Situation in Italy at the beginning of 1944

Situation in Italy at the beginning of 1944 • • Front line. Allied Plans. German plans. Mussolini creating Italian Social Republic with a seat at Lake Garda in Salo. Republic is commonly named as “Salo Republic”. • Northern Italians and their attitude to Mussolini’s “Republic”. • Partisans in Italy.

Warfare at Italian Front • Operation “Shingle”. Churchill’s idea to finish warfare in Italy as soon as possible. • Beginning of landing in Anzio. Germans completely unprepared for the operation and caught by surprise – January 22, 1944. • Gen. Lucas’ hesitations and passivity. • Germans beginning to concentrate significant forces against allied troops near Anzio. • German offensive with a goal to throw allies into the sea. • Failure of German goal. Allied forces besieged but able to hold small bridgehead.

The Battle of Mount Cassino • Beginning of Allied attacks on Mount Cassino – February 12, 1944. • German defensive forces – 1 st Parachute Division, one of the best in Wermacht (German Army). • Failure of first attack on Mount Cassino and Benedictine Monastery. • Second battle for Mount Cassino – New Zealanders and Indians also failed to take it – February 15 -18, 1944. • Third Battle of Mount Cassino – March 15 -23, 1944. Germans still holding the dominant strategic point. • Forth and last battle of Mount Cassino – May 11 -17, 1944. French North African troops with an experience of mountain fight and Poles from two sides broke into German Defence and took Cassino Monastery at last.

Rome Taken at Last! • Beginning of offensive on Rome from South – May 23, 1944. • Allies began offensive on Rome from Anzio on the same day – May 23, 1944. • Chance to encircle retreating Germans. • Gen. Clark prefers “Triumphal entry” into Rome to encircling of Germans. • Kesselring, Commander in Chief of German forces in Italy, able to use Clark’s mistake. Germans withdrew from potentially dangerous positions without significant losses. • Clark’s entry into Rome, June 4, 1944, “The Hollow Triumph”, because Romans stayed behind the locked doors fearing the last-minute German attacks.

Allied Strategy after Taking Rome • Allies withdrew significant forces from Italy to France. • Weakened allied troops continue attacks on Germans. • Germans withdrew to the Gothic Line. • Allies taken Pisa, Lucca, Rimini, Forli and Ravenna – September-December 1944. • Allied attack stopped due to the bad weather and lack of troops. Italy is divided on Pisa. Rimini Line.