Cassino to the Alps - US Army Center Of Military History

More documents

Recommendations

Info

BREAKTHROUCH ON THE FIFTH ARMY'S FRONT 479 The preliminary aerial and artillery barrages had sent the Germans scurrying deep into their bunkers, but as was soon apparent to the attackers, they quickly reoccupied their gun positions. German fire, supplemented by mine fields and the difficult terrain, limited the 88th, 91 st, and 34th Divisions to slow, costly advances, so familiar to the veterans of the previous autumn's operations. Only on the left flank could Keyes report success: there the South Africans, in a series of gallant assaults, su pported by a devastating 35,000 rounds of artillery, before daylight on the 16th captured Monte Sole. On the second day, as the German defenses west of Highway 65 began to waver, the 88th Division finally drove the last enemy from Monterumici. The Germans continued nevertheless to hold firm astride Highway 65. Only on the third day did signs develop that the enemy's defenses were about to crumble there as we II, as the 91 st and 34th Divisions cleared the high ground flanking the highway. The IV Corps, meanwhile, continued to widen its penetration west of the Reno and Highway 64, and the Eighth Army's Polish corps threatened Bologna from the southeast. Isolation oJ the German sector south of Bologna seemed imminent. Sensing that a breakthrough was at hand, General Truscott decided the time had come to shift the weight of his army's attack and the intercorps boundary westward. By so doing he would place the important Praduro road junction and eventually Highway 64 and the Reno River within the zone of operations of the II Corps. The latter was then to make the army's main drive to the Po. Anticipating the army commander's decision, General Keyes had already begun moving his divisions westward. He first shifted the 88th Division to the corps left flank between the 6th South African Armoured Division and the Reno River. Again the 88th was to leam up with the 85th Division, which on the 16th had begun to move from reserve positions on the Arno to an assembly area in the vicinity of Vergato. There the division prepared the next day to relieve the I st Armored Division west of the Reno. Although Truscott had originally planned to assign the 85th Division to Keyes, he gave it instead to Crittenberger for use on the 10th Mountain Division's right flank, where the progress of the preceding four days had suggested an important enemy weakness. As the 85th Division completed relief of the I st Armored Division, the armor moved to positions along the Panaro River, ten miles to the west, where the terrain was more favorable for armored operations. The armor could also cover the extended left flank of the 10th Mountain Division, which was to become the spearhead of the Fifth Army's offensive. To fill the gap created by shifting the 88th Division to the left: flan k, the 91 st and 34th Divisions also sideslipped westward. That move served to widen the relatively inactive sector of the Legnano Group and set Highway 65 as the boundary between the Italians and the 34th Division. The regrouping completed, Truscott expected that the next two days would produce a break out fi'om the mountains onto the Lombardy (Po) plain. Breakthrough to the Plain At 0930 on the 18th the 10th Mountain and the 85th Divisions led off the
480 CASSINO TO THE ALPS renewed IV Corps attack. From the first the 85th Division on the right experienced no contest. Trying to withdraw, the Germans had become so disorganized that they found it difficult to make a stand anywhere. By nightfall of the first day the two leading regiments of the 85th Division had advanced five miles to hills north of the village of Piano di Venola, halfway between Vergato and Praduro. Men of the 10th Mountain Division had slower going at first. In early afternoon the Germans fought back INFANTRYMEN ENTERING Po VALLEY with heavy artillery and mortar fire, prompting the front-running 85th Mountain Infantry to hold up for the night short of the initial objective of Mongiorgio. Yet as the mountain infantrymen determined early on the second day, the 19th, that spurt of resistance was but a screen for continuing enemy withdrawal. When the 85th Mountain Infantry took the lead in a drive to Monte San Michele, a dominating height northeast of Mongiorgio and key to a position the Germans had hoped to hold at length-the Michelstel-
