Editing Gothic Line (section)

==Adriatic Front (British Eighth Army)==

===Eighth Army dispositions for Operation Olive===
[[File:The British Army in Italy 1944 NA18091.jpg|thumb|A British [[M10 tank destroyer]] Self Propelled Gun (SPG) and infantrymen of the 5th Battalion, [[Sherwood Foresters]] during the advance to the Gothic Line, 27–28 August 1944]]

On the coast, Leese had [[II Corps (Poland)|Polish II Corps]] with [[5th Kresowa Infantry Division|5th Kresowa Division]] in the front line and the [[3rd Carpathian Rifle Division (Poland)|3rd Carpathian Division]] in reserve. To the left of the Poles was [[I Canadian Corps|Canadian I Corps]] which had the [[1st Canadian Division|Canadian 1st Infantry Division]] (with the [[21st Army Tank Brigade|British 21st Tank Brigade]] under command) in the front line and the [[5th Canadian Division|Canadian 5th Armoured Division]] in reserve.

For the opening phase the corps artillery was strengthened with the addition of the [[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 4th Infantry Division]]'s artillery. West of the Canadians was [[V Corps (United Kingdom)|British V Corps]] with the [[46th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|British 46th Infantry Division]] manning the right of the corps front line and [[4th Infantry Division (India)|4th Indian Infantry Division]] its left. In reserve were the British [[56th (London) Infantry Division|56th Infantry]] and [[1st Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|1st Armoured Divisions]] and the British [[7th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|7th Armoured]] and [[25th Army Tank Brigade|25th Tank Brigades]].

Further to the rear was the British 4th Division, waiting to be called forward to join the corps. The left flank of the Eighth Army front was guarded by [[X Corps (United Kingdom)|British X Corps]] employing the [[10th Indian Infantry Division]] and two armoured car regiments, [[12th Royal Lancers|12th]] and [[27th Lancers]]. Prior to the attack the I Canadian Corps' front was covered by patrolling Polish cavalry units and V Corps by patrolling elements of the Italian Liberation Corps. In army reserve, also waiting to be called forward, was the [[2nd New Zealand Division]].<ref>Jackson, p. 226.</ref>

===German 10th Army dispositions===
Facing the Eighth Army was the German 10th Army's [[LXXVI Panzer Corps|LXXVI ''Panzer'' Corps]] (''LXXVI Panzerkorps''). Initially, this had only three divisions: [[1st Parachute Division (Germany)|1st Parachute Division]] facing the Poles, [[71st Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|71st Infantry Division]] (''71. Infanterie-Division'') inland on the parachute division's right and [[278th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|278th Division]] (''278. Infanterie-Division'') on the Corps right flank in the hills which was in the process of relieving [[5th Mountain Division (Wehrmacht)|5th Mountain Division]]. The 10th Army had a further five divisions in [[51st Mountain Corps]] covering {{convert|80|mi|km|abbr=on}} of front line on the right of LXVI ''Panzer'' Corps and a further two divisions—[[162nd Turkoman Division|162nd Infantry Division]] (''162. (Turkoman) Infanterie-Division'') and [[98th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|98th Infantry Division]] (''98. Infanterie-Division'') (replaced by [[29th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|29th ''Panzer Grenadier'' Division]] (''29. Panzergrenadierdivision'') from 25 August)—covering the Adriatic coast behind LXVI Corps. In addition, Kesselring had in his Army Group Reserve the [[90th Light Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|90th ''Panzer'' Grenadier Division]] (''90. Panzergrenadierdivision'') and [[23rd Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|26th ''Panzer'' Division]] (''26. Panzerdivision'').<ref>Jackson, p. 227.</ref>

===Eighth Army attack===
[[File:Walki 2 KP na Linii Gotów - czołg Pantera zdobyty przez żołnierzy 4 ppanc NAC 24-494-1.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers of the Polish II Corps inspect a captured German [[Panther tank]] somewhere along the Metauro River, August 1944.]]

