The Art Of Tank Warfare - Chris Keeling

It took the Allies all of October and most of November to advance to the Gustav Line. This was mainly due
to poor weather and rugged terrain combined with some of the most experienced defenders in the
Wehrmacht. These steadfast and dogged units included: I Fallschirmjäger Corps, 26th, 16th, and Hermann
Göring Panzer divisions, and 334th, 305th, 94th, 65th, 44th, and 5th (Mountain) Infantry divisions.
Matched to counter this force was the US 3rd, 34th, 36th, and 45th Infantry divisions, as well as seven
British and Commonwealth Infantry divisions and one British Armored division. Weaknesses within the
German force, exploited by the US commanders, allowed the US troops of the 1st Armored division and the
3rd, 34th, and 45th Infantry divisions to advance into Anzio. This position put the US forces well behind
the Gustav Line, near Rome, by January 22nd 1944. The 34th and 45th Infantry Divisions were pulled out
of the line south of Cassino to compound on the US advances. The German forces defending Anzio and
along their retreating route to Rome included the Lehr, 3rd, 4th, 26th, 29th, 114th, 362nd, and 715th
Infantry divisions, the 16th SS division, and the I Fallschirmjäger Corps, which was pulled back to defend
Rome along with the 65th Infantry division.
The area around Monte Cassino was finally taken in the Spring after intense fighting between the US 36th
Infantry division, and three New Zealand, two Polish, and two Indian Infantry Divisions, against the
German 44th and 71st Infantry divisions, 1st Fallschirmjäger division, and 90th Panzer Grenadier division.
The penetration of the Gustav Line at Cassino and elsewhere allowed the southern Allied forces, now
reinforced by the bulk of the Free French and Free Polish armies, to advance northward to relieve the
battered defenders of Anzio in May. This combined force managed to take Rome on June 4th, after heavy
fighting, and continued to slowly push the remains of the German forces in Italy northwards until the end of
the war.
NORMANDY
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Having established a successful beachhead in Normandy on June 6, 1944, the Allies continued to press
inland. German reinforcements, including several of their best armored divisions, were rushed to prevent the
Allied armies from moving south. Operations Epsom and Goodwood, launched by the British and
Commonwealth forces, were repulsed by these fresh units on the eastern side of the beachhead during their
attempt to seize Caen. Meanwhile, American forces were advancing slowly, their primary goal the occupation
of the Cotentin Peninsula with its important port of Cherbourg, which was held by the German 9th, 77th,
79th, 243rd, and 709th Infantry divisions. The US units included the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 9th, 29th, and 90th
Infantry divisions, the 2nd Armored division, and the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions. After Cherbourg
fell on 26 June, the US built up its reserves and secured the peninsula by taking St. Lo, Marigny, and La
Haye-du-Puits, which prevented further German reinforcements from moving into the area. This area was
occupied by the German 265th, 275th, and 352nd Infantry divisions, the 3rd Fallschirmjäger division, and
17th SS division.
On July 25th, US forces staged a breakout, codenamed Operation Cobra. It began on the farthest eastern
part of the beachhead, with General Patton’s Third Army. The spearhead of the attack consisted of 3rd, 4th,
and 6th Armored divisions and 1st Infantry division. Using XIX and V Corps at St. Lo as a lynchpin, the
VII and VIII Corps under Patton’s army broke through at Lessay, moving south along the coast to Avranches
and Mortain. The German defenders included the II Fallschirmjäger Corps, XLVII Panzer Corps, 363rd
Infantry division, and 2nd and 116th Panzer divisions. Thanks to Allied planning, as well as superiority in
quantities of tanks, planes, and personnel, the German forces were surrounded except for a small escape route
through Argentan.