Battle of the Argenta Gap

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of the Argenta Gap
partof=World War II


caption= Units of the 56th Recce moving through the gap
date=1 April-19 April,1945
place= Italy
casus= Allied advance north through Italy
territory= Territory south of the River Po falls into Allied hands.
result= Allied Victory
combatant1= flagicon|UK United Kingdom 5th Corps, 6th Armoured Div, 40 commando
combatant2= flagicon|Germany|Nazi Germany primarily 29th Panzer, 42nd Jaeger Divisions
commander1=
commander2=
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=
casualties2= Over 600 prisoners taken
casualties3=
notes=

The Battle of the Argenta Gap was an engagement during the Second World War between British forces and German defensive positions in northern Italy, from 1 April until 19 April 1945, with the aim of opening up northern Italy to the Allied advance.

Background

The Allied invasion of Italy occurred during September 1943, for a number of key reasons not least important of which was that support for the war in Italy had been declining and it was thought that an invasion would hasten the efforts of the new government that had deposed Mussolini, which was seeking peace. Furthermore, the weakening of Axis control of the Mediterranean supply routes eased the pressure on Allied forces operating in the Middle and Far East, as well as on the efforts to supply to Soviet Union.

Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 was successful, serving as a springboard for the invasion of the mainland. In September, the first Allied troops to land were of the British Eighth Army under the then General Bernard Montgomery, in Operation Baytown. Further landings on 9 September 1943 saw the main attack force landing, despite the Italian surrender to the Allied forces on the previous day. After securing the beachheads, the 5th Army began its advance northwards.

The Argenta Gap was a well defended strip of land between Lake Commacchio and the Lombardy marshes, in the province of and near the town of Ferrara. The Axis defences there blocked the Allied advance into north-eastern Italy.

The Battle

The Battle to breach the Argenta Gap began with Operation Roast, a commando assault across Lake Commacchio on 1 April to secure the flanks for the coming assaults by the Eighth Army, and to seize three canals that ran through the area. The operation was highly successful, capturing large numbers of German artillery pieces, with the destruction of three German battalions at a low cost to Allied forces. It was in this raid that Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter of 43 Commando posthumously received the Victoria Cross for his actions.On the morning of 11 April, the British 5th Corps made an amphibious assault on the south-western shore of Lake Commacchio, cutting along and outflanking the German defensive lines, where they found the submerged, marshy land easier to traverse than had previously been expected. As the 11th wore on, elements of the 169th Brigade and the 40th Commando established a beachhead against the German 42nd Jaeger Division and a mixture of other nearby German units. The following day, the 42nd Jaeger Division began to pull back, though still inflicting casualties on the Allied forces. The beachhead was linked up with the 167th Brigade that had been advancing by land. To the north, along the Po River, the 29th Panzer Division was brought south to engage advancing Allied forces and establishes secondary lines of defence while the 42nd Jaeger continued to retreat.

During the second day, the 78th and 56th Infantry Divisions of the Eighth Army advanced from the south and east respectively. On the 13th, the 24th Guards Brigade landed near the defensive positions of the 29th Panzer Division, and with a German retreat the British 6th Armoured Division was able to penetrate the Argenta Gap.

German resistance was moderate, with the stiff defence of small villages such as the villages of San Antonio and Casa Tomba. German Panzer tanks were captured with their crews sleeping inside such was the speed of the Allied advance. By the 18th the battle for the Argenta Gap was over, and much of the retreating German force had been destroyed before it could retreat across the Po River.

Consequences of the Battle

With the Eighth Army sweeping into Axis territory beyond the Argenta Gap, the German army began a general withdrawal from the area around Bologna on 20 April. After passing through the gap, the Eighth Army took part in the capture of Bologna, Ferrara (April 24) and Venice (April 29). By May, the 8th was entering Udine

References

*http://www.warlinks.com/pages/8thdeeds.html
*http://www.britishsoldier.com/argenta2.htm (Kindly providing the images)

Bibliography

*"Dictionary of Battles"