last men d
Page 380: IN THE NORTHERN APENNINES However h
Page 387: 362 ander had little choice but to
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368 Division commander, turned his
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372 CASSINO TO THE ALPS Leghorn to
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FROM RIDGE TO RIDGE promptly reinfo
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TOW ARD A WINTER ST ALEMA TE alread
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TOWARD A WINTER ST ALEMA TE own loc
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390 tions encompassing Monte Grande
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402 ance. Two days later the Canadi
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408 was to shift additional units t
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STALEMATE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ON T
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THROUGH THE WINTER The unsung heroe
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420 to traverse the Brenner Pass by
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426 CASSINO TO THE ALPS ground domi
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428 ARTILLERY AMMUNITION BEING BROU
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432 noon of the 21 st renewed the d
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438 between Army Group C and OKW an
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442 of the previous autumn and wint
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STRATEGIES AND PLANS had done in th
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STRATEGIES AND PLANS items of new e
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454 forces still in northwest Italy
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BREAKTHROUGH ON THE EIGHTH ARMY FRO
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464 billowing clouds of dust raised
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466 sion prepared to move on Bastia
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468 gade was at the same time to co
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BREAKTHROUGH ON THE FIFTH ARMY'S FR
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478 exploit his vast superiority in
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480 CASSINO TO THE ALPS renewed IV
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BREAKTHROUGH ON T'HE FIFTH ARMY'S F
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PART EIGHT PURSUIT TO THE ALPS Now,
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RACE FOR THE PO 491 and small ferry
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RACE FOR THE PO 12,000-man Austrian
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496 CASSINO TO THE ALPS AMERICAN TR
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The Fifth Army's immediate goal bey
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TO THE ALPS Battalion started out e
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TO THE ALPS South African armoured
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506 AMERICAN INFANTRY ENTER VICENZA
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The campaign in Italy would -end as
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THE CAPITULATION The Cermans did as
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THE CAPITULATION ders to their troo
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88TH DIVISION IN ALPINE PASS
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540 the sobriquet "Smiling AI," Kes
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AAF AAI AAR Abn ACC ACMF ACotS Admi
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ANVIL AVALANCHE CROSSWORD DIADEM DR
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Logistical Support of the Armies, V
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INDEX McGarr, Col. Lionel c.: 135-3
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'" BOH/GNA q , Ii , , ti II q " q ,
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Cassino to the Alps - US Army Center Of Military History

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