The spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
attack during the
Italian Campaign in the final stages of the
Second World War. The attack into the
Lombard Plain by the
15th Allied Army Group started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the
surrender of German forces in Italy.
Background
The
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
had launched their last big offensive on the
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...
in August 1944, with the British
Eighth Army (
Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Oliver Leese) attacking up the coastal plain of the
Adriatic
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
and the U.S.
Fifth Army (
Lieutenant General Mark Clark) attacking through the central
Apennine Mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
. Although they managed to breach the formidable Gothic Line defences, the Allies narrowly failed to break into the
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...
before the winter weather made further progress impossible. The Allied forward formations spent the rest of the winter in highly inhospitable conditions while preparations were made for a spring offensive in 1945.
Command changes
When
Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
Sir John Dill, the head of the British Mission in
Washington, D.C., died on 5 November, Field Marshal Sir
Henry Maitland Wilson was appointed his replacement.
General Harold Alexander, having been promoted to Field Marshal, replaced Wilson as Allied Supreme Commander Mediterranean on 12 December. Clark succeeded Alexander as commander of the
Allied forces in Italy (renamed
15th Army Group
The 15th Army Group was an Army Group in World War II, composed of the British Eighth and the U.S. Fifth Armies, which apart from troops from the British Empire and U.S.A., also had whole units from other allied countries/regions; like two of t ...
) but without promotion. Lieutenant General
Lucian Truscott the commander of the U.S.
VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to:
France
* VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army dur ...
from the
Battle of Anzio
The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...
and the capture of
Rome to
Alsace, having landed in the South of France during
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...
, returned to Italy to assume command of the Fifth Army.
On 23 March
Albert Kesselring was appointed Commander-in-Chief Army Group West, replacing General-Field Marshal
Gerd von Rundstedt.
Heinrich von Vietinghoff returned from the Baltic to take over from Kesselring and
Traugott Herr
Traugott Herr (16 September 1890 – 13 April 1976) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 14th Army and the 10th Army of the Wehrmacht. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
...
, the experienced commander of the
LXXVI Panzer Corps
The LXXVI Panzer Corps (''LXXVI Panzerkorps'', 76th Armoured Corps) was a panzer corps of Nazi Germany during World War II. The headquarters were formed in France under Army Group D on 29 June 1943 as LXXVI Army Corps but renamed a month later. I ...
took over the
10th Army.
Joachim Lemelsen, who had commanded temporarily the 10th Army, returned to the command of the
14th Army Fourteenth Army or 14th Army may refer to:
* 14th Army (German Empire), a World War I field Army
* 14th Army (Wehrmacht), a World War II field army
* Italian Fourteenth Army
* Japanese Fourteenth Army, a World War II field army, in 1944 converted ...
.
Orders of battle
Allied manpower shortages continued; in October 1944, the
4th Indian Infantry Division
The 4th Indian Infantry Division, also known as the Red Eagle Division, is an infantry division of the Indian Army. This division of the British Indian Army was formed in Egypt in 1939 during the Second World War. During the Second World War, i ...
had been sent to
Greece and the British
4th Infantry Division had followed them in November, with the
139th Brigade of the British
46th Infantry Division. The rest of the division followed in December along with the
3rd Greek Mountain Brigade
The 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade ( el, 3η Ελληνική Ορεινή Ταξιαρχία, ''Triti Elliniki Οrini Τaxiarkhia'', ΙΙΙ Ε.Ο.Τ.) was a unit of mountain infantry formed by the Greek government in exile in Egypt during World War I ...
. In early January 1945 the British
1st Infantry Division was sent to
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and at the end of the month the
I Canadian Corps
I Canadian Corps was one of the two corps fielded by the Canadian Army during the Second World War.
