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Gothic Line
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===Allied strategy=== {{Further|Gothic Line order of battle}} The Italian Front was seen by the Allies to be of secondary importance to the [[Operation Overlord|offensives through France]], and this was underlined by the withdrawal during the summer of 1944 of seven divisions from the U.S. Fifth Army to take part in the landings in southern France, [[Operation Dragoon]]. By 5 August, the strength of the Fifth Army had fallen from 249,000 to 153,000,<ref>Orgill, p. 20.</ref> and they had only 18 divisions to confront the combined German 10th and [[14th Army (Wehrmacht)|14th Armies]]β² strength of 14 divisions plus four to seven reserve divisions. Nevertheless, Winston Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff were keen to break through the German defences to open up the route to the northeast through the "Ljubljana Gap" into [[National Socialist Austria|Austria]] and [[Hungary during World War II|Hungary]]. Whilst this would threaten Germany from the rear, Churchill was more concerned to forestall the [[Red Army|Russians]] advancing into central Europe. The U.S. Chiefs of Staff had strongly opposed this strategy as diluting the Allied focus in France. However, following the Allied successes in France during the summer, the U.S. Chiefs relented, and there was complete agreement amongst the [[Combined Chiefs of Staff]] at the [[Second Quebec Conference]] on 12 September.<ref>Orgill, pp. 114β115.</ref>
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