Italy’s Sorrow: A Year of War 1944–45

35 White Christmas: December 1944

Part IV: Endgame

36 Stalemate: January–February 1945

37 Getting Ready: February–April 1945

38 The Last Offensive: 9–20 April 1945

39 The End of the War in Italy: 21 April–2 May 1945

Postscript

References

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations and Glossary

Guide to ranks

Index (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About The Publisher

MAPS (#ud2e39e9e-24c5-56d1-a9a2-3cd5a91f0e3f)

Italy showing German defensive lines

Cassino front, 11 May 1944, and Alexander’s battle plan for DIADEM and the destruction of AOK 10 south of Rome

The Monte Sole massif

Operational zone of the 8th Garibaldi Brigade of Partisans, also showing the river network Eighth Army had to cross, September 1944 to April 1945

The Val d’Orcia

Northern Italy, Lake Como and Lake Garda

Main Italian rail network and ports

Allied Control Commission Organisation of Italy, 1 September 1944

The Winter Line, January 1945

DIADEM: The battle for Rome and German lines of retreat for AOK 10

The Allied pursuit from Rome to the Albert Line, 5–20 June 1944

From the Albert Line to the River Arno, July and early August 1944

Alexander’s battle plan for the Gothic Line, August 1944

Eighth Army’s attack on the Gothic Line, August to September 1944

Fifth Army’s assault on the Gothic Line, 10–18 September 1944

The German attack on Monte Sole

Fifth Army’s attempt to break through the Apennines, 1–15 October 1944

The final offensive, April to May 1945

Italy showing German defensive lines

Cassino front, 11 May 1944, and Alexander’s battle plan for DIADEM and the destruction of AOK 10 south of Rome

The Monte Sole massif

Operational zone of the 8th Garibaldi Brigade of Partisans, also showing the river network Eighth Army had to cross (Sept. 1944–April 1945)

The Val d’Orcia

Northern Italy, Lake Como and Lake Garda

Main Italian rail network and ports

Allied Control Commission Organisation of Italy, 1 Sept. 1944

The Winter Line, January 1945

NOTE ON THE TEXT (#ud2e39e9e-24c5-56d1-a9a2-3cd5a91f0e3f)

One of the difficulties faced when writing about different armies of different nationalities is that many units have similar names. Furthermore, many American servicemen also have Germanic-sounding names. So in an effort to avoid any confusion, I have used the German spellings for the names of military units and ranks. For example, the German name for an army was Armeeoberkommando, or AOK as it was known; paratroopers were called Fallschirmjäger; armoured divisions were called panzer divisions. I have also included as an appendix to the book a comparison of military ranks.

On the other hand, I have translated Italian ranks, but have kept certain Italian words in their true form where there is no appropriate translation, such as contadini, who were Italian peasant farmers, and rastrellamento, the word to describe a military operation to clear an area of partisans.

Traditionally, army numbers are spelled out, and corps numbers given in Roman numerals. However, I have used numerical figures to describe German corps, purely because LXXVI Panzer Corps seems unnecessarily long-winded. I hope readers will accept these inconsistencies and anomalies in the spirit in which they were intended.

PRINCIPAL PERSONALITIES (ranks as at end of war) (#ud2e39e9e-24c5-56d1-a9a2-3cd5a91f0e3f)

Cosimo Arrichiello Italian former soldier with Fourth Someggiata Field Battery; agricultural labourer hiding in the Stura Valley south of Turin

John Barton British officer and agent with SOE, Italy