Breakthrough
Bologna, 21 April 1945
Bologna, 21 April 1945
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Germany > The MTO > Italy > Breakthrough © 2024 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 18 Aug 2024.​
Po Valley:   April 1945 Breakthrough   Advance to the Po   Beyond the Po

During this initial phase of the Po Valley Campaign, known officially as Operation Grapeshot, Allied forces smashed through Axis defenses in northern Italy.
Almost done as of 18 August 2024

Operation Grapeshot Preliminaries

  • 1–7 Apr 1945 - In seaborne assults in the far east, near the Adriatic Coast, British commandos established positions along Commachio Lake's eastern and southern shores north of the Reno River. 
  • 5 Apr 1945 - In the far west, near the Ligurian Coast, the 92nd Infantry Division, now under direct Fifth Army control and reinforced with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, began advancing northwards. 

Operation Grapeshot - the British Eighth Army Breakthrough on the Po Plain, 9–20 April 1945

In the Po Plain until April 1945, the Eighth Army's forward positions lay southeast of the Senio River, and then south of the lower Reno River as shown on the following map.
In April, Eighth Army implemented a two-pronged attack:
  • An attack across the Senio River headed in a westerly direction towards Bologna.
  • An attack across the lower Reno River headed in a northerly direction towards Ferrara.

The Assault across the Senio River:
​The Eighth Army began its offensive on 9 April 1945. Once the initial German defenses were breached, Polish II Corps advanced west towards the Bologna area while British V Corps advanced north towards the Po River at Ferrara. Meanwhile, smaller combat units in XIII and X Corps made subsidiary advances through the Apennine foothills.
  • 9 April: the Allied advance began with an assault across the Senio River by Polish II Corps' two divisions and British V Corps'  2nd New Zealand and 8th Indian Divisions.
  • 12 April: Both Allied corps now had shallow bridgeheads across the Santerno River.
The rivers of south-east Emilia-Romanga
The Rivers of South-East Emilia-Romanga (The Po River, further to the north, forms the northern boundary of Emilia-Romanga.)
The Assault through the Argenta Gap:
​British V Corps progress northwards was constrained by large areas of intentionally flooded land west of Lake Comacchio. Using footholds gained during Grapeshot's preliminary operations and with the continued help of amphibious vehicles, British forces pushed north along the fingers of dry land shown in the following map.
  • 12 April: V Corps' 56th Infantry Division attacked in both directions along the north bank of the Reno River near its mouth.
  • 12 April: V Corps' 78th Infantry Division passed through the 8th Indian Division and advanced on the left flank of the 56th Division.
Battle of Argenta Gap
Battle of Argenta Gap
The breakthrough continues on the Eighth Army Sector:

  • 20 April: XIII Corps and Polish II Corps begin crossing the Idice River east and northeast of Bologna.

Operation Grapeshot - The US Fifth Army Breakthrough in the Bologna Area, 14–20 April 1945