History
From December 24, 1940, until the formation of the First Canadian Army in April 1942, there was a single unnumbered Canadian Corps. I C ...
and the British
5th Infantry Division were ordered to
north-west Europe, reducing the Eighth Army, now commanded by Lieutenant-General
Richard McCreery, to seven divisions. Two other British divisions were to follow them to north-west Europe but Alexander was able to keep them in Italy.
The U.S. Fifth Army had been reinforced between September and November 1944 with the
1st Brazilian Division and in January 1945 with the specialist U.S.
10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
. Allied strength amounted to 17 divisions and eight independent brigades (including four Italian groups of volunteers from the
Italian Co-Belligerent Army, equipped and trained by the British), equivalent to just under 20 divisions. The 15th Army Group ration strength was 1,334,000 men, the Eighth Army having an effective strength of 632,980 men and the Fifth Army 266,883.
[Jackson, p. 223.]
The Axis had 21 much weaker German divisions and four Italian (ENR) divisions with about 349,000 German and 45,000 Italian troops on 9 April. There were another 91,000 German troops on the lines of communication and the Germans commanded about 100,000 Italian police.
[Jackson, p. 236.] Three of the Italian divisions were allocated to the Ligurian Army under
Rodolfo Graziani
Rodolfo Graziani, 1st Marquis of Neghelli (; 11 August 1882 – 11 January 1955), was a prominent Italian military officer in the Kingdom of Italy's ''Regio Esercito'' ("Royal Army"), primarily noted for his campaigns in Africa before and during ...
guarding the western flank facing France and the fourth was with the 14th Army, in a sector thought less likely to be attacked.
Plan of attack
![SpringOffensiveItaly1945](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/SpringOffensiveItaly1945.jpg)
Clark set out his battle plan on 18 March. Its objective was "...to destroy the maximum number of enemy forces south of the Po, force crossings of the Po and capture Verona".
[Jackson, p. 203.] In ''Phase I'' the Eighth Army would cross the
Senio and
Santerno rivers and then make a dual thrust, one towards Budrio parallel to the Bologna road, Route 9 (the Via Emilia) and the other north west along Route 16, the , towards Bastia and the Argenta Gap, a narrow strip of dry terrain through the flooded land west of Lake Comacchio. An amphibious operation across the lake and parachute drop would bring pressure to bear on the flank and help to break the Argenta position. Depending on the relative success of these actions a decision would be made on whether Eighth Army's prime objective would become Ferrara on the or remain Budrio. The U.S. Fifth Army was to launch the Army Group's main effort at 24 hours notice from two days after the Eighth Army attack and break into the Po valley. The capture of Bologna was given as a secondary task.
In ''Phase II'', the Eighth Army was to drive north west to capture Ferrara and Bondeno, blocking routes of potential retreat across the Po. The U.S. Fifth Army was to push past Bologna north to link with Eighth Army in the Bondeno region to complete an encirclement of German forces south of the Po. The Fifth Army was also to make a secondary thrust further west towards Ostiglia, the crossing point on the Po of the main route to Verona.
[Jackson, p. 204.] ''Phase III'' involved the establishment of bridgeheads across the Po and exploitation north.
The Eighth Army plan (
Operation Buckland Operation Buckland or the Battle of the Argenta Gap (12-19 April 1945) was the Eighth Army’s contribution to the Allied Spring Offensive in Italy, and saw them bypass the last series of river defences facing them and break out into the Po plain ...
) had to deal with the difficult initial task of getting across the Senio, with its raised artificial banks varying between and in height, honeycombed with tunnels and bunkers front and rear. V Corps were ordered to make an attack on the salient formed by the river into the Allied line at Cotignola. On the right of the river's salient was
8th Indian Infantry Division
The 8th Mountain Division was raised as the 8th Indian Infantry division of the British Indian Army. It is now part of the Indian Army and specialises in mountain warfare.
The 8th Indian Infantry Division was formed as an infantry division in ...
, reprising the role they played crossing the Rapido in the final
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...
