The Italian War
During World War Two, there were several important fronts: German/French lines, the Russian lines, and the Italian borders. Italy’s borders were directly adjacent to German – occupied territories which limited their choices of allies. They could either submit to Germany and live through an axis control or resist the attacks as long as possible but eventually be taken over. In the end, the result would ultimately be the same: Germany would control Italy. While the situation in Italy looked dim, some realized that Italy could be the advantage needed to destroy the Nazi war machine. While the struggles in the country may have been overlooked by most, the battles there were some of the most important of the war.
The battle of Monte Cassino was actually a series of four battles over five months (Battle S – Top). This battle helped secure the victory over the Nazi-controlled Rome, which turned out to be a major vantage point for the Allies (Battle S- ¼). The major advantage to winning this battle was the eventual link up of allied troops to a battalion that was trapped further north, in the Anzio pocket. This city was the first to fall to the Allies and cause the Germans to suffer a huge loss of morale (Battle S – ½). The Po Valley was one of the last Nazi-controlled areas in Italy in 1945 in the Northern regions. The battle of Po Valley was a long and arduous battle that lasted for several weeks (Battle S – ½). The advantages would swing between the axes and allies depending on the day. The allies were eventually drained of all of their supplies, and the outlook for them looked grim. The allies were at a loss for hope until, in December 1944, the 15th Army Group, part of the U.S. Fifth Army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott, fought their way up to the location that the solders were at (Battle S – ½). After that, the allies regained strength and hope, and eventually obliterated the axes forces in the area (Battle S – ½). The victory in this area helped secure the last area in Italy for the allied forces. After Germany surrendered, many American forces were still sent into Italy and the surrounding areas. This is an account from Dr. Ed Brown, an artillery observer in the Army, from when he was sent into the Po Valley area to help fight against the axis forces.
One day, while stopped at a large, abandoned Italian estate near Milano, an Italian excitedly came into our encampment shouting, "Benito finito!" He told how Benito Mussolini, his girlfriend Claire Petacci, and several other Italian leaders had been captured in the mountains to the north, were executed, and were now hanging upside down by rope in a gasoline station in the city a few miles to the west of us. By now it was apparent that the war had not much longer to go.
With the capture and execution of Mussolini and his top generals, the regime quickly fell, allowing Allied forces to quickly take over the entire country without incident. Some veterans recall entire prisoner lines being guarded by only one Allied soldier. Entire units and divisions of German soldiers were marched to Allied prisoner camps, guarded by a minimal amount of armed guards. Now that Italy had fallen, the German lines were open, giving the Allies a natural advantage over the Nazi powers.
The victory in Italy helped secure the southern front in the war on Europe. With Italy in Allied hands, Germanys’ Southern regions were left unguarded, helping to lead to the eventual surrender of Italy, and the suicide of Adolf Hitler. “Operation Soft Underbelly” was a major success in helping to liberate the Europeans from the German forces (Po S – Top). Even though it is overlooked most of the time, the Italian front was one of the most dangerous and important fronts in the European Theatre.
This picture of a newspaper from 1945 tells about the German surrender in Europe
This picture shows an American unit crossing the Po River in 1944
This picture is of an unidentified soldier in the Po Valley region from 1944
Picture of the Po Valley River
Works Cited
Adams, Henry. Italy at War. Canada: Time Life Books, 1982
“Battle of Monte Cassino” The Battle of Monte Cassino Web Site. 1 January 2003. 1 May 2006. <http://www.battleofmontecassino.com//>.
Brown, Ed. E-mail Interview. 20 April 2006
“Italian Campaign: Po Valley” Olive-Drab. 1 January 1998. 3 May 2006. <http://www.olivedrab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1945povalley.php>.
“Po Valley 1945” U.S. Army Center of Military Intelligence. 3 October 2003. CMH. 19 April 2006. < http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/po/72-33.htm>.