​The Fifth Army's offensive began on 14 April 1945, having been delayed for two days while waiting for weather to improve to allow for air support. 
  • IV Corps began advancing northwards on 14 April.
  • II Corps began advancing northwards on 15 April along the Highways 64 and 65 axes.
​​Fifth Army forces advanced slowly through the Apennine foothills, meeting Axis resistance at many strongpoints. 
  • On 20 April, the 10th Mountain Division cut Highway 9, the major highway running northwest through Bologna.
By the end of 20 April, elements of most Fifth Army divisions had left the mountains and lay to the west or immediately south of Bologna.
The Advance on the Bologna Area
Breakthrough into the Po Valley - The US Fifth Army advance in the Bologna Area
Scalable Version
With their final defensive lines overwhelmed, both by Eighth and Fifth Army advances, Axis forces withdrew from Bologna, Italy's seventh largest city, on the night of 20–21 April 1945.
Po Valley:   April 1945 Breakthrough   Advance to the Po   Beyond the Po
  ██  Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead - WWII Germany > The MTO > Italy > April 1945 Breakthrough  ██ ​​​02-02 - WWII Germany> The MTO > Italy > The Po Valley: (five dead, updated 18 Aug 2024)
† Dryer, Arthur L., SN 37-112-204, US Army, Page Co. & Howell Co., MO (WWII-DryerArthurL)
  • 755th Tank Bn., Fifth Army; KIA 13 Apr 1945 near Argenta, Provincia di Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna; The MTO > Italy > April 1945 Breakthrough.
  • Note: I haven't found any record of  of US troops in the Argenta area.
† ​Erickson, Gordon Dale, SN 37-698-140, US Army, Audubon Co.
  • Co. E, 87th Mtn. Inf. Regt., 10th Mtn. Div., IV Corps, Fifth Army; KIA 20 Apr 1945 Mt. Avezzano, Italy W of Bologna; hit by machine gun fire while crossing from the west to north slope of Mt. Avezzano; The MTO > Italy >  April 1945 Breakthrough.
† Lewis, Harold Joseph, SN 37-698-156, US Army, Audubon Co.
  • Co. E, 85th Mountain Inf. Regt., 10th Inf. Div., IV Corps, Fifth Army; KIA 15 Apr 1945 near Castel d’Aiano, 25 miles SW of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy; The MTO > Italy > April 1945 Breakthrough.
  • Notes:  Bob Dole, later US vice president and also from the 85th Inf. Regt., was seriously wounded the previous day.
† Kyhnn, George Russell, SN 37-698-181, US Army, Audubon & Marshall Cos.
  • Co. B, 473rd Inf. Regt., 92nd Inf. Div., IV Corps, Fifth Army; KIA 13 Apr 1945 Hill 366, near Carrara, Tuscany, Italy; Operation Second Wind - The MTO > Italy > April 1945 Breakthrough.
† Shaffer, Leo Ellison, SN 37-446-441, US Army, Harrison Co.
  • Co. E, 363rd Inf. Regt., 91st Inf. Div., II Corps, Fifth Army; KIA 17 Apr 1945 S of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy; The MTO > Italy >April 1945 Breakthrough.
​
​              ██   15th Army Group Order of Battle, Operation Grapeshot - Breakthrough, April  1945  ██
  • Clockwise from the Ligurian Sea in the west, xx Allied Divisions were in combat
  • 9 April 1945 status, along with subsequent order of battle changes through 20 April
​​​​​​◼ US Fifth Army (Truscott)
  • US 92nd Infantry Division - under Fifth Army control; in combat on the Ligurian Coast west of the Apennines.
⏶ US IV Corps: (in Apennines SW of Bologna)
  • Brazilian Expeditionary Force
  • US 10th Mountain Division
  • US First Armored Division - to left of 10th Mountain Division 17 April​
⏶ US II Corps: (in Apennines south of Bologna)
  • South African 6th Armored Division
  • US 88th Infantry Division
  • US 91st Infantry Division
  • US 34th Infantry Division
In Fifth Army reserve near the IV-II corps boundary:
  • US 85th Infantry Division - to right flank of IV Corps 17 April
​​​​​​◼ British Eighth Army (McCreery)
​⏶ British XIII Corps - in the Apennines SE of Bologna until 14 April; then between Polish II Corps & British V Corps
  • ​Indian 10th Infantry Division - moved with corps headquarters 14 April
​⏶ ​British X Corps - in the Apennines SE of Bologna; took over old XIII Corps sector 14 April
  • no division-sized components
​⏶ ​Polish II Corps (along the Senio River)
  • 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division
  • 5th Kresowa Infantry Division
​⏶ British V Corps (along the Senio River)
  • New Zealand 2nd Division - to XIII Corps 14 April
  • Indian 8th Infantry Division
  • British 56th Infantry Division
  • British 78th Infantry Division - in reserve until 12 April; then on left of 56th Division
In Eighth Army Reserve:
  • British 6th Armoured Division

       ██  Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Germany > The MTO > Italy > April 1945 Breakthrough webpage  ██