Home

» Events

» The European War

» Operation Grapeshot and Operation Roast





Operation Grapeshot and Operation Roast

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAfter the inclusive assault on the German Gothic Line in northern Italy, the Allies spent most of the winter of 1944 to 1945 gathering strength for the subsequent offensive. On 6 Apr 1945, Operation Grapeshot was ordered to commence with 20 divisions, or about 850,000 combat troops, organized under US 5th Army and British 8th Army. Against them were 21 German divisions (some of which were under-strength) and 4 Italian divisions; Axis fighting troops totaled about 400,000.

ww2dbaseBritish 8th Army launched its attack first. On 1 Apr 1945, British 2nd Commando Brigade and Italian partisan fighters of 28th Garibaldi Brigade launched Operation Roast near Port Garibaldi across Lake Comacchio into the isthmus between Lake Comacchio and the Adriatic Sea; in the immediate term, the goal of this operation was to draw German attention away from the main offensive to be launched along the Senio River in a week's time, but in the longer term it was to provide a foothold for a subsequent attack on Argenta. On 9 Apr, after bombardment by 825 heavy bombers and many artillery pieces and smaller aircraft, New Zealand 2nd Division, Indian 8th Division, and Polish 3rd Carpathian Division attacked at dusk, with the New Zealand and Polish troops reaching Santerno River by the evening of the following day and crossing it on 11 Apr. By the late morning of 12 Apr, Indian troops also crossed the Santerno River. With Santerno River crossings secured, British 78th Division and British 24th Guards Brigade began advancing on Argenta.

ww2dbaseWest of Lake Comacchio, British V Corps launched Operation Impact Plain after sundown on 10 Apr 1945 to widen the area between the southern tip of Lake Comacchio and Fossa di Navigazione, also known as "The Wedge", expanding the territory gained with Operation Roast. The city of Argenta was situated in the middle of "The Wedge". By 12 Apr, the British troops had advanced four miles westward up the Reno River. In response, German 15th Panzergrenadier Regiment arrived on 12 Apr to reinforce German 42nd Jaeger Division in the Reno River area, followed by the remainder of German 29th Panzergrenadier Division two days later. The arrival of these German troops would frustrate the Allied advances in the Argenta area.

ww2dbaseOn 14 Apr 1945, US 5th Army joined in on the offensive, following a bombardment participated by 2,000 heavy bomber and 2,000 artillery pieces. On 14 Apr, US and Brazilian troops of US IV Corps attacked on the western end of the line; on the following day, US and South African troops of US II Corps attacked toward Bologna.

ww2dbaseOn 16 Apr, British troops finally crossed the Fossa Marina canal east of Argenta, establishing a bridgehead only 800 meters deep and holding against German counterattacks. With the arrival additional troops, the bridehead was expanded by another 900 meters on the following day. German tanks attempted a counterattack against the expanding bridgehead on 18 Apr, but it was repulsed. German resistance in the Argenta region would be ground away in the following few days, allowing the British to release the tanks of British 6th Armoured Division to make contact with the American column in the Po River Valley at Finale, 40 kilometers north of Bologna on 24 Apr. Bologna had already been captured by this point, entered by the Allies on 21 Apr with Polish troops at the spearhead. Three Allied corps crossed the Po River by 25 Apr 1945, meeting only sporadic resistance and entering some cities and towns that were already liberated by anti-German partisans.

ww2dbaseOn 28 Apr 1945, German Colonel General Heinrich von Vietinghoff dispatched a messenger toward the Allies lines seeking a ceasefire. The instrument of surrender was signed on the following day, and it would take effect on 2 May.

ww2dbaseThe final Allied offensive in northern Italy suffered 16,258 casualties; it caused 30,000 to 32,000 casualties on the Axis side.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Feb 2013

Operation Grapeshot and Operation Roast Interactive Map

Operation Grapeshot and Operation Roast Timeline

Photographs

Did you enjoy this article? Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Facebook

Reddit

Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB: RSS Feeds

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.