Restored WWII Archives: Breaking the Gothic Line. The 1945 Apennine Mountain Battles

In the winter of 1945, the German Gothic Line across the Northern Apennines stood unbroken after three costly Allied offensives. High above the valley floor near Vidiciatico, Wehrmacht observers on Riva Ridge, Mount Belvedere, and Mount Gorgolesco looked directly into American assembly areas, ready to direct devastating artillery fire onto every road. Breaking this deadlock fell to the U.S. 10th Mountain Division under Major General George P. Hays. Arriving at Livorno around Christmas 1944, the 85th, 86th, and 87th Mountain Infantry Regiments moved north to fight one of World War II's hardest campaigns. Combat began in early February 1945 with night patrols and a bold raid overlooking Piancastagnaio, where American mortarmen dropped a 60mm shell straight down the chimney of a German headquarters before enduring heavy counterbattery fire. After slipping 13,000 troops at night into the Vidiciatico basin, the main assault opened on February 18. Illuminated only by searchlights bounced off low clouds, assault climbers of the 86th Infantry scaled 1,500 feet of vertical rock in silence to seize Riva Ridge, Mount Cappel Buso, and Pizzo di Campiano, repulsing vicious dawn counterattacks with danger-close artillery. With their flank secured, the 85th and 87th Regiments pushed through frozen minefields up Mount Belvedere and Mount Gorgolesco. Clawing through curtains of 88mm shellfire and MP40 submachine gun bursts, riflemen broke fierce counterattacks by the German 741st Jäger Regiment. In March, the division fought north to capture shattered Castel d'Aiano and Monte della Spe. That spring, troops took Mount Pigna by night and stormed Rocca Roffeno by day after Allied fighter-bombers saturated enemy bunkers with napalm. Breaking into the Po Valley, Brigadier General Robinson Duff's task force bypassed resistance to capture the Bomporto bridge intact. After crossing the Po River at high noon under exploding anti-aircraft shrapnel, the division liberated Verona, lost Colonel William O. Darby to shellfire at Lake Garda, and fought through cliffside tunnels to take Torbole and the Adige Line. To support our work and channel, join @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTTqBgYdkmFogITlPDM0M4A/join Thank you! 🙏🎖️ ➤ More aircraft and history videos: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes ➤ Join the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes/join ➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesvideos ➤ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Dronescapesvideos ➤ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Atellani/ ➤ IG: https://www.instagram.com/dronescapesvideos ➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes.bsky.social ➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescapesvideos ➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj VIDEO SERIES: 🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US 🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation 🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany 🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British 🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown 🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29 🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam 🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet 🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest 🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar 🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2 00:00:00 The 1945 Apennine Deadlock and the Gothic Line 00:02:10 Fifth Army Stalemate and Combatant Introductions 00:05:03 Arrival at Livorno and Moving North to the Front 00:07:21 The Piancastagnaio Raid and 60mm Mortar Strike 00:10:24 Combat Patrols and the Vidiciatico Assembly Basin 00:13:53 German Reconnaissance and Night Patrol Clashes 00:16:32 General Hays's Attack Order and Allied Air Superiority 00:19:17 Scaling Riva Ridge: The 1,500-Foot Night Assault 00:22:18 Danger-Close Artillery at Cappel Buso and Campiano 00:23:49 Storming Mount Belvedere and Mount Gorgolesco 00:25:51 Crushing the German 741st Jäger Regiment Counterattack 00:31:06 The Battle for Castel d'Aiano and Monte della Spe 00:33:10 Night Capture of Mount Pigna and Napalm on Rocca Roffeno 00:36:08 Infantry Assault and Close Combat at Rocca Roffeno 00:39:35 Night Barrages and Casualties on the Charred Heights 00:42:42 Breakout to the Po Valley and Seizing the Bomporto Bridge 00:46:38 German Retreat and the Wounding of General Duff 00:48:52 High Noon Crossing of the Po River Under Flak Fire 00:51:14 Capturing Verona and the Death of Colonel William Darby 00:51:34 Combat on Lake Garda, Torbole, and Final Victory in Italy #WWIIHistory #10thMountainDivision #ItalianCampaign