bigpigeon.us webpage WWII-Germany  > The MTO > Italy > The Northern Apennines, © 2023 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 16 Aug 2023.
​During the Fall of 1944 and the following winter, German defenses in northern Apennine Mountains bent but did not break.
The Fall  1944 Allied Advances Beyond the Gothic Line
 As the accompanying map shows, the Allies penetrated the Gothic line in the Fall of 1944 but lacked the strength to achieve a breakout into the Po Valley.
  • In the east, the Canadian Corps spearheaded the British Eighth Army drive up the Adriatic coast. This offensive eventually stalled due to German river defenses and heavy fall rains.
  • In the center north of Florence, the US Fifth Army penetrated the Gothic Line but eventually stalled in front of the northernmost German positions in the Apennines.
Combat subsided during the winter as the Allies replenished and waited for the final spring offensive.
Fall 1944 Advances on the Gothic Line
Northern Italy, Fall 1944 (source below has link to enlarged version)
Perhaps the Italian Campaign would have ended sooner if the Allies had maintained a larger fighting force in Italy in 1944.
  • The American 3rd, 36th, and 45th Infantry Divisions were detached in June in the Rome area to prepare for the August invasion of southern France.
  • The French Expeditionary Force of four divisions was detached in July for the same purpose.
  • In the early fall, as the German army withdrew from Greece, British units were sent from Italy to Greece to ward off Russian influence and Civil War.
  • Finally in February 1945, the Canadian Corps in the Eighth Army were sent to northwestern Europe to join the Canadian First Army.
United States Fifth Army replacements included:
  • The Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) fought in Italy from June to September 1944 before transferring to southern France and later returning to Italy.
  • The 85, 88, and 91st Infantry Divisions.
  • The African-American 92nd Infantry Division.
  • The 10th Mountain Division.
  • The 1st Brazilian Division.
German Prisoners of 442nd RCT
German prisoners of 442nd RCT, Tuscany, Summer 1944
Sources for Big Pigeon's The MTO > Italy > The Northern Apennines webpage:
General Sources (CMH = US Army Center for Military History, these sources generally contain good maps): Other Sources (C/O = Courtesy of):​​
Pottawattamie Area WW II Dead - The MTO > Italy > The Northern Apennines:02-02 - The MTO > Italy > Northern Apennines (one dead, updated 8 Aug 2023)
† Wood, Edgar George, SN 37-548-106, US Army, Harrison Co. & Valley Co., ID
  • 349th Inf. Regt., 88th Inf. Div., Fifth Army; KIA 8 Oct 1944 Italy; The MTO > Italy > Northern Apennines.