. To the left of the 8th Indian Division, on the left of the salient, the
2nd New Zealand Division
The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...
would attack across the river to form a pincer. To the left of V Corps, on Route 9, the
II Polish Corps would widen the front further by attacking across the Senio towards Bologna. The Poles had been desperately under strength in the autumn of 1944 but had received 11,000 reinforcements during the early months of 1945, mainly from Polish conscripts in the German Army taken prisoner in the
Battle of Normandy the previous summer .
Once across the Senio the assault divisions were to advance to cross the Santerno. Once the Santerno was crossed, the British
78th Infantry Division would also reprise their Cassino role and pass through the bridgehead established by the Indians and New Zealanders and drive for Bastia and the Argenta gap, behind the Senio, where the dry land narrowed to a front of only , bounded on the right by Lake Comacchio, a huge lagoon running to the Adriatic coast, and on the left by marshland. At the same time the British
56th (London) Infantry Division
The 56th (London) Infantry Division was a Territorial Army infantry division of the British Army, which served under several different titles and designations. The division served in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. ...
would launch the amphibious flank attack along Lake Comacchio. On the left flank of
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to:
France
* 5th Army Corps (France)
* V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...
, the New Zealand Division would advance to the left of the marshland on the west side of Argenta while the 8th Indian Infantry Division would pass in army reserve.
[Jackson, p. 225.]
The Fifth Army plan (Operation Craftsman) envisaged an initial thrust by
IV Corps along Route 64 to straighten the army front and to draw German reserves away from Route 65.
II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to:
France
* 2nd Army Corps (France)
* II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...
would then attack along Route 65 towards Bologna. The weight of the attack would then switch westward again to break into the Po valley skirting Bologna.
[Jackson, p. 228.]
Battle
![The British Army in Italy 1945 NA23041](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/The_British_Army_in_Italy_1945_NA23041.jpg)
In the first week of April, diversionary attacks were launched on the extreme right and left of the Allied front to draw German reserves away from the main assaults. This included
Operation Roast, an assault by
2nd Commando Brigade
The 2nd Special Service Brigade was formed in late 1943 in the Middle East and saw service in Italy, the Adriatic, the landings at Anzio and took part in operations in Yugoslavia.Army Commandos 1940–45 By Mike Chappell, p 31
On 6 December 1944 th ...
and tanks to capture the seaward isthmus of land bordering Lake Comacchio and seize Port Garibaldi on the lake's north side. Damage to other transport infrastructure having forced Axis forces to use sea, canal and river routes for supply, Axis shipping was being attacked in bombing raids such as
Operation Bowler.
The build-up to the main assault started on 6 April with a heavy artillery bombardment of the Senio defenses. In the early afternoon of 9 April, 825 heavy bombers dropped fragmentation bombs on the support zone behind the Senio followed by medium and fighter bombers. From 15:20 to 19:10, five heavy artillery barrages were fired, each lasting 30 minutes, interspersed with fighter bomber attacks. In support of the New Zealand operations, 28
Churchill Crocodiles and 127
Wasp flamethrower vehicles were deployed along the front. The 8th Indian Infantry Division, 2nd New Zealand Division and
3rd Carpathian Division (on the Polish Corps front at Route 9) attacked at dusk. In fighting in which there were two
Victoria Crosses won by the 8th Indian Infantry Division, they had reached the Santerno, beyond, by dawn on 11 April. The New Zealanders had reached the Santerno at nightfall on 10 April and succeeded in making a crossing at dawn on 11 April. The Poles had closed on the Santerno by the night of 11 April.
By late morning of 12 April, after an all night assault, the 8th Indian Infantry Division was established on the far side of the Santerno and the 78th Infantry Division started to pass through to make the assault on Argenta. In the meantime the
24th Guards Brigade
The 24th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army from the First World War. It was reraised during the Second World War, as the 24th Infantry Brigade (Guards). During various designations, the brigade was active throughout the C ...
