Battle of San Marino
Battle of San Marino | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Operation Olive, the attempt to break the Gothic Line (red); the planned offensive is shown in blue, along the eastern coast. The arrows converge north of San Marino. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Germany Italian Social Republic |
Canada Australia South Africa Poland | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Harry Hoppe | Arthur Holworthy | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
274 killed 54 captured | 323 killed |
The Battle of San Marino was an engagement on 17–20 September 1944 during the
San Marino had declared its
After a few days, the main thrust of the offensive was halted south of Rimini by strong resistance and severe weather, and the British and Indian flanking forces began to push westwards, taking the frontline towards San Marino. On 17 September the
Background
The
The country was bombed by the Allies on 27 June 1943, killing at least 35.
Prelude
Assault on the Gothic Line
By the late summer of 1944, German forces in
The main Allied assault began on 25 August,[7] reaching the Foglia valley—the Gothic Line proper—on 29 August.[8] It was quickly breached, and the German command attempted to assemble a second defensive line on the Coriano ridge, a hilly spur to the north of the Conca river, and the last major geographic obstacle south of Rimini. The Allied offensive reached the river on 3 September, but ground to a halt due to mechanical difficulties with its tanks, strengthening German resistance, and heavy rain.[9] The Allied forces halted, and brought up reinforcements whilst waiting for a chance to resume the offensive along the coast.[10] On the left flank of the assault, the attack had been halted in the Battle of Gemmano, to the south of the Conca river.[11]
At this point, the forces on the Allied left wing were strung out in a line running due south from the Coriano ridge, facing westward toward San Marino, a few miles distant. The
Battle
Entry into San Marino
The 46th Division took Montescudo on the 15th, and on the next day the 56th Division entered the town of Mulazzano, directly north of Montescudo and equally close to the border. The fighting pressed westward from here, with the 56th Division on the northern flank and the 46th on the south; both were held back by strong German resistance.[13]
On September 13,
The leading elements of the division—the 3rd/
Point 343 was held through the 18th, however, though with the loss of 63 men; by the evening, a force of tanks had managed to come up and stabilise the position with the aid of artillery support. The 4th/11th Sikh Regiment moved around the Gurkhas to the north, covering the northern flank of the San Marino heights, and the division's 11th Brigade passed through them to help encircle the city.[17] On the evening of the 19th, the 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of 11th Indian Infantry Brigade began to push into the outskirts of the city from the north, but early on the morning of the 20th were held back by defensive positions in the north-west of the city, where the road to the upper part of the city, situated higher on the mountain, began.[19] Tanks moved into the suburbs, whilst a company of the Camerons moved uphill toward the summit in heavy rain. The city was secured by the early afternoon, with only 24 casualties among the attackers, and 54 prisoners taken.[20]
On the 21st, the local defence forces were enlisted to help mop up straggling German troops,[21] and the 4th Indian Division pressed onward through a heavy gale and passed out of the country.[20]
Aftermath
Allied forces remained in occupation of San Marino for a short period after the German surrender. In October 1945, after the end of the war, the Sammarinese government submitted a claim for 732 million lira to the British government for wartime compensation, of which 500 million lira were given as the related costs of the fighting in September and 20 million lira as the costs of the occupation. The British government rejected this claim, arguing that as Germany had breached the Sammarinese neutrality before Allied troops had entered the country, it was not liable; it did, however, offer an ex gratia payment of £26,000 in regard to the June bombing, later increased to £80,000 (equivalent of 32 million lira).[22]
The
Notes
- ^ Southern Theatre: San Marino In, in Time, 30 September 1940.
- ^ a b Diplomatic papers, 1944, p. 292
- ^ Diplomatic papers, 1944, p. 293
- ^ a b "Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers 1944, Europe, Volume IV". Office of the Historian. (U.S.) Department of State. 4 Jul 1944. pp. 290–291. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Diplomatic papers, 1944, p. 295
- ^ Fisher 1989, p.308.
- ^ Fisher 1989, p. 314.
- ^ Fisher 1989, p. 315.
- ^ Fisher 1989, pp. 316–7.
- ^ Fisher 1989, p. 318.
- ^ a b Linklater 1951, p. 363.
- ^ Linklater 1951, p. 365.
- ^ Linklater 1951, p. 366.
- ^ Packard, Reynolds (September 14, 1944). "Nazis Invade San Marino". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 2.
- ^ Brooks 1996, pp. 210–11
- ^ "History". Gurkhas Faetano. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ a b c Brooks 1996, p. 211
- ^ "No. 36860". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 December 1944. p. 5933.
- ^ Brooks 1996, pp. 211–12
- ^ a b Brooks 1996, p. 212
- ^ Linklater 1951, pp. 367–8.
- ^ Statement by Edward Heath, Hansard, 7 July 1961. A statement giving the overall breakdown of the claim was given on 9 July 1952.
- ^ Baker 1986, p. 336.
References
- Baker, Anthony (1986). Battle Honours of the British and Commonwealth Armies. Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-1600-3.
- Brooks, Thomas R. (1996). The War North of Rome: June 1944 – May 1945. Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. ISBN 1-885119-26-7.
- Fisher, Ernest F. (1989). Cassino to the Alps. United States Army Center of Military History.
- Linklater, Eric (1951). The Campaign in Italy. HMSO.
- United States Department of State. Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1944. Europe (Volume IV). United States Department of State.
External links