R-491702 Mudo MOUPYTAINS Ai'm ARMOR
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R-491702 MUDo MOUPYTAINS Ai'M ARMOR (THE 1st ARMAORED DIVISION FIFOA ROME TO THE ALPS) A RESEARCH REPORT PREPARED All BY COMMITTEE 17, OFFICERS ADVAi~TC3D CQUTRSE THE ARMOR3D SCHOOL 1948 - 1949 MAJOR CUr.,,RY N. VAUGi{AZ MAJOR ROBMET E. iIMiJR, MAJOR VASCO J. ?Eiif~hILi I'llAJOR MMi C. REAG.OR MAJOR JOIN Mv. MULLN CAPTAIN (iORDOIT, Z. McqUAIlT CAk'PTAIN MELVINT H. JM.TSMET 4 FORT Ki-TOX, Kzj\T1JCKY JUNE 1949 I PRFC The purpose of this study .isto present a reasonably detailed account of the employment of the lst Armored Division as an integral part of the tank - infantry - artillery - eng- ineer team which drove strong, deter'mined German forces from ROME to the ALPS during the Italian Campaign .of W'orld W'ar II. The narrative covers the period 3 June 1944 to 2 May 1945, describing (1) the exploitation following the breakout from the AN~ZIO BEACHHE-AD; (2) the pursuit beyond ROIE; (3) the drive through hastily prepared enemy mountain positions south of the ARNO LIVER line; (4) the push from the ARIlO thirough the formidabiF mountain defenses of the GOTHIC LIINE (5) the stalemated winter warfare in the high 1ORTUIN APPE1_4NIVESS. and (6) the rapid breakout into the P0 VALLEY, drawing the campaign to a -glorious conclusion. The scope of this study is limited, since it is based on unit after action reports and histories; a limited number of statpments and writings of campaign participants, observers and historians; and the semi-annual reports of tho Chief of Staff U. S. Army. The very important role of infantry and other ground units,, supporting arms and cervices, and higher headquart rs is not discussird in detail. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. IN TYO DCT IOION .......... 1 world Y-ar IBuild p . .. 1 Battle for the M-DITERRUANEA ........... 3 Background, 1st xmored Division . .. ... 5 old Ironsides in Africa. 0. 9 .............. 6 Armnor in Southern Italy. ... .. *.. 7 II. P URSUIT TO AND B7-YOND RO-IE.............12 Smashing Final German- Defenses South of ROLE *12 The 1st Armored Division in the Liberation of ROLEM3 Pursuit North from 'ROLE......................o # 18 The Tnemy 9ituation. e * . 9 . &. * a .*. * 9 18 The VICorps Zone .. .. .- -...- 19 CCA and CCB SI'earhead The VI Corps Drive . - -. 20 Task Force Ho-wze in II Corps Action . 25 Phase Iin Restrospect . 0 *... 0....... 0 29 III. PURSUIT THROUM{ THE TUSCANS. & 0 a. 35 The Terrible Terrain. * *............. & 0 . 35 The Big Picture.. .. .. .... 36 The 1st Armored Division Role. .*,*** 38 Resuming The Pursuit ..... .. .39 The Double fAibush. .,... .. 42 The Torniella Defile. .. 0 0 ,* 46 Fight for MAC$AM1ARIITIMA . 0 0& 48 Approach to CHIUSDINO. .. 50 Shift to the West..... 54 Cecina River Crossed. * * ..... 58 IV, PUSH TO THEA!RNO .. ... ........... .. 61 Casole D' Elsa Fiasco. ..... * *63 The Fall of oteaii . .............. 63 Enemyi Resistance Stiffens. .. 68 Reorganization of lst A"rmored Division . .... 71 V. 9E GOT!H"IC LME. .. ...................... 77 Regrouping Alcolg The AR,?NO RIV:,-M. .. 77 Aross the ARNO PL4.IN. .. *, . 83 Into the Foothills....'..................89 Through the GOTHIC LINE. ... *A92 Looking Back ........................... *97 VI. DRIVE ON BOLOGNA ............. ............ 101 Emphasis on the Center. .... 101.. CCA Plugs the Gaps 0 ....... 104 CCB, On the Left................108 .v. Chapter Page The Final Push.e a * ' 6 & .0 0 i 0 0 112 VII. WINT-R IN THT, MOUNTANS * Ae * 4. be. 119 Tw[o 1MTonths as Infantry. * 4 * C * 0 * 120 Well Earned Rest. ' * 0 0 * I 0 * 4. 122 TankqRrs Turn Doughboyst * * .8 122 VIII. THE P0 VALLEY BREAKOUT, * 0 0 127 The Preparation .... 4 . a 127 Th1e Army Plan . .............. 129 1st ArLmored Division Action * a I * a a 130 IX. BEGINNING OF THEN D. 4 000 I 0 0 6 143 Pursuit in the Po Valley... w0& 0 4 C 0 143 X. SUIvffAMARY, LESSONS AND CONCLUSIONS. 0e9 *00 156 I In Retroslect......... 156 Veterans Learn, Too . .. 157 A Difficult Task Well Done... * C 0 C C 9 161 BIBLIOGRAPH.Y........... * 0 * a 165 0 0 0 * 0 I Topography of ITALY ... t IA The GOfllIC LI11 . ..... Joci Vehicle Recovery and Evacuation.. 1xviii German order of Battle. a a . IV Special Units of Fifth Army ... xxxv V Statistica'l Summary .. *xli .VI Personalities . * * xlvi VII Index of Italian Cities and Towns.,. i H-APS10 0 0 &0 0 0 Is 0 0 e 0 0 & 0 CD 0 Q 0 0 0 C 1 1st A~rmored Division front ROKE to ALPS. 9 O Capture of RO.-k . * 0*a4. 33 2 Exploitation R01-T to G-''OSSBTO .... 34 3 G1ROSSETO to ARNM-10 .,. 76 4 In the~A~N~~.. .. *..... 118 5 Breakout to the PO VALLEY~.. 155 SK-4NTES.e w & 9* * *~ * a00 000 1 1st Armored Division in AFRiICA.,. .. 