Page 4:
UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II
Page 9:
The Author Ernest F. Fisher, Jr., g
Page 14:
Chapta Contents PART ONE The Spring
Page 19:
Chapter XXIII. STALE\,IATE IN THE \
Page 36:
merly chief o staff of the 95th Inf
Page 60 and 61:
PREPARING FOR A J\;EW OFFENSIVE Pic
Page 68:
DIADEM'S FIRST DAY-II MAY 43 confir
Page 78:
DIADEM'S FIRST DAY-II MAY stalled a
Page 93:
68 unaware of the 338th Infantry's
Page 125 and 126:
100 next operations. Meanwhile, lar
Page 133 and 134:
108 sItIons were to be held in stre
Page 135:
110 Monte Cavo, both rIsmg hundreds
Page 145:
While the Americans tried to rest d
Page 157:
In direct defense of the major stro
Page 186:
PART THREE DRIVE TO ROME If I kllO\
Page 201:
176 CASSINO TO THE ALPS TANKS OF 1S
Page 208:
STALEMATE ALO:'\JC THE CAESAR LINE
Page 222 and 223:
BREAKING THE STALEMATE 197 \\'ay an
Page 237:
from the 88th Division's 350th and
Page 244:
THE FALL OF ROME 338th Infantry rea
Page 258 and 259:
INTERLUDE IN ROME two weeks this wo
Page 261 and 262:
CHAPTER XIII Pursuit North of Rome
Page 263 and 264:
238 CASSINO TO THE ALPS reached a p
Page 266 and 267:
PURSUIT NORTH OF ROME southward-flo
Page 268:
PURSUIT NORTH OF ROME 243 name of t
Page 272:
PURSUIT NORTH OF ROME overlooking t
Page 279 and 280:
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 340 and 341:
THE GOTHIC LINE OFFENSIVE BEGINS 31
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
Page 393 and 394:
368 Division commander, turned his
Page 397:
372 CASSINO TO THE ALPS Leghorn to
Page 400:
FROM RIDGE TO RIDGE promptly reinfo
Page 404 and 405:
TOW ARD A WINTER ST ALEMA TE alread
Page 406:
TOWARD A WINTER ST ALEMA TE own loc
Page 415:
390 tions encompassing Monte Grande
Page 427:
402 ance. Two days later the Canadi
Page 433 and 434:
408 was to shift additional units t
Page 436:
STALEMATE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ON T
Page 440 and 441:
THROUGH THE WINTER The unsung heroe
Page 445:
420 to traverse the Brenner Pass by
Page 451 and 452:
426 CASSINO TO THE ALPS ground domi
Page 453: 428 ARTILLERY AMMUNITION BEING BROU
Page 457: 432 noon of the 21 st renewed the d
Page 463: 438 between Army Group C and OKW an
Page 467: 442 of the previous autumn and wint
Page 472 and 473: STRATEGIES AND PLANS had done in th
Page 476 and 477: STRATEGIES AND PLANS items of new e
Page 479: 454 forces still in northwest Italy
Page 486 and 487: BREAKTHROUGH ON THE EIGHTH ARMY FRO
Page 489 and 490: 464 billowing clouds of dust raised
Page 491 and 492: 466 sion prepared to move on Bastia
Page 493: 468 gade was at the same time to co
Page 496 and 497: BREAKTHROUGH ON THE FIFTH ARMY'S FR
Page 498 and 499: BREAKTHROUGH ON THE FIFTH ARMY'S FR
Page 500: BREAKTHROUGH ON THE FIFTH ARMY'S FR
Page 503: 478 exploit his vast superiority in
Page 508: BREAKTHROUGH ON T'HE FIFTH ARMY'S F
Page 512: PART EIGHT PURSUIT TO THE ALPS Now,
Page 516 and 517: RACE FOR THE PO 491 and small ferry
Page 518: RACE FOR THE PO 12,000-man Austrian
Page 521 and 522: 496 CASSINO TO THE ALPS AMERICAN TR
Page 524 and 525: The Fifth Army's immediate goal bey
Page 526 and 527: TO THE ALPS Battalion started out e
Page 528: TO THE ALPS South African armoured
Page 531 and 532: 506 AMERICAN INFANTRY ENTER VICENZA
Page 538: The campaign in Italy would -end as
Page 548 and 549: THE CAPITULATION The Cermans did as
Page 554:
THE CAPITULATION ders to their troo
Page 558 and 559:
88TH DIVISION IN ALPINE PASS
Page 565:
540 the sobriquet "Smiling AI," Kes
Page 578:
AAF AAI AAR Abn ACC ACMF ACotS Admi
Page 581:
ANVIL AVALANCHE CROSSWORD DIADEM DR
Page 585:
Logistical Support of the Armies, V
Page 600:
INDEX McGarr, Col. Lionel c.: 135-3
Page 622:
'" BOH/GNA q , Ii , , ti II q " q ,
show all

Cassino to the Alps - US Army Center Of Military History

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?