The British Eighth Army crossed the Metauro river and launched its attack against the Gothic Line outposts on 25 August. As Polish II Corps, on the coast and I Canadian Corps, on the coastal plain on the Poles' left, advanced towards Pesaro the coastal plain narrowed and it was planned that the Polish Corps, weakened by losses and lack of replacements, would go into Army reserve and the front on the coastal plain would become the responsibility of the Canadian Corps alone. The Germans were taken by surprise, to the extent that both von Vietinghoff, and the parachute division's commander—''[[Generalmajor]] '' [[Richard Heidrich]]—were away on leave.<ref name="Jackson234">Jackson, p. 234.</ref>

They were in the process of pulling back their forward units to the Green I fortifications of the Gothic Line proper and Kesselring was uncertain whether this was the start of a major offensive or just Eighth Army advancing to occupy vacated ground whilst the main Allied attack would come on the U.S. Fifth Army front towards Bologna. On 27 August, he was still expressing the view that the attack was a diversion and so would not commit reserves to the front.<ref name="Jackson234"/> It was not until 28 August—when he saw a captured copy of Leese's order of the day to his army prior to the attack—that Kesselring realised that a major offensive was in progress,<ref>Orgill, pp. 46–47.</ref> and three divisions of reinforcements were ordered from Bologna to the Adriatic front, still needing at least two days to get into position.

By 30 August, the Canadian and British Corps had reached the Green I main defensive positions running along the ridges on the far side of the Foglia river. Taking advantage of the Germans' lack of manpower, the Canadians punched through and by 3 September had advanced a further {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the Green II line of defences running from the coast near [[Riccione]]. The Allies were close to breaking through to Rimini and the Romagna plain. However, LXXVI ''Panzer'' Corps on the German 10th Army's left wing had withdrawn in good order behind the line of the [[Conca (river)|Conca river]].<ref>Orgill, p. 65.</ref> Fierce resistance from the Corps′ 1st Parachute Division—commanded by Heidrich (supported by intense artillery fire from the Coriano ridge in the hills on the Canadians' left)—brought their advance to a halt.

Meanwhile, British V Corps was finding progress in the more difficult hill terrain with its poor roads tough going. On 3–4 September, while the Canadians once again attacked along the coastal plain, V Corps made an armoured thrust to dislodge the Coriano Ridge defences and reach the Marano river. This was to open the gate to the plain beyond which could be rapidly exploited by the tanks of British 1st Armoured Division, poised for this purpose. However, after two days of gruesome fighting with heavy losses on both sides, the Allies were obliged to call off their assault and reassess their strategy. Leese decided to outflank the Coriano ridge positions by driving westwards toward Croce and Gemmano to reach the Marano valley which curved behind the Coriano positions to the coast some {{convert|2|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of Riccione.

===Battles for Gemmano and Croce===
The [[Battle of Gemmano]] has been nicknamed by some historians as the "Cassino of the Adriatic". After 11 assaults between 4 and 13 September (first by British 56th Division and then British 46th Division), it was the turn of Indian 4th Division who after a heavy bombardment made the 12th attack at 03:00 on 15 September and finally carried and secured the German defensive positions.<ref>Hingston, p. 129.</ref> In the meantime, to the north, on the other side of the Conca valley a similarly bloody engagement was being ground out at Croce. The German 98th Division held their positions with great tenacity, and it took five days of constant fighting, often door to door and hand to hand before the British 56th Division captured Croce.

==={{anchor|Coriano}}Coriano taken and the advance to Rimini and San Marino===
{{Further|Battle of San Marino}}

With progress slow at Gemmano, Leese decided to renew the attack on Coriano. After a paralyzing bombardment from 700 artillery pieces<ref>Orgill, p. 124.</ref> and bombers, the Canadian 5th Armoured Division and the British 1st Armoured Division launched their attack on the night of 12 September. The Coriano positions were finally taken on 14 September.

Once again, the way was open to Rimini. Kesselring's forces had taken heavy losses, and three divisions of reinforcements ordered to the Adriatic front would not be available for at least a day. Now, the weather intervened: torrential rain turned the rivers into torrents and halted air support operations. Once again movement ground to a crawl, and the German defenders had the opportunity to reorganise and reinforce their positions on the Marano river, and the salient to the Lombardy plain closed. Once more, the Eighth Army was confronted by an organised line of defence, the Rimini Line.

