Operation Grapeshot order of battle

Map of Allied offensive in Po Valley

The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy , codenamed Operation Grapeshot , was the final Allied attack during the Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. ^[1] The attack into the Lombard Plain by the Allied 15th Army Group started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the surrender of Axis forces in Italy.

Allied Forces Headquarters Mediterranean

Main article: AFHQ

Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander

Mark Wayne Clark as a lieutenant general

Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theatre
Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander

Deputy: Lieutenant General Joseph T. McNarney

Chief of Staff: Lieutenant-General William Morgan ^[2]

Air Commander-in Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces: Lieutenant General John K. Cannon

Allied 15th Army Group

Main article: 15th Army Group

General Mark Wayne Clark

Chief of Staff: Major General Alfred M. Gruenther

US Fifth Army

Main article: Fifth United States Army

Lt. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott

Lieutenant General Lucian K. Truscott

Army troops

85th Infantry "Custer" Division

Major General John B. Coulter

Infantry: 337th, 338th, 339th Infantry Regiments

Artillery–105mm: 328th, 329th, 910th Field Artillery Battalions

Artillery–155mm: 403rd Field Artillery Battalion

92nd Infantry "Buffalo Soldiers" Division (Colored) ^[a]

Major General Edward M. Almond

Infantry: 370th (Colored), 442nd (Nisei), ^{[b] [c]} 473rd ^[d] Infantry Regiments

Artillery–105mm: 597th, 598th, 599th, 600th Field Artillery Battalions (all Colored)

Armor–Tank: 758th Light Tank Battalion, 760th Tank Battalion (less two companies)

Armor–TD: 679th, 894th Tank Destroyer Battalion (less two companies)

Corps deployed west to east:

IV Corps Main article: IV Corps (United States) Lieutenant General Willis D. Crittenberger Corps troops 365th Infantry Regiment [e] 371st Infantry Regiment [f] 751st Tank Battalion (plus one company 760th Tank Battalion) 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion (plus elements 894th Tank Destroyer Battalion) 1st Armored Division Major General Vernon Prichard Armor: 1st, 4th, 13th Tank Battalions Infantry: 6th, 11th, 14th Armored Infantry Battalions Artillery: 27th, 68th, 91st Armored Field Artillery Battalions 10th Mountain Division Major General George Price Hays Infantry: 85th, 86th, 87th Infantry Regiments Artillery: 604th, 605th, 616th Field Artillery Battalions Armor: 10th Mountain Antitank Battalion Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) General Mascarenhas de Morais 1st Brazilian Infantry Regiment 6th Brazilian Infantry Regiment 11th Brazilian Infantry Regiment Mountain Infantry Battalion

II Corps Main article: II Corps (United States) Major General Geoffrey Keyes Corps troops Combat Group "Legnano" (Italian Co-Belligerent Army) 68th Infantry Regiment "Legnano" Special Infantry Regiment "Legnano" 11th Field Artillery Regiment 752nd, 757th Tank Battalions 804th, 805th Tank Destroyer Battalions 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division Major General Charles L. Bolté Deputy: Brig. Gen. Harry B. Sherman Infantry: 133rd, 135th, 168th Infantry Regiments Artillery–105mm: 125th, 151st, 175th Field Artillery Battalions Artillery–155mm: 185th Field Artillery Battalion 88th Infantry "Cloverleaf" Division Major General Paul W. Kendall Deputy: Brig. Gen. James C. Fry Infantry: 349th, 350th, 351st Infantry Regiments Artillery–105mm: 337th, 338th, 913th Field Artillery Battalions Artillery–155mm: 339th Field Artillery Battalion 91st Infantry "Wild West" Division Major General William G. Livesay Deputy: Brig. Gen. Raymond E. S. Williamson Infantry: 361st, 362nd, 363rd Infantry Regiments Artillery–105mm: 346th, 347th, 916th Field Artillery Battalions Artillery–155mm: 348th Field Artillery Battalion 6th South African Armoured Division Major-General Evered Poole 11th South African Armoured Brigade 12th South African Motorised Brigade 13th South African Motorised Brigade

British Eighth Army

Main article: Eighth Army (United Kingdom)

Lieutenant-General Sir Richard McCreery

Lt-Gen Sir Richard McCreery

Army troops

7th Hussars (amphibious tanks)

12th Lancers (armoured cars)

