Editing Gothic Line (section)

{{Short description|German defensive line in Italy during World War II}}
{{About|the fighting on and beyond the Gothic Line August 1944 – March 1945 including Operation Olive and the Battle of Rimini|the fighting to capture Rimini in September 1944|Battle of Rimini (1944)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Gothic Line Offensive
| partof            = the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] of [[World War II]]
| campaign          = 
| image             = File:WWII51 Gothic Line.jpg
| image_size        = 300px
| caption           = German defensive positions in Northern Italy, 1944
| date              = 25 August 1944 – early March 1945
| place             = [[Northern Italy]]
| result            = Inconclusive
| combatant1        = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
*{{flagcountry|British Raj}}
{{flag|United States|1912}}<br>{{flagdeco|Canada|1921}} [[Military history of Canada during World War II|Canada]]<br>{{flagdeco|Poland|1928}} [[Polish Armed Forces in the West|Poland]]<br>{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}}<br>{{flagcountry|Dominion of New Zealand}}<br>{{flagcountry|Union of South Africa}}<br>{{flagdeco|Vargas Era|1930}} [[Estado Novo (Brazil)|Brazil]]<br>{{flagdeco|Kingdom of Greece|state}} [[Military history of Greece during World War II|Greece]]
| combatant2        = {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}<br>{{flag|Italian Social Republic}}
| commander1        = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Harold Alexander]]<br>{{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Mark W. Clark|Mark Clark]]<br>{{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Lucian Truscott]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Oliver Leese]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Richard McCreery]]
| commander2        = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Albert Kesselring]]<br>{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Heinrich von Vietinghoff|H. von Vietinghoff]]<br>{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Joachim Lemelsen]]<br>{{flagicon|Italian Social Republic}} [[Rodolfo Graziani]]
| strength1         = {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[United States Army North|Fifth Army]]<br>{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]]
| strength2         = {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[10th Army (Wehrmacht)|10th Army]]<br>{{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[14th Army (Wehrmacht)|14th Army]]<br>{{flagicon|Italian Social Republic}} [[Army Group Liguria]]
| casualties1       = Unknown
| casualties2       = Unknown
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Gothic Line}}
{{Campaignbox Italy}}
}}

[[File:"Members of a Negro mortar company of the 92nd Division pass the ammunition and heave it over at the Germans in an almos - NARA - 535546.jpg|thumb|250px|By the end of 1944, the replacements made with troops of the [[92nd Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. 92nd Infantry Division]] (photo) and the [[Brazilian Expeditionary Force|Brazilian division]] still had not covered the hole left by those diverted to [[Operation Dragoon|Southern France]].]]

The '''Gothic Line''' ({{langx|de|Gotenstellung}}; {{langx|it|Linea Gotica}}) was a [[Nazi Germany|German]] and [[Italian Social Republic|Italian]] [[Defense line|defensive line]] of the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] of [[World War II]]. It formed [[Generalfeldmarschall|Field Marshal]] [[Albert Kesselring]]'s last major line of defence along the summits of the northern part of the [[Apennine Mountains]] during the fighting retreat of the [[Axis powers|Axis forces]] in [[Italy]] against the [[Allied Armies in Italy]], commanded by [[General (United Kingdom)|General]] [[Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis|Sir Harold Alexander]].

[[Adolf Hitler]] had concerns about the state of preparation of the Gothic Line: he feared the Allies would use [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious landings]] to [[flanking maneuver|outflank]] its defences. To downgrade its importance in the eyes of both friend and foe, he ordered the name, with its historic connotations, changed, reasoning that if the Allies managed to break through they would not be able to use the more impressive name to magnify their victory claims. In response to this order, Kesselring renamed it the "'''Green Line'''" (''Grüne Linie'') in June 1944.

Using more than 15,000 [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|slave labourers]], the Germans created more than 2,000 well-fortified [[machine gun nest]]s, [[casemate]]s, [[bunker]]s, [[observation post]]s and artillery fighting positions to repel any attempt to breach the Gothic Line.<ref>Sterner, 2008. p.106.</ref> By the end of August, the Tenth Army's sector, spanning from just north of Vicchio to Pesaro in the east, displayed a formidable array of defenses. It included 2,375 machine-gun posts, 479 positions for antitank guns, mortars, and assault guns, and 3,604 dugouts and shelters, among them 27 caves. Additionally, there were 16,006 riflemen’s positions, featuring embrasures made from fallen trees and branches. The Germans had also laid 72,517 Teller antitank mines and 23,172 S-mines, alongside 73 miles of wire obstacles and 9,780 yards of antitank ditches. However, only four Panzerturms had been completed, with 18 more under construction and seven others planned. Out of 46 smaller tank gun turrets intended to mount 1- and 2-centimetre guns, only 18 were operational. Furthermore, while 22 steel shelters were under construction, none had reached completion.<ref>Nicholson, p. 497.</ref>

Initially, this line was breached during Operation Olive (also sometimes known as the [[Battle of Rimini (1944)|Battle of Rimini]]), but Kesselring's forces were consistently able to retire in good order. This continued to be the case up to March 1945, with the Gothic Line being breached but with no decisive breakthrough; this would not take place until April 1945 during [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|the final Allied offensive]] of the Italian Campaign.<ref>Bryn, Chapter 14.</ref>

Operation Olive has been described as the biggest battle of materials ever fought in Italy. Over 1,200,000 men participated in the battle. The battle took the form of a [[Pincer movement|pincer manoeuvre]], carried out by the [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|British Eighth Army]] and the [[United States Army North|U.S. Fifth Army]] against the [[10th Army (Wehrmacht)|German 10th Army]] (10. ''Armee'') and [[14th Army (Wehrmacht)|German 14th Army]] (14. ''Armee''). [[Rimini]], a city which had been hit by previous air raids, had 1,470,000 rounds fired against it by allied land forces. According to [[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Oliver Leese]], commander of the British Eighth Army: "The battle of Rimini was one of the hardest battles of Eighth Army. The fighting was comparable to [[Second Battle of El Alamein|El Alamein]], [[Battle of the Mareth Line|Mareth]], and the [[Battle of Monte Cassino|Gustav Line (Monte-Cassino)]]."