Editing Gothic Line (section)

===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 However, LXXVI ''Panzer'' Corps on the German 10th Army's left wing had withdrawn in good order behind the line of the [[Conca (river)|Conca river]].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.