The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-11-26
Commander
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Bsnnui Report of the Chief of Scf of the U 5. Army
 lo43 10 ls45. 10 the Secretary of Wor Service, eoepefAan win th war UspA

This is the twelfth of AZ instan- mentS of material selected from Gen. Marshall's report on the winning of World War H.
 THE FINAL PHASES
 During the withdrawal of troops for ANVIL, one American division. the 91st. had arrived to reinforce the Fifth Army. On Sept. 15, a combat team of the Brazilian Ex- peditionary Force moved into the Fifth Army line in the. Valley Of the Serchio River. Before the end Of autumn the entire Brazilian dlvi- sion was in the line. During this same period one of the Army's two Negro divisions, the sgd, which had reached Italy during the late sum- mer and fall, was assigned to the W Corps.
 The advances had brought Gen. Alexander's Allied armies up against the Gothic Line" an elaborate transpeninsular defense system which the Germans had been pre- pairing since early in the year. Despite the heavy diversion Of troops to other theaters it was de- cided to launch another general of- fcnsive on Sept. 10 for the purpose of breaking through the Apennines into the Pc Valley. While the U. s. Fifth Army assaulted the Gothic Line frontally through the noun tains, the British Eighth Army, now commanded by It. Gen. Sir R. L. McCreery attacked northwest from Rimini. This offensive in volved our troops in some ot the bitterest and most difficult fighting Of the Italian campaign. The jagged Apennines and bad weather seemed almost insurmountable obstacles.
 After three months of this costly but successful penetration Of the Gothic Line, the Allied command prepared in December to drive on Bologna, but pressure against the western flank of the Fifth Army units to meet the political crisis in Greece disrupted these plans. Meanwhile the Germans had time to refit and strengthen their forces and establish & new defensive posi- ton.
 On Dec. 12, 1944 Field Marshal Alexander replaced Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilson as Supreme Com mander in the Mediterranean area. Gen. Wilson was promoted to Field Marshal ano senior representative in Washington of the British Chiefs of Staff. It, Gen. Mark w. Clark lcoved up to command the Allied armies in Italy and It. Gen. Lucian K. Truscott assumed command ot the Fifth Army.
 Secret Endorsements
 In January the Fifth Army was reinforced by the 10th U. s. Moun- tain Division which gave 8 fine ex- ilibition of battle efficiency on its initial employment. During the winter. three Italian combat groups entered the line of the Eighth Army. These small gains were more than offset by February di. rective from the Combined Chiefs of Staff which ordered the trans fer of five British and Canadian divisions to the European Theater The directive was later amended tt send three to France, one to tht eastern Mediterranean, and retair one division in Italy for possible use in the impending final battle This movement of more than 125,' 900 combat troops was accomplished in complete secrecy and gave Mar shal Montgomery's Northern Arm! Group on the Rhine additiona power to the surprise of the enemy
 During the fall and winter months, the Tactical and Strategic Air Forces pounded away at com munications over the Alps and il Northern Italy. With opposing ground forces so nearly equal 1T strength, the Air Fofces represent cd our margin of advantage ant made the maintenance of German forces in Northern Italy most diff flcult while our own was unmolest. ed. In addition, Italy-based air. craft assisted the Yugoslav patriots Closely coordinated with the at. tacks staged from Britain, tht Strategic Air Forces struck heavy blows at oil and rail targets in Aus tria and southern Germany, aver. aging weekly bombingS of nearly 4,0OO tons.
 Ground action on the Italian front in the late winter was limited to small but important advances 1T the mountains southwest of Bol. ogna. The strategic aircraft kept up the pressure on communications and industrial targets beyond the Alps, reaching as far north as Der. lin.
 On April g, Gen. Clark's Fifteenth Army Group launched its spring drive, known as operation Grape Shot. The Eighth Army led of with an attack across the Senie River west of Ravenna. In spite o1 unusually heavy air ana artillery preparation, the offensive met stiff opposition from the Germant Tenth Army in approaching the Argenta Gap. Five days later, after the enemy had presumably had time tc dispose himself to meet the Eighth Army attack, the II and W Corps Of the Fifth Army threw theil weight into the offensive from positions in the Apennines south and southwest of Bologna.
 Resistance Coliapses Everywhere
 After Q week of heavy fighting our troops broke into the Pc Valley and entered Bologna from the west and south. At the same time Polish forces of the Eighth Army entered the city from the east. The Fifth Army columns beyond the city swept up the great highway lead ing to Piacenza---the ancient Vif Emilia-and, by-passing Moaena te tthe east, drove toward the Pc soutf of Mantua. Pursuing the disorgan. iZed enemy t0 khe river bridge.