, part of the 56th (London) Infantry Division, had launched an amphibious flanking attack from the water and mud to the right of the Argenta Gap. Although they gained a foothold, they were still held up at positions on the Fossa Marina on the night of 14 April. The 78th Infantry Division was also held up on the same day on the
Reno River at Bastia.
![IVCorpsApr45](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/IVCorpsApr45.jpg)
The Fifth Army began its assault on 14 April after a bombardment by 2,000 heavy bombers and 2,000 guns, with attacks by IV Corps (1st Brazilian, 10th Mountain and
1st Armored Divisions) on the left. This was followed on the night of 15 April by II Corps attacking with 6th South African Armoured Division and the 88th Infantry Division advancing towards Bologna between Highway 64 and 65, the 91st and 34th Infantry Divisions along Highway 65. Progress against a determined German defence was slow but ultimately superior Allied firepower and lack of German reserves told and by 20 April both corps had broken through the mountain defences and reached the plains of the Po valley. The 10th Mountain Division was directed to bypass Bologna on the right and push north leaving II Corps to deal with Bologna along with Eighth Army units advancing from their right.
By 19 April, on the Eighth Army front, the
Argenta Gap
The Battle of the Argenta Gap was an engagement which formed part of the Allied spring 1945 offensive during the Italian campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. It took place in northern Italy from 12 to 19 April 1945 between tr ...
had been forced, and the
6th Armoured Division
The 6th Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army, created in September 1940 during the Second World War and re-formed in May 1951 in the UK.
History
The division was formed in the United Kingdom under Northern Command on ...
was released through the left wing of the advancing 78th Infantry Division to swing left to race north west along the line of the river Reno to
Bondeno
Bondeno ( Bondenese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ferrara in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about north of Bologna and about northwest of Ferrara.
The municipality of Bondeno contains the ''frazioni'' (subdivi ...
and link up with the Fifth Army to complete the encirclement of the German armies defending Bologna. On the same day, the Italian
National Liberation Committee for Northern Italy, in command of the
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social ...
, ordered a general insurrection; in the following days, fighting between Italian partisan and German and RSI forces broke out in
Turin and
Genoa (as well as in many other towns across Northern Italy), while German forces prepared to withdraw from
Milan.
[Basil Davidson, ''Special Operations Europe: Scenes from the Anti-Nazi War (1980)'', pp. 340, 360] On all fronts the German defence continued to be determined and effective but Bondeno was captured on 23 April. The 6th Armoured Division linked with the 10th Mountain Division the next day at
Finale
Finale may refer to:
Pieces of music
* Finale (music), the last movement of a piece
* ''Finale'' (album), a 1977 album by Loggins and Messina
* "Finale B", a 1996 song from the rock opera ''Rent''
* "Finale", a song by Anthrax from ''State of Eu ...
some upstream along the river
Panaro
Panaro may refer to:
Places
*Panaro (river), river in Italy
*Savignano sul Panaro, a municipality in Modena, Italy
*San Cesario sul Panaro, a municipality in Modena, Italy
*Marano sul Panaro, a municipality in Modena, Italy
*San Felice sul Panaro, ...
from Bondeno.
Bologna was entered in the morning of 21 April by the 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division of the II Polish Corps and the Combat Group of the
Italian Co-belligerent Army advancing up the line of Route 9, followed two hours later by II US Corps from the south. On 24 April,
Parma and
Reggio Emilia
Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
were liberated by the partisans.
![Brazilian Troops - Infantry & M10 Crew, Italy April 1945](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Brazilian_Troops_-_Infantry_%26_M10_Crew%2C_Italy_April_1945.jpg)
IV Corps had continued its northwards advance and reached the Po river at
San Benedetto San Benedetto may refer to:
* Saint Benedict (c. 480-543/547), Italian saint
* Saint Benedict (disambiguation), a number of other Italian saints called San Benedetto (Saint Benedict)
Places of Italy
* San Benedetto Belbo, a municipality in the Pro ...
on 22 April. The river was crossed the next day, and they advanced north to
Verona which they entered on 26 April. To the right of Fifth Army on Eighth Army's left wing,
XIII Corps crossed the Po at
Ficarolo
Ficarolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about southwest of Venice and about southwest of Rovigo.