Meanwhile, with Croce and beyond it Montescudo secured, the left wing of the Eighth Army advanced to the Marano river and the frontier of [[San Marino]]. The Germans had occupied neutral San Marino over a week previously to take advantage of the heights on which the city-state stood. By 19 September, the city was isolated and [[Battle of San Marino|fell to the Allies]] with relatively little cost.<ref>Orgill, pp. 140–141.</ref> {{convert|3|mi}} beyond San Marino lay the Marecchia valley running across the Eighth Army line of advance and running to the sea at Rimini.

During the night of 19/20 September, Brigadier [[Richard Goodbody|Richard W. Goodbody]], commanding the [[2nd Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|2nd Armoured Brigade]], ordered (with many doubts) the [[2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)]] to attack Pt 153 at 10.50. The German antitank gunners, using the renowned [[8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41|88mm guns]], had a field day. All but three [[M4 Sherman|Sherman tanks]] of the two squadrons that took part in the attack were destroyed. The Bays lost 24 tanks and, more important, 64 highly skilled tank crewmen. Fortunately for the [[9th Queen's Royal Lancers]], who had been ordered to pass through the Bays, their attack was postponed after strong representations had been made to higher HQ.<ref>War Monthly - Issue 34 (1977). ''Gothic Line 1944'', by E. D. Smith, p. 28. {{ISSN|0307-2886}}.</ref>

On the right the I Canadian Corps on 20 September broke the German positions on the Ausa river and into the Lombardy Plain and [[3rd Greek Mountain Brigade]] [[Battle of Rimini (1944)|entered Rimini]] on the morning of 21 September as the Germans withdrew from their positions on the Rimini Line behind the Ausa to new positions on the Marecchia.<ref>Jackson, p. 296.</ref> However, Kesselring's defence had won him time until the onset of the autumn rains. Progress for the Eighth Army became very slow with mud slides caused by the torrential rain making it difficult to keep roads and tracks open, creating a logistical nightmare. Although they were out of the hills, the plains were waterlogged and the Eighth Army found themselves confronted, as they had the previous autumn, by a succession of swollen rivers running across their line of advance.<ref>Orgill, p. 161.</ref> Once again, the conditions prevented Eighth Army's armour from exploiting the breakthrough, and the infantry of British V Corps and [[I Canadian Corps]] (joined by the 2nd New Zealand Division) had to grind their way forward while von Vietinghoff withdrew his forces behind the next river beyond the Marecchia, the Uso, a few miles beyond Rimini. The positions on the Uso were forced on 26 September, and Eighth Army reached the next river, the Fiumicino, on 29 September. Four days of heavy rain forced a halt, and by this time V Corps was fought out and required major reorganization.

Since the start of Operation Olive, Eighth Army had suffered 14,000 casualties.{{Refn|group=nb|The British Official History gives V Corps casualties as 9,000 and Canadian casualties (referencing the Canadian Official History) as just under 4,000 up to 21 September. In addition, losses to sickness in V Corps were 6,000 and 1,000 in 1st Canadian Division with no figure given for [[5th Canadian Division|Canadian 5th Armoured Division]].{{Sfn|Jackson|2004|p=303}} Leese reported battle casualties totaling 14,000 and 210 irrecoverable tanks.{{Sfn|Jackson|2004|p=303}}}} As a result, British battalions had to be reduced from four to three [[Company (military unit)|rifle companies]] due to a severe shortage of manpower. Facing the Eighth Army LXXVI ''Panzer'' Corps had suffered 16,000 casualties.<ref>Jackson, p.304.</ref> As the Eighth Army paused at the end of September to reorganise Leese was reassigned to command the [[11th Army Group|Allied land forces]] in [[South-East Asian Theatre of World War II|South-East Asia]] and Lieutenant-General [[Richard McCreery|Richard L. McCreery]] was moved from commanding British X Corps to take over the army command.<ref>Carver, p. 243.</ref>