MID-LATE AUGUST 1944 DISPOSITION
7/7/12
Mid-Late August 1944 Disposition
of Axis Forces immediately West of Florence, Italy
The time period of January to September 1944 was known as the “Rome-Arno Campaign”.
August 1944 the 442nd RCT reached the Arno River SW of Florence as part of the US 34th Infantry Division. Sometime during this time period it was subsequently attached to the 88th Infantry Division as part of II Corps.
At the time the Arno River was being used as the nominal forward German defensive line while the Gothic Line to the north was being prepared.
The below map shows the disposition of known major German forces opposite the Arno River. Florence was in the sector of the I Fallschirm Korps (I Parachute Corps) as part of the 14th Army. Note the below map shows planned Allied operations for September.
Units as part of the I Parachute Corps included (division commander’s name):
• 362nd Infantry Division (Lieutenant General Heinz Greiner). This was the unit opposite the 442nd RCT.
• 4th Fallschirmjäger (Parachute) Division (Trettner). Being a light unit adjacent to an urban area, this unit likely had a relatively narrow sector.
• 356th Infantry Division (Faulenbach)
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San Columbano is about 6 miles
West of the center of Florence
During the recent battle(s) at Rome, the German 14th Army including the 92nd and the 362nd Infantry Divisions got pretty beaten up. Units from the 92 Inf Div were used to backfill shortages in the 362nd Inf Div leaving the 92nd Inf Div to be disbanded.
Mid-August the 362nd Inf Div consisted of the following in the sector north of the Arno River and west of Florence:
• 956th Grenadier Regiment (2 battalions)
• 1059th Grenadier Regiment * (2 battalions)
• 1060th Grenadier Regiment * (2 battalions)
• 362nd Fusilier Battalion (reconnaissance)
• 263rd Artillery Regiment (4 battalions)
• 362nd Panzerjäger Battalion (1 Kompanie StuG m42) (tank destroyer)
• 362nd Divisional support units
The exact array of the front line German units along the Arno River is not given. I suspect the sectors anticipating less action or that were easier to secure were given to the newly arrived (and reorganized) 1059th and 1060th Grenadier Regiments.
During the last two weeks of August, Allied Forces were preparing for offensive operations against the Gothic Line. The major thrust was going to be in the East along the Adriatic by the British, but US Forces (Fifth Army) had minor thrusts planned in its sector and had assignments to probe enemy positions and capture/integrate enemy soldiers for disposition intelligence. One of their roles was to deceive the Germans as to where major Allied operations would next occur.
It was during these activities that Company M of 3rd Battalion on the left flank of the 442nd RCT received its contact report of a forward enemy patrol base in the San Columbano area south of the Arno River. I suspect that in a defensive position, the mission for a forward enemy patrol based on the far side of the river (i.e. south of the river) might have been given to a unit of the Fusilier Battalion (recon) to test Allied capabilities and probe for weaknesses.
References:
Notes:
September 1944 (or so), the Allies started its campaign to break the Gothic Line. It was during this time period that I find conflicting details of the disposition of withdrawing German units. Online resources and the West Point Campaign Atlas show the I Parachute Corps and the next east adjacent XIV Panzer Corps as switching positions along the withdrawing German front. This represents a major command and control feat for the Germans or an error in available maps for 1945. When reviewing Map 52 in the WP Campaign Atlas keep this mind. I can not find further materials that describe this situation.
Various resources point out that since units were constantly being moved to counter the Allied advance. There is no way to accurately represent the organization of a division. Above it my best guess based on research. PBO
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* replaced the recently decimated 954th and 955th Grenadier Regiments
Approximate position of 3rd Battalion, 442nd RCT (including Company M)
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