Battle of Garfagnana

Battle of Garfagnana
Part of the Gothic Line Offensive during the Italian campaign of World War II

Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Division provide mortar support during the fighting near Massa.
Date26–28 December 1944
Location
North of Lucca, Italy
Result Axis victory
Territorial
changes
Territory in northern Tuscany falls back into Axis hands.
Belligerents

 United States
 United Kingdom

Italian partisans
Air support:
Vargas Era Brazil
 Italian Social Republic
 Germany
Commanders and leaders
United States Willis D. Crittenberger
United States Edward Almond
United Kingdom Dudley Russell
Italian Social Republic Rodolfo Graziani
Italian Social Republic Mario Carloni
Nazi Germany Otto Fretter-Pico
Strength
18,000 men
120 tanks
140 artillery pieces
9,100 men
100 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
Nearly 1,000 killed or missing
300+ prisoners taken
c. 1,000 killed or missing

The Battle of Garfagnana (Italian: Battaglia della Garfagnana), known to the Germans as Operation Winter Storm (Unternehmen Wintergewitter) and nicknamed the "Christmas Offensive" (Italian: Offensiva di Natale), was a successful Axis offensive against American forces on the western sector of the Gothic Line during World War II. It took place in December 1944 in the north Tuscan Apennines, near Massa and Lucca.[1]

In late December 1944 the German 14th Army under General Kurt von Tippelskirch, using a mixed Italian-German force of some eight infantry battalions, launched a limited objectives attack on the left wing of the U.S. Fifth Army in the Serchio valley in front of Lucca to pin units there which might otherwise be switched to the central front. Anticipating some operation of this sort, the Allies had ordered two brigades from Indian 8th Infantry Division to be rapidly switched across the Apennines to reinforce the US 92nd Infantry Division. By the time they arrived, the Germans and Italians had broken through to capture Barga and to rout the US Division. Reports from captured US soldiers indicated that they had intended to retreat to Lucca and beyond,[2] but decisive action by the Indian Division's Major-General Dudley Russell stabilised the situation. With their objectives achieved, the Italian-German force broke off the attack and withdrew.

Barga was recaptured one week later in the New Year,[3] and the front in the western Gothic Line remained nearly stable until late March 1945.

  1. ^ "Oland, pp. 25-26". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
  2. ^ Pellegrinetti, p. 79
  3. ^ Moseley, page 156