16th Army Group Royal Engineers

20th Army Group Royal Engineers

22nd Army Group Royal Engineers

166th (Newfoundland) Field Artillery Regiment ^{[3] [4]}

V Corps Main article: V Corps (United Kingdom) Lieutenant-General Charles Keightley Corps troops 1st Army Group Royal Artillery (Five medium regiments) 2nd Army Group Royal Artillery (Five medium regiments) 6th Armoured Division Artillery 54th Super Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery (less two batteries) Special forces Two squadrons Special Boat Service Two troops Raiding Support Regiment 28th Brigade "Garibaldi" (Italian partisans) 56th Infantry Division Major-General John Yeldham Whitfield 24th Guards Brigade 167th Infantry Brigade 169th Infantry Brigade 2nd Commando Brigade (under command) 9th Armoured Brigade (under command) 27th Lancers (armoured cars) (under command) 4th Hussars (Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers) 78th Infantry Division Major-General Keith Arbuthnott 11th Infantry Brigade 36th Infantry Brigade 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade 2nd Armoured Brigade (under command) 8th Indian Infantry Division Major-General Dudley Russell 17th Indian Infantry Brigade 19th Indian Infantry Brigade 21st Indian Infantry Brigade 21st Army Tank Brigade (under command) 2nd New Zealand Division Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg , VC 4th New Zealand Armoured Brigade 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade 6th New Zealand Infantry Brigade 9th New Zealand Infantry Brigade Combat Group "Cremona" (Italian Co-belligerent Army) Generale di Brigata Clemente Primieri 21st Infantry Regiment "Cremona" 22nd Infantry Regiment "Cremona" 7th Artillery Regiment "Cremona"

X Corps Main article: X Corps (United Kingdom) Lieutenant-General John Hawkesworth Jewish Brigade (from March 1945) Palestine Regiment Combat Group "Friuli" (Italian Co-belligerent Army) Generale di Brigata Arturo Scattini 87th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" 88th Infantry Regiment "Friuli" 35th Artillery Regiment "Friuli" XIII Corps Main article: XIII Corps (United Kingdom) Lieutenant-General Sir John Harding 6th Army Group Royal Artillery (under command) 10th Indian Infantry Division Major-General Denys Reid 10th Indian Infantry Brigade 20th Indian Infantry Brigade 25th Indian Infantry Brigade Lovat Scouts (under command) 2nd Battalion, Highland Light Infantry (under command) Combat Group "Folgore" (Italian Co-belligerent Army) Generale di Brigata Giorgio Morigi Paratroopers Regiment "Nembo" Navy Regiment "San Marco" Artillery Regiment "Folgore" Polish II Corps Main article: II Corps (Poland) Major-General Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko (acting commander) Corps troops Army Group Polish Artillery 54th Super Heavy Regiment Royal Artillery (one battery) British 7th Armoured Brigade (under command) 43rd Gurkha Lorried Infantry Brigade (under command) 14th/20th Hussars (Kangaroo armoured personnel carriers) (under command) 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division Major-General Bolesław Bronisław Duch 1st Carpathian Rifle Brigade 2nd Carpathian Rifle Brigade 3rd Carpathian Rifle Brigade 5th Kresowa Infantry Division Major-General Nikodem Sulik 5th Wilenska Infantry Brigade 6th Lwowska Infantry Brigade 4th Wolwyn Infantry Brigade 2nd Armoured Brigade (Brigadier-General Bronislaw Rakowski)

Army Reserve

6th Armoured Division

Major-General Horatius Murray

26th Armoured Brigade

1st Guards Brigade

61st Infantry Brigade

25th Armoured Engineer Brigade (less detachments with assault divisions)

2nd Parachute Brigade

Army Group C

Gen. Heinrich von Vietinghoff

Marshal Rodolfo Graziani

Army Group C

Main article: Army Group C

Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff (to 29 April)
General der Infanterie Friedrich Schulz (from 29 April to 2 May)
Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff (from 2 May)

West: Army Group Liguria

Main article: Army Group Liguria

Maresciallo Rodolfo Graziani

Lombardia Corps

Lieutenant-General Kurt Jahn

3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco" (Major-General Amilcare Farina)

Battle Group Meinhold

Fortress Brigade 135

Elements of the 4th Alpine Division "Monterosa"

LXXV Corps

General der Gebirgstruppe Hans Schlemmer

2nd Grenadier Division "Littorio" (Major-General Tito Agosti)

4th Alpine Division "Monterosa" (bulk of) (Colonel Giorgio Milazzo)

5th Mountain Division (Generalmajor Hans Steets)

34th Infantry Division (Generalleutnant Theobald Lieb)

Center: Fourteenth Army

Main article: 14th Army (Wehrmacht)