10 2 1st Arm-tored Division in ITA. .*. 11 X Oerations5 - 1 Jun94. .... 22 O Routes of Aldvance 20 June - 10 July 1944. 44 Pg Chapter Page P ICTUMRES. V O I .. .. ag o 1 Tanmks of 1s t Tank Battalion ford the ARNO . 85 2 GOTHIC LINE position -on Highway 66. * . 93 3 Infantry Trcaps move into BOI'BIANA'while tanks guard against counterattack . 0 110 4 Division Artillery scores direct hit on German strong point on r"iONT7!A.ICI . 11.3 5 Light snow in the APENNINE foothills, Jani- ua ryl41945...... a. 123 6 A 4th Tank Bttalion crew prepares for the PO VALLEX, Drive.. ** * ,* 128 7 Tanks of the 91st Cavalry Reco~nnaissance Squadron cross the P0 at SAN BEWMEDETT0. 145 FIGURE 1 1st Armored Division Reorganization 20 July 1944. a * * 0 0 * * 75.......... Vii CHAPT3R2 I IITTO0DUC TI OR The Allied armies moved forward on 11 May 194,1, after h--rd and bitter fighting during the winter months in the mount,- ains of southern Italy. AN~ZIO folfces, spearheaded by the UtS. 1st Armored Division, struck out 12 days later and readhei ROME on 4 June. Just two days after the fall of the first axis Cap- itpll the greatest invasion force in history landed on the shores of Y0OLMMIDY to deliver the finp.l blow to GE1Y. The march to Bi-LIITS the h.adquarters of Adolph Hitler, the man who cain~e closer to conquering the globe than any other'man in history, was on! World) War II. Build U, Hitler s forces had.. occu:pied the LHIlbTL 1D, AUSTTRIA and CZECHOSLOVAKIA without military opposition,, In September 1939 arm- ored spearher.dls rolled across the German border and sliced through POL43D; iYOWAY and DD1014APRK were occupied later with little diff- iculty: H0LL.AID I3ELAT.4 -nd LUXEM3ULG then f ell to the YThm'zi inv1n-ftrt. In June of 1940 panzer d-ivisions tuirned -the MAGINOT LI11-6 !-nd9 racedl !-.crosS -FP.LA-TC-': -3enito Mussolini, wopanned to exadhis Itali~rn empire un-der the cloak of G~ermnan successes, Psta-'beJdC in the back" by sending, troops into the south- ern border a rea ,nd joining. hands w.,ith "h'itler to form the Europ- ean Axi s The "i'attle of i5IITAIiVI, ten long months of destructive aerial warfcre, followed, LUJFTWP'PEJA:- bombs accounted for 50,000 British lives, qt the R.AF, was victorious and smashed a huge German invasion flCret before it could leave port. ==mood In the meantime, on another Ifront, the i-jazis had. ttaken H-jiAPYj HIJ&TIA and AtG.L-f A thd htid overruni YUJGOSLAVIA, GRE64CIV ca CPETE by early summer of 1941, focusing world attentioh on, the MflITEREMAiYi. Then- without warning, on 22 June of thtt year,. Hitler launched his invasion~of -RUSSIA. FMIJA1ID joined in ;andl the axis boasted the greatest front in military history' 2,000 miles from -the ARTIC to th, ]BLACK SE-A., The invaders ad- vanced throu6gh P~sinanx EASTIMT P0IA1M, ESTONIA, 1J0TZIA., ore and LITFL'NL across WHIT3 R3USSIA, and into the UKRAIM . Bef the e-nd of summer erernnn forces had encircled LEPTNRAI reached the outskirts of MOSCOW and captured KHAPEKOV. Aided by the worst ar winter in years., the Russians held. in, p-lace and then launched the counter-offCensive which initially rolled forw7ard;, but under full fury of a more powerful Axis assau'lt, the Red Army was forced4 slowly to frill back again. Th1e third big Axis ptartner, JAPAN2, after inflicting con- siderable dariage on the U.S. fleet at PEJ. _L HAEDOP., vis running wild in the PACIFIC anrd FAR EAST at the seine time the Russians faced this growing crisis. Within six months efter PLEflL HAPLBOR the Japanese empire had been extended thousands of miles. Meanwhi.,ile, W~s victories in the ba~ttle -for control of the M01EDITERRAMAI, which swept across lthe rim of iTOT1 A7ERICA six times, threaten- rea'ched a Teak when'a surprise thrust captured TOB-3RUK, through ing EGYPT and the vital SUEZ C-AMTL. IHitler planned to break STALING.IA]) and 2 Y?&T to trap the 14MIDL3 EAST in a huge double- to pincer movement-1 Mid-19C42 wir's indeed ni black hour. Unable laun3ch a successful offensive in WESTM-9 LIThOPE at that tine, Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt approved an early Allied opoeration in NORtTH AT-RICA to relieve pressure on RUSSIA and di~slocate the southern arm of this gigantic pincer thrust. At this point the tide of battle turned. RUSSIA'S heroic defense of ST TTGFRAD and BRITAIIS 6rushing def eat of the Germnans at -M, A~o:LUIJN were closely followed by Allied landings in MOROCCO andIPI or. 7 November 1942. The Russians then unleashed their great offensive, which was ultimately to lead them to XnLI.glo-American Forces began driving Axis troops from NORTH A RICA., 1-fhile JAPAN lost ground in the PACIFIC.