May 11, 1944 – World War II: Allied forces make a fourth attempt to breach the Gustav Line
On May 11, 1944, the Allieslaunched another attack on the Gustav Line, the Germans’ main defense systemguarding the entrance to Rome. On May 19, a concentrated Allied offensivecombining U.S.5th and British 8th Armies finally breached the GustavLine and the Monte Cassino hilltop was captured, forcing German 10thArmy to fall back. Just days later, May23, U.S. VI Corps at Anzio broke out from the beaches and advanced northwesttoward Rome, instead of attacking northeast for Valmontone to cut off German 10thArmy, as planned. This change indirection was ordered by General Clark, U.S. 5th Army commander, whoprobably wanted his forces, not the British, to capture Rome,which was in defiance of orders from his superior, General Alexander, chief ofall Allied troops in Italy. As a result, the Allies failed to encircleGerman 10th Army at the Gustav Line. German 10th Army escaped and, together with German 14thArmy from Anzio, soon established new positionsin northern Italy. The Allied planning had also placed Rome inside the American sector, and not the British;instead, the latter were tasked to bypass Romeand pursue the retreating Germans.
(Taken from Italian Campaign – Wars of the 20th Century – World War II in Europe – Vol. 6)
Battle of ItalyThe Allied campaign in Italy, as in the entire North African and Mediterraneanregion as a whole, came about from a compromise between American and Britishmilitary planners in response to prodding by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin that the Alliesopen a second front in the West to ease German pressure on the beleagueredEastern Front, which was defended by the Soviet Union. The U.S.military high command wanted an immediate campaign in France, deeming that this was thequickest way to end the war. The Britishdesired an offensive in the Mediterranean region for control of the vital sealanes and for other strategic reasons, and particularly to carry the war to Italy,which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the “softunderbelly” of the Axis. In the end, theBritish and Americans agreed that a cross-English Channel invasion of Francewould be launched in 1944, but that an operation into Italy would also becarried out, which could achieve any of the following strategic aims on thecontinent: Italy would be knocked out of the war; if not eliminated from thewar, Italy would be forced to withdraw its troops from occupied Europe todefend the homeland; and with the Italian withdrawal, German manpower andresources would be stretched further to help defend Italy and occupyterritories vacated by the Italians.
For Germany, the loss of North Africa brought its southern European flank under threat. In November 1942, German forces occupied Vichy France,relegating the nominally independent French polity into no more than a puppetstate. To counter a possible invasion ofItaly from the south, theGermans planned (and did) exploit the rugged mountainous terrain of Italy, particularly the Apennine Mountains that stretch formuch of the north-south length of the country. Italy shared a borderwith Greater Germany through Ostmark (Austria),and the Germans also were determined to defend Italy to protect the vital oil fieldsand mineral resources of the Balkan region.
Preparatory to the invasion, Britain and the United States launched air attacks in southern Italy, Sicily,and Sardinia, targeting airfields, portfacilities, and industrial sites. OnJuly 10, 1943, the Allies made amphibious landings in Sicily, with the U.S.7th Army at the Gulf of Gela in the southwest and the British 8th Army southof Syracuse inthe southeast. Allied naval gunfireeasily overpowered the Italian coastal defenses, with the fiercest oppositioncoming from the Luftwaffe, which launched air attacks that sank and damagedseveral Allied ships. U.S. ground forces repulsedrepeated German counter-attacks, and by July 15, 1943, the Allies had securedtheir bridgehead and were breaking out toward the north. The German-Italian forces quickly establisheddefensive positions along Mount Etna in the northeast, stalling the advance ofBritish 8th Army at Catania, and elements of U.S. 7thArmy.
General George Patton, commander of U.S. 7th Army, then launched anattack toward central Sicily, and soon reached Palermo, Sicily’s capitallocated in the northeast, on July 23, 1943. U.S. forces thenadvanced along the northern coast, threatening to outflank the Axis forces on Mount Etna. TheAllies breached the first line of defense, forcing the Axis to retreat toanother set of defenses. But with theAllies also threatening to break through the second line, and British andAmerican units also conducting flanking maneuvers along the coast, the Axisdeemed their positions in Sicilyuntenable. On August 11, 1943, the Axisbegan to evacuate Sicily across the Strait of Messina for the southern Italianmainland, completing their withdrawal on August 17; some 40,000 German and70,000 Italian troops were evacuated. The Allies captured over 110,000 mostly Italian troops, most of whom didnot offer resistance.
For Italy, the loss of Sicilycame as a shock, which was worsened by an Allied air raid on Rome on July 19, 1943 that destroyed civilianand military infrastructures. On July25, 1943, the Fascist Grand Council stripped Mussolini of many powers,including control of the Italian military, which was turned over to King VictorEmmanuel III. The next day, the Italianmonarch fired Mussolini as Prime Minister, and had him imprisoned. A newgovernment was formed, led by the chief of the Italian Armed Forces, GeneralPietro Badoglio, who was appointed as the new Prime Minister.
The invasion of Sicily also forced Germanyto withdraw some units in Russia,particularly from the ongoing Battle of Kursk (where the German offensive wasalready faltering), to confront the new threat. Thereafter, the Germans lost the initiative in the Eastern Front andwould permanently be on the defensive, a situation they also would face in theAllied campaign in Italy.
General Badoglio declared hiscontinued alliance with Germany,but secretly opened peace talks with the Allies. Negotiations lasted two months, and onSeptember 8, the Italian government announced an agreement with the Allies,called the Armistice of Cassibile, where Italy surrendered to theAllies. Fearing German reprisal, KingVictor Emmanuel II, General Badoglio, and other leaders fled from Rome and set up headquarters in Allied-controlled southernItaly. There, on October 13, 1943, the Badogliogovernment declared war on Germany.