GnlLt Joachim Lemelsen

Generalleutnant Joachim Lemelsen

XIV Panzer Corps

Generalleutnant Frido von Senger und Etterlin

8th Mountain Division (Major-General Paul Schricker)

65th Infantry Division (Major-General Hellmuth Pfeifer)

94th Infantry Division (Major-General Bernhard Steinmetz)

LI Mountain Corps

Generalleutnant Valentin Feurstein until March 1945 and then Lieutenant-General Friedrich-Wilhelm Hauck

1st Bersaglieri Division "Italia" (Major-General Mario Carloni)

114th Jäger Division (Brigadier-General Hans-Joachim Ehlert to 15 April 1945 then Brigadier-General Martin Strahammer)

148th Reserve Division (Major-General Otto Fretter-Pico)

232nd Infantry Division (Major-General Eccard Freiherr von Gablenz)

334th Infantry Division (Major-General Hellmuth Böhlke)

East: Tenth Army

Main article: 10th Army (Wehrmacht)

GnlLt Traugott Herr

Generalleutnant Traugott Herr

LXXVI Panzer Corps

Lieutenant-General Gerhard Graf von Schwerin (to 25 April 1945)

Major-General Karl von Graffen (from 25 April 1945)

42nd Jäger Division (Major-General Walter Jost)

98th Infantry Division (Major-General Alfred-Hermann Reinhardt to 11 April 1945 then Brigadier-General Otto Schiel)

162nd Turkoman Division (Major-General Ralph von Heygendorff)

362nd Infantry Division (Brigadier-General Alois Weber)

I Parachute Corps

Lieutenant-General Richard Heidrich

1st Parachute Division (Brigadier-General Karl-Lothar Schulz)

4th Parachute Division (Major-General Heinrich Trettner)

26th Panzer Division (Brigadier-General Alfred Kuhnert to 19 April 1945 then Major-General Viktor Linnarz)

278th Infantry Division (Major-General Harry Hoppe)

Italian "Forlì" Assault Battalion (Captain Pier Vittorio Riccardi)

305th Infantry Division (Major-General Friedrich von Schellwitz)

LXXIII Corps

Lieutenant-General Anton Dostler ^[g]

Minor units watching the coast between the Po and Venice

LXXXXVII Corps (transferred to Army Group E in Yugoslavia on 10 April)

General of the Mountain Troops Ludwig Kübler ^[h]

188th Mountain Division (Major-General Hans von Hößlin)

237th Infantry Division (Major-General Hans von Grävenitz until late April then Colonel Karl Falkner)

Army Reserve

29th Panzergrenadier Division (Major-General Fritz Polack)

155th Infantry Division (Brigadier-General Georg Zwade)

Army Group Reserve

90th Panzergrenadier Division (Brigadier-General Heinrich Baron von Behr)

Notes

1. I.e., all black
2. Japanese-American
3. Attached 30 Mar 1945
4. Attached 24 Feb 1945
5. Detached from 92nd Infantry Division
6. Detached from 92nd Infantry Division
7. Executed by US for war crimes
8. Executed by Yugoslavia for war crimes

References

1. Jackson, p. 253
2. Jackson (1988), p. 196.
3. "Royal Artillery". www.heritage.nf.ca.
4. "Members of the 166th [Newfoundland]Field Regiment World War II". ngb.chebucto.org. Retrieved 13 April 2024.

Sources

Print

• Blaxland, Gregory (1979). Alexander's Generals (the Italian Campaign 1944-1945). London: William Kimber & Co. ISBN   0-7183-0386-5.
• Carver, Field Marshal Lord (2001). The Imperial War Museum Book of the War in Italy 1943-1945. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN   0-330-48230-0.
• Jackson, General Sir William & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [First. pub. HMSO:1987]. Butler, Sir James (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 2 - June to October 1944. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN   1-84574-071-8.
• Jackson, General Sir William & Gleave, Group Captain T.P. (2004) [First. pub. HMSO:1988]. Butler, Sir James (ed.). The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume VI: Victory in the Mediterranean, Part 3 - November 1944 to May 1945. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Uckfield, UK: Naval & Military Press. ISBN   1-84574-072-6.
• Kay, Robin (1967). "Appendix VII — Fifteenth Army Group — Order of Battle as at 9 April 1945". Italy Volume II : From Cassino to Trieste. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945. Wellington, New Zealand: Historical Publications Branch.

Web

• Houterman, Hans; Koppes, Jeroen. "World War II unit histories and officers". Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
• "Orders of Battle.com". Archived from the original on 17 July 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
• Wendell, Marcus. "Axis History Factbook: German army order of battle". Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2007.