Ficarolo borders the following municipalities: Bagnolo di Po, Bondeno, Ferrara, Gai ...
on 22 April, while V Corps were crossing the Po by 25 April, heading towards the
Venetian Line, a defensive line built behind the line of the river
Adige. As Allied forces pushed across the Po, on the left flank the Brazilian Division, 34th Infantry Division and 1st Armored Division of IV Corps were pushed west and north-west along the line of Highway 9 towards
Piacenza and across the Po to seal possible escape routes into Austria and Switzerland via
Lake Garda. On 27 April, the 1st Armored Division entered Milan, liberated by the partisans on 25 April and the IV Corps commander
Willis D. Crittenberger
Lieutenant General Willis Dale Crittenberger (December 2, 1890 – August 4, 1980) was a senior officer of the United States Army. He was a career soldier who served with distinction during the Italian campaign of World War II
Early life and mi ...
entered the city on 30 April.
Turin was also liberated by partisan forces on 25 April, after five days of fighting and on 27 April General Günther Meinhold surrendered his 14,000 troops to the partisans in Genoa.
To the south of Milan, at
Collecchio-Fornovo, the Brazilian Division bottled up the remaining effectives of two German divisions along with the last units of the , taking 13,500 prisoners on 28 April. On the Allied far right flank, V Corps, met by lessening resistance, traversed the Venetian Line and entered
Padua in the early hours of 29 April, to find that partisans had locked up the German garrison of 5,000.
[Blaxland, p. 277]
Aftermath
Secret surrender negotiations between representatives of the Germans and Western Allies had taken place in Switzerland (
Operation Crossword
Operation Sunrise (sometimes called the Berne incident) was a series of World War II secret negotiations from February to May 1945 between representatives of Nazi Germany and the United States to arrange a local surrender of German forces in no ...
) in March but had resulted only in protests from the Soviets that the Western Allies were attempting to negotiate a separate peace. On 28 April, Vietinghoff sent emissaries to Allied Army headquarters. On 29 April, they signed an instrument of surrender at the
Royal Palace of Caserta to the effect that hostilities would formally end on 2 May.
Confirmation from Vietinghoff of the arrangements did not reach the 15th Army Group headquarters until the morning of 2 May. It emerged that Kesselring had his authority as Commander of the West extended to include Italy and had replaced Vietinghoff with General
Friedrich Schulz from
Army Group G on hearing of the plans. After a period of confusion during which the news of
Hitler's death
Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany#Nazi Germany (1933–1945), chancellor and dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945, died by suicide via gunshot on 30 April 1945 in the in Berlin after it became clear that Germany would lose the Battle of B ...
arrived, Schulz obtained Kesselring's agreement to the surrender and Vietinghoff was reinstated to see it through.
[Blaxland, pp. 279-80]
See also
*
Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II
The Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre was a major theatre of operations during the Second World War. The vast size of the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre saw interconnected naval, land, and air campaigns fought for control of the Medit ...
*
Italian campaign (World War II)
*
Surrender of Caserta
Surrender may refer to:
* Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy
* Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power
Film and television
* ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...
*
European Theatre of World War II
*
Gothic Line order of battle
Notes
Footnotes
References
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spring 1945 Offensive In Italy
Italian campaign (World War II)
World War II defensive lines
World War II operations and battles of the Italian Campaign
Battles and operations of World War II involving Germany
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Conflicts in 1945
Battles of World War II involving the United States
Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Battles and operations of World War II involving India
Battles and operations of World War II involving Poland
Battles and operations of World War II involving New Zealand
Battles and operations of World War II involving South Africa
Battles of World War II involving Brazil
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April 1945 events
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