In April 1945 the Queen's Brigade, together with the rest of 56th Division, and the 15th Army Group fought in the final offensive in Italy (Operation Grapeshot). The 56th Infantry Division, fighting alongside the British 78th Infantry Division (nicknamed "The Battleaxe Division", the 78th served with distinction, many times alongside the 56th, throughout the whole campaign), played a major role in the Battle of the Argenta Gap where the Queen's Brigade, riding in LVTs (nicknamed "Fantails") manned by the 27th Lancers and the U.S. 755th Tank Battalion, captured, with minimal loss, 300 prisoners of war from the 42nd Jäger Division which greatly surprised the Germans. The brigade continued to fight in the offensive, which ultimately ended on 2 May 1945 with the surrender of all German forces in Italy and, after nearly 20 months of fighting (minus a single day), finally saw an end to the Italian Campaign. The Queen's Brigade in the final offensive had, unusually for the fighting in Italy, suffered light casualties. The British Eighth Army moved into Austria for occupation duties soon after Victory in Europe Day and was redesignated British Troops Austria and the brigade entered Vienna and began occupation duties.